Ash

• Tim Wheeler - vocals, guitar
• Mark Hamilton - bass
• Rick McMurray - drums

Things began when Tim Wheeler and Mark Hamilton, who’d met at their school in Northern Ireland and bonded over a shared love of punk-pop and grunge, hooked up with drummer Rick McMurray and formed Ash. Their 1994 mini-album Trailer garnered press attention and spurred anticipation for their album proper; and nine months later ‘Girl From Mars’ hit the top twenty.

The addition of former Nightnurse guitarist Charlotte Hatherley added further depth to their sound, and album Nu-clear Sounds showcased a more mature band. However, the album failed to match their previous successes and the band went silent for two years while they struggled with near-bankruptcy.

However, all was not lost: comeback single ‘Shining Light’ was Ivor Novello nominated, and their 2001 album Free All Angels entered #1 in the charts on the back of the single, gathering rave reviews in the process. Several singles later (including ‘Burn Baby Burn' which topped the end of year people's poles in both Q and NME magazines), the band ended a year of touring on a high with a two-night sell out run at the Brixton Academy and a live DVD, entitled Tokyo Blitz. Singles and b-sides collection Intergalatic Sonic 7"s followed in 2002, with new track 'Envy', and fourth album Meltdown arrived soon after.

And if your first comeback was such a success, why not do it again? Ash, now slimmed down to their original trio status following the departure of guitarist Charlotte Hatherley, return with news of a brand new single on April 16th 2007. Entitled 'You Can't Have It All' it's their first recorded output since 2004 and follows their sold-out Higher Education tour: their first live shows since Glastonbury 2005.

While on tour, the band showcased new material that will appear on their as-yet-untitled forthcoming album. As of late 2005, Tim and Mark relocated to New York and immediately began searching out a suitable recording space. Once found, the band embarked on fitting out the space and decided that, rather than using a producer, Tim would wield the stick with the assistance of an engineer and basically self produce the album. The band are hopeful that the results of their new, slimmed-down line-up will be the “most complete” album they’ve made in their fourteen year career.