Latest news with #TheVerve
Leader Live
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Llanfest 2025 in Llangollen: Here's who is on the line up
Taking place at the Llangollen Pavilion on Sunday, June 8, from 2pm to 10.30pm, the event promises a day of live music, family-friendly activities, and a festival atmosphere. The 2025 lineup features a mix of indie, rock, and pop music, with headliners and emerging talent alike. Among the first to perform will be Llangollen's own four-piece, Kuff Dam. The band is set to bring their indie rock sound, influenced by The Verve, Muse, The Amazons, and Royal Blood. Luke from Kuff Dam said: "We are absolutely buzzing to be playing Llanfest this year. "As local lads, we've been wanting to get on the bill for a few years now, so getting the opportunity to open up the show in our hometown is proper mint. "We've been busy gigging recently and are really looking forward to adding Llanfest to our dates." Other acts include The Cazadors, a five-piece rock, funk, and soul band also from Llangollen, and Seprona, a five-piece rock band from Liverpool. Manchester's indie group, Muddy Elephant, will also perform, as will seven-piece psychedelic revivalists, Galore. Monstaball, known for their high-energy performances, will deliver exhilarating party vibes, while Chilled, an indie rock band formed in 1998, will represent Corwen. Amnesia, a Liverpool-based club classics dance band, will perform euphoric dance tracks live. Kids are set to have a great day out too, as the event is offering free entry for accompanied children. Keith Potts from the Llangollen Pavilion said: "Llanfest 2025 is a true celebration of music, community, and culture, bringing together festival-goers of all ages. "Best of all, accompanied children can attend for free, making it a perfect day out for families. "Alongside live music, people can enjoy a range of food and drink stalls, entertainment, and the unique atmosphere of the Llangollen Pavilion."
Perth Now
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Richard Ashcroft told Noel Gallagher he was the 'only person' who could open for Oasis
Richard Ashcroft told Noel Gallagher he was the "only person" who could open for Oasis on their reunion tour. Gallagher is reuniting with his estranged brother Liam and their bandmates to get the group back on the road this summer for series of sell-out stadium shows on the 'Oasis Live '25 Tour' and The Verve star Ashcroft will be supporting them on all of their UK and Ireland shows - and he's convinced he was the right choice because of his long history with Oasis. In an interview on 'The Chris Moyles Show' on Radio X, Ashcroft explained: "I see it as I've got a very important part to play in this. "You know, back in the day Oasis supported The Verve and then it flipped around and we supported Oasis at Earls Court, then I as a solo artist have played with Oasis. "I said to Noel: 'You know, I think I'm the only person who could go in this slot. Especially for a huge outdoor show, because everyone wants your lot. And unless you're coming with something, unless you've got something to offer, I don't know what's gonna happen'." Oasis previously opened for The Verve back in 1993 before the release of their 1994 debut album 'Definitely Maybe' and Ashcroft's band went on to support the brothers' group at The Bataclan venue in Paris, France in 1995. Ashcroft went on to perform with Oasis at gigs in Scotland in 1995 and he also sang on their track 'All Around The World' which featured on the 1997 record 'Be Here Now'. He added: "I think it's great that we're still around. I've been there almost in that whole story together with them. Right from the day one. "Before their album came out, first album [1994's 'Definitely Maybe'], seen that. They were kind of like mega successful before I was. They were on [TV show] 'Top Of The Pops'. By the time it was my turn, it was like they'd been all over it. "They sold millions of albums, blah, blah, blah, but the rarity of that, that you could have two bands, both in transits off playing to 300 people. "Both saying: 'We're gonna do this.' 'No, no we're gonna do that'. And for that to happen is incredible." Cast will also be opening for the band on the 'Oasis Live '25 Tour', which kicks off in Cardiff, Wales on July 4.
Wales Online
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
New detail announced about Oasis' first reunion gigs in Cardiff
New detail announced about Oasis' first reunion gigs in Cardiff Oasis will return to the stage together after a long hiatus with the first gigs taking place in Cardiff There is some new information about the Oasis gigs (Image: Simon Emmett ) It is officially 50 days to go until Oasis kick off their highly-anticipated reunion tour in Cardiff with two gigs on Friday, July 4, and Saturday, July 5, and a key detail has been revealed. The time the doors open for the gig has now been announced. Unlike other gigs taking place at the Principality Stadium this summer, including Lana Del Rey and Kendrick Lamar, doors to the Oasis concert will open at 4pm. This is one hour earlier than the other gigs where doors will open at 5pm. There will also be many road closures in place for all Principality Stadium concerts, including Oasis, which you can read more about here. We've got everything you need to know about the Oasis gigs, including if you can still get tickets, here. In a move that both shocked and delighted fans Gallagher brothers Liam and Noel have put aside their differences, we hope, and are embarking on a reunion tour called Oasis Live '25. Article continues below The tour will kick off in Cardiff and there was a manic frenzy of getting tickets in August 2024 which saw many fans struggle and miss out. The band has also shared details of who will complete the line-up to join them on the road. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs find out What's On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here . The first support act announced was Richard Ashcroft, the former lead singer of The Verve and Oasis, and '90s band Cast are also on the line-up. Article continues below
BBC News
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Yungblud on keeping fans safe, and his 'shirt off era'
