Richard Ashcroft, former frontman of The Verve, is set to join Oasis for their highly anticipated UK and Ireland tour next year. The reunion will bring Ashcroft alongside Noel and Liam Gallagher as they perform in major cities such as Manchester, London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Dublin.
In a statement to fans, Ashcroft expressed his excitement about joining Oasis, saying, “As a fan from day one, I was buzzing when I heard the news of Oasis’s return. Noel’s songwriting talent and Liam’s spirit as a frontman inspired me to create some of my best work. Now it’s time to create new memories, and I’m ready to bring it. See you next summer. Music is power.”
Ashcroft, known for iconic hits like “Bitter Sweet Symphony” and “The Drugs Don’t Work,” credited Oasis’s song “Live Forever” as a major influence in his own creative journey. He added that Oasis “dared to be great,” inspiring him to strive for excellence in his music.
The announcement was shared with a short video montage featuring clips of Ashcroft with the Gallagher brothers, set to The Verve’s track “Sonnet.” Over the years, a mutual respect has been evident between the artists, with Noel Gallagher dedicating “Cast No Shadow,” from the 1995 album (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?, to Ashcroft.
Oasis fans have been eagerly awaiting a reunion since the band split in 2009 after a backstage altercation at the Rock en Seine festival in France. The upcoming tour is the band’s first in more than a decade, with tickets selling out quickly when they went on sale in September.
However, the ticket sales process sparked frustration among some fans, as prices more than doubled due to dynamic pricing. This led the UK government and competition watchdog to pledge an investigation into the pricing practices. Ticketmaster, the platform managing the sales, has maintained that it does not set the prices, attributing them to the “event organiser.”
The first show of the Oasis tour is scheduled for 4 July at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, kicking off a series of highly anticipated performances that mark the band’s return to the stage.