Beaming down to us from what looked liked Mars, luminary song writer, guitarist and singer Tim Wheeler waves through the Zoom screen, still as fresh and enthusiastic about the band’s upcoming album as he was in the ’90s. A true artist, who never stops creating- together with his long term bandmates Mark Hamilton and Rick McMurray, Ash have crafted another sonic masterpiece with their ninth album Ad Astra. Bursting with anthemic bangers like the ‘Give Me Back my World,’ which shimmers with polyphonic riffs, driving percussion and widescreen choruses, while ‘Fun People‘ (featuring Blur‘s Graham Coxon )’ bounces with its infectious, cyclical hooks and cathartic, staccato vocals. ‘Which one do you Want?‘ channels Johnny Marr‘s slanting swooping jangle pop and lush indie harmonies, while their frenetic version of Harry Belafonte’s ‘Jump in the Line’ is a jagged shot of pure joy.
This is a band that never stops moving, creating and inspiring new fans. With a worldwide tour of Ireland, Spain, Japan and the UK they continue to bring rock-fuelled euphoria to every venue they play. With their latest album, Ad Astra– out today. they are going head to head with Taylor Swift for the number one spot in the album charts and we’re backing #TeamAsh.
Chatting over Zoom, we traversed the boundaries of time and space going from their earliest Glastonbury and Féile festivals in 1995, the changing music scene, ‘Kung Fu‘, touring with The Darkness and The Subways, playing the drums with Ewoks, Kurt Cobain’s jumper, Record Store Day, Tim’s Ivor Novello award, The Peace Process, the relevance of stars and celestial imagery in Ad Astra and their gold mine of hits, reflecting on how space is beyond boarders and more.
Ash are one of the few bands who have managed to thrive before during and after Brit Pop, existing parallel to so many changing scenes- keeping their authenticity, skill and endlessly adaptive energy fresh throughout their stellar career.
One of their earliest singles 1994’s ‘Uncle Pat‘ was the sound of a generation. Lots of us kids were singing along to Ash’s ‘Uncle Pat‘ from the Heineken advert before we were even old enough to drink.
Tim Wheeler: That’s right yeah! A lot of our fans were very young, so yeah, we probably were the gateway!!
I was just looking back at that single and the B Side ‘Hulk Hogan Bubble Bath.’ Was it Dave Gedge from the Wedding Present who produced it?
Tim Wheeler Yeah, he produced the B sides, We did ‘Uncle Pat’ as part of The Trailer sessions in London with Mark Waterman who produced ‘Uncle Pat.’ But then we the two, the B sides we did in Dublin Dave Gedge flew over to Dublin, and we drove down from from up North. And yeah, we did it in like, a weekend.
Do you remember playing at the Féile Festival in the 90s in Ireland? I think you must have just finished your A levels and there was such a buzz around the band.
Tim Wheeler : Yeah. It might have been ’95 and that was our first big Irish festival.. We were on really early on the stage and I had a really tiny amp. Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue were on the same flight to Cork as us because they performed together later that day,
It must have around the time of ‘Where the Wild Roses Grow’
Tim Wheeler: Yeah and I remember, ‘Girl from Mars‘ had just come out, our we got our guitar tech to go over and give, like, a copy to of our CD to Kylie. We were too chicken to do it, But I remember, that was our first big festival in Ireland Yeah, we had a really good buzz at the time. So yeah, I remember it was great. I guess we actually had played Glastonbury already, so we had done, another big festival before that, but that was the first big Irish festival that we played and I remember seeing the footage back now and it’s just so funny. I had a really tiny amp you know, we weren’t ready to be playing these big stages yet. And it’s amazing!
And is it true that you have played Glastonbury eight times- the same amount of times as Van Morrison?
Tim Wheeler: I think we might be joint equal with him. So that’s a pretty cool record to hold. Northern Irish acts hold the record!
And you were the youngest band to ever headline Glastonbury?
Tim Wheeler: Mark in the band was, and I was, I’m the second youngest, and then I think Billie Eilish is the third youngest, and Olivia Rodrigo is important. too, but we still hold the record. So, yeah, I’m pretty proud of that. So hopefully, hopefully it sticks longer.
What do you think about the way the music industry has changed over the years? I guess, back in the day you’d just turn up to a festival in your granddad’s jumper and a big pair of Dr Martens and hope for the best, whereas now there are more glamping and ‘lifestyle’ experiences which has its own benefits too
Tim Wheeler: I guess the whole experience of going to festival- the sound and the lights and everything The whole production is going to be a lot better than it used to be, you know. So probably, overall, people probably get great shows because of that. But, but, yeah, it was pretty fun the way it was rough and ready in the old days as well, you know.
