Punchestown Racecourse
Co. Kildare, Ireland
Show notes
Oxegen Festival. The show saw Thin Lizzy’s Brian Robertson, join Ash once again for the cover of “The Boys Are Back in Town”.
Set list
- Meltdown
- Girl From Mars
- A Life Less Ordinary
- Evil Eye
- Clones
- Walking Barefoot
- Oh Yeah
- Shining Light
- Renegade Cavalcade
- Starcrossed
- Kung Fu
- Orpheus
- The Boys Are Back in Town (Thin Lizzy cover)
- Burn Baby Burn
Review
There seems to be some kind of conspiracy against our fave local turns on the main stage this year. Yesterday Neil Hannon and chums brought the biggest downpour of the day and now, just before Ash are due to take their turn on the premier spot, the skies have darkened dramatically and groups of huddled ponchos look to shelter elsewhere while the Big Man chucks it down from on high. That said, the hardy Irish festival spirit wins through with a thoroughly decent turn out to see Tim do a Hendrix at Monterey, his Flying V Gibson doused in lighter fuel and set alight for a small little guitar bonfire a day early, before launching with “Meltdown”.
The Ash massive is in fine fettle, all the gang still looking energised and sounding taut with an unsurprising but welcome selection including “Girl From Mars”, “Evil Eye”, “Shining Light” and “A Life Less Ordinary” bringing a few more brave participants to the party at Soggyhill, Co. Kildare. Ash are well versed enough to know that at a festival, especially during a torrent, it pays to leave the jazz odyssey B sides in the camper van.
It’s surprising come to think of it, that Tim Wheeler, coming from Northern Ireland, has managed to write so many songs including references to sunshine. The ranks of the irony police were massing at the stage during “Oh Yeah’, and with “Walking Barefoot’ they’re excitedly tapping their batons on their shields, ready to storm the stage and make a few collars.
We sing “Happy Birthday” in honour of Rick and, feeling a little defiant, a crowd chorus of “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’ is also given a blast at one point. Onstage, and new single “Starcrossed” is a little flat live, like the band aren’t fully convinced either. “Kung Fu” dries a few drips off for the heads-down all-out shakedown of the set and before “Burn Baby Burn” takes us toward the pyrotechnic heroics of Muse, we even get to salute the godfathers of Irish rock with Lizzy axeman Brian Robertson questing on “The Boys Are Back in Town”
Review from Across The Line