Surprise VU moments

At Ashdown, we’re extremely proud to see our amplifiers on some of the world’s largest stages with some of the biggest acts to ever exist, from Foo Fighters to System of a Down, Biffy Clyro to Black Sabbath. It's an honour and a privilege that we never take for granted.

Don’t quote us on this, but some say the best things in life happen unexpectedly. Surprises come in all kinds, shapes and sizes, but for us, the best surprises come when we turn on the TV, or open a magazine and BOOM – a big, fat unexpected VU in our faces. We’ve put together a shortlist of our favourite ‘Ashdown surprise VU moments’. #spothevu

1) Tulisa

British singer-songwriter, actress and television personality, Tulisa is best known for being a member of N-Dubz and a judge on The X Factor, amongst other things. However, we will always remember the moment we saw Tulisa laid across an Ashdown MAG combo in FHM Magazine. Superb.

2) Guitar Hero

Developed by FreeStyleGames, Guitar Hero is perhaps every guitarist’s all-time-favourite game. Gear geeks like us will be quick to notice that the bass player in the Guitar Hero band uses a Fender Precision Bass with an Ashdown ABM Rig, a duo of ABM 500 RC EVO III chrome-finished heads and ABM 8 x 10” Cabs, to be exact. How cool is that?

3) Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll

Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll was a 2010 biographical film based on English Musician, Ian Dury’s life and rise to fame. An Ashdown amp can be seen in many scenes of the film. Many will already know that Blockhead’s bass player Norman Watt-Roy has been a long-standing Ashdown user, but it was nice to see our amps in the film all the same, despite the film being set in the new wave punk era in the late 70s (before Ashdown was born).

4) Mamma Mia! That’s a Big VU!

More recently, a member of the Ashdown family indulged in a bit of Musical Rom-Com and watched 2018’s “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again”. Very much to his surprise, an Ashdown ABM EVO II combo can be seen in a scene with Amanda Seyfried (Sophie) and Cher. Nice tea lights.

5) Touchdown!

Our sister company, Meters Music are causing quite a stir too! Unbeknown to all in the Meters Music office, Heisman Trophy winning Quarterback Baker Mayfield (of the Cleveland Browns) has himself his very own set of Meters OV-1.

(Photo credit - Caitlyn Epes).

That’s all for now, but if you’ve spotted a VU in an unexpected place, feel free to post it in the comments below! #spotthevu