Ash - Meltdown

What do you do when you've won?

At the end of 2002, ASH faced that exact dilemma. After kung fu fighting their way to the top with 1977, briefly losing the plot with Nu-Clear Sounds, and staging a heroic pop fight back with Free All Angels, they found themselves as champions of the world.

"The whole climate that Free All Angels was made in was so poppy, it was almost like you had to compete with a lot of manufactured stuff," says Tim Wheeler.

Compete they did, to the tune of a number one album and five massive hit singles. They had proved themselves as the most durable band of their generation, achieving longevity that most bands can only dream of, while losing none of their youthful flair. Still, it was time to move on. As Tim points out, "Our heads were in a totally different space when it came to this record."

Specifically, that place was America, where they spent a further year touring Free All Angels. There, travelling across the rock heartland, it became abundantly clear which signpost ASH would follow on the next stage of their journey.
page << 1 2 >>