Ash used to be archetypal indie rockers. They sang songs about girls, cars and martians and played buzzsaw guitars. However, they have been gradually metamorphosing into a fully-fledged "rawk" band. There have been drugs, character-building near-bankruptcy and nervous breakdowns. They recently enlisted a Californian producer, Nick Raskulinecz - a man whose name evokes Spinal Tap before he even gets to work on the drum sound.

Ash's audience, however, still consists of indie kids, and they might think they've come to the wrong gig. Meltdown - the title track of the new album - could be a cross between Motorhead and the Sex Pistols. Vocalist Tim Wheeler is tattooed, and sports a very heavy-metal Flying V guitar. He even says "Rawk City! How ya doing?", boasting the most authentic Los Angeles accent to come out of Northern Ireland.

If Ash were asked to take a rock authenticity test, they may fail on questions, say, about Whitesnake's B-sides. On the other hand, their new songs clearly know their Ramones and Stooges, and rock convincingly. Old power-pop hits like Girl From Mars sound like they've been souped-up. Ash are so impressed with their new rock makeover that they only drop the pace for the gorgeously bittersweet new track Starcrossed.

Their production line of killer tunes can, at best, make them sound like the buzzsaw Brach Boys. However, by the time they hit a procession of favourites, from golden oldie Shining Light to recent hit Orpheus, the sameness of Darkness guitar solos has become a blur, and suggests further fine-tuning may be needed. The fans leap like maniacs but look confused filing out, wondering whether they'll have to hurriedly invest in wigs and pointy boots.

· At Birmingham Academy tonight, then touring. Box office: 0870 771 2000.