First they were three, now they are four, but when Downpatrick band Ash hit the stage, they still go all the way up to 11. The band were headlining the first night of the Heineken Green Energy Extravaganza in Galway, in front of about 1,500 fans in a tent designed to hold twice that many people. Armed with the Flying V guitar which has now become his trademark, singer/guitarist Tim Wheeler rose to the task, confident that he had youth, looks and great hooks on his side. Mark Hamilton, Charlotte Hatherley and Rick McMurray moments could only be found on their first album, 1977, which, five years after its release, can still thrill at 50 paces. Now they've got a third album, Free All Angels, a brilliant, breakneck return to form. It's an album filled with potential hit singles, and when Wheeler kicked into the chorus of Shining Light, there was a feel-good glow in the crowd. Candy is another gem, taking a sample from Make It Easy On Yourself and making something simple and sublime. Ash standards such as Goldfinger and Oh Yeah still haven't lost their sheen, but it's nice to know that the band can also dazzle with new tricks.

Supporting the Downpatrick demons were Muse, the young British three-piece whose explosive, epic-sounding rock has been compared - often unfavourably - to Radiohead. With Ash and Muse together under one canvas, there was bound to be a bit of jumping about, and Ash got things bouncing along with Kung Fu, Jack Names The Planets and Petrol. They , with The Undertones' Teenage Kicks. Ash: keepers of the teenage flame.