Speaking to the Independent, the legendary former Verve frontman said he will “never experience anything like this summer again”.

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The Artist, who gave Oasis their first big break as a support act to The Verve in the 90s, experienced the definition of the phrase ‘full circle’ as he supported the Gallaghers around the UK and as we have recently come to learn, will follow them to South America.

The singer said:  “On stage, it was great. The reaction from the crowd was just incredible. For someone like me, as a songwriter or a performer, your camel hump gets drained and you don’t know where you’re gonna find any sustenance.”

“And then something happens like this and you think, actually, I’ve got new energy. Even just the art of writing a tune, refocusing on that, it’s inspiring.”

Noel and Liam Gallagher have always appreciated the Verve’s impact on them, and on British music. They even wrote the song ‘Cast No Shadow’ about Richard Ashcroft himself.

In a conversation with Steve Lamacq in 1997 Noel, talking about Ashcroft, said  “Richard is a genius. Even when we supported them years and years and years ago, they were a great band then. Circumstances worked against them.”

He has got to be a better songwriter than me and in return, I’ve got to write better songs than him. That’s what it’s about.

“People are going to build up this thing about The Verve and Oasis, but we go back SO far, from Manchester and Wigan, that they will never be able to touch the bond and the friendship that we have.”

Ashcroft will be taking his new Album ‘Lovin You’ on tour next year, putting the exclamation point on the rebirth of R.A.

Before joining Oasis on their historic tour, Ashcroft announced his seventh studio album ‘Lovin’ You’ earlier this year. The record is set to release October 10, and can be pre-ordered here.

He has now released the album’s title track as his newest single, which includes the iconic guitar riff from Mason Williams’ 1968 track ‘Classic Gas’.

The album will be released on black vinyl, CD and digital formats alongside a range of exclusive vinyl variants.

His official store offers a neon orange vinyl, Amazon UK have a regular orange version, and select independent stores will stock a blue vinyl.

Richard joined the support slot on Oasis’ summer shows that kicked off last month, including five nights at Heaton Park in Manchester, five out of seven nights at Wembley Stadium in London, two nights at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, and two nights at Croke Park in Dublin.

At Oasis’ previous dates, Richard responded to an Oasis fan who went viral after Shazaming The Verve’s single ‘Bittersweet Symphony’. He addressed the moment at the first Manchester show jokingly saying, “Get your Shazams out!”

Richard is now set to play the biggest UK shows of his career.

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The tour will kick off November 8 at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena, before concluding the UK shows next year April 6 at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena.

2025 UK dates:

November 8 – Manchester – Co-op Live

2026 UK dates:

March 24 – Cardiff – Utilita Arena

March 26 – Liverpool – M&S Bank Arena

March 28 – London – O2 Arena

March 31 – Glasgow – OVO Hydro

April 2 – Leeds – First Direct Arena

April 4 – Birmingham – Utilita Arena

April 6 – Newcastle – Utilita Arena

The tour has been extremely popular with fans leaving comments on Instagram asking for additional dates, “Release another night in Cardiff”

Remaining tickets for the UK tour are available here.

Ashcroft has been opening for the Mancunian icons for all their shows in the UK and Ireland. The Verve frontman and Cast have warmed the fans up in Cardiff, Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Dublin, before Cage The Elephant will open for the Britpop giants for the North American leg of the tour.

The ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ singer has now praised Liam Gallagher and commended the discipline that he has shown while on the road.

Speaking with Chris Evans on Virgin Radio, Ashcroft said: “I’ve only seen Liam on stage, and I’ve got so much respect for that because every night is an opportunity to sort of celebrate in a way, but the guy has been so disciplined on this.

“I think the fans respect that, they can hear that, they can feel that. Whatever he’s doing, whatever his method is, is working, and I’ve got 100 per cent respect for him”

Liam has seemingly been on his best behaviour throughout the tour, with Far Out reporting that he did not attend the wrap party for the band and crew in Dublin on August 17. He also said on stage that it was the “soberest I’ve been in Ireland since I was about four or five.”

