It has been a roller-coaster ride of a year since Ash last played Belfast. The Downpatrick indie pop trio survived the dip of a gruelling 18-month tour to whizz back by headlining at Glastonbury, playing five sold-out nights at London's Astoria and picking up Hot Press Awards for Best Irish Band and Best Irish Single. All this, and they're still barely bridging the gap between their teens and twentysomething. As ardent Star Wars fans (their album 1977 is named after the year the film was released) they can relish the fact that they've achieved all this in the year of the successful re-release of the sci-fi classic.
Ash's sound is hard to pigeon-hole, as they leap with heady energy from rock to punk pop to radio friendly melodies. Formed in 1989 when Tim Wheeler teamed up with school pals Mark Hamilton and Rick McMurray, the band had its first British Top 20 hit, Girls From Mars, in the summer that Wheeler and Hamilton left school. This was quickly followed by Angel Interceptor and Goldfinger, but it all came together last year with the release of the debut album, 1977. Its success saw everyone singing along to the single, Oh Yeah.
Gigs back home have been few and far between, so there's a fizzling excitement about their homecoming gig at the Limelight, Belfast, on August 10th. Ash showed extreme confidence by turning down supports with U2 and Oasis in order to concentrate on their own work, but their courage paid off. Now they've made their mark internationally, they can afford to spend time supporting U2 at Lansdowne Road on August 30th.
Some of Ash's exploits during their last four years on the road have been captured on film and this footage is being compiled into a long-play documentary which stretches back to their schooldays. As Ash are renowned for lapping up the rock 'n' roll lifestyle with youthful exuberance, it promises to make interesting viewing.
The band is currently ensconced in a London rehearsal studio, working on material for their second album, to be released next year. It's unlikely they'll release a single this year, although they're working on a track for the new film from the makers of Trainspotting.
In recent months, Wheeler and Hamilton have moved from Downpatrick to London, another small step in their long journey away from their schooldays in Downpatrick. The forthcoming Irish gigs are likely to reveal a more confident and mature Ash, speeding towards the next daring stage in their development.