Ash’s Rick McMurray chats about the new album Ad Astra, achieving longevity in the music business and the revolution against AI!

Words by Cheryl Mann (@bubbarocksmedia/ | Oct 24, 2025

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Three Decades into their career, with no sign of them stopping, Ash have launched their newest album to rave reviews as well as embarking on a huge tour.  And for those of you wondering, Ad Astra is Latin for “to the stars”, the words that came out of a teenaged Tim Wheeler’s mouth in the summer of 1995, setting up the classic chorus to the band’s first Top 20 hit Girl From Mars.

The new album is out now – Ad Astra, and it has had great reception from people all over the world, both old (like me) and new fans!  Can you tell me what song kicked off the new album and was there a concept/theme to it initially that you hoped fans would take from it?

Rick – ‘It’s difficult to point to one single track on this record. There’s songs on Ad Astra that were written and recorded up to six years prior to release. Some were ones that didn’t quite get finished for Race the Night and others were ones that didn’t feel like they belonged on that record. It’s been great to find a proper home for them. It’s still surprising to us how cohesive Ad Astra feels considering how it came about. I think the key to that was having the title in place before the recording was completed. It helped us create more of a theme to bring those disparate elements together.’

When creating the album and choosing the songs, did you have to fight for anything to be included or was it all smooth sailing for the band as a whole?

Rick – ‘We had set out after Race the Night to make an entirely different record by taking a left turn away from more guitar driven songs, but we’d just been booked to support The Darkness and felt too confusing. So we kind of went back to the drawing board and Ad Astra was the result. There was a lot of doubt as to whether we were doing the right thing, but it feels like it’s paid off. It also feels like a stepping stone to where we are going next.’

You guys have been doing this since the 90s, can you tell me what you think is the secret to longevity in the music industry?

Rick – ‘I think our experiences with our first three albums have stood us in good stead ever since. Up until Nu-Clear Sounds it was like we could do no wrong, then we experienced the dip in commercial success on that record. Having survived that and come back stronger with Free All Angels gave us the resilience to weather any bumps along the road.’ 

The sound for Ash to me was always a blend of genres, but did you feel at the time that the industry tried to pigeon hole you as the Northern Irish grunge band back in the Kung Fu era? 

Rick – ‘I don’t think we thought about it too much at the time. I think there’s been more debate around the Britpop tag to be honest. I think our influences were much broader than most bands of that era.’

Do you have a favourite song from the new album to perform live?

Rick – ‘They’re all a blast to play; and it’s great we are playing 9 songs from it in the set, and probably adding more as we go.’

As an experienced musician and song writer, can you tell me if you ever experienced imposter syndrome during your career? Do you still get it now? If so, how do you overcome it and how did you learn to trust your own instincts with songs?

Rick – ‘Oh god I’ve been dealing with imposter syndrome for 30 years, but I don’t think that’s unusual amongst musicians. I spent a long time masking it with booze but since quitting I feel like I’m more on top of it than ever.’

Can I ask if the drums were your first ever instrument that you learned? If so, were you a natural or did you have to work hard at it?

Rick – ‘I started on guitar before it occurred to me that I didn’t know any drummers, so I got into playing them. I’ve been pretty much self-taught. I definitely work at it. One of the things I love about it is you don’t stop learning how to do it better.’ 

Who has been your greatest influence that got you started in music?  Was it a band or a singer or drummer that you saw and made you think, yep that is what I want to do!

Rick  – ‘I never had that lightbulb moment seeing or hearing one particular artist or musician and knowing that’s what I want to do. It’s been a more gradual thing, but if I had to pick one person I guess it would be my babysitter who played me The Who and the Kinks at age 10. It felt more real than anything I’d heard on TOTP and got me interested in music outside the confines of the chart.’ 

How excited or nervous were you for the release of the album? Is it still as exciting as when you first started out, or does it have more pressure being a more successful band already?

Rick – ‘I was massively excited, as ever, on release week. I guess having 1977 go to number one has set our expectations high since the start but these days I just want to enjoy it for what it is. The in-store/out-store tour was pretty gruelling but it’s such a buzz to meet the fans and play the new album for them. It only happens every couple of years; you just have to make the most of it.’

I love asking musicians this question, do you remember your first time ever on a stage performing in front of an audience. This could be when you were 5 or a teen. Did anything happen to make you feel like this is what you needed to do, to be a musician/performer?

Rick – ‘I got sacked as a drummer aged 5 playing Little Drummer Boy at the church Xmas celebrations’

Do you have any studio superstitions? The late great Ozzy Osborne himself did say he had to sacrifice a new born each time! I also spoke to a drummer who said he had to have a certain stool with him in the studio, without which he would not record!

Rick – ‘I like to climb a mountain and ask the universe for success. Seems to work!’ 

How do you feel about recording nowadays compared to the early days in the 90s? Do you wish you had the modern technology we have now, or do you miss the older way of doing it?

Rick – ‘I’d love to do another record on tape at some point. More for the challenge than anything else. You need to be more prepared for that.’ 

You have a tour coming up very soon – I am curious how you choose your set list based on having such a large back catalogue.  I know you would like to include new songs and some fan favs, but is there a ritual to it or do you use rock, paper, scissors to decide?

Rick – ‘On this tour we’re definitely taking more chances with the set. 9 new songs and diving deeper into the catalogue than we have done in a while. We’ve made a conscious effort to mix it up more every night.’

What can new fans expect from a live Ash show?

Rick – ‘As I mentioned, we’re changing up the set more than ever, trying to rotate songs so we have a unique set every night. It keeps us on our toes, and I think that’s a good thing.’ 

Do you have tips for kids starting out on what to bring on tour with you, that only experience can teach and also how to handle the inevitable tour boredom?

Rick – ‘I don’t really pay attention to packing these days. As long as I have my headphones I can keep myself preoccupied with music.’ 

I love the cover song choice of Jump In The Line that you guys did for the album, can I ask why you chose that song in particular?

Rick – ‘It has been our outro music for a few years. Tim suggested it as something that could work if we gave it some Ramones treatment. It fits in the set so well.’ 

Are there any other songs or guilty pleasure songs that you would love to cover one day?

Rick – ‘Not that I can think of off the top of my head right now but I’m sure there will be another one at some point. Hard to top Jump In The Line, though.’

What do you hope fans will take from the album now and from the band over all in the years to come?

Rick – ‘I think the reaction to Ad Astra has been incredible. I’m blown away by the response. A lot of people are putting it in their top 3 already. Wild!’ 

Was there a song that was particularly challenging to create and record for the album?

Rick – ‘Possibly the title track, which grew out of an idea Tim had for the middle 8 of Fun People. I thought it belonged to a different world than that song. We recorded a load of drums onto it, and I guess it kind of burrowed its way into Tim’s brain and became the song it is now.’

Can you offer any further words of wisdom for new bands starting out who do feel overwhelmed, especially in this modern music industry with the threat of AI looming now too?

Rick – ‘AI is coming for your career in music and it’s probably coming for the job you need to support your music. I’m hoping there’s a revolt against it. Politically and musically.’ 

Finally, fun question time, if you could time travel with Ash, would you go back in time to perform in a certain decade or would you take a risk and go forward in time?

Rick – ‘Much as I’d love to go back and play on the same bill as bands I love, I’m going with the risk. It’s all about taking risks.’

Check out new album Ad Astra Out Now

Tickets: https://ash-official.com/pages/shows