Ash at 30: From ‘1977’ to Global Stages—A Journey of Legacy, Passion, and Revival"

How are you doing, Rick?

I'm good. We just wrapped up festival season, including our first-ever show in the Shetland Islands on Saturday. Now, we've got a brief pause before gearing up for our upcoming tour—a moment to reflect and anticipate what's next.

Speaking of festival season, I know you had a little bit of a secret surprise for the band at Kendal with the Desert Island Discs. Tell us about the scheming that went into that.

A few weeks before Kendal, we heard that 'Girl From Mars' had just gone gold. Chatting with management sparked the idea: how could we celebrate this milestone in a memorable way? I decided to reach out to Tim Burgess about doing something special at his own stage, Tim Peake's, at Kendal Calling. It all came together in a way that was both surprising and incredibly fun.

We planned an acoustic performance, and I secretly arranged for Tim to present the gold discs to the band. Keeping it under wraps added to the excitement—Tim kept checking if the discs had arrived, and the band had no idea what was coming. The surprise made the moment even more memorable. It was a lot of fun.

So, when you are playing non-stop at Festival Circuit, what's the key to embracing it the ash way?

We've always had a reputation as a great festival band, right from our early days. While we have our own dedicated fans, there’s also a crowd who may not recognize us by name—but when we play, there’s that moment of recognition: 'Oh, they’re the ones who do that song.'

It’s a curious phenomenon that happens often. After shows, people will tell us how much they love our music, even if they only just made the connection. Some listeners seem to see a disconnect between our band name and our songs, but we’ve always embraced the festival experience. One of our most memorable moments was Reading Festival in 1995.

That show was pure chaos—the energy in the tent was electric. 'Girl From Mars' had just entered the top 20 a month prior, even though we’d been booked long before that success.

Everything exploded for us, and ever since, we’ve relished bringing that same energy and chaos to every festival we play.

So this year also celebrates the 30th anniversary of 1977. When you hear the word 30, does it feel like 30 years or has time flown by so fast?

Absolutely not. You know, there are moments where, you know, mentioning the Reading Festival, which is like 31 years ago now. And, you know, that's still fresh in my memory.

And, you know, experiences live with you. But also at the same time, you know, it's like, I think it's more for the fans; there's this sort of like shock that it's, you know, they go, oh my God, I'm so old. And it's like, I think it's more of a dissociation because the way I describe it is you're feeling younger than you actually are, which is a good way to look at it, I think.

Songs like 'Girl From Mars' or 'Goldfinger' have grown alongside us—they’re woven into our DNA as a band. These tracks, now three decades old, still resonate every time we play them at festivals. Thinking back, thirty years ago we were touring America. That chapter felt almost like an escape after the whirlwind of '1977.'

Yeah, going to number one. And to be honest, I think we all find it quite overwhelming. At the time, it was like, I think our idea of, you know, it's like, oh, well, you know, it's like, the album's got the number one, we've been successful, whether it's like, we can like, just like live off that and chill out and just relax. Back then, we faced intense media attention and pressure we weren’t prepared for. Playing smaller venues in America offered a welcome respite from the chaos.

With Reading '96 on the horizon, we truly began to appreciate what we’d achieved in the UK. After feeling like an underground band in America, returning to headline Reading in front of 60,000 fans was surreal and humbling. So that was just like a bit of a, like, okay, we've, you know, we can kind of appreciate this now. With it being a significant milestone, like 30 is no, no, no number to be looked down upon.

So does it kind of feel like you're living your Marty McFly back to the future moment?

Yeah, kind of, you know, it's like, you know, it's like the whole 30-year thing doesn't compute. If you truly love what you do, time takes on a different meaning. We’re all still driven by our passion for the band, always pushing forward. In the past, anniversaries felt less significant, but now, reaching these milestones carries a deeper weight.

The demand for anniversary celebrations has grown, and while it once felt like a distraction from our future goals, it feels genuinely meaningful now. The anniversary has become a celebration of how far we’ve come and of those who have stayed with us. We certainly weren’t touring the world for the 10th anniversary, but now we’re heading to Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and across Europe and the UK. It feels like a special moment—one we want to savor.

With that global tour, are there any particular countries in particular that you're looking forward to visiting?

Oh, yeah, yeah. I mean, you don't think about it that much. But I think this upcoming tour is, like, you know, Australia, New Zealand, Japan- all like amazing places to tour.

Touring can be exhausting, but it’s also a privilege. Staying in great hotels, enjoying local cuisine, and flying between cities is a far cry from cramming into a van for UK festivals. It’s the more luxurious side of life on the road, and I don’t take it for granted.

So, you know, it's like, gigs anywhere, you know, it's like, they're the same. I mean, not in a good way. It's like, you know, it doesn't matter if you're playing, you know, to, you know, 20 people in a tiny pub, or you're playing to, like, you know, 10,000 people or more at a festival.

Whenever there’s an audience—whether it’s 20 people in a pub or a festival crowd of thousands—something clicks. You switch into performance mode. Strangely, I’ve noticed that even during rehearsals, just having someone else in the room brings out that same energy. It’s as if performing is hardwired into us now. Then someone else from outside steps into that room. It's just like, oh, suddenly you feel like you're in gig mode. You know what I mean? Yeah.

Now, given the room that you're in at the moment, what is the secret hero of the room that you're in?

This room? Yeah, it's sort of, it's accumulated a few things over the years. I mean, there's, I don't know, there's, you can't see most of it. This is the Tide Airport, believe it or not. That's my practice kit. I've got, like, neighbors on the wall, right there. Yeah. And so the kit is sort of somewhat silenced. And it's like, that's just, I spent most of my, I mean, I've been drumming all day today. I was looking forward to this tour and getting in shape for it.