And how do you think streaming has effected the industry?
Tim Wheeler: I still miss the whole record store culture, you know. I guess with vinyl, there is a bit more of it, you know, at least it’s not totally dead. But I did like the sort of the pilgrimage to try to find your favourite bands’ 12 inch singles or CDs, you know, I get all the B sides. You know, it was kind of the only way. You just had to get lucky and stumble on stuff. But, yeah, yeah, I suppose it’s just not quite the same. You don’t have to put quite the same effort to get that reward. Yeah, nowadays with streaming.
I remember Ash having that rare pink Record Store Day album. We were lucky to find that one!
Tim Wheeler: Yea It was, like, ASH BBC SESSIONS for Record Store Day yeah. So I guess there’s ways of still recreating that a little bit. Yeah, things have changed, and as a band, you just have to be ready to adapt every couple of years, because everything is so different. Everything changes, you know? And I don’t know, even two years later when it comes to putting it on your record, there’s certain things you don’t do the same way. It’s always just changing and evolving
So, you’re doing a record store tour then, as well as the big gigs to celebrate your Ad Astra album
Yea. It’s in first week of October. I quite like doing the of record shop tours, because you sort of, it gives you a chance to, like, play a lot of the new record. Because, you know, it’s, I guess it’s a real hardcore fans are coming to see, see you, so it’s a good chance to really kick the new songs into shape as well.
What was it like touring with The Darkness and The Subways?
We toured with The Subways a couple years ago. They’re great and such good performers and really good people as well. So that was, that was cool and The Darkness we’ve toured a lot with over the years. We toured together 2004 and, you know, we’re, you know, we’re quite different in our approaches to rock. But, you know We’re both like, really good live shows, you know. There’s good musicianship on show and good entertainment going on, for both bands even if we approach it different ways. So I think, I think we always go down really well with their crowds. And, you know, I think our fans enjoy them as well.
The Darkness seem to have that same kind of euphoria, exuberant musicianship and youthful energy, gathering young fans from every generation I’m sure everyone says that Ash look like they’ve got an aging painting in the attic and almost every time you play, you’re gifting us back our youth
Tim Wheeler: That’s a cool thing about music, like it really can. It’s such a time capsule. When people hear it, you know, brings them back to how they felt that, you know, and that, you know, when they first heard it. So, yeah, you know, a lot of our fans were so young, like us, you know. We were, such a young band, and our fans were young too.
So it’s nice, you know, we’ve all grown up together and, yeah, it’s cool. I don’t know. It takes us back in our mind. I kind of feel the same way when I start to play shows, you know. You feel this energy and it helps to keep us a bit younger than if you were doing something else.
Do you do Kung Fu at all? That must keep everyone young.
Tim Wheeler: I did some martial arts when I was younger. I did some. There’s a martial art called Tai Jitsu, which I think was someone had made, like a hybrid of, like, Thai boxing and jiu jitsu but later on, I did a lot of Muay Thai, like Thai boxing. I could do that for about seven years, but I’ve injured my knee in the last five years, so I haven’t been able to get back fully. But yeah, I do. I love martial arts,
We thought that your ‘Kung Fu’ track would have been the perfect soundtrack to the 2025 ‘Karate Kid: Legends’ film with Jackie Chan and Daniel-san you were so ahead of the curve.
Tim Wheeler: Yeah, it would have been so good.They used it in one of Jackie Chan’s films in the 90s, ‘Rumble in the Bronx‘. So we did have that honour. That was very cool…. Rick, our drummer, is getting into into Tai Chi at the minute. I think it’s helping his drumming already. So, I mean, he didn’t need much help with these things. He’s hitting his drums with extra chi.
He’s such an amazing drummer. I remember at the Star Wars Cantina event in 2023 when Ash played with a load of Storm Troopers. How did Rick feel about the Ewoks taking over his drumming?
Tim Wheeler:I think he was fine with it. Yea. He probably misses them every single gig since! ha ha
That was one of the greatest gigs ever with all the Star Wars characters and stars and Darth Elvis and Ash Will there be any other other Cantinas or anything like that going forward?
Tim Wheeler: I’m not sure. Mark’s the one that got us involved with that. So, yeah, I guess it probably would depend if there’s another big Star Wars Celebration or anniversary. There was so much crazy stuff going on at that gig. It was great!
