Concert Review: Ash at Scala, London, UK

Chris Griffiths
a few seconds ago
3 min read

Six months on from the start of the Ad Astra tour, Northern Irish rockers Ash returned to London’s Scala having once again sold out the King’s Cross venue. At a mere 34 years young, Ash’s line up of Tim Wheeler (vocals and guitar), Mark Hamilton (bass) and Rick McMurray (drums) remain the same as day one, but the act that follows is not just resting on their early career, but an indie rock tour de force through a career that has never lulled.

Support came from Bag of Cans, who kicked off the evening with a short and direct set. The five-piece band were impressive from the get-go: Guitars, vocals and trumpets were playfully put together with songs like Favourite Shirt and Hair of the Dog. This high energy group were fun and engaging with the audience with witty interactions between each song. However, don’t let the jovial nature and approach of the band fool you – they really know what they’re doing up there… but they probably won't admit it.

Ash walked on without ceremony and opened with Zarathustra, an epic twist on Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra that matches the apollo tones of the title album/tour name. This led straight into Fun People. No intro tape. No pause. Keep Dreaming and Ad Astra followed, setting a brisk early pace.

A Life Less Ordinary and Orpheus landed cleanly mid-set, keeping the audience hooked on the level of energy the trio were projecting. The mix of current and nostalgic tracks were being met with equal adoration. A flash further back to Goldfinger and then back to Deadly Love showed how comfortably the newer material sits alongside older tracks.

Which One Do You Want? and Shining Light brought a noticeable lift in crowd volume. Phones came out. So did voices. Oh Yeah followed, then Return of White Rabbit and Angel Interceptor, which tightened the room again - there was no slow down or rest for the audience – a welcome.

Scala remains a gem to the London live music scene, and Ash’s decision to play three dates there on this tour served them well. The Edwardian Baroque design of the building stands out in the King Cross neighbourhood, and its past as a cinema means that the floor forces fans close to the stage. The energy of the show was like a conversation, with Tim front and centre, able to dictate the tone.Which One Do You Want brought another noticeable lift in crowd volume, and Tim could have taken a break during Shining Light (a personal favourite) while the packed venue sang is loud, word for word. Oh Yeah followed, then Return of White Rabbit and Angel Interceptor, which tightened the room again. They slipped their take of Harry Belefonte’s Jump in the Line into the back half of the set before closing with Braindead, Hallion, Petrol and Kung Fu.

The encore opened with My Favourite Ghost. Then they ended hard on classic anthems Girl From Mars and Burn Baby Burn. As the amp hum faded and Mr Belefonte’s original version of Jump in the Line playing over the PA, the appreciation went both ways between the stage and audience. I should have felt tired, or even deflated by the ending of such an engaging show, but no… I was energised and so were the fans making their way out the venue.

Ash remain true to themselves and the energy they have had for the last three decades. Ever genuine and full of good vibes. There was no obvious separation between eras - songs were grouped by flow rather than age. Sure, there were fans there for a hit of nostalgia, but equally loving the new material. Equally a diverse age range throughout the venue, showing that the 90’s indie revival is going strong. Then again, Ash never went away in the first place.