RICHARD ASHCROFT: Voksenpop Richard Ashcroft Rockefeller 24/9/00 (Oslo/PULS):

Britpop-bølgen er forbi. Det har den vært lenge. Faktisk siden før alle frontmennene gikk solo. Egoene ble for store. Det skaper ingen bevegelse, bare enkeltmonumenter. I går gjesta hovedpersonen i kapitellet om The Verve hovedstaden.

Ex-The Verve frontmann Richard Ashcroft leverte en noe tannløs debut-plate før sommeren i år, og i konsertformatet tumler også engelskmannen litt i blinde. Det var nok flere The Verve-fans enn tilhengere av soloartisten som fant veien til Rockefeller søndag kveld. Og det nærmeste konserten kom musikalsk magi var ved nettopp The Verve-låtene "Sonnet", "Lucky Man", "The Drugs Don't Work", "History" og ikke minst "Bitter Sweet Symphony". Av solomaterialet fungerte den nyeste single "C'mon People (We're Making It Now)" og en akustisk versjon av førstesingle "A Song For The Lovers" best. Resten blir litt platt og voksenpop-aktig, noe som ikke kler mannen helt ennå.

Med et 9 manns band i ryggen kunne det blitt morsomt, men mye av innsatsen ligger i å kopiere soundet på platen, med mye svulstige keyboard-arrangementer og programmert koring. Ashcroft trakterer gitarene alene, med litt hjelp fra en lapsteel-gitarist ute på sidelinjen. Bak trommene finner vi en gammel kjenning, Peter Salisbury fra The Verve. Men konserten blir altså litt småkjedelig levert fra en tilfreds, voksen og noe humørløs engelskmann.

Settlista: Brave New World/Space & Time/Get My Beat/Sonnet/C'mon People/On The Beach/Lucky Man/You On My Mind/Drugs Dont Work/New York

Ekstranumre (encore): History/Song For The Lovers/Bittersweet Symphony inkl. Come On

Odd Inge Rand

Translation:

RICHARD ASHCROFT: Adult pop, Rockefeller 24/9/00 (Oslo/Puls)

The britpop era is over, it has been for a while now. Ever since the frontmen went solo. The egos became too big. And that don´t make any big feelings just a few simple monuments. Yesterday the main character in the chapter of the Verve visited our capital city.

The ex Verve frontman delivered a slightly toothless debut album this summer, and he´s also got problems making the concert format work. There were probably more Verve fans than fans of the solo artist who attended the Rockefeller, sunday night. The nearest musical magic he could come was with the Verve songs "Sonnet", "Lucky Man". "The Drugs Don´t Work", "History" and of course "Bitter Sweet Symphony". From the solo material "C´mon People" and an acoustic version of the debut single "A Song For The Lovers" were best. The rest of the material is a bit too flat and adult pop, something that doesn´t fit him yet.

With a nine man orchestra behind his back it could have been fun, but the main task is to copy the sound from the album, with a lot of large sounding keyboard arrangements and programmed choires. Ashcroft takes care of the guitar playing with a little help from a lap steel guitarist on the side of the stage. Behind the drums we find an old friend, Peter Salisbury from the Verve. But the concert becomes a bit boring from a too satisfied, too adult and humourless Ashcroft.

(according to the official site there were about 1350 attendants)