Ash surprise fans at Kendal Calling by performing as tribute band before being presented with gold discs for ‘Girl From Mars’

Ash have surprised fans at Kendal Calling by taking to the stage pretending to be a tribute band, in a set that also saw them presented with gold discs for their hit single ‘Girl From Mars’.

The 2026 edition of the festival took place at Lowther Deer Park, near Penrith, over the weekend, and saw performances from Wolf Alice, Biffy Clyro, Primal Scream, Scissor Sisters and The Libertines.

There was also a set planned from Rehash, a band described as a Cumbria-based tribute band to alt-rock band Ash. However, fans at the site were surprised to see the real band – formed of vocalist and guitarist Tim Wheeler, bassist Mark Hamilton and drummer Rick McMurray – take to the stage instead for a surprise set.

Held at the Tim Peaks Diner area, which is run by The Charlatans’ frontman Tim Burgess, the trio broke out renditions of fan favourites including ‘Kung Fu’, ‘Girl From Mars’ and ‘Burn Baby Burn’.

So it turned out that Ash tribute band RehAsh was actually the real Ash all along @ashofficial pic.twitter.com/bWCBptHlSb

— Tim Burgess (@Tim_Burgess) July 31, 2026

4 in two if you count the silent disco DJ set. Thanks to @ynotfestival and @KendalCalling for an ace weekend. Always a summer festival highlight. 🥳🥳🥳 https://t.co/KEvXjyyTFy

— ASH (@ashofficial) August 1, 2026

As well as surprising fans, there was also a surprise installed for the members themselves too, as they were presented with a Gold Disc for their hit 1996 song ‘Girl From Mars’.

To earn a Gold Disc in the UK, a single has to sell 400,000 units, and an album needs to sell 100,000 units. The sales include audio streaming data, and are tracked and awarded by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

The only member of Ash to be aware of the surprise was McMurray, and speaking about their decision to make a surprise appearance on Tim Burgess’ Kendall Calling stage, the drummer shared: “We go way back with Tim Burgess; our paths have crossed so many times over the years. So when he asked if we’d come and do our thing at the legendary Tim Peaks of course we jumped at the chance.

“As luck would have it, it has lined up perfectly with ‘Girl From Mars’ going gold, our first single to do so,” he added. “Myself and Tim B have put our heads together to present the band with gold discs, unbeknownst to Tim and Mark. Feels like the perfect way to do it. A secret ceremony at a secret show on the week of ‘Girl From Mars’ 31st anniversary.”

Burgess also shared a statement, saying: “I’ve known Ash since forever and it’s always good to see them. We got talking about a Tim Peaks secret set for Kendal Calling – then one of us had the idea that they could be billed as an Ash tribute band and RehAsh were born.

“Rick mentioned the gold discs for ‘Girl From Mars’ and asked if I would present them, Tim [Wheeler] and Mark didn’t even know that was happening. It was a real honour. All round one of my favourite days ever at Tim Peaks”.

‘Girl From Mars’ featured on Ash’s debut album ‘1977’ and became their first Top 40 hit, peaking at Number 11 on the UK charts. It was written by the frontman when he was just 16, and the trio performed it live during their slot on Top Of The Pops in the mid ’90s.

The surprise set and Gold Disc at Kendall Calling come on the heels of Ash announcing a 30th anniversary reissue of their debut album ‘1977’, confirming a new tour and holding a special livestreamed concert.

New tour dates include shows in Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and Europe, and kick off next month. Visit here for tickets and find a list of shows below.

Ash’s headline 2026 tour dates are:

SEPTEMBER
4 – Rosemount, Perth (AUS)
5 – Freo Social, Fremantle (AUS)
3 – Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide (AUS)
10 – The Tivoli, Brisbane (AUS)
11 – Northcote Theatre, Melbourne (AUS)
12 – Metro Theatre, Sydney (AUS)
14 – Tuning Fork, Aukland (NZ)
15 – San Fran, Wellington (NZ)
21 – Hard Rock Cafe, Singapore (SG)
23 – Hong Kong Portal, Hong Kong (HK)

NOVEMBER
10 – De Helling, Utrecht (NL)
11 – Gebaude 9, Cologne (DE)
12 – Hole44, Berlin (DE)
15 – Effenaar (Small Room), Eindhoven (NL)

DECEMBER
1 – Arena, Torquay (UK)
2 – O2 Guildhall, Southampton (UK)
4 – Tramshed, Cardiff (UK)
5 – UEA, Norwich (UK)
6 – Rock City, Nottingham (UK)
8 – Albert Hall, Manchester (UK)
9 – Olympia, Dublin (IE)
10 – Ulster Hall, Belfast (UK)
12 – Boilershop, Newcastle (UK)
13 – Barrowlands, Glasgow (UK)
15 – O2 Institute, Birmingham (UK)
16 – O2 Academy, Leeds (UK)
17 – Roundhouse, London (UK)

Last September, Ash shared a double A-side single with contributions from Blur‘s Graham Coxon, and shortly after then, frontman Tim Wheeler joined Coldplay during ‘Clocks’ at their Wembley Stadium shows.

Their latest album was 2025’s ‘Ad Astra’, which was their ninth LP and the follow-up to the 2023 album ‘Race The Night’.