In the same discussion with Chris Evans, Ashcroft noted how he has seen Noel Gallagher multiple times before and after gigs, to the contrary of Liam: “He seems to be in great spirits and in a good place, and enjoying it. I think it was quite overwhelming the first one, I think it passed a bit like a movie. It wasn’t really a gig, it was beyond a gig that first Cardiff for them, it was surreal and probably overwhelming.”

Ashcroft’s comments have come just a couple of days after Noel spoke publicly for the first time about the tour. Speaking to talkSport’s Andy Goldstein, Noel mentioned how he was “proud” of his younger brother and that “Liam is smashing it”.

He also spoke about how he underestimated the emotions he would feel on the first night: “After about five minutes, I was like, alright can I just go back to the dressing room and start this again?

“I’ve done stadiums before and all that but I don’t mind telling you, my legs had turned to jelly after about halfway through the second song, and I could have done with going back and taking a minute. But it’s been an amazing thing.”

Oasis will now head to North America, with their next gig in Toronto, Canada on Sunday night. The Britpop icons will then return to Wembley Stadium for two more nights at the end of September.

The Verve frontman is currently supporting Oasis throughout the UK and Ireland legs of their massive Oasis Live ’25 tour. 

Ashcroft has earned stellar reviews for his performances at Principality Stadium, Heaton Park and Wembley Stadium so far, with hits such as ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ and ‘The Drugs Don’t Work’ almost stealing the show from Oasis.

The 90s icon has now announced four arena shows throughout the UK for Spring 2026. Ashcroft will head to Cardiff’s Utilita Arena on March 24 before performing in Liverpool, London and Leeds. Tickets for these shows will go on general sale on August 1 at 9:30am. Head here to buy tickets.

Due to demand Richard’s delighted to announce 4 extra arena shows in Cardiff, Liverpool, London & Leeds Mar/Apr 2026. Tickets on general sale 1st Aug 9:30am. Pre-order ‘Lovin You’ from the official store for pre-sale link + code for early access to tickets https://t.co/21VmzarW8S pic.twitter.com/PD8nrl6kHN

— Richard Ashcroft (@richardashcroft) July 28, 2025

These newly announced shows follow on from his already sold out upcoming performance at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena on November 8 this year. 

The 53 year-old will continue touring with Oasis throughout August – with dates in London, Edinburgh and Dublin – before two more shows at Wembley Stadium at the end of September (27 and 28) to close out the tour.

Ashcroft will then head off on his own to play the aforementioned Co-op Live show before releasing his new album, ‘Lovin’ You’, on October 3.

‘Lovin’ You’ will be Ashcroft’s first release with entirely new material since 2018’s ‘Natural Rebel’ and the new album has been teased with the lead single, ‘Lover’. You can check out ‘Lover’ below.

In other news relating to Ashcroft, he – or more specifically a ‘fan’ of his – went viral following the first Oasis show in Cardiff. A video took over social media showing a concert-goer ‘Shazaming’ The Verve’s classic ‘Bittersweet Symphony’.

This left everyone in disbelief, with one user saying “this melon is on Shazam trying to find out what it’s called” and another saying “Did they just Shazam the national anthem”.

Richard Ashcroft performs Bittersweet Symphony ahead of the Oasis gig, and this melon is on Shazam trying to find out what it’s called pic.twitter.com/frp9MvfrcT

— Joke Blog (@joke_blog) July 4, 2025

Well, Ashcroft himself responded the very next day. In a showing of support for the unknowing fan, Ashcroft stated: “Thanks to everyone who came down and gave such beautiful support for my set. If you don’t know it Shazam it, all new fans are welcome!”

Head here to purchase tickets to Ashcroft’s newly announced shows, and here to pre-order his upcoming album, ‘Lovin’ You’, out October 3.

Ashcroft, a two-time Ivor Novello winner, is expected to showcase his extensive body of work, including tracks from his latest album, ‘Acoustic Hymns‘ which reached No.2 in the UK Album Chart in 2022.The former Britpop sensation will not be alone on stage with special guests yet to be announced to join him for the evening. The event is scheduled to begin at 5:00 pm.

