Ash Free All Angels & Greatest Hits Tour Review - Manchester Ritz, Sunday 24th October

Ash were formed in Downpatrick, Co. Down, Northern Ireland in 1992 and were originally a three piece comprising Tim Wheeler ( lead vocals and guitar), Mark Hamilton (bass) and Rick McMurray (drums). After selling over a million copies of their debut album '1977', and whilst touring with Weezer, the band felt that they were limited and needed another guitarist to create a fuller sound so asked Charlotte Hatherley to join. Ash released their second album 'Nu-Clear Sounds' and although it achieved Gold status it failed to emulate their earlier success. The band toured non-stop and in 2001 after becoming almost bankrupt, released their third album 'Free All Angels', a title apparently taken from a t-shirt design worn by a hells angel and written in Wheeler's parents garage. The album featured the singles Shining Light, Burn Baby Burn, Candy, Sometimes and There's a Star and entered the UK charts at number 1, receiving numerous awards as well as critical acclaim. Another album, 'Meltdown' was released in 2004 but in 2006, Hatherley was asked to leave as they wanted to return to their roots as a three piece. Ash released one further album ' Twilight of the Innocents' as well as 26 singles known as the A to Z series. Although Ash continued to tour constantly throughout without Hatherley, they decided to focus mainly on performing songs from '1977 and Twighlight of the Innocents' as the remaining band members felt they could not play songs originally written for four people. However, Wheeler and Hatherley kept in touch throughout and in September 2011 it was announced that Ash and Hatherley would reunite for a tour to mark the 10th anniversary of 'Free all Angels' as well as a 'best of' set. The first half of the gig began with Ash playing the album in its entirety in track order, 'Shining Light', 'Burn Baby Burn' and 'Submission being the stand out tracks. After a short intermission, the band returned to the stage to play some of their greatest hits along with a few lesser known songs. Highlights of the set included an energetic rendition of 'Orpheus', crowd favourite 'Girl From Mars' and 'Kung Fu' to finish. Interaction between the band was limited throughout and it was hard to see what Hatherley brought to the party as at times she seemed almost bored and uninterested. Indeed, it remains to be seen whether she will remain with Ash or return to her solo career. Overall, Ash showed that although they may be a good live band, they still have a way to go before they will be considered great.