Ash Me, Ash Me, Ash Me...

Thursday's adventures finished with a trawl around Camden in the company of Ash and sundry diehards. The band was a third of the way though their A-Z tour of the UK - a night off between between Hastings and Ipswich - and team spirit is high.

Their support act is NI combo Panama Kings, manfully keeping up with the Ash team on a collective budget of £100 per day. They've even determined to play the Jersey date, even though the finances will be mortally challenged. But they're also playing well and selling their new EP en route. There have also been mishaps, and when one band member and roadie fell asleep in the Ash bus, a rock and roll initiation took place. The Ash crew went to work with permanent markers, drawing obscene pictures on hands and faces, even colouring in one fellow's spectacles. They were promptly deposited in a strange town and left to fend for themselves until showtime. It's a merciless caper.