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Oct 05, 2018 Richard Ashcroft By Christopher Roberts

Richard Ashcroft (formerly of The Verve) is releasing a new solo album, Natural Rebel, on October 19 via Ashcroft’s own label, RPA, and BMG. Previously he shared a video for the album’s first single, “Surprised by the Joy” (which was an honorable mention in our Songs of the Week list), as well as the audio for another song from the album, “Born to Be Strangers” (which was also an honorable mention in our Songs of the Week list). Now he has shared a new non-album track, the acoustic song “Hey Columbo.” He has also announced some new UK tour dates for next April. Check out the song and tour dates below.

Ashcroft had this to say about the song in a press release: “Warning: This song contains explicit language. Do not play on the school run, but turn it up on the way home.”

Ashcroft produced Natural Rebel alongside Jon Kelly (Paul McCartney, Kate Bush) and Emre Ramazanoglu (Bobby Gillespie, Jarvis Cocker). It was mainly recorded at State of the Ark Studios in Richmond, England, with further sessions at The Bunker, Tileyard Studios, and Hoxa HQ.

Ashcroft had this to say about Natural Rebel in a previous press release: “With experience comes knowledge and for me this is my strongest set of songs to date. All my favorite sounds distilled into something that will hopefully give my fans lasting pleasure. It is for them. Music is power.”

The Verve’s first two albums, 1993’s A Storm in Heaven and 1995’s A Northern Soul, were critically acclaimed but weren’t huge chart hits. The band broke up in 1995, but reformed for 1997’s Urban Hymns, which hit #1 on the UK album charts thanks in part to the success of the iconic single “Bittersweet Symphony” (as well as the hits “The Drugs Don’t Work” and “Lucky Man”). The band split up again in 1999 before reforming in 2007 and releasing a fourth album in 2008, the fittingly named Forth. The Verve split up for the third and so far final time in 2008 and Ashcroft’s last solo album, These People, was released in 2016. Natural Rebel is his fifth solo album (sixth if you count 2010’s United Nations of Sound, credited to RPA & The United Nations of Sound).

Richard Ashcroft UK Tour Dates:

Friday October 26th - Glasgow Barrowlands - SOLD OUT
Sunday October 28th - Middlesborough Town Hall - SOLD OUT
Monday October 29th - Nottingham Rock City - SOLD OUT
Wednesday October 31st Manchester Albert Hall - SOLD OUT
Friday November 2nd - Kentish Town Forum - SOLD OUT
Friday April 19th - Portsmouth Guildhall
Saturday April 20th - Cardiff Motorpoint Arena
Monday April 22nd - Newcastle 02 Academy
Tuesday April 23rd - Edinburgh Usher Hall
Thursday April 25th - Hull Bonus Arena
Saturday April 27th - Birmingham 02 Academy
Monday April 29th - Dublin Olympia
Wednesday May 1st - Doncaster Dome
Friday May 3rd - Leicester De Montfort
Saturday May 4th - London Olympia

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