I can’t think of the band Ash without remembering a story a school friend told me about their drummer. 

By Graeme Smith

Photos by Stuart Duthie

Once this friend was listening to the radio, and woman called in to report that she’d just met the drummer from Ash. Shortly after, the drummer himself called in to confirm that he had not just met this woman. Whomever she’d met was an imposter. 

If this story has any relevance, it’s to show just how long the band has been in my ((and my generation’s) conscience. I’ve followed the band for about three decades now but have somehow never caught them live. That was all about to change thanks to their intimate show at The Crescent. 

Ash’s music was always about nostalgia. It told stories of schoolyard love, the golden age of Kung-fu, and plenty of references to early space exploration (“Angel Interceptor, Apollo 21/Yuri Gagarin flew into the sun,” a standout example from Ancel Interceptor, a track from their landmark album 1977.)  

Now, we’ve got double-nostalgia thanks to just how long the band have been grafting. Their music harks back to pre-9-11 innocence while itself reminiscing of the pre-digital age. It’s quite the cocktail live. 

Warming up the evening was Norwich’s Bag of Cans, who flattered the audience with their praise of our city walls (admitting their home city’s set aren’t as impressive.) Their set opener, Favourite Shirt, combined the spoken word of Phil Daniels on Parklife with the quirky British indie pop of, well, Blur. 

They had a sense of humour adjacent to Alex Horne and The Horne Section as they rattled through songs about washing machines (it goes round and round), hair of the dog (it doesn’t do the trick), and cocaine-addled milkmen. 

When Ash came on, the sold-out Crescent was at the height of its anticipation, and the band were sure to give the audience what they wanted as they brought out all the hits from 1977 and beyond. 

Of course, it wasn’t all nostalgia. Ash have a new album out, Ad Astra, and their cosmic new sound featured heavily in their set. Sadly, there was no guest appearance from Graham Coxon, but they did play their collab, Fun People. 

Well over 90 minutes later, the teenager in me who’d listen to Ash on cassette in my first car was satisfied. Any worries that the years would have diminished the band were extinguished. It was a cracking night. 

Bag of Cans and Ash played at The Crescent on Wednesday 4 February 2026.