There's like a wall of like guitar amps here. There are guitars over there and stuff. And it's just like, I think I've reached the point where I need to stop buying stuff just because there's physically no room.

If I add anything else, I’ll be climbing over gear just to get inside. But honestly, it shows just how much I love what I do. With the kids at school, I spend hours each day at the drum kit—there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing. There’s always something new to discover, even after all these years.

When you think about sharing this journey with the rest of the guys in the band, what do you admire about your bond as a band? And as friends, of course.

Yeah, well, I think, you know, we started like so young. And I think, you know, you get with, you know, bands that sort of like find success further down the line, if it's, you know, their fourth or fifth band or whatever. It's like, they get together.

And it's like, it's a bunch of individuals where we've, you know, from the age of 15, Ash has existed. And it's almost like  the fourth member of the band. Yeah, in a way that we, you know, we all equally care about.

We’ve never been a group that cycled through different projects or lineups. From day one, we’ve been together, and that longevity makes it less about ego and more about the collective. It’s rare, and I think it’s what keeps us grounded and connected. We’ve weathered tough times, but those challenges have only brought us closer. After nearly three and a half decades, the fact that we’re still here—together—means a lot to me.

Is there a moment of that journey that always makes you laugh? Or was it someone with a questionable haircut or questionable fashion sense?

Oh, yeah, I mean, if you, when you look back at some stuff- in fact, we did, we did this, we did a photo for The Guardian- I think it just came out last week. The whole angle of this piece: they took loads of people, they took an old photo that you had, and you, like, give them the photo, and they recreate the entire photo. So I think it's the three of us in the back of a van in Japan back in, like, 95.

We recreated that photo, and it felt strangely nostalgic. With the reissue, we dug up a trove of early tour photos—Tim found the originals, and we picked out new ones for the artwork. It was a trip down memory lane to see our teenage selves in those moments.

Looking back at those photos, seeing ourselves in various states on our first world tour, always makes us laugh. Each image is loaded with strong memories—sometimes awkward, always unforgettable.

You will, of course, be coming to tour in the UK in December as part of the global tour. So when you reconnect, especially with the fans who were there at the birth of where your music originated, how does it feel knowing they've stayed loyal to you over the years?

Oh, it's amazing. Over the last decade or so, we’ve noticed something special: fans bringing their teenage kids to the shows. Seeing that passion passed down through generations is incredible—one person reliving their formative years while another discovers the music for the first time.

Watching parents and kids, whatever the combination, singing along with equal delight—it means the world to us. That bond through music is what keeps this all worthwhile.

When you knew you were going to do the reissue, what vision did you have for the aesthetic, and how did you want to not just release it, but also do it in style?

Yeah, well, we just, you know, it's like, we, I think we, we were like, well, we've got all the, you know, all these B-sides from that era, because there's like five singles off the album. And we're like, you know, we've never, they've never been collected in one thing. We were intent on making the reissue truly special—something desirable and packed with value. Updating the artwork, weaving in rare photos, and adding subtle new touches made it feel fresh. Even for those who already own the album, it’s worth a look. The positive response in pre-sales has been humbling.

In today’s climate, fans wouldn’t buy it unless they believed it was worthwhile. We wanted to give them something to be proud of, and I think we’ve achieved that. One thing I’m especially thankful for: we discovered an unfinished track from the 1977 sessions, which we’ve finally completed and will be releasing as a single soon.

I'm not even sure whether this has been announced or whether I should be telling you. I think a few fans have picked up on it. We've seen, obviously, on the, you know, on the streaming services, obviously there are a couple of songs you can hear, but there are also the greyed-out songs, and there's a song title in there that everyone goes, oh, what's that? So it's something that we dug out of the archive, something that was actually unfinished from the 1977 sessions, that has miraculously been finished this year.

It’s genuinely exciting. Tim put in the effort to finish the lyrics, and hearing it finally come together after all these years is pretty special.

Looking forward to the next season, or the next season of Ash, what are a couple of things you're most excited for?

Since around 2020, we’ve often found ourselves with a surplus of songs after finishing each album—almost half an album’s worth, sometimes more. We still have tracks without a home, and I’m excited to see where they fit in the next chapter.

So I'm kind of excited just to get that finished and get it out. And it feels like it's going to be like the, maybe, like the third part of a trilogy, going from Race the Night through Ad Astra to the next album. But some of it's like, I've listened to some of it, and I think there's probably the best side of music that we've done.

I think the new material will surprise a lot of people. How the next album comes together is still unfolding, especially after such a full-on year of touring. Hopefully, by early next year, we’ll revisit those tracks and see what form the new album will take. There’s some very good music waiting to be shared, and it’ll be a relief to finally release it and move forward.

Ever since the A to Z series, we’ve wanted to release albums more regularly. It feels like we’ve finally found our rhythm, with just a couple of years between 'Race the Night' and 'Ad Astra.' I hope we can keep that momentum going.

We can have this trilogy, you know, album every couple of years. So that's, in fact, was it a year between? I don't know. I can't, yeah, I've lost track of time.

Well, it's been fantastic speaking to you today, Rick. So, to the different generations of fans who supported you at different parts of your journey, what would you like to say to them?

I want to say thank you for being part of our journey. Without the fans, none of this would matter. We’re all incredibly grateful to still be doing this after 30 years—when we started out, we never imagined it would last this long. Doing this for so long has been a true joy. Our love for the band is real, and I think people sense that. So many share our passion, and that’s what keeps us going.

Well, thank you so much, Rick, and all the best for your travels around the world.

Article By Thushara Chandrasiri