In addition to Richard Ashcroft, the 2024 lineup includes pop sensation Mika, set to headline on Tuesday, July 9, and Passenger to perform on Thursday, July 11. Following the success of their 2023 reunion tour, JLS will command the stage on Friday, July 12. The festival also offers ‘An Evening in Conversation with Monty Don’ on Monday, July 8, providing a unique blend of music and dialogue throughout the week.

Further acts for the 2024 edition, including headliners for Wednesday, July 10, and Saturday, July 13, are yet to be revealed.

Kew The Music, celebrated for its picturesque setting at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Kew Gardens, has a rich history of hosting renowned artists as part of its Heritage Live concert series. Past performers to have graced the stage include The Human League, Van Morrison, Billy Ocean, and Mary J Blige.

The festival spans a week, featuring diverse picnic concerts designed to cater to a wide spectrum of musical tastes and interests. The festival organisers aim to create an immersive experience for attendees, combining music with the serene and iconic beauty of Kew Gardens. Guests are encouraged to bring their own food and drink to the event, making it a distinctive feature in the British festival calendar.

Alongside Kew The Music, Richard Ashcroft has announced his return to hometown Wigan, with a show scheduled for July 20 at Robin Park. This signifies his first hometown performance in over 25 years in the town where his illustrious career began.

For those eager to partake in the Kew The Music 2024 experience, tickets are currently on sale and are available for purchase here, and additional announcements are anticipated in the months leading up to the event. Stay tuned for further headliner updates on what promises to be a notable highlight in the summer music calendar.

Ashcroft’s headlining appearance at the festival was announced in March, with support yet to be announced at the time of the announcement. Now, Ashcroft has revealed his special guests for the show, which include British DJ Steve Lamacq, Hull-based shoegazers bdmm, Canadian singer-songwriter Tess Parks, and Alan McGee. South Facing Festival debuted last year, and featured performances from Dizzee Rascal, Supergrass and The Streets. The festival this year will run from July 29^th to August 21^st. This year’s event will include performances from Becky Hill, London Grammar, Jungle and Bombay Bicycle Club.

Richard Ashcroft’s headlining show on August 6^th will also mark a big day for Ride, who will be performing their debut album Nowhere in its entirety for the record’s 30^th anniversary. The album was originally released in 1990.

For any shoegaze fan, this is an absolute dream come true, given Ride’s status as pioneers of the beloved genre. The group’s debut is a feverish wash of lush, reverberating soundscapes and what sounds like an orchestra’s worth of screaming guitar noise that swirls around dreamy, lethargic vocals and thick, catchy basslines; an essential listen for any lover of rock music.

Ride originally broke up in 1996, but reformed in 2014 to play a series of shows across Europe and North America, which eventually resulted in the group releasing new music in 2017, starting with a single called “Charm Assault”. In June of that year, the band released Weather Diaries, their first full-length album in twenty-one years. The band also went on to release another album after their reunion; 2019’s This Is Not A Safe Place, which received favourable reviews from critics, with NME saying: “It’s fitting that Ride would choose to call their new album ‘This Is Not A Safe Place’. After spending the last two decades of his career very much playing it safe, (Andy) Bell is back in brave, progressive, creative territory.”

Ride also announced earlier this year that they will be re-issuing some past releases, including their debut Nowhere, and their sophomore full-length effort Going Blank Again. The re-issues will be released on November 4^th, via Wichita Recordings. You can pre-order them here.

Richard announces new October headline shows in Manchester and Brighton
Tickets go on general sale 9:30am Friday from https://t.co/CDauzTJiPv
But Fans can get presale ticket access from 9:30am Thursday via https://t.co/QiZy3QVb8Q pic.twitter.com/oTwoqSMBjA

— Richard Ashcroft (@richardashcroft) March 22, 2022

The tour promises to have a number of Ashcroft’s old The Verve hits, as well as some new tracks, such as from his latest album, Acoustic Hymns Vol.1. Released in October last year, the album seemed to please fans, reaching no. 2 on the UK Official Albums Chart and featuring Ashcroft reimagining “some of his biggest shows“. It even featured another star of the nineties, Liam Gallagher, on the album’s track “C’Mon People (We’re Making it Now)“, a remix of which was released in January.

