Wigan's Richard Ashcroft rumoured to be supporting Oasis
Wigan’s Richard Ashcroft is said to be supporting Oasis on their eagerly anticipated reunion tour.
According to the Independent, sources close to the band have revealed the former Verve frontman as well as indie rock band Cast at their UK and Ireland shows in 2025
Liam Gallagher previously teased the news from his X account, following the announcement of the North America and Australia legs of the Oasis ‘25 tour. An official announcement is expected imminently.
Ashcroft has been a long-time friend of both Gallaghers, with his band The Verve having supported the group back in 1993, while Ashcroft as a solo act has acted as support for both Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds previously.
Noel also wrote the song Cast No Shadow on Oasis’s second album What’s the Story Morning Glory as a tribute to the Wigan-born star.
Both Noel and Richard Ashcroft also headlined three sold-out shows combined at Wigan’s Robin Park Arena this summer.
Ashcroft was born at Billinge Hospital and attended Up Holland High School and Winstanley College, where The Verve was formed and he took his first steps on the road to stardom.
They played their first gig at a friend’s 18th birthday party at the Honeysuckle pub, on Pool Street, Wigan, in August 1990 and have never looked back.
Meanwhile Cast, who also supported Ashcrot at one of his borough shows, formed in 1992 by former The La’s member John Power, have been a continual name in Britpop since they rose to fame in the mid ‘90s during the heyday of “Cool Britannia.” They released their debut record, All Change, in 1995 and had a clutch of hit singles including “Free Me” and “Guiding Light.”
Cast split in 2001 after a poor reception to their fourth album, Beetroot. The band reformed nine years later and released their fifth record, Troubled Times, but Noel Gallagher is said to have described watching Cast live as a “religious experience” in an interview with the band for the Daily Record.
The band previously supported Oasis during their historic Knebworth shows in 1996, along with The Charlatans, Manic Street Preachers, and Dreadzone.