Richard Ashcroft: This isn’t nostalgia, this is right here, right now
Richard Ashcroft has never been shy about sharing his views, and in a recent Virgin Radio interview, the Wigan-born music icon delivered a bold statement about the current wave of Oasis mania.
While many are calling the band’s comeback a nostalgic trip back to the ’90s, Ashcroft disagrees.
He said “We need to find a new word, because this isn’t just nostalgia. This is right here, right now. This is the place”.
This summer proved his point. Oasis’s reunion tour swept across the UK and Ireland, selling out every single date, from Manchester’s Heaton Park to Wembley Stadium.
Millions scrambled for tickets in what became one of the fastest-selling tours in history. For Ashcroft, who joined the lineup as a special guest along with fellow Britpop veterans Cast, this wasn’t about re-living old glories—it was about proving the music still matters.
Speaking about the Oasis gig in Dublin, Ashcroft told Chris Evans: “Croke Park was like the centre of the universe. “It was the most now, happening, real place you could be on the planet.
“It’s the same for the people you see singing on the street, you see the footage and it’s beautiful. It’s something unique, it’s not just a nostalgic experience.”
He also admitted it has inspired him: “I am definitely going to get the old acoustic guitar out after this tour, and I think for me to feel like that, it must be great for a young, someone in their teens, their 20s, who’s writing tunes, who has come down to see this, because what it’s reinforced is the power of the song.”
Richard also described being on stage as part of the Oasis comeback, and supporting the band who actually supported The Verve back in the very early days as a ‘healing, celebratory event’.
“There’s a lot happened for us all, certainly our age, in those years where Oasis haven’t been playing, and when we all come together, we all bring all our stories, our losses, our victories, our pain, and then you just watch the whole crowd. It’s been an amazing experience”.
His words resonate with fans who see Oasis not as a distant memory but as an enduring force in British music culture.
Ashcroft himself has been riding that wave of excitement and winning over a whole new generation of fans. His incredible live performances, both at the Oasis shows and his own headline gigs, have reminded everyone why he remains one of the most iconic voices in British music.
The Verve classic “Bitter Sweet Symphony” has now been branded the ‘National Anthem’, and at the moment, he can do no wrong. Not bad for a lad from Wigan who was called the ‘cancer of the class’ by one of his teachers at Upholland High School, and ‘banned from taking music GCSE’.
And the momentum doesn’t stop there. Fresh from the success of those massive Oasis dates, Ashcroft has announced his own stadium tour across the UK, kicking off at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester this November.
He’ll also be hitting cities including Liverpool and more – with several dates already sold out due to huge demand.
From Wigan to the World: His Roots Run Deep
For Wigan, Ashcroft isn’t just a rock star—he’s one of our own. Born in Billinge Hospital in 1971, raised locally, and educated at Up Holland High School before attending Winstanley College, his story is rooted here. It was at Winstanley that he met guitarist Nick McCabe, teaming up with Simon Jones and Peter Salisbury to form The Verve in 1990.
Their very first gig? A friend’s birthday party at the Honeysuckle Inn in Poolstock – a far cry from the sold-out arenas he commands today.
Ashcroft’s bond with Wigan never faded. In July 2024, he returned for two unforgettable nights at Robin Park Arena—his first hometown shows since The Verve’s legendary Haigh Hall gig in May 1998, which drew nearly 40,000 fans and cemented Wigan and The Verve in British music history.
New Music: “Lover” and Lovin’ You
Ashcroft isn’t just riding the wave – he’s creating new ones. In May 2025, he released “Lover,” his first new solo track in seven years. The track, which interpolates Joan Armatrading’s “Love and Affection”, earned praise from Armatrading herself: “I love how he’s used my song and I love his song.”
And the momentum keeps building. On October 3, 2025, he’ll release Lovin’ You, his seventh studio album—available on vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital formats.
Richard Ashcroft: disclaimer
I feel I just have to admit right here, for me, Richard Ashcroft is god-like. My younger sister says the only time I’m quiet at her house is when she puts his music on, and at his *gigs at Robin Park last year, even my niece was laughing and pointing ‘look at Auntie Claire’ because I was lost in it. I just think his voice is sublime, and think he’s the best singer-songwriter of a generation. Unbelievable talent.
Plus, I was the year above him at Winstanley College, (not that he remembers me..ha) and honestly, the Sunday night at Robin Park, when he was really relaxed and chatty and it was sunny, it was so special, because all his memories, Rivington Pike, the Bees Knees, and even Santi Bag, were all our memories too.
Another one too, he came into Granada Reports last year ahead of the Robin Park gigs, with his wife Kate, and PR. I always think if you see someone you admire you should tell them, so that’s what I did. Pleased to say he was brilliant, as cool as you would expect, and really lovely and friendly, and I am SO glad he is getting all these new fans right now, and selling out arenas, because he deserves it.
*I went to BOTH nights, yes, it took my trainers about a week to dry out after that biblical rain on Saturday.
Headline Arena Tour 2025–2026
Manchester – Co-op Live (8 Nov 2025) SOLD OUT
Cardiff – Utilita Arena (24 Mar 2026) SOLD OUT
Liverpool – M&S Bank Arena (26 Mar 2026)
London – The O2 (28 Mar 2026)
Glasgow – OVO Hydro (31 Mar 2026)
Leeds – First Direct Arena (2 Apr 2026)
Birmingham – Utilita Arena (4 Apr 2026)
Newcastle – Utilita Arena (6 Apr 2026)
“Not Nostalgia—It’s Alive”
Richard Ashcroft’s message is clear: this isn’t about looking back, it’s about moving forward. Oasis’s return, his own new music, and a stadium-filling tour aren’t museum pieces—they’re proof that British music’s golden generation still commands the present.
For Wigan, it’s a proud reminder: one of the UK’s most iconic voices started right here. And yep, needless to say, I WILL be at his arena shows in Manchester and Liverpool…and hoping one day he might come back home to Wigan to play the stadium.
Or at least be given a star on Wigan’s ‘Walk of Fame’.
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