Oasis have announced that Richard Ashcroft, the former lead singer of The Verve, will be joining them as a special guest on all of their UK and Ireland shows next year.
In August, brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher confirmed the Britpop band’s long-awaited reunion with a worldwide tour in 2025, saying “The great wait is over.”
Ashcroft, who wrote 1997 hit Bitter Sweet Symphony, said in a statement: “As a fan from day one, I was buzzing for many reasons when the news of Oasis’s return was announced.
“I can say with no exaggeration that the song-writing talent of Noel, and Liam’s pure spirit as a lead singer helped to inspire me to create some of my best work.
“It was the perfection of Live Forever that forced me to try and write my own.
“They dared to be great, made the dreams we had real and I will always remember those days with joy.
“Now it’s time to create more memories and I’m ready to bring it.
“See you next summer. Music is power.”
Just Announced🇬🇧🇮🇪@richardashcroft will be joining as a special guest for all UK and Ireland Oasis Live ’25 shows 💥 pic.twitter.com/0J8yrNDivj
— Oasis (@oasis) October 21, 2024
The official X accounts for both Oasis and Ashcroft shared a video on Monday afternoon featuring footage of the singer with the Gallaghers over the years, with The Verve track Sonnet as its soundtrack.
Noel, 57, dedicated Cast No Shadow from 1995 album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? to Wigan-born Ashcroft.
The brothers will reunite to play Manchester’s Heaton Park, London’s Wembley Stadium, Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium and Dublin’s Croke Park throughout July and August next year.
Noel quit the Manchester rock group on August 28 2009, saying he “simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer”.
Fans have been pleading with them to regroup since they disbanded, prompted by a backstage brawl at the Rock en Seine festival in France.
When tickets went on sale for the UK and Ireland shows some standard tickets more than doubled from £148 to £355 and the situation was blamed on “unprecedented demand”.
There was outrage from fans and the controversy prompted the Government and the UK’s competition watchdog to pledge they would look at the use of dynamic pricing.
Ticketmaster has previously said it does not set concert prices and its website states this is down to the “event organiser” who “has priced these tickets according to their market value”.
The first UK show will take place at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on July 4.
Details regarding the rest of the support line-up for Oasis’s UK and Ireland shows – their only European shows in 2025 – will be revealed in due course.
