FANS INVITED TO LIFE IN FAST LANE
SCOTS duo Ashton Lane plan to write with fans again – after their latest album the In-Between went to No1 in the official UK country album charts.
The Glasgow husband-and-wife Tim and Esther O’Connor co-wrote the 11 songs on The In-Between with 11 fans who had submitted lyrics and ideas in a social media campaign.
The unusual approach paid off when late last year the album went to the top of the charts.
The fans approached them with their stories of love and love lost, as well as one about an interesting historical figure, Ruth Ellis – the last woman hanged in the UK – which inspired Marilyn Curls.
Now Ashton Lane are planning to follow the success of The In-Between with a second collaborative album in 2019 titled Travelling Mercies.
Esther said: “We are thrilled to see our direct to fan model really proving itself and working well.
“It was brilliant to hit the UK charts independently which has been a real achievement for us. Hitting the top spot on the UK country official album charts has been one of the highlights of 2018.”
The album earned Ashton Lane their highest position in a host of other charts.
They scored No6 in the UK indie chart, No34 in the Official Scottish chart, No69 in the UK national physical album chart and appeared in the official UK chart for the first time, coming in at No95.
The album success comes after they achieved their first No1 single in the iTunes Country Charts last year with Breathe You In. Tim added: “We are really excited about 2019 as we are already working on another album, Travelling Mercies where we are again co-writing songs with our fans about their stories and experiences. “Writing in this way has been one of the most creatively rewarding things we’ve ever done – getting to tell the real life stories of our fans through our songs. “To then see our album of co-written songs hit the UK charts was a total thrill for all involved.” ● You can buy the album at ashtonlan.samcart.com/ products/the-in-betweenpersonally-signed-cd/ or on iTunes or Google Play.