Q for Queens Park -- Ash on the Road on A-Z Tour

Posted on Nov 11th 2009 8:52AM by Stephen Dowling
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The Corrib Rest in north-west London's Queen's Park has a slight claim to fame -- fans of the brilliant British comedy 'Spaced' might recognise it as the local where Tim, Daisy, Mike and company repair.

This barn-like Irish boozer is something of a hub to this part of London's Irish ex-pat community -- queue for an expertly-poured Guinness and you're more likely to hear a soothing County Cork accent on both sides of the bar, rather than dropped London aitches.

It's not Irish dancing upstairs in the function, or rugby or hurling on the big screen tonight, though. Ash, the band that burst from Northern Ireland back in 1995 in a blizzard of infectious punk-pop singles are setting up for the latest gig in a decidedly strange tour – an A-Z trawl of England, Scotland and Wales. Tonight, they're at Q.

The stage is not exactly built for bands. True, there's enough room for frontman Tim Wheeler, bassist Mark Hamilton and drummer Rick McMurray to play without getting tangled up in each other, but the chest-high railing shows they don't often have three-piece rock bands making stops here.

The Irish folk adornments on the shelves above the alcove clearly aren't used to the vibrations – the staff have to take most of them down before McMurray gets a heavyweight glass jug on the top of his head.

The 26-date A-Z tour has given Ash no end of column inches in the UK music press. The band came up with the idea in tandem with the decision to release 26 singles over the next year (one a fortnight), having been disheartened by the lacklsutre reaction given to their 2007 album 'Twilight of the Innocents.'

"We came up with the idea because of the single campaign," Wheeler tells Spinner after soundcheck. "We thought that tied in with the A-Z 'cos of the 26 letters in the alphabet.

"The first thing we did was go to Google and find out if there was anywhere in Britain that began with the letter Z. And we found Zennor. So as soon as we found that we knew it was a good idea."

Just one fly in the ointment, however. There's nowhere in the British Isles beginning with X. The band's solution? Exmouth.

"I think we're going to walk around the town all day covering over all the Es on the signs," quips Wheeler.

The tour has already seen them have to hop on a 'plane to Jersey in the Channel Islands, which happened to be on Halloween. "it's probably the most special gig in the tour so far, Halloween night. It was great to leave the mainland, and we've never been to Jersey before."

Did they make the effort. "Oh sure. We come out wrapped up in toilet paper and came on as mummies."

They get another chance to play an island, too. V is for Ventnor... "Apart from the Isle of Wight festival, the last time a major band played the Isle of Wight was in 1966 apparently. And that was David Bowie -- when he was Davy Jones -- supporting the Pretty Things."

The end of the tour, of course, sees them playing Zennor, as mentioned, a Cornwall village numbering 210 souls. The local hall -- which fits only 70 -- will be the venue.

"That one's really going to be interesting. We're going to have to have an end of tour party, and I think we'll probably have more people down at that in the village pub."

Come 9pm, the Corrib Rest is full of Ash fans, and the band file out to whoops and shouts to begin a race through 14 years-worth of boisterous punk pop. The crowd -- a good many looking older than the still fresh-faced Ash -- pogo around to the likes of 'Kung Fu' and the big-screen-featured 'A life Less Ordinary', the turbo-charged debut single 'Jack Names the Planets' and the anthemic 'Girl From Mars.' Grown men hug each other, a member of support band Panama Kings throws himself into the crowd from the speakers. "Thanks for letting us play your local pub!" yells Wheeler. Next stop? Rotherham...