Richard Ashcroft is announced today as the first headliner for next summer’s Nocturne Live concert series, which returns to the 10,000-capacity UNESCO World Heritage Site of Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire from June 2025. Ashcroft will headline on Thursday 19 June with support from Lightning Seeds and The Zutons.
As the mercurial frontman of the ‘90s rock band The Verve, Ashcroft carved a reputation as one of his generation’s most iconic performers. The group’s breakthrough album Urban Hymns, which spawned hit singles Bitter Sweet Symphony, Lucky Man, and The Drugs Don’t Work, became one of the defining releases of the ‘90s and remains one of the best-selling albums in UK history.
Since The Verve disbanded in 1999, Ashcroft has enjoyed a thriving solo career with the release of seven UK Top Five albums and a string of hit singles. Ashcroft has received Ivor Novello Awards for Songwriter of the Year and Outstanding Contribution to British Music.
Support for Richard Ashcroft at Blenheim Palace comes from Lightning Seeds who perform at Blenheim Palace in celebration of their 35th anniversary and The Zutons, a multi-platinum-selling Liverpool band famed for their smash hit singles Why Won’t You Give Me Your Love? and Valerie. The band's most recent album release The Big Decider, charted in the UK Top 10.
Nocturne Live transforms Blenheim Palace’s Great Court into a spectacular 10,000-capacity open-air concert venue and since its inception in 2015 has gone on to become one of the UK’s most popular stately home concert experiences.
Tickets for Richard Ashcroft, Lightning Seeds and The Zutons start at £54 and go on sale at 9am on Friday 25 October. Pre-sale is available to those signed up to the Nocturne Live mailing list and begins at 9am on Tuesday 22 October. Tickets, along with a limited number of VIP packages - which provide an exclusive opportunity to dine in the State Rooms of Blenheim Palace - are available from nocturnelive.com.
