Wishbone Ash — The Time Was Tour 2026 - Islington Assembly Hall, London 15th October 2026

Wishbone Ash — The Time Was Tour 2026

Islington Assembly Hall, London — 15th October 2026

Review by Robert Corich

There are bands you enjoy for a few years, bands you return to from time to time, and then there are those that become part of your musical DNA. For me, Wishbone Ash have always belonged firmly in the third category.

Their The Time Was Tour 2026 brought them to Islington Assembly Hall last week for a performance that reminded me exactly why this band has remained such an important part of my musical life for more than fifty years.

The current line-up features founding member Andy Powell on guitar and vocals, alongside Mark Abrahams on guitar, Bob Skeat on bass and backing vocals, and Windsor McGilvray on drums. With a catalogue as rich as Wishbone Ash’s, there is no shortage of material to choose from, and the set offered a welcome journey through the band’s classic years.

Opening with “In the Skin,” the first set moved through “You See Red,” “Front Page News,” “Lifeline,” “The King Will Come,” “Throw Down the Sword” and “Sometime World.” It was a reminder of just how strong this material remains, with those distinctive twin-guitar harmonies still at the very heart of the Wishbone Ash sound.

For anyone unfamiliar with the band’s history, that sound was one of their great innovations. The interplay between the guitars helped establish a musical language that would influence countless players who followed. Thin Lizzy would later take harmonised lead guitars in a harder, more muscular direction, but Wishbone Ash were already making their mark in the early seventies. Seeing that twin-guitar attack for the first time as a teenager was a revelation. You could only ask yourself: Who did that?

My own Wishbone Ash story began in the early seventies, when I was at school in Western Samoa for a short time because of my father’s work in the airline industry. I had become obsessed with the first two Wishbone Ash albums, particularly the epic “Phoenix,” so imagine my delight when Dad managed to obtain a copy of Argus for me somewhere on his world travels.

What still fascinates me is that he even registered what music his young teenage son was getting so excited about. His own musical loves were Glenn Miller, Herb Alpert and Frank Sinatra — about as far removed as you could get from the twin-guitar attack and progressive rock that I was obsessing over. Yet somehow, amongst his travels and his own very different musical world, he remembered what I liked and brought Argus home for me. It remains one of the great achievements of British rock, and that little memory makes the album all the more special every time I play it.

Wishbone Four and There’s the Rub followed, although I was never quite as enthusiastic about the album artwork as I was about the music. F.U.B.B. just blew me away. And then there was Live Dates of course, an album that was a firm favourite among the music-loving kids in my Kiwi high school, not only for the performances but also for its striking gatefold artwork. It remains a personal favourite to this day.

I first saw Wishbone Ash in Wellington, New Zealand, before catching them again in Auckland during the There’s the Rub tour with Laurie Wisefield. Yes, the very dates Steve Upton got arrested for verbalising F.U.B.B. to Fucked Up Beyond Belief and enduring the wrath of the local authorities and a $30 fine. It also turned him and the band into local heroes with us youngsters and the album rose up the charts rapidly. No such thing as bad press right?

Those early experiences left a lasting impression, and I have continued to follow the band through the decades, seeing Andy Powell’s Ash on numerous occasions as well as the ‘bootleg’ line-up led by original bassist Martin Turner. Both have offered enjoyable nights out, but I have a particular affection for Andy’s band, not least because they continue to record new material and bring fresh songs to the stage alongside the classics. In saying that, the last studio effort Coat of Arms was released in 2020 so hopefully there’ll be another studio offering soon as one is long overdue.

One of the real pleasures of the evening was the excellent sound, matched by some exceptional playing from the band.

There was something rather magical about watching those twin guitars sparkle while the light caught the old-school mirror ball suspended above the audience, scattering reflections around the hall in time with the music. It’s a wonderfully nostalgic touch, but it also adds to the character of Islington Assembly Hall, a venue that seems to have gone from strength to strength in recent years as a home for gigs of this calibre.