The Netherlands, March 2025. Yungblud is leaving his hotel in Amsterdam when he's approached by a fan in floods of tears."You saved my life," she sobs."No, you saved your own life," he replies, quietly. "Maybe the music was the soundtrack, but you saved your own life, OK?"Leaning in for a hug, he adds, "Don't be sad, be happy. I love ya."It's a remarkably touching moment, full of compassion and devoid of rock star weeks later, after a video of the encounter goes viral, Yungblud is still moved by the memory."I didn't think people would see that, except me and her," he says, "but it was such a moment for me."The interaction crystallised something he'd felt for a while."I always said that Bowie and My Chemical Romance saved my life, but ultimately you have to find yourself," he says."Like this morning, I put my headphones on and I listened to [The Verve's] Lucky Man, and it made me go, 'Oh, I'm ready to face the day'."But Richard Ashcroft didn't tell me I was ready to face the day. I said that to myself. "That's what I was trying to tell that girl in Amsterdam." Self-assurance is a lesson he learned the hard the surface, Yungblud, aka 27-year-old Dominic Harrison, had it all. Two number one albums, an international fanbase, a Louis Theroux documentary and enough clout to run his own if you looked more closely, there were chinks in the armour. Those number one albums both fell out of the Top 30 after one week, a sign of a strong core fanbase, with limited crossover the first year of his Bludfest in Milton Keynes was criticised after long queues and a lack of water caused fans to pass out and miss the was keenly aware of it all. As he released his self-titled third album in 2022, he hit a low."Yungblud was number one in seven countries, and I wasn't happy because it wasn't the album I wanted to make," he says."It was a good album, but it wasn't exceptional."The problem, he says, was a record label who'd pushed him in a more commercial direction. But in polishing his sound, he lost the angry unpredictability that characterised his best work."It's funny, my-self titled album was actually the one where I was most lost," he observes."I felt like I compromised but, because of that, I was never taking no for an answer again."Nowhere is that clearer than on his comeback single, Hello Heaven, nine minutes and six seconds it achieves Caligulan levels of excess, full of scorching guitar solos, throat-shredding vocal runs, and even an orchestral coda."Do you still remember, or have you forgotten where you're from?" Harrison asks himself, as he re-ignites his song's purposefully unsuited to radio – unlike the follow-up single, Lovesick Lullaby. Released today, it's a free-associating rampage through a messy night out, that ends with epiphany in a drug dealer's Liam Gallagher's sneer with Beach Boys' harmonies, it's uniquely Yungblud. But the singer reveals it was originally written for his last album. "We were actually discouraged from doing it," he says."My advisor at the time, a guy called Nick Groff [vice president of A&R at Interscope, responsible for signing Billie Eilish], was like, 'I don't get it'."Warming to the theme, he continues: "The music industry is crap because it's all about money but, as an artist, I need to make sure that anything I put out is exciting and unlimited. "It can't be like a 50% version of me."To achieve that, he shunned expensive recording studios and made his new album in a converted Tetley brewery in Leeds. Professional songwriters were banished, too, in favour of a close group of collaborators, including guitarist Adam Warrington, and Matt Schwartz, the Israeli-British producer who helmed his 2018 debut."When you make an album in LA or London, everything is great, even if it's mediocre, because people want a hit out of it," he argues."When you make an album with family, all they want is the truth." 'Sexiness and liberation' One of the most honest tracks on the record is Zombie, a lighters-aloft ballad (think Coldplay, sung by Bruce Springsteen) about "feeling you're ugly, and learning to battle that"."I always was insecure about my body, and that got highlighted as I got famous," says the singer, who last year revealed he'd developed an eating disorder due to body dysmorphia."But I realised, the biggest power you can give someone over you is in how you react. So I decided, I'm going to get sober, I'm going to get fit, and I discovered boxing."He ended up working with the South African boxer Chris Heerden - who was recently in the news after Russia jailed his ballerina girlfriend, Ksenia Karelina."I met him before all that," says Harrison, "but he's been extremely inspirational. Boxing's become like therapy for me."If someone says something bad about me, I go to the gym, hit the punch bag for an hour and talk it out."Fans have noticed the change… drooling over photos of his newly chiseled torso, and declaring 2025 his "shirt-off era"."Maybe the shirt-off era is a comeback to all the comments I've had," he laughs."I'm claiming a freedom and a sexiness and a liberation." He's clearly found a degree of serenity, without surrendering the restless energy that propelled him to of that is down to control. In January, he created a new company that brings together his core business of recorded music with touring operations, his fashion brand and his music festival, event kicked off in Milton Keynes last summer but suffered teething troubles, when fans were stuck in long queues. "I will fully take responsibility for that," says the star, who claims he was "backstage screaming" at police and promoters to get the lines moving."The problem was, there were six gates open when there should have been 12," he says, suggesting people underestimated his fans' dedication."When Chase and Status had played [there] a day before, there were 5,000 people when the doors opened, and another 30,000 trickled in during the day."With my fans, there were 20,000 kids at the gate at 10am. So we've learned a lot for this year. There'll be pallets of water outside. It'll be very different." Dedication to his fans is what makes Yungblud Yungblud. He built the community directly from his phone and, whether intended or not, that connection has sustained his career - insulating him from the tyrannies of radio playlists and streaming a personal relationship becomes harder as his fanbase grows but, ever astute, he hired a fan to oversee his social accounts."She's called Jules Budd. She used to come to my gigs in Austin and she'd sell confetti to pay for gas money to the next city."She built an account called Yungblud Army, and she's amazing at letting me understand what are people feeling."If people are outside and security aren't treating them right, I know about it because she's in contact with them. So I brought her in to make the community safer as it gets bigger."With his new album, he wants to make that community even bigger. Harking back to the sounds of Queen and David Bowie, he says it'll "reclaim the good chords" (Asus4 and Em7, in case you're wondering)."The shackles are off," he grins."We made an album to showcase our ambition and the way we want to play. "Can you imagine seeing Yungblud in a stadium? 100% yes. Let's do it."
