Oasis’ 2025 UK and Ireland shows are set to feature Richard Ashcroft and indie rock band Cast as support acts.
After much speculation about who would join the long-awaited reunion tour, it has now been now claimed that former The Verve frontman Ashcroft and Liverpool band Cast have been confirmed for the dates, seemingly quashing rumours that Blossoms would be on the bill.
Ashcroft, a close friend of both Noel and Liam Gallagher, shares a history with the band as Oasis supported The Verve back in 1993.
Cast rose to fame during the Britpop era alongside Oasis and Blur and even shared the stage with the Gallagher brothers at Oasis’ legendary 1996 Knebworth shows.
The Verve, formed in Wigan in 1989 by Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones, and drummer Peter Salisbury, became known for hits like Bittersweet Symphony and The Drugs Don’t Work.
Cast were formed in Liverpool in 1992 by John Power after he left The La’s, famous for There She Goes. Cast’s hits include like Alright, Finetime, and Sandstorm.
According to The Independent, Cast will perform first, followed by Ashcroft, before Oasis take to the stage following their 15 year hiatus.
An official announcement is reportedly expected next week, however Liam has already teased the news on X/Twitter, writing: “Just spoke to the CHEF here it is OASIS RICHARD ASHCROFT CAST you are welcome see you nxt year.” Chef was Noel’s nickname in the band during their heyday.
He later added in another tweet: “Only kidding we never set sail without the 1 and only RICARDO he’s our boy from day DOT come aboard Rkid“.
In August Liam and Noel Gallagher announced they had put their past behind them and will reform Oasis 15 years after the band split.
However, the excitement about the reunion turned sour for some fans when they were faced with prices that had more than doubled while they had spent hours in a virtual queue.
An “urgent review” of dynamic pricing was subsequently launched to ensure consumers are being treated fairly, the competition regulator announced amid the backlash.
Despite the reports, band Blossoms said they would love to support the Oasis, after admitting they had been a huge inspiration to them and their music.
Frontman Tom Ogden told NME: "Nothing has been discussed, nothing has been asked; I don't think they'll sort it out until next year. It's sold out. They don't need to announce the supports."
"I'd like to think our name might be in the mix because why not? We've never shied away from saying how much they've influenced us. We went to watch them at Heaton Park when we were 16, and we kind of know them both.
“I'm not going to get my hopes up, though, because, at the end of the day, it's up to them. If we get asked, the bags are packed, and we'd smash it."
The Break Your Promise hitmakers have previously supported The Stone Roses, another legendary Manchester band that reformed, as well as playing their own mammoth headline concerts.
Citing Oasis as an inspiration and reflecting on their success, Ogden added to the publication: "Our mantra was instilled into us from Oasis. I grew up listening to them and seeing those songs being sung in the biggest stadiums. That's what I wanted.
“Ten years on, to have done Wythenshawe, to have opened for The Stone Roses and to have your name brought up within the Oasis stuff, if you'd have told me that when I was 16, I'd have been like, 'What?'. We saw them before we were even a band. I would have never believed you.”
