Still touring and making albums after all these years, Wishbone Ash (featuring Andy Powell, the only surviving member of the band's original line-up) played the small but packed venue, The Boardwalk, Sheffield 23/04/03.

Opening the set with the classic and aptly titled song Time Was which begins with it's gentle acoustic opening riff before launching into the band's familiar two guitar pattern. A set of over two hours is performed in almost chronological order of material as the band and audience pay homage to other classics such as Throw Down the Sword, Warrior, King Will Come and Phoenix. With a back-catalogue of over thirty albums to choose from the band continues with other numbers such as In the Skin, a track that was written when the original members of the band reformed in the late eighties. Currently with a new album on release entitled Bona Fide the set also features a number of new songs including Faith, Hope and Love and Almighty Blues.

It's great to see the Wishbone Ash brand continuing. With the twin guitar attack of Andy Powell and relative newcomer Ben Granfelt the band's sounds as good as ever. Wishbone Ash will be touring throughout Europe in 2003 with dates in the U.K., Germany, Italy and France. Also this August the band travel to U.S. to play a number of nights at the AshCon, a Wishbone Ash convention in Las Vegas.

Wishbone Ash - Brief History:-

Formed in 1969, Wishbone Ash had great success in the early Seventies. Though they rarely, if ever, made any impact on the singles charts they toured extensively around the world and were ever present on the album charts. During this period they released a successful live album Live Dates which drew material from their first three albums, the self titled first album Wishbone Ash, Pilgrimage and Argus. The third album Argus released in the summer of 1972 was voted by readers of Melody Maker as the best album of that year.

In 1973 the band released their fourth album simply called Wishbone Four and continued touring. (It was during this period that I saw them live for the first time at the City Hall, Sheffield.) In 1974 Ted Turner departed to be replaced by Laurie Wisefield but from then on the band failed to reach the heights of their earlier success.

Wishbone Ash continued recording and touring during the Eighties and Nineties racking up over thirty albums, (including compilation and live albums). With the line-up of the band changing over the years, the band has featured names such as John Wetton (Family, UK, Uriah Heep) and Trevor Bolder (Uriah Heep). Andy Powell has remained the only constant member but during a period between 1987 and 1990, Martin and Ted Turner re-joined Andy Powell and Steve Upton to form the original line up of the band.

In 2002 Wishbone Ash re-released their classic album Argus to commemorate it's thirty year anniversary. The original album's recording has been re-mastered and now features bonus live material including the classic track Phoenix.

For more go to www.wishboneash.com