来自北爱尔兰两位古灵精怪的年轻小伙子Tim Wheeler(主唱/吉他)、Mark Hamilton(贝斯)，在圣诞节时收到他们的礼物---吉他，便追寻着偶像Iron Maiden(铁娘子)，组织起金属摇滚乐团Vietnam，但是却被讥评为”本土最差表演乐团”！3年后找来Rick Rock McMurray(鼓手)，遵循英国曼却斯特庞克摇滚先驱Buzzcocks的摇滚精神，及当时吹起Grunge风潮代表乐团Nirvana的音乐感昭，将团名更改为Ash，并调整乐风改玩畅意活力的庞克乐！成功的转型，不仅让他们高中尚未毕业前，成为当地最热门的乐团，更连创3首单曲打入全英Indie榜Top 5之林中，各音乐杂志也是大篇幅的好评推荐，一洗先前被嘲讽之耻辱！1994年成功拱出于独立厂牌发行的专辑《Trailer》，快速的走红让Ash顺利与主流厂签约，发行进军国际的专辑《1977》，并以锐不可档的声势把Oasis挤下冠军宝座，蝉连10数周的NO.1！其中为成龙电影红蕃区所谱写的单曲Kung Fu，顺利的敲开主流市场大门，接着打入流行榜的单曲Girl From Mars、Goldfinger、Oh Yeah等作品，皆展现Ash不凡的创作功力与摇滚天赋！1997年加入女吉他手Charlotte Hatherley，新成员的添入，让Ash在音乐整体上更为成熟与丰富，随后发行《Nu-Clear Sounds》(1998)及《Free All Angels》(2001)等专辑。 　　Imagine classic punk maneuvers crossed with Nirvana- and Dinosaur Jr.-style leanings, goosed by a bolt of Mega City Four, and you've got this Irish trio's reference points. Such a blueprint sounds unimaginative on paper, but singer-guitarist Tim Wheeler's relentlessly catchy confections stand up to the Britpop vanguard's finest hours. Not surprisingly, then, the band's recorded debut emphasizes stripped-down velocity over finesse. Such priorities aren't surprising, since the band began racking up U.K. indie chart hits before graduating high school! (The original version of Trailer appeared in 1994, on Infectious Records.) Still, why quibble about Ash's influences, when the goods are so emphatically delivered? "Punk Boy" and "Jack Names the Planets" could give Green Day a run for its pop-punk roses, while grungier tracks like "Hulk Hogan Bubblebath" stay heavy, without losing their melody. "Day of the Triffids," which references the similarly titled English thriller, points to the band's love of all things extraterrestrial. The standout track is "Petrol," a characteristically deft exercise in soft-loud, start-stop dynamics that points to the band's maturity — which included second guitarist Charlotte Hatherley, layered harmonies, greater tracking of guitars, and even orchestration, if required. More than a decade after they formed in their native Belfast, Ash's rugged individuality remained intact; here's where it all began. Heavy guitar devotees shouldn't miss this one.