Some other things Ashcroft’s got coming up include a part in Edinburgh’s The Big Top concert series, occurring on 17^th June at the Royal Highland Centre. The festival has managed to attract a number of big names, with the likes of Madness, Biffy Clyro and Fatboy Slim also due to headline.

Then there’s news of an all-day special performance in London’s Crystal Palace Bowl, joining in a series of gigs by South Facing Festival, which is still to announce some of the other performers joining its stage in the near future.

It’s good to see him back in action, especially after pulling out of last year’s Tramlines Festival in Sheffield, not feeling comfortable with it being used by the government as a “testing programme“ for COVID-19’s transmissibility. He said at the time “Apologies to my fans for any disappointment but the festival was informed over 10 days ago that I wouldn’t be playing once it had become part of a government testing programme. I had informed my agent months ago I wouldn’t be playing concerts with restrictions. The status of the festival was one thing when I signed up for it, but, sadly was forced to become something else. “

If you want to order Ashcroft’s latest album, you can look here. His upcoming tour dates can be seen below. As for future endeavours, Ashcroft’s not shy about who he’d like to work with, recently talking of his hopes to write hits for Rihanna, arguing that his “big melodies and big choruses“ could be a good match for the pop star.

Richard Ashcroft UK Tour Dates

12-14/05/2022 – Highest Point Festival – Lancaster
17/06 – Royal Highland Centre – Edinburgh
16/07 – Millennium Square – Leeds
22-24/07 – CarFest North – Chester
23/07 – Wollaton Park – Nottingham
24/07 – Splendour in Nottingham – Nottingham
06/08 – Crystal Palace Bowl – Bromley
06/08 – Crystal Palace Bowl – Bromley
14/10 – AO Arena – Manchester
15/10 – Brighton Centre- Brighton

The Verve’s former frontman has also released a new music video to accompany his reworking of a 2010 single. The original track has been stripped of its heavy but steady hip-hop-influenced beats and has been given a somewhat softer side. Ashcroft’s new re-working replaces electric guitar embellishments with light acoustic lines whilst retaining the song’s core melodies and harmonies. The video itself is paired with an imaginary performance by Ashcroft filmed at Richmond Theatre and footage of the singer’s life and childhood.

The original release of “This Thing Called Life” was taken from the singer’s album United Nations of Sound and featured legendary producer and artist No I.D. The album was released on 19th July 2010 via record label Parlophone and music company Razor & Tie. The album was released under the artist’s name but was recorded with the British alternative rock group RPA & The United Nations of Sound, a musical project by Ashcroft. The 12-track release debuted at number 20 within the UK album charts and sired two singles.

The singer took to his Instagram to announce the track’s release.

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Ashcroft’s new acoustic re-mix is not the first song to be released from the singer’s next album, a re-recorded version of the 1997 mega-hit “Bittersweet Symphony” was released earlier in the month. Ashcroft began working on the revised recording in 2019 and has since gained some rights to his former band’s release. The song famously features a sample taken from the Rolling Stone’s track “The Last Time”, due to the sample’s inclusion the band were not privy to the track’s musical rights. However, since a direct appeal was sent to Sir Mick Jagger and Keith Richards some legalities over the track were reportedly re-visited.

Ashcroft’s sixth solo release was recorded at the iconic London Abbey Road Studios and is co-produced by Richard and Chris Potter, the former being a long-time collaborator and producer with the singer and The Verve. Potter won the 1998 Best Producer Brit Award for his work on The Verve’s third studio album Urban Hymns released in 1997. The album became the band’s most loved and best-selling album, boasting such singles as “Bitter Sweet Symphony” and the anthem “The Drugs Don’t Work”. Potter brings an instrumental influence on the new release with a live band featuring string arrangements played by Will Malone, Brass sections by Roddy Bloomfield, Acoustic guitar and backing vocals by Steve Wyreman and piano played by Chuck Leavell.

