Kentish Express Ashford & District
Band is thrilled to share stage with idols Madness
A popular Ashford punk band are going One Step Beyond and getting ready to share the stage with ska legends Madness.
The Rash beat nearly 100 other bands to get the sought-after gig supporting one of Britain’s biggest bands at the Kent County Show at the Detling Showground in August.
The five-piece “ska, indie, punk, pop” band enlisted the help of fans to secure enough votes and were told last week they would be sharing the stage with the legends.
Made up of Ben Bean, Joe Smith, Sam Price, Dan Burvill and Phil Sparrow, The Rash have been playing together with the current line up since 2014.
Drummer Phil, 32, said: “We are all big fans of Madness, especially myself, and they have influenced us quite a bit.
“When we found out we had been picked for the online poll and were up against hundreds of bands we just went mad and told everyone to share the hell out of the post and vote for us.
“We won the poll by more than 300 votes and it’s really great to have that sort of pubic support.
“To be honest, it’s absolutely overwhelming.”
The Rash released their debut album Back In My Day in September 2015, followed be their EP Ashford Royalty in November 2015.
Phil added: “Our style is so varied and we all have different influences so its difficult to define our genre.
“It’s a sort of mash up of a ska, indie, punk, poppy vibe!”
But as they look towards the big gig, Phil said they are not nervous, just excited.
He added: “We are over the moon, we really can’t wait. Even the fact that we all get to go and see them as well is just brilliant!”
Check out The Rash at therashuk. bandcamp.com.