And that big, flashy disco relic? Proof that a London council can actually get something right!

Bob Skeat deserves special mention. His bass playing is exceptional, combining authority, fluidity and a real sense of melody. It brings to mind the distinctive, muscular bass work of Trevor Bolder and Gary Thain of Uriah Heep — players who understood that the bass could do far more than simply hold down the bottom end. Skeat is a formidable musician in his own right and a valuable part of this line-up.

Talking of bass players, there does seem to have been a bit of a revolving door between Wishbone Ash and Uriah Heep over the years — sometimes heading one way, sometimes the other! With Davey Rimmer having recently joined Judas Priest while continuing with Heep where schedules permit, perhaps the Heep bass-player position will remain something of a movable feast. Bob, keep your diary handy — you never know!

The second set continued with “Enigma,” “In Crisis,” “Underground,” “Tales of the Wise,” “Blowin’ Free” and “Phoenix,” before the encore of “Jail Bait.” There was plenty here for long-standing fans to enjoy, from the less obvious choices to the songs that have become essential parts of the band’s live legacy.

If I had one criticism, it was the length of the interval. Come on, guys — I know you all need to have a pee and stock up on the vitamins at our age, but that was one overlong break! The trouble is, it eats into the playing time, and there are still plenty of songs we want to hear while you can still play them.

With a catalogue as rich as Wishbone Ash’s, every minute on stage counts. So, Andy, how about a slightly shorter pit stop next time? We’re not getting any younger either!

Mind you, back in the day, the interval on the original double-vinyl Live Dates was only as long as it took to turn the slabs of vinyl over and pop the tops on a couple of beer bottles. Then you were ready for sides one, two, three and four!

Nevertheless, this was a reminder of the enduring appeal of Wishbone Ash. Andy Powell remains the link between the band’s earliest days and its present incarnation, while Mark Abrahams, Bob Skeat and Windsor McGilvray help keep the music alive rather than simply preserve it as a museum piece. The classic songs still have the power to connect with an audience, and the continuing life of the band means there is more to celebrate than nostalgia alone.

The combination of the sound, the playing and the atmosphere reinforced my feeling that this tour deserves to be captured on a new live album. The original Live Dates remains a treasured favourite, followed by Live Dates II in 1980, Live Dates 3 in 2001 and Live Dates Live in 2023. So, effectively, we’re ready for number five!

With the band playing at this level, Live Dates V could be something rather special. I hope you had the tapes rolling on this tour, Andy! After all, this line-up deserves to be captured for posterity, and I’d certainly be first in the queue to write the review.

Wishbone Flash — just a thought…

Of course, if we are going to celebrate the Wishbone Ash legacy, why stop there? Imagine a special one-off concert at a venue like the Royal Albert Hall or The London Palladium bringing together musicians from the different eras of the band for a celebration of the music that has meant so much to generations of fans.

Andy Powell, Martin Turner, Ted Turner and Laurie Wisefield could all be part of the occasion, with Steve Upton invited to participate on his own terms and in whatever way he felt comfortable. Add musicians from the various line-ups, and perhaps we could have the Wishbone Ash equivalent of the Yes Union tour I was lucky enough to see at Wembley in 1991 — a gathering of different eras, not a demand for a permanent reunion.

The name? Wishbone Flash.

One special night, a stage full of history, and a classic celebration of those extraordinary twin-guitar harmonies by the guys that pretty much invented them. There might be a few complications getting everyone together — There’s the Rub! — but surely the music would be worth the effort.

And if the whole enterprise becomes a little complicated, we already have the perfect phrase from the band’s history: F.U.B.B. !

But first things first: last week’s excellent performance at Islington Assembly Hall was another reminder of why Wishbone Ash still matter. More than fifty years after discovering those early albums as a young teenager, I’m still listening, still going to the gigs, and still hoping there is more to come.

Long may those twin guitars ring out.

Catch them on tour while you can, they really are the business.

Classy photos by Andy Rawll