- by stewart lochrie
There have been many iconic voices in British indie music, but few frontmen have achieved the mythic status of Richard Ashcroft. As the lead singer and songwriter of The Verve, and then as a solo artist, Ashcroft had it all: the swagger, the emotional intensity, the poetic spirit, the voice, and, above all, the uncompromising attitude that defined the British indie movement which ruled the world in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Richard Ashcroft heads to the home of Stevenage FC on 25th May for SMR 25, the first of three UK headline shows, as he strides towards the huge Oasis comeback tour. As the tour support, he is one of the few artists who could hold their own alongside the Gallagher brothers. As the excitement builds, here are Loaded’s ten reasons why Richard Ashcroft stands tall as the ultimate frontman of the era.
(You can enter our Loaded Giveaway for FREE to win the following)
2 x VIP Golden Circle tickets to SMR 25 / Richard Ashcroft on Sunday 25th May
1 x Limited Edition SMR Football Shirt
1 x SMR T-shirt
1 x SMR Hoodie
1 x Souvenir programme and lanyard
1. Irresistible Charisma
Richard Ashcroft doesn’t need stage pyrotechnics or flashy antics to captivate an audience. His charisma is elemental - a mix of brooding intensity and magnetic cool. Whether prowling the stage with messianic fervour or standing motionless, mic in hand, there’s a weight to his presence that draws all eyes. He channels the energy of the crowd, and in return, they get the sense of witnessing something significant. It’s this rare quality that made him the gravitational centre of The Verve and continues to keep the fans transfixed.
2. He Gave Us “Bittersweet Symphony” - The Defining Song of a Generation
Few songs have etched themselves into the public consciousness like “Bittersweet Symphony.” Released in 1997, it was more than a hit; it was a cultural moment. Built around that haunting orchestral loop - sampled from The Rolling Stones ‘The Last Time’ - Ashcroft’s vocal delivery made the song soar; melancholic yet defiant, weary yet resilient. It resonated with an entire generation, and who could forget the iconic video with a smouldering Ashcroft barging his way down a city street. To this day, it remains one of the most instantly recognisable tracks in modern British music, which is probably why Mick Jagger and Keith Richards finally agreed to hand over the royalties in full to Ashcroft in 2019.
3. His Lyrics Have Literary Depth
Ashcroft’s lyrics set him apart from many of his contemporaries. While Britpop often revelled in kitchen-sink realism or cheeky irreverence, Ashcroft provided existentialism with a backbeat. Lines like “The drugs don’t work, they just make you worse” or “I’m a lucky man, with fire in my hands” are not just catchy, they’re raw declarations of human fragility and hope. In ‘Sonnet’, he deconstructs romantic idealism with a single phrase, “There’s love if you want it, don’t sound like no sonnet, my Lord”, grounding love in gritty reality rather than poetic fantasy. These are not throwaway lyrics.
4. His Voice Sets The Standard For Classic Indie
Ashcroft’s voice is a force of nature. From the aching, gravelly tones of ‘Break The Night With Colour’, to the falsetto refrains that pepper ‘A Song For The Lovers’, this is a voice capable of producing genuine catharsis. Whether he’s whispering verses or unleashing a thunderous chorus, there’s a depth of feeling that makes every word feel deliberate and essential. In an era crowded with slick production and studio polish, his vocal authenticity was - and remains - a powerful instrument of emotional connection.
5. He Embodied the Indie Aesthetic
Long trench coats, wire-frame sunglasses - no one has made a pair of sunglasses look cooler since Top Gun-era Tom Cruise pulled up on his motorbike wearing Aviators - and an otherworldly demeanour, Ashcroft looked like he belonged on another plane of cool. He wasn’t styled; he was style. Never overly polished, always enigmatic, he radiated an effortless blend of defiance, introspection, and distance. Every indie kid wanted a haircut just like Richard Ashcroft. He didn’t chase fashion; fashion followed him.
6. He Injected Indie Rock with Spiritual Gravitas
Where many of his peers looked outward — at youth culture, politics, or domestic life — Ashcroft often turned inward. His songs were prayers as much as they were anthems. Just check out tracks like ‘On Your Own’ from 1995’s ‘A Northern Soul’ album, where lyrics touch on existential solitude and the impermanence of human connection. Or ‘Lucky Man’ from the classic 1997 album ‘Urban Hymns’ (the album title even a nod to the spiritual) that frames personal freedom and love not as societal achievements, but as spiritual states. So often, Ashcroft takes us on a spiritual odyssey disguised as a rock record, elevating the indie genre beyond grit and into the metaphysical.
7. He Maintained the Spirit of the Outsider
Despite his commercial success, Ashcroft never fully bought into the machinery of fame. He has always kept a suspicious distance from the mainstream music industry, preferring to carve out his own path. That resistance to conformity - even when it cost him - is the essence of indie credibility. He was never fully in the establishment, and that gave his work an edge of danger and authenticity. Tracks like 2016’s ‘They Don’t Own Me’ clearly spell out Ashcroft’s attitude to doing what he’s told and ‘playing the game’. And it makes us love him that little bit more.
8. He Delivered Transcendent Live Performances
On stage, Ashcroft was electric. At his best, he blurred the line between frontman and prophet. The Verve, Glastonbury 2008, headline set was one of the ‘I was there’ Glastonbury moments. Ashcroft owned the stage with a swagger that suggested he was born to do this. No crowd was too big for him to command. His live performances are less about perfection and more about the shared experience; the music, the emotion, the moment. Fans remember not just the songs, but the feeling that they’ve just witnessed something profound.
9. He Survived the Chaos and Came Back Stronger
The Verve famously imploded more than once, and Ashcroft faced plenty of personal and professional turbulence over the years. Yet he kept on coming back for more; solo albums, reunions, and new material. His resilience and the consistent quality of his output show a man who refuses to be defined by his setbacks. In a scene where many burned out or faded away, Ashcroft endured.
10. Even Oasis Acknowledge Him as One of the Greatest
Richard Ashcroft has been an influence on Britpop legends and one of the world’s biggest rock bands, Oasis. He gave the fledgling Oasis band a support slot with The Verve back in 1993, giving them a platform from which to go forward and launch their genre-defining ‘Definitely Maybe’ album. This influence continues as he joins the Gallagher brothers on tour this summer. Noel Gallagher revealed that the Oasis song ‘Cast No Shadow’ was dedicated to the artist he nicknamed ‘Captain Rock’, and Liam has collaborated with Ashcroft on various projects.
Leave the final word to Noel from the Steve Lamaqc show on Radio 1 in 1997. “That man is a genius, and I tell you what, man, he ain’t doing it for himself, he’s doing it for me. He has got to be a better songwriter than me, and in return, I’ve got to write better songs than him. That’s what it’s about.”
