Ash

Ash are a Northern Irish rock band from Downpatrick, County Down, formed in 1992 by singer and guitarist Tim Wheeler, bassist Mark Hamilton and drummer Rick McMurray. Their sound mixes alternative rock, power pop and pop punk, and although they are often filed under Britpop, they were uneasy with the label, since stressing Britishness could be read as sectarian back home.

The trio released the mini-album Trailer in 1994, then the full-length 1977 in 1996, which NME later placed among the 500 greatest albums of all time. Guitarist Charlotte Hatherley joined for Nu-Clear Sounds in 1998, and after a close brush with bankruptcy came Free All Angels in 2001. Hatherley left in 2006, returning them to a three-piece. In 2009 they put out 26 singles, one every two weeks, in the A-Z Series. Meltdown is also among their best-loved records.