CHARLOTTE Hatherley’s new solo album, New Worlds, could not be better titled. The one time Ash guitarist now plays with Natasha Khan’s exotic Bat For Lashes, tours far-off lands with Bryan Ferry’s band and fronts her own trio.

“I’m perfectly happy to be part of Natasha’s band and I’m much more comfortable doing that as I did that for eight years with Ash,” she says. “In many ways the solo thing is a nerve-wracking rush for me, whereas playing for Bat For Lashes is a holiday.”

Tomorrow will be no holiday for Charlotte. No sooner has she finished her afternoon gig at the Duchess in York than her tour itinerary sends her hurriedly in the direction of Carlisle to play The Brickyard later that evening.

“I don’t know why I’m playing in the afternoon. That’ll be my agent! Maybe we can treat it like an English afternoon picnic,” she says.

Whatever the time of day, she will be delighted to promote New Worlds ahead of its release on her own label, Little Sister Records, on October 5.

“I see it as the big, more developed sister of the last album with more melodic punk stuff but just better recorded. The last record was very dense and very much a studio album,” Charlotte says.

“There was no concept of how I was going to do it live last time; I just threw everything at it and you had to listen to it a few times for it to reveal itself to you, whereas New Worlds was recorded in a week. It’s a celebration of beautiful things and a lot more positive.

“I think, with art you can either hold up a mirror to the world or transcend it, and here I take all the good things and bad things and turn them into something beautiful at a time when the music industry seems very cynical.”

Issuing the album on her own label is Charlotte’s response to such cynicism. “Doing it this way, I don’t feel I’m involved in all the politics; I’m outside labelville, though it’s good to have limits and a low budget and give myself a week to do it – even if it was traumatic doing eight songs in the studio in a week and five at home.”

• Charlotte Hatherley plays The Duchess, York, tomorrow afternoon, yes afternoon; doors open at 1pm, gig ends at 4pm. Tickets: £8 in advance on 0844 477 1000 or £10 on the day.