Is it true that you were there when Kurt Cobain got his iconic black and red jumper in Belfast?
Tim Wheeler Yeah, it was Kings Hall in Belfast. We saw him play. I think it was May or June, 1992 me and Mark went and we were hanging out the side of stage to hopefully get an autograph, and There’s a lot of kids there- maybe, like, 20 or 30 of us there. Courtney had spotted that one of the kids wearing the black and red stripy jumper that, looks bit like Dennis the Menace. And she managed to buy it off this kid who was there and I don’t think she even had pounds, like, she had some punts left over from being from their Dublin gig the day before. Yeah, and, and so they, they just gave him what they had in their in their pocket. and then Kurt wore it and made it so iconic, you know, that’s amazing. Dave Grohl came out as well to give us an autograph. I think it was just Chris the bass player didn’t come out. But yeah, you know, I think we got Courtney, Kurt and Dave’s autographs that day. And you know, it’s cool. I’ve met like Dave many times over the years, and, you know, it’s cool to, like, chat to him about that.
Your fan base has remained young and vibrant over the years. Even when I saw you at Camden Rocks in 2019 there seemed to be a whole new generation of fans in the mosh pit who have discovered you themselves- along with us old-school fans. You don’t seem to have ever relied on nostalgia, but on innovation.
Tim Wheeler : I think, we always like to keep making the new records. I think that keeps us really enjoying it, you know, like it’s, it sort of, keeps everything fresh all the time. We’re just always working on new material. And you know, in the background, we’re always, like, so excited to for people to hear it.
And yes, it’s fun introducing it to a live set and seeing what connects. And yeah, it seems, that every record we do put out some new young fans will come and discover it, and it’s great in the shows, because, you know, like in the old days, like our crowds were like crazy with, like, crowd surfing, crazy mosh pits and with with young people, it just still elicits that same response So it’s so nice for us because you see this music still has that potency, you know. To get their reaction. So, yeah, so that’s one really fun thing about having younger kids along at the shows too, you know. But, we really appreciate the fans who’ve been with us from all the way through the beginning, no matter where people have joined the journey.
I’ve heard you say before that your sound is between Abba and Black Sabbath. And I wonder where your next album sits on that spectrum? I can totally see the parallels, because it’s got these hardcore guitars and drums and yet it’s got this beautiful, euphoric, melodic vibe too.
Tim Wheeler: “Yeah, our next album after Ad Astra. It depends if we ever do finish it. It is a bit less guitary and more like a synthy record that we’ve been kind of working on, on and off in the background for last few years, and we keep thinking every time we sort of get ready to finish it, we sort of feel like it’s not the right time. So hopefully maybe next year it could come out.
So Ash could have a synth record in the pipeline?
You know but It still like, feels very Ash like, because the drums and bass and vocals are kind of the same feeling, but it’s just like a bit less of a dense sound. There’s bit more space in the sound, and yeah, so it’s just, it’s just, whenever we’re brave enough to finally drop it, we will, but there’s some really good songs on it, so it’s a bit less rock. But we kind of have felt like there’s, there’s kind of a good feeling of rock in the air at the minute. So it’s nice to, you know, it doesn’t feel the right time to put that record out yet. So we’ve just worked on more rock stuff and put that out instead. So, yeah, that’s what it’s happened at the last the last two records. And, yeah, it’s been fun.
Ash have always managed to stay fresh relevant throughout the years. You seemed to have thrived before during and after Brit Pop which very few other bands seem to have done with such consistency.
Tim Wheeler: Yeah, I think we were lucky that we had, like, just enough of a sound. I think, there were Poppy melodies amongst our amongst our rock stuff. We also worked with the Oasis producer Owen Morris, so, 1977 had some Sonic similarities with ‘Morning Glory’, and heavier stuff and so maybe we were, just breaking through at a time when, guitar music could be on the radio as well, and we somehow fit enough. Then we just kept having to deliver the singles, really Our follow up album didn’t do as well, but it still did well enough to kind of give us kind of keep us going. And then, our third album, ‘Free All Angels’ came along.
I think the strong songs are strong enough that it still managed to do well in a time when everything went quite poppy. Everything went quite Spice Girls and S Club Seven you know, and then, and then the early 2000s there was like The Strokes and all that kind of scene started coming out, and we still somehow managed to exist parallel to all of those scenes somehow, yeah, really
There seems to be a type of alchemy where the music is always sort of nourishing every generation with the music. You’ve got an Ivor Novello Award for ‘Shining Light.‘ I wonder how that felt.
