Richard Ashcroft

Following on from an excellent summers evening of racing this evening is the amazing Richard Ashcroft and what an absolute delight he proves to be, looking as skinny cool as ever, he is in fine resplendent vocal form tonight.
You never get a full set list, like you would do during a regular gig, but he packs the tunes in from both his solo career and obviously from his time in The Verve, it’s just mind blowingly brilliant. Every song is an absolute joy, and his impressive band are on fire too.
He quite literally warms us up with Sonnet, the atmosphere in an instant is already red hot!
Space and Time, The Drugs Don’t Work and Lucky Man have the crowd taking the singing up a few decibels, its rapturous and barmy out here in the late-evening sunshine, everyone is in fine voice and he’s lapping up the adulation.
New song, Lover, featuring a sample from Joan Armatrading’s, Love and Affection, fits in seamlessly amongst the glorious set of eleven classic Ashcroft penned songs including A Song for The Lovers, Break the Night with Colour and Music Is Power.
Richard Ashcroft is one of the greatest ever singer songwriters to grace these shores, of that there can be no question. What an immense talent.
He acknowledges that he is going to be having a remarkably busy end to his summer (supporting Oasis). Anyone in the audience that is off to see the Gallagher brothers in the coming months are in for a real treat. My advice is that whatever you do, don’t miss Mr Ashcroft if you’ve got a ticket for the summers main event.
As we all hoped for and expected and would’ve of course demanded, had we not have got it, he wraps the night up with Bittersweet Symphony, it’s been both a joyous and memorable occasion.
Noel and his kid brother need to deliver the goods on the up-and-coming reunion tour, if not there is a decent chance that Ashcroft may well upstage them.
He most certainly still has the power, judging by tonight’s performance.