ASH
RACE THE NIGHT
FIERCE PANDA
★★★★
Working on an electronic album before the pandemic, the solace of lockdown instead convinced Tim Wheeler to return to Ash’s noisenik roots. Not only are the trio back on their original indie record label, they celebrate their 30th anniversary with the kind of grandstanding solos and condensed punky dramas that made 1977 such an essential Britrock debut. The 100-second Peanut Brain has as much fun as ever, while the two-part epic Like A God and bittersweet acoustics of Crashed Out Wasted show maturity suits Ash just as well.