LIVE REVIEW + PHOTOS: RICHARD ASHCROFT AT ALEXANDRA PALACE, LONDON 17/07/26
Richard Ashcroft played a show at North London’s Alexandra Palace Park on July 17th as part of his 2026 UK outdoor summer tour, following his recent 2025 stadium run with Oasis. Best known as the lead singer of 1990s alternative rock band The Verve, Ashcroft went on to build a successful solo career after the band split in 1999.
Cast opened the show with a solid, nostalgia-tinged set that warmed up the crowd perfectly. The Liverpool Britpop band, formed in 1992 and reformed in 2010, consists of John Power (vocals/guitar), Liam Tyson (lead guitar), Keith O’Neill (drums) and Martyn Campbell (bass).
They were followed by The Lathums, the Manchester indie rock band formed in 2018 after their music tutor brought the group together for a college project. Made up of Alex Moore (vocals/guitar), Scott Concepcion (lead guitar), Matty Murphy (bass) and Ryan Durrans (drums), they delivered a chilled set of slow-burning indie rock. Moore told the crowd that they had only recently released their latest single ‘Vice Versa‘ before they played the song at Alexandra Palace Park. They closed their set with ‘Make Peace Not War‘ before leaving the stage.
Shortly after Richard Ashcroft stepped on stage, he was immediately greeted by loud cheers from a crowd that seemed to have grown up with him and his music. He opened with The Verve’s ‘Sonnet‘, setting the tone for a spectacular night to come. Before performing ‘Music Is Power‘ Ashcroft spoke about the recent FIFA World Cup and joked that England would definitely win the Music World Cup. He dedicated the song to England player Jude Bellingham, saying ‘‘What an inspiration this guy has been“.
Fans from the front to the back sang along loudly to every word, threw their arms up and got on each other‘s shoulders throughout the night. There seemed to be plenty of overlap with Oasis fans, many attendees wore Oasis tour shirts, perhaps after seeing Ashcroft open for Oasis last year. Ashcroft did not need a big stage production. Aside from his initials RA displayed on the screen behind him, it was just him, his guitar and his band. But that was more than enough for a spectacular night.
Before performing ‘A Song for the Lovers‘ he joked ‘‘I had a lot of haters in my life but also so many lovers and this is for you, this is a song for the lovers“. Although many of the songs were around 20 years old, they had lost none of their charm. The night was filled with nostalgia but Ashcroft’s music clearly still draws the crowds in. Before performing his 2006 released song ‘Break the Night with Colour‘ he said that the song helps him shake off depression and sadness; ‘‘That’s how I feel when I do this song. By the end it’s just gone. Come with me on this“.
The crowd turned into a loud singalong more than once that evening. Ashcroft also played The Verve’s 1995 hit ‘History‘ saying ‘‘We’re not too far from the Thames. I’ll try this old song called ‘History‘, one of the first proper songs I wrote on my own with this guitar. Forgive me if I mess this one up“. It was a special moment, made even more fitting by Alexandra Palace Park and its view over the London skyline behind the stage.
Later, he dedicated ‚The Drugs Don’t Work‘ to family members and friends who are no longer here before performing it by himself on acoustic guitar. It was one of the night’s more emotional moments as he sang ‘‘All this talk of getting old. It’s getting me down, my love“. When Ashcroft returned for the encore, he thanked fans for coming and spending their hard-earned money, saying ‘‘Everything is so expensive“. He seemed genuinely moved by the support he has received over the past 20 years. He then joked about wanting a new swimming pool before launching into ‘C’mon People (We’re Making It Now)‘.
Ashcroft’s 11-song set leaned heavily on The Verve rather than his solo material and he closed the set with the band’s biggest hit ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony‘, sparking another loud singalong beneath London’s skyline. The lyric ‘‘Cause it’s a bittersweet symphony, that’s life. Tryna make ends meet, you’re a slave to money then you die“ felt especially fitting in that setting, overseeing London’s skyline, known to be one of the most expensive cities in the world. Before ending his set with the hit song, he said ‘‘I wanna leave feeling like we won the fucking World Cup“.
And that was exactly the feeling Ashcroft left behind: nostalgic, euphoric but also deeply personal. With a set packed with The Verve favourites and a crowd singing along to every word, Ashcroft proved that his music has the kind of staying power that will keep drawing in crowds for the next few years to come as well.
Words and photos by Nadine Goetz.
