Ash joke they 'hope for rain' ahead of debut Latitude Festival performance

Virgin Radio

6 Jul 2024, 15:30

Get ready to rock with Virgin Radio's Latitude special featuring Ash and exclusive celeb chats!

The festival season is upon us, and Virgin Radio is celebrating the launch of the Latitude Festival in style!

With three days of sensational live music, we're exclusively involved and absolutely buzzing.

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To get the festival vibes going this weekend, Ash headed up to the Top of The Tower to perform some of their greatest hits, and chat all about their upcoming Second Stage slot.

And that's not all—acting royalty Damian Lewis is making his live debut at the festival and will be chatting to the fabulous Tom Allen on Sunday (7th) July.

The Northern Irish rock legends will be hitting the Second Stage on Sunday 28th of July, and fans will be thrilled to know that these legends, who formed in Downpatrick, County Down back in 1992, are still rocking as hard as ever.

Despite 30 years in the biz and a two-year hiatus that inspired their brilliant new album, Race The Night, Ash’s light shines as brightly as ever.

The band, consisting of vocalist and guitarist Tim Wheeler, bassist Mark Hamilton, and drummer Rick McMurray, have defied the odds where many of their contemporaries have faded away.

Their debut album 1977 was an instant Number One hit, and who could forget their first Top of the Pops appearance performing Girl from Mars just weeks after their A-level exams?

When it comes to festival season, lead singer Tim Wheeler has a very British take on the famously unpredictable weather.

“If you're in the tent, you're all right. I think we're in the tent, aren't we? We actually want it to rain, so everyone has to come to the tent,” he quipped. So, let it pour, because the tent will be where the real magic happens!

Excitement is high among the band members as they prepare to play Latitude Festival for the first time.

Wheeler shared: “It's funny. That's the first time getting to that one. We've always been hearing how good this festival is.”

Drummer Rick McMurray added: “We've kind of had it in our sights for a long time, so it was amazing to actually get there and play.”

Meanwhile, bassist Mark Hamilton reminisced about their love for Reading Festival, saying: “Up until this point, Reading was probably our favourite because we've done it like 10 times. They even joked about building us a statue because we'd done it the most times ever. It's up to Latitude. It's up to us to impress everyone on Latitude."

Playing live is pivotal for the band, who can't wait to get up on the stage in a few week's time. "It's a great time," Rick added. "It's great fun being in the studio, but actually, to get that feedback from the crowd when they're right in front of you, is just the best feeling in the world."

During their stint at Virgin Radio, the band treated listeners to classic hits like Oh Yeah, Shining Light, and the ever-iconic Girl From Mars.

But it's not just Ash lighting up the stage. Latitude's headliners include the legendary Duran Duran, Keane, Snow Patrol, Richard Ashcroft, Deacon Blue, and UB40.

With Steve Denyer and Stu Elmore bringing the best chats and live tracks to listeners, this year's festival is set to be one for the history books.

So grab your wellies, pray for a bit of rain, and get ready to rock your socks off at Latitude with Virgin Radio and the inimitable Ash!

Latitude Festival will take place at Henham Park, Suffolk, from 25th to 28th July 2024. Tickets for Barclaycard presents Latitude are on sale now.