Ash (pic. Alex John Beck)
In the late spring of 1995, the Ash offensive was about to begin.
Presently, they would be an all-conquering band, with fourteen Top 40 singles and two Number One albums. But in that moment just before ‘Girl From Mars’ went stellar, Ash were school kids from Downpatrick, preparing for their first ATL session. It was a chance for the band to summon a mass of noise in the Blackstaff Studio and to hear ‘Waterfall’ in its fragile glory. Aided by BBC’s veteran sound chief John Lunn and encouraged by presenter Mike Edgar, they also chose an unusual cover of Carly Simon’s ‘Coming Around Again’. Strange to hear local teenagers singing about a female mid-life crisis, but credit to Tim Wheeler, he sang it with his signature ache. The Ash parents' were worried that these recording duties were eating into vital exam studies, but hey, it was time well invested.
Stuart Bailie
