Richard Ashcroft Storms Off Stage Down Under

Former The Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft disappointed fans in Australia by storming off stage at a music festival after just one song.

The singer was due to perform a set at the Splendour in the Grass event in Woodford, Queensland, on Sunday night (01 August) with his new band, the United Nations Of Sound.

But he walked off just minutes into his performance, kicking over his microphone stand and throwing a tambourine at the drum kit, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

A source tells the newspaper, "It looked as if someone in the crowd or a photographer had upset him. He stormed off and 15 minutes later an announcement was made saying that Richard Ashcroft wouldn't be returning because he had lost his voice."

Subsequent reports claim the star was upset with the low turn-out of fans who gathered in front of the stage to watch his show. The dismal attendance was blamed on the decision to put Ashcroft's band on at the same time as music legends the Pixies and popular duo Empire Of The Sun were performing elsewhere at the event.

Thanks for the report to Contactmusic.com.

Comments

[timmyti9]

Heh. Low turnout = "I'M NOT DOING ANY SHOW" apparently.

[Eirien]

That's not cool. He should've set his ego aside and put on a good show for the people who did come to see them. That's the first rule of gigging; leave your ego at the door. It doesn't matter if you're a bunch of kids just starting in a band or a superstar.

[savolic]

so basically he's kinda like a really crappy axl rose, i didn't like the verve, but everything he's done since then has been considerably worse

[slaveskinJACKET]

The statement about his voice was obviously an attempt at a cop-out/lie to cover up his fragile little ego. But really, how could he expect anyone to believe that statement? You can't lose something that you never had.

[Jack Darkley]

You know what they say, there's no such thing as bad PR. I'm guessing he's sick of his career going where it is so he's taking the Axl Rose approach in order to get a headline somewhere...like here. Seriously, this is the only news I've heard from him in years.

[Lespaul Requiem]

Yes. He's JUST like Axl Rose. Because he has bipolar disorder like Axl. He also is a redhead (They are a COMPLETELY different kind of human).

Please don't get the fact that Axl has mental issues and storms off the stage because something rustled his jimmies - not because he wants publicity (Like he needs it. He's AXL ROSE)- confused with the fact that some guy in Australia has an ego.

Fanboy rant end.

Enjoi.