It's Saturday night and there is a rock show on at The Waterfront in Norwich. Playing tonight are cult heroes Ash who are back out on the road in support of their new album 'Kablammo!'. Yes, you heard correctly Ash have released a new album. This is despite famously saying back in 2007 that they would never release another album as the format was dead.
To be honest I'm surprised that they stuck to their word for this long. For the release of 'Kablammo!' the band chose to utilise PledgeMusic and it's possible that the advent of such a medium prompted their change of heart. Regardless of their reasoning it's great for their fans to be able to commit to a new project from this band.
Ash's fan base these days aren't getting any younger and this is demonstrated by the reasonably high average age of attendees in the room tonight. In all honesty the absence of a new conventional album for some eight years won't have helped the band in winning over any potential younger fans. But with this in mind you kind of feel in on a secret by being in the venue tonight, for you know you're in for a good night at an Ash gig.
Helping to entertain the crowd tonight are a couple of decent young support acts. First up are Scottish female three-piece The Amorettes who I've had the pleasure of seeing once before. They were great then and are fantastic again tonight providing a solid start to the evening's entertainment with their classic rock hooks. The Amorettes are certainly on my ones to watch in 2016 list, and hopefully their stock will continue to grow.
When the next support act Asylums take to the stage I'll admit that I take one look at them and conclude they won't be any good. What the band does though is go on to show how wrong it is to form preconceptions because they put in an impressive shift which wins over most of the audience, me included. Their unique sound and look combine to great effect and with their grungy riffs they look set for bigger things.
It's three lads from Downpatrick however that fill the venue tonight and as Ash take to the stage there's a party atmosphere in the place. New song 'Go! Fight! Win!' kicks proceedings off with a bang and is probably a decent motto for a group that has constantly battled against critics and naysayers throughout their twenty plus year career.
With a career that long they clearly have an extensive back catalogue to choose from and they do well tonight to mix both old and new, fan favourites and of course a good deal of their hits for the casual fan. It is probably as good of a set list as the band could deliver on a new album tour. The early goings are a mix of favourites such as 'A Life Less Ordinary', 'Jack Names The Planets', 'Goldfinger' and 'Kung Fu' and 'Kablammo!' tracks 'Free' and 'Cocoon'.
By this point of the evening the band has already proven their quality and ability to entertain and that's before dropping the likes of 'Sometimes' which follows. Ash always have been a great live band and their catchy songs are perfect for singing along to as the appreciative audience do. 'Let's Ride', 'Oh Yeah', 'Orpheus', 'Evel Kenievel' and 'Machinery' all follow as the band ploughs through the set with no time to spare.
Frontman Tim Wheeler introduces next their fantastic cover of The Undertones classic 'Teenage Kicks' which really sees the crowd moving. Three more of the bands hit singles 'There's A Star', 'Shining Light' and old favourite 'Girl From Mars' are belted out before the band takes the traditional brief break from the stage. Of course the audience want more and the band oblige with 'Walking Barefoot', 'Angel Interceptor' and 'Baby Burn Burn'.
It's a great finish to a really good night which mixes nostalgia and hope for the future. This applies both to the bands playing in that we have young hopes The Amorettes and Asylums doing so well, and our nostalgic headliners Ash; but it also applies to Ash themselves. Ash are a band that had slipped into the nostalgia circuit with their reluctance to release an album of new material, but with 'Kablammo!' they are not just back, but back with a bang. Long live Ash!
FUTURE GIGS
sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.