Tim Wheeler: It was lovely. It was nice just to be recognized purely for that, you know-nothing to do with playing, nothing to do with how you look. It’s all about like, how, good a song you’ve written. So, yeah, so that was, that was really nice. It’s my it’s my favourite award that we ever got.
And I wonder if it’s true, that maybe your previous record label didn’t initially realize how brilliant the song was song it was at first .
Tim Wheeler: It’s true.We had a demo version of that track, and we sent it to a record label. But, you know, like, the minute I wrote Shining Light I called Mark and Rick, I was like, “You got to come over tomorrow. I’ve got this great song.”
Let’s fucking go, you know, we’ve got to play this and then the second they heard it, they were like, this is brilliant. Sometimes I can’t tell if the song is good straight away. I need to live with it, or come back to it a couple weeks later, and then I sort of say if it stayed in my head, but ‘Shining Light’ was like, this. The second I wrote it, was like, “Yeah! This is the song that’s gonna bring us back!” and the second Mark and Rick heard it. They were the same. We did a demo and sent it to our manager, and he was the same. He listened to it in the car the first time. He said he was punching the air, and then we sent it to a record label, and we kind of just got a slightly lukewarm response, and we’re like ‘Oh’, and we wanted to go and work with Owen Morris, the producer again and, you know he was bit, like, intimidating for them. He would always go over budget. So it was hard to get our blessing to work with him.
And I think- hats off to him- I think he, he loved the song. He came and recorded it for free, as far as I remember, just to prove to the record company that he was a guy to make the record- ,so, yeah, I think we might have even had to pay the studio ourselves or something.
Anyway we put our money where our mouth was. We went and did it and played it to the label, and then they were like, “Okay, this is good,” when they heard it finished. I guess, like, some people just can’t see it until it’s totally finished. Certain people can hear a demo and hear the potential in it. And then sometimes people can’t see the full potential until it’s fully polished and finished. So I think that’s kind of what happened with that song with them. But anyway, the close people to us, could tell, and that gave us some confidence as well, yeah? And it was like a big top down hit. It was a comeback! Annie Lennox picked up on it, and she did a cover version of it, I think, after she’d heard her daughter listening to it, So for me, that’s the ultimate stamp. This is a good song if someone like Annie Lennox, likes it.
I was just thinking about your songwriting , and the poetic tropes that run through your songs right up to your latest album Ad Astra. There seems to be a lot of star and celestial imagery. And I was just wondering if it comes up naturally or if the stars represent fate, or is it to do with light in the darkness or hope or does it just come up naturally?
Tim Wheeler: Yeah, I think it’s, I think it’s all those things, yeah. There’s a lot of imagery with the stars that, just resonates with me.I think I’ve got a lot of love, light and warmth. You know, that, I guess, the sort of things I associate with stars, like love but then I always loved, outer space and growing up as, , a sort of sci-fi kid though the 80s, there was so much cool stuff, like ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Battle Star Galactica,’ and, ‘ET ‘and, like, all these fascinations with space.
And Terrahawks?
Tim Wheeler: Exactly, exactly Terrahawks, you know, I love the sort of dreams of escapism that would, come from that and so, there was, like, a fascination growing up and early on in the music in came up in quite a lot of the songs. And, yeah, you know, I come back to every now and again, like, and with this album, it felt like, you know, ‘Ad Astra’ to the stars. You know, it can be about be about being on Earth, like looking at stars. It’s about kind of dreaming and pushing yourself, trying to see what you can achieve. And that’s yeah, and kind of hopes and dreams list, all those things.
Space is almost beyond earthly boarders, isn’t it? I was thinking about this book called ‘Orbital’ that won the Booker Prize in 2024 where all the astronauts are looking down at the futile conflicts on earth and how looking from space gave them a different perspective….and that lead me on to thinking about Ash’s music and how it brought people together.
I really feel that Ash’s did such a lot of good for the Peace process and I really can’t imagine another band bringing young people together the way Ash did. I wonder what it was like being in the middle of that.
Tim Wheeler: Yeah, you know, it was wild. I guess, that’s maybe why we got so into music and wanted to do music ourselves. We grew up in the troubles, and seeing that music was a thing that brought everyone together, you know. At shows in Belfast, say it was like Iron Maiden or Nirvana and all shows you went to, you know, it didn’t matter what religion you were or what side you were, you were on. Music was great. You know, Music really brought people together…..more than any politician could do.
