Bloc party star joins ash

Bloc Party guitarist Russell Lissack is making the most of the band's hiatus - he's joining 1990s rockers Ash for their upcoming tour.

The Helicopter hitmakers stepped away from the spotlight at the end of last year (09) to take a break from touring and recording.

Frontman Kele Okereke has been working on solo material, while Lissack announced plans to focus on his side project, Pin Me Down.

But he's putting his other band on hold after he was asked to work with his longtime heroes, Ash.

He tells NME, "As soon as they called me I was really excited. I guess the only weird part would be spending so much time with people I don't really know. I'm not sure how that will work out, but we seem to have got on well so far."

Lissack, who once played in an Ash tribute band, will join the group when they kick off the tour in Southampton on 19 April (10).