Ash at The Hippo

Two great gigs in a week this week - after The Specials on Bonfire night, Ash played at The Hippo the following Sunday. (Photo from Ash website)


Ash originally came out of nowhere into a chart devoid of much guitar and drum and Tim Wheeler's paper thin vocals and garagey guitars was such a welcome change from the soulless over produced rubbish they couldn't be anything else except a success. Mind you, so many other worthy performers never get the recognition they deserve but I'm glad to say that it happened for Ash. And they've stayed the course since and seem to be bigger and better than ever (although there are now only three of them).

The time is ripe for Ash to blow us a way again. And they did.

For this gig I was re-united, not only with The Usual Suspects (see earlier posts on my punk rock friends) but also with Chas'n'Shaz who I last saw in a night club in Truro about ten years ago. They are great fans of Ash and were also at The Specials gig earlier (when one of their party fainted because it was so hot).

Duncan was a last minute addition to our ranks and after a kind of Facebook relay with various friends got my message to meet us in the pub at 1730. Except that I meant 1930 or half past seven. Dunc was punctual and not finding us in the pub wandered down to The Hippo to casually ask about any returned tickets - and bought the last one. Not at all put out by my cock up, he was delighted to have got there in time to buy his ticket.

Chas'n'Shaz told me all about Ash's A-Z tour, a twenty-six point alphabet check around the British Isles coupled with the release of 26 songs over a year. They had subscribed to the Ash A-Z Series where you get downloads of all 26 songs for £13.

On the strength of their performance that night, I've now subscribed, too. I really like Ash's
approach in promoting their music and not just because I'm a self-publisher and a bit jealous of how they're using the net. As Tim Wheeler stressed during the gig, Ash are their own record company so their are no fat cat record execs - just the fans and the band (plus a few facilitators, I suppose, who help them connect with each other over and above the music).

It was hot in The Hippo. The gig had sold out but The Hippo didn't seem as crowded as the Stiff Little Fingers gig. That was a sell out, too (when a sell out is a grand and marvellous thing). It wasn't long before the famous mirrors steamed up and moisture began to run down the tiles on the walls.

But it wasn't quite so crowded as when SLF played.

I have two theories about this.

One is that ticket sales got a bit out of hand for SLF. Tickets for that gig were generic Hippo jobs with SLF written on them in hand. Me and The Usual Suspects got ours from a music shop in Plymouth. I'm sure fire regulations weren't exceeded - just that even more eager fans than normal got tickets, which has to be a good thing for a band with the integrity of Stiff Little Fingers.

The other is that Ash fans are thinner. Not much of a theory at first sight, I know, but it grows on you, doesn't it?

The support band were The Panama Kings who are also from Northern Island and were a good choice to play before the Ash faithful. Although guitar based they use synths to create a fuller sound, just like Ash. During their set, they let it be known that the BBC had chosen not to release a session they'd just done in their studies. Big mistake Beeb! The Kings played this track to us and it rocks!

Ash, of course, were brilliant! They played their oldies to great acclaim, performed their later stuff, which somehow I'd missed, and showcased their latest stuff, which I loved. But it was so hot! I know it's nuts to say so but I was almost considering admitting to myself I was relieved when they stopped playing. But then we had the encore and I didn't care any more.

Chas'n'Shaz had hoped to get tickets to the gig in Z for Zennor but that sold out even quicker than in P for Plymouth. That's going to be an amazing night - Charlie reckons the hall in Zennor holds about 50 people! Coming up to Plymouth from Snozzle wasn't such hardship for them, though, and it wa sgreat to see them again after all this time.

The penultimate track was Twilight of the innocence and this was what kept us talking after the show. It is phenomenal. Here it is on YouTube - you can thank Chas'n'Shaz for this link. I did.

Ash's website is really excellent with tabs and lyrics so you can practice in your bedroom and sing along as the shows. That's my kind of band.