Ash hail from Northern Ireland and are unabashed fans of punk gods like the Undertones and the Ramones. In many ways Ash functions as a Green Day for Europe, tossing out a steady supply of catchy singles combining the best of punk energy with spritely Britpop structures.
Ash's album Trailer yielded a catch of sloppy punk-pop songs, loud, fast, and fun. The band is proud of their lack of polish, certifying that the album was made by real teenagers and that certain songs were written in 5 minutes.
Since the album, Ash have released two successful singles. The first, "Kung Fu," is a tribute to the Ramones written the day after Christmas. Lyrics include obvious references to the Ramones warped humor, and the gutteral chorus is better than most actual Ramones songs. The b-side continues the laugh with a song called "Day of the Triffids."
The latest is by far their best work, with Ash's "Girl from Mars" sitting alongside Pulp's "Common People" as among the best singles produced this year by the much-hyped British pop renaissance. Ash are on their way up, and their material will appeal to fans of Elastica, Green Day, and a host of other comers in the punk-pop categorie, bands that eschew the metal element built into punk-grunge acts like Therapy? or Offspring.
