words by @killer.solo.music
As Ash prepare to return to Australia to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their iconic debut album 1977, drummer Rick McMurray looks back on youth, longevity, Black Sabbath and why the band is already thinking about what’s next.
Thirty years after the release of 1977, Ash are returning to Australia to perform the album in full—an album that launched the Northern Irish trio onto the world stage while its members were still teenagers.
Ahead of the tour, Crannk caught up with drummer Rick McMurray to talk about revisiting one of Britpop’s defining records, memories of the legendary Big Day Out festivals, growing older behind the drum kit and why Ash have never become a band content with simply reliving the past.
For McMurray, performing 1977 today is about far more than nostalgia.
“It just continues to give that same emotional energy. Every decade that’s passed, it means something different.”
While anniversary tours have become commonplace, McMurray admits reaching the 30-year milestone has made him appreciate these moments more than ever.
“There’s no guarantees we’ll make it to the next decade. You don’t take these things for granted anymore.”
One of the highlights of the conversation was Ash’s long relationship with Australia.
McMurray fondly recalled the band’s first visits during the mid-1990s before reflecting on the unforgettable 1999 Big Day Out tour—a festival lineup featuring Korn, Hole, Marilyn Manson, Powderfinger and Fatboy Slim.
“It felt like the phoenix rising from the ashes again. We were just having the best time, hanging out with all these great bands and playing these incredible shows.”
Australia continues to be one of the band’s favourite places to tour.
“It’s a place I always look forward to playing. The lifestyle, the food, the people… every time we come back we have an amazing time.”
Away from Ash, McMurray also spoke about the drummers who shaped his playing, singling out Black Sabbath legend Bill Ward as one of his greatest influences while discussing how rock drumming evolved through musicians like John Bonham and Ian Paice.
He also shared a hilarious recording studio “ghost story” involving a studio assistant, an air conditioner and a photographer convinced he’d discovered paranormal activity.
Despite celebrating one of alternative rock’s most beloved debut albums, McMurray insists Ash are anything but finished.
Once the anniversary touring wraps up, the focus immediately shifts back to writing.
“As soon as this is done, we’ll be thinking about what’s next. That’s just how we’ve always been.”
Thirty years after 1977, Ash continue to honour their past while refusing to stop creating—and judging by McMurray’s enthusiasm, the next chapter may already be taking shape.
This is the gospel.
I bite crowd surfers.
Killer.
