[ originally published 15/12/2019 ]
ASH
Tramshed, Cardiff - 23rd August 2019
Support: Novacub
Like The Coral, I've been following Ash since their early days, yet still never seen them live. They are, also like The Coral, without a doubt one of the best singles bands of the past 20 years. Let's not forget they released an unbelievably brilliant compilation album in 2002 when the oldest band members were still only 25! They've continued in a similar vein ever since.
We arrived shortly after support band Novacub took to the stage. This lot have only released a handful of songs to date (at the time of writing) and feature two members of Bloc Party. First impressions suggest they could be worth keeping an eye on with pretty much every song they played being significantly better than everything on the last Bloc Party record. Mind you, that's not saying much..
Ash were touring in support of a box set of seven-inch singles documenting their a-sides between 1994 and 2004. So a hits-filled set was in order. Sure enough, they were all trotted out, one after the other - Goldfinger, Shining Light, Orpheus, Angel Interceptor - along with a smattering of songs from the most recent album, last year's 'Islands' - including Annabel, All That I Have Left and the searing, potty-mouthed Buzzkill. Not for the first time, the Tramshed's sound struggled a bit, but in general Ash transcended the limitations of being a three-piece. The Tramshed was rammed, the gig originally having been scheduled for the tiny Globe, but moved due to demand. It proved to be a wise decision. There were almost minor earth tremors when Kung Fu and Girl From Mars were blasted out, but closing song Burn Baby Burn, perhaps predictably, blew the roof off.
The mix of ages in the audience suggests that Ash are still relevant, and let's face it, with songs of this quality, it's unlikely there will ever be a time when it's uncool to listen to them.
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