Ash is an alternative rock band that formed in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland in 1992. The media originally pegged Ash's music as Britpop when the band first found mainstream success. The current line-up of the group is Tim Wheeler (vocals and guitar), Mark Hamilton (bass guitar) and Rick McMurray (drums). Ash's full-length debut "1977" was released in 1996 and followed 1994's mini album "Trailer". Named after the year they were all born (and in honour of the year Star Wars was released), "1977" displayed Wheeler and Hamilton's full-fledged love for all things extra-terrestrial and science fiction-related. In autumn 1997, guitarist Charlotte Hatherley was added to the existing trio; the new quartet's sophomore effort "Nu-Clear Sounds" was released in 1998, followed by "Free All Angels" (2001), "Meltdown" (2005) and, after Hatherley's amicable 2006 departure, "Twilight Of The Innocents" (2007). In 2009 the band launched the ambitious 'A-Z Series' — 26 singles across one year, one release every fortnight — alongside an alphabetical A-to-Z tour of the UK.
