Richard Ashcroft announces two huge autumn headline shows

Richard Ashcroft has announced two new major headline shows for this autumn.

The former The Verve frontman will play Manchester’s AO Arena on October 14 and Brighton’s The Brighton Centre on October 15. Tickets go on sale this Friday (March 25) at 9.30am –  purchase yours here.

The gigs will follow other previously announced summer headline shows. Ashcroft will play at Millennium Square in Leeds on July 16.

He’ll also headline an all-dayer at Crystal Palace Bowl in London on August 6 as part of South Facing Festival’s series of gigs. A number of special guests for the show are still due to be announced.

Ashcroft will appear at a handful of other festivals, including Lancaster’s Highest Point Festival, Chester’s CarFest North and Nottingham’s Splendour.

The shows come in support of last year’s ‘Acoustic Hymns Vol.1’, which saw Ashcroft reimagine some of his biggest shows. In January, Ashcroft shared a new remix of the album’s ‘C’mon People (We’re Making It Now)’ featuring Liam Gallagher.

In a three-star review of ‘Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1’, NME said: “Opener ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ is a sprawling, symphonic masterpiece reworked acoustically to allow Ashcroft’s gravelly vocals to take centre stage over subtle piano keys and twanging guitar chords.”

Meanwhile, Ashcroft recently revealed that he would like to write some hits for Rihanna.

Speaking in an interview, he said he’d like to write for the Bajan pop star – and thinks he’d be good at it because he pens “big melodies and big choruses”.