The upcoming album will feature acoustic versions of tracks from Ashcroft’s solo career as well as a collection of classics taken from The Verve’s repertory. The 12-track album will also include a collaboration with fellow 90’s music icon, Liam Gallagher, the pair’s version of “C’mon People (We’re Making it Now)” is included within the album. The original single was released in 2000 and is taken from Ashcroft’s debut solo album Alone With Everybody. A press release describes how the track became one of the duo’s favourites, stating that Ashcroft “ “originally played it to Liam on piano somewhere in Majorca in 1998”.

Ashcroft will be hitting the road next month with a series of live performances, the artist’s upcoming shows will feature acoustic versions of his best-loved tracks.

Click here to pre-order Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1

Richard Ashcroft UK Tour Dates

16/10/2021 – The London Palladium  – London
17/10 – The London Palladium – London
29/10 – M&S Bank Arena – Liverpool01/11 – Royal Albert Hall – London
23/07/2022 – Wollaton Park – Nottingham

Pleased to announce that Richard will be releasing the new album ‘Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1’ Oct 29th. Featuring 12 newly recorded acoustic versions of classic songs from his back catalogue spanning both his solo career and his time with The Verve. https://t.co/z9vdkdFrHy pic.twitter.com/kthcQnDqvw

— Richard Ashcroft (@richardashcroft) September 8, 2021

Ashcroft has been an active musician since 1990 and boasts an impressive discography, having released five solo albums between 2000 and 2018, four full-length albums and one E.P. with The Verve between 1992 and 2008, and one album with side project RPA & The United Nations in 2010. The Verve first tasted critical success in 1992 after the release of their E.P. Verve, which featured songs such as All In The Mind, Gravity Grave and the UK Top 75 Singles charting tune She’s A Superstar.

Acoustic Hymns Vol.1 is set to be released on October 29^th through Ashcroft’s record label RPA, via BMG, and is presently available for pre-order. Doing so will allow fans to treat their ears to the first of the twelve tracks; an acoustic rendition of The Verve’s seminal hit Bitter Sweet Symphony, a song renowned for its poignant lyrics and soaring emotional string sample from The Andrew Oldham Orchestra’s cover of The Last Time by The Rolling Stones, the latter being something that thrust the group into a lengthy legal controversy with Rolling Stones manager Allen Klein.

Former Oasis member Liam Gallagher also appears on the fourth track of the upcoming album; C’mon People (We’re Making It Now), a song originally released in 2000 ahead of Ashcroft’s first solo album, entitled Alone With Everybody.

The track list of the album is as follows:

1. Bitter Sweet Symphony
2. A Song For Lovers
3. Sonnet
4. C’mon People (We’re Making it Now)
5. Weeping Willow
6. Lucky Man
7. This Thing Called Life
8. Space & Time
9. Velvet Morning
10. Break The Night With Colour
11. One Day
12. The Drugs Don’t Work

Explaining his decision to fans, Ashcroft wrote on Instagram “Apologies to my fans for any disappointment but the festival was informed over 10 days ago that I wouldn’t be playing once it had become part of a government testing programme. I had informed my agent months ago I wouldn’t be playing concerts with restrictions. The status of the festival was one thing when I signed up for it, but sadly was forced to become something else. It must be an age thing but the words Government Experiment and Festival #naturalrebel #theydontownme”.

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Ian Brown, the former frontman of the Stone Roses, has been outspoken in vehemently opposing the vaccination program, even writing in his song ‘Little Seed Big Tree’ that ‘a forced vaccine, like a bad dream / they’ll put a microchip, every woman, child, and man.’ supported Ashcroft’s decision, saying it was “a solid decision and a great statement, Comrade”.

Brown and Ashcroft are far from alone in the music community in being against lockdowns and the vaccine rollout, with other dissenters including Noel Gallagher who derided mask-wearing in September 2020, and claimed that “There’s too many fucking liberties being taken away from us now…The people who are virtue signalling, their lofty wagging their finger at people who are declining it, can eff off. That’s how fascism starts.”

A replacement for Ashcroft’s slot has yet to be announced.