At times it would kind of get ugly when, a band would, bring it up in the show. There was a famous Megadeth show in Antrim, like, where David Stein, started mouthing off. And just sort of all of a sudden it created a big division in the audience (he has apologised for it since)and I think Rage Against the Machine did something similar in Belfast, but you know I don’t think it went quite as badly as the Megadeth one. But, you know, in one way of music brought people together and in a way it’s almost good if you didn’t even need to mention politics.
And then when they were getting Good Friday agreement together, and the referendum was coming up, we got asked at the very last minute to be part of a concert to help. You know, they needed a really overwhelmingly strong percentage of a referendum for it to really stick and be convincing. I , can’t remember the exact figure they needed to get, but it sort of, it looked like it was the referendum was going to go through, but it wasn’t going to go through emphatically enough.
They needed the young votes, and they needed to get, get people out to vote for the future. And so at the last minute, they decided, you know, as John Hume, I think, decided that, maybe doing a concert could help draw a lot of attention, and especially thinking about the young people, you know, like, so, yeah, they got U2.
U2 agreed to be involved, you know. And, you know, obviously, like a massive band from the Republic and but, you know,they needed a young Northern Irish band to be there, you know, as well. Like, it wouldn’t have worked if it was just U2 , you know, just and so, yeah, we got asked, and we were like, Absolutely, let’s, you know, let’s do this. And all the tickets were given out to school kids, you know, it’s like, for the, you know, for the future, and in the, you know, at the end of the show, Bono links, David Trimble and John Hume‘s hands on stage. And, yeah, it was, like, historic moment. And it really, it was on the news all around the world- this one show. And I think it really, it did, like, tip the balance , it helped to sway things with the votes. And, you know, a few days later, yeah, so it was the vote was really decisive. And, yeah, we’re so honoured to be part of it !
Amazing!
I guess, we’re the right, the right age, you know, we were still really young. Our families were really young, and, you know, we represented the youth and the future of Northern Ireland at the time. And you know, it’s, yeah, it’s, you know, it’s the peace that has for the most held. And you know it’s, it’s not, it’s not perfect, but it’s so much better than what we grew up with and if people have forgotten the story it means that we have done a good job!
A 100%!
Ash have been quiet and humble about all other other incredible work that they’ve been doing too, raising over £15,000 so far for Cancer Trust Nothern Ireland with Mark Hamilton’s Rock Bangles made out of Ash’s old guitar strings as Tim said,
“Mark he had the idea of saving our guitar strings for every show. And it’s pretty cool and they are welded together , in his dad’s shed, and, yeah, and he sends them off. It’s been making really good money. And it’s kind of nice to be a fan and know you’re, you’re holding the strings that were used for an exact show. You know, it’s kind of cool.”
It really is! Ash hooked up with Damien O’ Neill from The Undertones for the 2018 ‘Buzzkill’ song. What was that like?
Tim Wheeler. Yeah. I’ve known, Damian, for like, a long time. There’s a friend introduced us at a dinner once, and like, the very first day I got my first guitar. My cousin showed me a couple of chords, and he told me how to play ‘Teenage Kicks‘ the very first day I played guitar. So a of few years later, after we we made it, you know I got to meet, meet Damian. And just he’s such a good guy. And, you know, it’s cool to meet someone from Northern Ireland, who’s been there and done it at a very young age, but also had a big, long career. And I don’t know know what advice I asked him but it was just interesting hearing how his story went for The Undertones and he also played in That Petrol Emotion which is amazing,
He’s done some amazing music ever since, yeah. So pretty much any chance we can get to play with Damian, like we get him up, and he did Jules Holland with us, and quite a few things, and but then I wrote ‘BuzzKill‘ the song, And I was like “ Oh My God’ I’m like, totally aping The Undertones here, ” So I was like, the only way I can really get away with this style is if I actually asked him to come in to do it. Yeah, yeah. So he joined us and it sounded so cool!
For Ad Astra, Ash have hooked up with another indie icon, Graham Coxon for 2 songs bringing polyrhythmic, chromatic riffs and explosive hooks and another dimension to their boundless universe. As Ash get ready for blast off, their energy and exuberance and creative drive will see them hit new heights.
As they go head to head with Taylor Swift in the album charts, we are backing Ash’s Ad Astra for #1 and can’t wait to see what the future brings for the band who know no bounds. To the Stars!
Ad Astra is out on 3rd October via Fierce Panda. Order Ad Astra HERE.
