2 days ago
Who is Richard Ashcroft? Rock legend opening for Oasis, and the song you've definitely heard before
UK rock legend Richard Ashcroft is set to open for Oasis this weekend, as the band returns to Dublin for two huge gigs in Croke Park.
The band will play in Ireland for the first time in 16 years, when they performed in Slane just two months before their explosive split in 2009.
Of course, they won't be alone — with fellow Britpop legends Cast and Richard, who led The Verve, coming in tow as they open for the Gallagher brothers. Richard (bottom left) formed The Verve in 1990. Pic:Born in Wigan, Richard began writing music as a means of coping with the passing of his father when he was just eight years old.
Attending Up Holland High School, Richard met Simon Jones, Peter Sailsbury and Simon Tong, with him meeting Nick McCabe at Winstanley College.
In 1990, Richard, Nick, Simon and Peter came together to form The Verve — with the band enjoying three top five songs in their initial five-year run before splitting in 1995. They were joined by Simon Tong in their first reunion in 1997, right around the time Oasis released their third album, Be Here Now — with The Verve also releasing their third album, Urban Hymns, around the same time.
Where they gave us…
One of the most famous Britpop songs ever, and definitely the most well-known song not released by a band named Oasis or Blur, Bitter Sweet Symphony is arguably the anthem of the 1990s UK. And yet, it only reached number two on the charts at the time.
The music video is almost as iconic as the track, which saw Richard walking through a busy London pavement in a cool 'I don't care what's going on' way — although the song wasn't without controversy, as Allen Klein, who held the copyright to The Last Time by the Rolling Stones (the original song) wouldn't clear the sample to be used in The Verve's song.
From there, the copyright was given to Klein for over two decades, with the rights for the song being returned to Richard and The Verve in 2019. Richard is opening for Oasis on their reunion tour, which comes to Ireland this weekend. Pic: C Brandon/Redferns
The band would reunite and break up several times over the years, splitting for the last time in 2009 (coincidence? Probably). But unlike Liam and Noel, the Verve's split seems more permanent.
But after Liam and Noel (finally) kissed and made up last year, who knows? Maybe people will be looking for a reunion of The Verve — with the leading man ready to give his bitter-sweet symphony to over 82,000 fans on Saturday and Sunday night.
As for the main event, Oasis have confirmed who's coming on when this weekend for the people who were lucky enough to nab tickets.
