WED 7 JULY
THUR 8 JULY
FRI 9 JULY
SAT 10 JULY
SUN 11 JULY
MON 12 JULY
TUE 13 JULY
www.transbelfast.com
www.ash-official.com
Since forming 18 years ago (when most of us were still in primary school), the powerpop threesome - then foursome, then back to threesome again – have played in cities all around, so much so that Tim struggles to think of a continent which the band haven’t visited. “We’ve never been to South America,” he says eventually. “I love to play there.” It seems that despite a lifetime spent performing (Tim has played in a band for the past 20 odd years and Ash have five Top 10 albums, 16 Top 40 singles and countless storming gigs under their collective belt), Tim still has a craving for further recognition...
L-R Mark-Bass,Rick – Drums, Tim - Vocals/Guitar
Having recently moved to New York, along with bass player Mark Hamilton, it seems logical that making it in America might be part of the band’s ambition. “It’s always been a dream to really crack it in the States,” Tim confirms, although he admits that for the moment, US audiences remain cautious. “It’s like a cult following at the moment, but we’d like to break through to wider audiences. We’ll see how it goes.” One way to do so could be to impress American fans with some rock ‘n’ roll hedonism, and having become famous before he’d even got his Alevel results (famous enough to open said results live on Radio 1’s Steve Lamaque show in any case),
I wouldn’t have put it past a young Tim to have run a bit wild somewhere along the way. Especially given that he’s in a band called ‘Ash’ with a chart-topping single called ‘Burn Baby Burn’. “I guess there is a minor pyromaniac streak in me,” Tim laughs. “I’ve never torched a building, but I set a piano on fire once and I’ve got a guitar I used to set on fire too.” Any other rock ‘n’ roll moments? “I tried to throw a TV out of the window in Iceland but it didn’t fit. That felt pretty lame!”Antics with fellow Northern Irish bands aren’t unheard of either. Though “really proud” that Snow Patrol have been so successful thus far, Ash couldn’t help but play a prank on their melodic
support act on the ‘Free All Angels’ tour. “On the last night of the tour we were playing some student university gig and we went in their dressing room and wrote on the walls, ‘All students are wankers, love from Snow Patrol’. Tim never quite made it to university; he applied to study Business Studies and French but ‘Girl From Mars’ came out and musical success and celebrity took over before he got the chance to go. “I had this deferred entry thing to keep my parents quiet, but I finished my exams [A-levels] and then three days later played Glastonbury!” he grins. “A year later we had a number one album and I started getting these letters from Glasgow University saying ‘We are looking forward to seeing you in September,’ and I just said, ‘I can’t go, I’m a pop star now It seems that lately however, the band might be adopting more of a mature outlook, which is perhaps reflected in Ash’s recent decision to stop producing albums.... Read the rest of the interview by Susannah Birkwood at www.student-direct.co.uk
Our round-up of the places to be seen over the next 7 days
1.
OXEGEN 2010
Punchestown Racecourse, Naas, Co Kildare from 9th-11th July 2010 (subject to licence).
Europe’s Favourite Rock & Roll Weekend! Eminem,Muse,Jay-Z, The Black Eyed Peas,Kasabian,The Prodigy,Florence + The Machine,Paolo Nutini,Faithless,Stereophonics,David Guetta, Vampire Weekend, Mumford & Sons,John Mayer,Hot Chip,Calvin Harris, Newton Faulkner, Gossip,The Temper Trap,Empire Of The Sun,Goldfrapp,La Roux, Wolfmother,Rise Against,The Coral, Broken Social Scene, Ellie Goulding, Two Door Cinema Club, Armand Van Helden, Steve Angello Simian Mobile Disco, Erol Alkan, Steve Aoki, A-Trak, Aereoplane AND MANY MANY MORE.. Tickets for OXEGEN (Fri 9th – Sun 11th July 2010) are on sale now nationwide and prices remain frozen since 2008. Friday Day Ticket €99.50 / Saturday Day Ticket €99.50 Sunday Day Ticket €99.50 / 3 Day Ticket only (No Camping) €199.50
2.
ASH
All Ages Benefit Gig. More Than Conquerors, Key Of Atlas Oh Yeah Music Centre,15 – 21 Gordon St, Belfast Friday 9th July, 7pm – 11pm. £10 – This is a strictly ticket only event Downpatrick band Ash have agreed to play a special fundraising event on the eve of their Oxegen festival appearance. The band will play to 300 people with the aim of raising funds for future all ages gigs at the Oh Yeah Music Centre. Volume Control is a monthly music event, organised and driven by young people. Volume Control is aimed at the 14-18 year old group and allows young performers and audience members to enjoy live, original music. SOME TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE FROM OH YEAH CENTRE AND HMV, DONEGALL ARCADE, BELFAST.
Our round-up of the places to be seen this weekend
3.
AIR + Cashier No.9
4.
THE MYSTERY MOONLIGHT PARTY ON THE BEACH
Waterfront Auditorium Thursday 8th July, 8pm £22.50
Air have been a household name since the release of Moon Safari propelled the two Parisians to worldwide cult status in 1998. Renowned for their uniquely catchy brand of electronica, they have released five widely acclaimed studio albums since they formed in 1995, including the 2009 success, Love 2, which the Independent described as, “both heady and intricate, with pretty efflorescences and overpowering climaxes…utopian and optimistic.” Currently on a sell out world tour, Air’s Waterfront show on 8 July is their first ever Belfast gig. You can get yours via the website - http://www.transbelfast.com/gigs/air/ - or you can try your luck on the door SAT 10TH JULY BUS LEAVES FOYLE STREET 6PM SHARP TICKETS £20
EMAIL for details: darrynmccallion@hotmail.com
MYSTERY MOONLIGHT PARTY ON THE BEACH,10 DJS 12 HOUR PARTY DANCE TO THE MOONLIGHT PARTY TIL THE SUNRISE, TICKET (INC) TRAVELING IN STYLE TO AND FROM PARTY WITH DJS ON AN OPEN TOP BUS, ENTRY TO PARTY, BBQ, AND LOADS MORE THIS IS GOING TO BE A BRING YOUR OWN EVENT.
5.
KINETIK SESSIONS PT1 Friday, July 9, 10:00pm Kinetik @ Mynt, Belfast.
This Friday at Kinetik we bring you somthing extra special; part one of the Kinetik Sessions, where over the next 2 weeks, we will be showcasing some of Belfasts newest rising stars. Taking to the controls this week is...James Cunningham,Richie Blacker,Rick Rude,GeeRoc, Keith Horn aka Silver K. These guys are moving up the ranks quickly and are not to be missed. Be prepared for this as anything goes, all dj's will be going back to back with Kinetik Session residents, Dale Hooks and Gary Quinn.