Photo Credit: Jess Plunkett
Words: Evie Johnson

There was nothing short of incredible at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool for Richard Ashcroft on Thursday night. After a hit summer supporting Oasis’ record-breaking reunion shows, and a chart-topping album to capitalise on this success, The Verve frontman could not have put on a better show for Liverpool.

Opening for Ashcroft was Wrexham-quartet The Royston Club, and no one could deny that the indie upcomers set the tone for the whole night. With electrifying guitars and heartfelt vocals, it could even be argued that the group was built for venues like this, as crowds bounced along and chanted back lyrics that already have the feeling of future classics.

A highlight of the opening set had to be ‘Cariad’; watching crowds of people sing back the band’s emotional lyrics in an arena with such force goes to show The Royston Club have so much ahead of them. If anyone there didn’t know them before this, they definitely did now. 

But from the moment Ashcroft stepped onto the stage to roaring cheers, his presence controlled the whole stadium. It’s not often artists manage to have an entire arena in the palm of their hand, but Ashcroft managed to command every single person in that crowd for almost 2 hours without fail. 

Combining both solo cuts with ‘Hold On’, and Verve classics such as ‘Space and Time’ in the opening moments, everyone was introduced to what an incredible night they were heading towards with a repertoire of hits like his. This was followed by an exclamation of how brilliant music is at bringing together communities, and a fitting ‘Music is Power’ rendition which couldn’t be more appropriate as families and friends united over generational Verve classics and sparking solo favourites. 

A highlight of the show had to be a beautifully crafted performance of the 1997 ‘The Drugs Don’t Work’. Watching the impact on the crowd as they swayed and sang along to such sentimental lyricism, it wouldn’t be a surprise if a few tears were shed on the docks that night. The following renditions of ‘Lucky Man’ and ‘Sonnet’ from the same 1997 hit album amplified this, as having over 10,000 people reverberate back classic, emotional songs was a truly remarkable moment. 

A perfectly crafted set list and performance that had the crowd increasingly eager for more, culminated with a final incredible performance of ‘Bittersweet Symphony’, undoubtedly Ashcroft’s biggest hit. People on shoulders belted back iconic lyrics to the Northern singer, echoed by seas of people chanting and every single hand in the air. There was not a single voice in the Merseyside arena that wasn’t sore after the show. 

Ashcroft follows this arena tour with dates across the UK, before a string of summer headline shows including Warrington’s Neighbourhood Weekender and Glasgow’s TRNSMT festival. And if Liverpool was anything to come by, anyone attending is in for a truly breath taking show.