Nineties BritPop troubadour Richard Ashcroft has been in the news of late for his stance on Covid-19, pulling out of the Tramlines festival in Sheffield back in the summer after announcing on a now-deleted Instagram post: “Apologies to my fans for any disappointment but the festival was informed over 10 days ago that I wouldn’t be playing once it had become part of a government testing programme.”

“I had informed my agent months ago I wouldn't be playing concerts with restrictions. The status of the festival was one thing when I signed up for it, but, sadly was forced to become something else.”

Whether you agree or disagree with Ashcroft, there’s no denying that as the frontman of The Verve, he was one of the defining voices of the Britpop era. Ashcroft has remained active since The Verve separated in 1999 (only to reunite for a couple of years in 2007
) but it remains the work with that band that most people would recognise him for. And with good reason: The Verve at their best were at the very least the equal of many of their contemporaries.

And so, Ashcroft now returns with ‘Acoustic Hymns Volume One’, a collection of The Verve’s very best tracks reimagined in a mostly strip-backed manner and recorded at the legendary Abbey Road studio with a full brass and string backing. To some this may sound like a fairly shameless cash in, but Ashcroft treats these songs with a wonderful respect, crafting a new take that offers a fresh and intriguing dimension to (almost) each and every song gathered here.

Bittersweet Symphony – perhaps the band’s defining track – opens proceedings with its swirling majesty, while the emotive, piano-led A Song For Lovers is perhaps even better than the original. Liam Gallagher lends his vocals to a sparring reworking of C’mon People (We’re Making It Now), and Lucky Man loses none of it’s punch despite the sensitive reworking we have here. The Drugs Don’t Work is the one track that stays faithfully close to the original recording, but this only serves to remind you what a classic that is.

Acoustic Hymns Volume One tracklist:

1. Bittersweet Symphony
2. A Song For The Lovers
3. Sonnet
4. C’mon People (We’re Making It Now) featuring Liam Gallagher
5. Weeping Willow
6. Lucky Man
7. This Thing Called Life
8. Space & Time
9. Velvet Morning
10. Break The Night With Colour
11. One Day
12. The Drugs Don’t Work

Watch the official video for This Thing Called Life here.

Author: Joe Sharratt

Joe Sharratt is a writer and journalist based in the UK covering music, literature, sport, and travel.