Tim Wheeler, and Rick Hamilton, always had music on their mind in their early teens. As Tim says "Even at the age of 12, I would've thought it was going to happen. Even at the age of 12, I knew we were destined to become rock'n'roll stars." At their school, Downpatrick High School, Downpatrick, in Northern Ireland they started a band called "Vietnam", with three other school friends. Once described as a "dodgy heavy metal band" by fellow student Barry Peak (who was in another school band called "Lazer Gun Nun") Vietnam didn't last, as the other band members didn't take the band seriously, and Tim's music taste was changing (thank god!). "At about the age of 13 or 14 I was listening to all this very dodgy heavy- metal music, like from Iron Maiden or Megadeth, but one day my English teacher brought me in a copy of an Undertones album. When I got it home and listened to songs like Jimmy Jimmy, I realised there was so much more going on outside my limited musical tastes." admits Tim.

After Vietnam broke up, Rick McMurray joined Mark and Tim, and they formed "Ash". They released their first album in 1995… The rest really is history.

Ash have produced four albums to date, "Trailer", ('95) (or EP, call it what you want), "1977" ('96), "Triple J - Live at the Wireless" ('96) and "Nu-Clear Sounds" ('98). Charlotte Hatherley joined Ash in '97 and is only on Nu-Clear Sounds. She has now become an essential part of the band and contributes immensely to the sound of Ash.