Ash Interview
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WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo – Daily Peak
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Sydney Sweet Treats Walking Tour of The Rocks & Circular Quay
South American BBQ – Centennial Park, Sydney
Beer and Smoke BBQ Cooking Class – Centennial Park, Sydney
Irish alt-rock band, Ash, are returning to Australia on tour with new album, ‘Kablammo!’ With a day off on St Patrick’s Day, we had a chat with frontman, Tim Wheeler, to find out what they’ll be getting up to.
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Hi Tim! Where in the world are you right now?
I’m in New York. I’ve lived here for the past 10 years and I’m just hanging out in the studio.
You must be looking forward to swapping the cold streets of New York for the beaches of Australia…
Oh yeah, very excited. We had such a good tour a few years ago and it’s awesome to go back and have a new album this time.
What are you looking forward to getting up to?
I always love the shows, of course, and it’s great jumping around different cities. We’ve got a few days off in Sydney – it’s quite rare to get time off in places when you’re on tour.
You’re also around for St Patrick’s Day…
Oh shit, that’s right! We haven’t made any plans yet, but there’s definitely a chance of making some trouble! We’re from Downpatrick, and it’s where St Patrick is buried – well, there are two places that lay claim to him, and we’re pretty sure that we’ve got his bones! It’s very close to our hearts so hopefully there’ll be some parade going on.
You must have felt the big Irish expat community in Australia before…
Oh yeah, big time. There’s always a big Irish crew at the shows. Maybe we need to plan an impromptu gig somewhere…
That would be awesome! Do you have anywhere in particular that you like to hang out from your previous tours?
Melbourne’s always been a great place to go. The nightlife and culture is always really great. We walked over Sydney Harbour Bridge, but we probably need to go wrestle some crocs at Australia Zoo or something! I always wish we had more time, but we’re actually writing at the moment, so we might just find a rehearsal room somewhere.
Have you been able to see much of the local music scene in Australia?
Yeah, the second time we came over we went to this really cool rock ‘n’ roll high school in Melbourne. Because we were kids, we got to go check it out, and it was all really young kids; one of them was Brody Dalle, who started The Distillers. There’s such a strong music scene there that it’s always good to find new bands.
You sold out your last tour, so what do you have in store for ticket-holders this time around?
This time we’ve got the new album, ‘Kablammo!’, and we’re playing a good chunk of that record. But we also have loads of old stuff that we still love playing. When you’ve been around for 23 years, it can be hard to introduce new stuff, and people sometimes just wanna hear the old stuff. But it’s been going down amazingly live. We’ve kicked into shape over the last year.
Tracks like ‘Burn Baby Burn’ and ‘Shining Light’ are still huge tracks for you. Do you ever get sick of playing them?
No, never. I don’t really understand when people get sick of their own songs, especially big favourites – they get the biggest reactions and that’s always fuelled us more playing live, when people lose their shit! It inspires you and brings an extra energy to the show. They’re like little aces up your sleeve.
Listening to ‘Kablammo’, your music’s just as loud and gritty; do you listen to other music when write and record to get the juices flowing?
Oh yeah, definitely. Always listening to stuff for inspiration. It can have absolutely nothing to do with us; I might be going through a reggae phase or something, but it’s very important to listen to other stuff. I love Leonard Cohen for his lyrics and I always find him really inspiring, even though we obviously sound nothing like him!
What’s the reason behind the title?
We wanted to make a record that tapped into the sound of our early records and that stuff is still so great to play live, so we wanted something with the same energy and speed. We thought Kablammo is like an explosion and music’s explosive, but it’s also a sense of fun as well. And I kind of like weird words. I just thought that it would look awesome on an album cover.
It kind of sounds like you’re making an entrance…
Yeah, we’re back.
Ash Tour Dates
Friday 11th March – Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Saturday 12th March – Max Watts, Sydney
Wednesday 16th March – The Triffid, Brisbane
Friday 18th March – The Gov, Adelaide
Saturday 19th March – The Rosemount, Perth
By Charlotte Mellor
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