By Andrew Clarke

Published at 15:44, Wednesday, 14 July 2010

ASH have made their triumphant return to the Whitehaven Civic Hall stage after a decade away.

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The Northern Irish rockers may have headlined T In The Park the previous night, and Glastonbury two weeks earlier, but were welcomed back to Whitehaven like an old friend.

And the feeling was mutual. “It’s been 10 years so it’s good to be back,” singer Tim Wheeler told the Civic crowd.

A lot has happened in the decade since Ash’s last appearance in Whitehaven.

Back then, they were at a crossroads musically, touring smaller venues to re-establish themselves ahead of their comeback album, Free All Angels.

But the rest, as they say, is history. The album turned out to be one of the best of the last 10 years, and the band treated Whitehaven to its highlights of Shining Light and, to finish, Burn Baby Burn.

With Bloc Party guitarist Russell Lissack accompanying them as a special guest, Ash rattled through their cracking back catalogue, mixing the classics with a few new ones in a dynamic 90-minute set.

It kicked off with Lose Control (of Gran Turismo fame), followed by the fantastic A Life Less Ordinary.

The set-list spanned their full 16-year career, with the early material from their breakthrough album, 1977, to the fore.

The crowd was drenched under a golden light during Goldfinger, with the brash anthems Girl From Mars and Kung Fu and the endearing sing-along Oh Yeah among the many stand-out tracks.

No space sadly in a packed set for the excellent Someday, Starcrossed or Blacklisted, but some omissions are expected with a back catalogue as strong as Ash’s. They did play the outstanding Twilight Of The Innocents however, providing a haunting prelude to the barnstorming Burn Baby Burn that sent the concert-goers home with their ears ringing.

And a special mention must go to Workington band With Lights Out who, in the supporting slot, showed why they are considered one of the best around.

But it was Ash’s night, solidifying their status as one of the shining lights of British music, and here’s hoping it won’t be 2020 before they visit us again.

Published by http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk