Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday (commonly known as Pancake Day in certain countries). I have also decided that Ash Wednesday will be a day dedicated to the band…Ash!

Ash are a fairly local band to me, hailing from Downpatrick. They came to prominence in the 90s, alongside bands such as Oasis, Blur, Pulp etc. However, they have a sound heavily inspired by pop-punk such as the Ramones who I just reviewed, and almost sound like distant cousins to Weezer.

I think that the essential work of Ash is found on their compilation Intergalactic Sonic 7’s. It is just one catchy song after another. Every track has great major key melodies (which I love of course) but with massive guitars and rock energy. It has their biggest hits such as “Girl From Mars,” “Burn Baby Burn” and “Shining Light.” I love every track apart from the last one “Numbskull.”

I also believe some of their more recent albums are quite strong aswell. Kablammo! from 2015 is very consistent, and features their trademark sound working as well as ever. They have also had some more hard-rocking moments over their career, such as the song “Orpheus.”

Overall, Ash are a fairly overlooked band that definitely stand out compared to the sound of other bands of that time. Tim Wheeler has a very strong melodic sense, and they have a clear formula that they have absolutely perfected. Thanks for reading this shorter post.