Ash, Street Legal @ The Gov, Adelaide 8/10/2024
Seriously good! Ash ventured back to Adelaide for another tour having only being here a year and a half ago. Billed as “The Singles Tour” there was plenty to get excited about with so many great songs from their highly esteemed career including newer material from their latest album Race The Night. For many us of our affinity with one of Northern Ireland’s finest started back in 1996 when they toured with Garbage.
The night got underway with Adelaide band Street Legal and whilst front man Matthew Hayward suggested that they might not be everyone’s cup of tea I thought they were rock solid playing a lively set. They have plenty of good songs and it was great that they had the opportunity to play them in front of a bigger crowd. Sporting a white tuxedo Hayward would have got the chocolates for best dressed. Joel Byrne from Wolf & Cub was a special guest guitarist and what an inclusion to have in the band. Their songs have some astute and clever observations on contemporary politics. Set highlights included the likes of Hair Today Gone Tomorrow, Modern Ruins, No Gods No Masters, new single Cardio and a wicked cover of the Ramomes Pet Sematary.
Ash are always great live and tonight was no different with the added bonus of hearing all the hits plus a few new ones. Gig hardened and well drilled the band walked out to stage to Queen’s Flash (theme song of the 1980 film Flash Gordon) then barnstorming their way through Goldfinger and Wildsurf. They were on! After A Life Less Ordinary front man Tim Wheeler pointed out they have a lot of singles to get through, that they do, opting to get on with it. There would have been some tough choices of what to and not to play (although we would have happy to see them play for three hours). One thing for was that there was plenty of energy and smiles as they took fans back through their back catalogue.
Bassist Mark Hamilton twists and contorts himself in many different positions really throwing himself in to the music and drummer Rick McMurray’s drum solo in Orpheus was killer. Absolutely loved Angel
Interceptor and Jack Names The Planets. Tim asked the crowd if they had seen the film Gremlins referring to various sound issues early in their set. New single Race The Night featured prominently as did golden oldies Shining Light and Walking Barefoot. The fun continued on Oh Yeah and new tune Braindead really does rock live. Tim looked to be having a blast on this one.
The main set finished in a flurry with set staples Kung Fu and Girl From Mars from classic debut album 1977. Wowsers! The crowd start chanting for one more with Tim saying “you’re quite specific, we’re planning on playing two.” New tune Crashed Out Wasted was definitely encore worthy finishing on Burn Baby Burn which got the crowd singing and shuffling. Tim thanked the crowd leaving with the promise “we’ll be back soon”. Can’t wait!
Live Review By Rob Lyon