Richard Ashcroft’s current run may have officially begun back in Manchester last November, but Cardiff marked the point where things properly picked up again, the second date as the tour rolls into 2026. If this is anything to go by, his upcoming summer show at Cardiff Castle is well worth a look; the setting alone has the potential to make it feel like something else entirely.
Opening proceedings were The Royston Club, a North Wales band who felt right at home in front of a Cardiff crowd. Their set was sharp, energetic and packed with genuinely catchy hooks, the kind that stick after a single listen. There’s a clear sense of momentum building around them, and on this showing, they feel very much like ones to watch.
Taking to the stage at the Utilita Arena, Ashcroft carried that familiar quiet confidence, the kind that doesn’t demand attention but naturally holds it.
Ashcroft’s set drew effortlessly from across his career, moving between solo material and songs that have long since become part of something bigger than their original era. Having last seen him headline Glastonbury Festival 2008 with The Verve, there’s a noticeable shift now, less of the swagger perhaps, but replaced with something more reflective and grounded. The songs are given space to breathe, and in that space, they land with even greater weight.
Tracks like A Song for the Lovers and Break the Night With Colour sit comfortably alongside Verve classics, while The Drugs Don’t Work and Lucky Man draw huge responses from a crowd that knows every word. There’s no sense of nostalgia for the sake of it, more a shared appreciation for songs that have stood the test of time.
When Bitter Sweet Symphony arrives, it lands exactly as you’d expect, a full arena moment that still feels capable of cutting through everything else. But it’s not just about the big finish. Throughout the set, Ashcroft seems completely at ease, letting the music do the heavy lifting.
For a while, everything beyond the arena slips out of focus. What remains is something warm, familiar and genuinely uplifting, a reminder of just how powerful these songs still are when heard live.
