The Verve

Not to be confused with The Verve Pipe or Verve Records.

The Verve
The Verve performing at Madison Square Garden in 2008. From left to right: Nick McCabe, Peter Salisbury, Richard Ashcroft and, out of sight, Simon Jones
The Verve performing at Madison Square Garden in 2008. From left to right: Nick McCabe, Peter Salisbury, Richard Ashcroft and, out of sight, Simon Jones
Background information
Also known asVerve (1990–1993)
OriginWigan, Greater Manchester, England
Genres
Years active
  • 1990–1995
  • 1995–1999
  • 2007–2009
Labels
Past members
Websitetheverve.co.uk

The Verve were an English rock band formed in Wigan, Greater Manchester, in 1990 by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bass guitarist Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboard player Simon Tong later became a member in their first reunion only.

Beginning with a psychedelic, shoegaze sound with their debut LP, A Storm in Heaven, by 1997 the band had released three EPs and three albums. They endured name and line-up changes, break-ups, health problems, drug abuse and various lawsuits. The band's commercial breakthrough was the 1997 album Urban Hymns, one of the best-selling albums in UK history.[4] It features the hit singles "Bitter Sweet Symphony", "The Drugs Don't Work", "Sonnet" and "Lucky Man". In 1998, the band won two Brit Awards, winning Best British Group, appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in March, and in February 1999, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.[5][6][7]

Soon after their commercial peak, The Verve disbanded in 1999, citing internal conflicts.[8] According to Billboard magazine, "the group's rise was the culmination of a long, arduous journey that began at the dawn of the decade and went on to encompass a major breakup, multiple lawsuits, and an extensive diet of narcotics".[9] During an eight-year split, Ashcroft dismissed talk of a reunion, saying: "You're more likely to get all four Beatles on stage."[8] The band's original line-up reunited in 2007, embarking on a tour later that year and releasing the album Forth in 2008, which spawned the hit single "Love Is Noise". Amid revived tensions, the band broke up for the third time in 2009.[10]

  1. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "The Verve | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  2. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Richard Ashcroft | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  3. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "A Northern Soul – The Verve". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Top 40 Best Selling Albums: 28 July 1956 – 14 June 2009" (PDF). Official Charts Company. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
  5. ^ The Brit Awards: The Verve Archived 2 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Brit Awards. Retrieved 11 February 2012
  6. ^ 1998 Rolling Stone Covers Rolling Stone. Retrieved 11 February 2012
  7. ^ 41st Grammy Awards – 1999 Rock on the Net. Retrieved 12 February 2012
  8. ^ a b "Rock band Verve announce reunion". BBC News. 26 June 2007. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  9. ^ "The Verve: Biography". Billboard. Retrieved 19 April 2013 Archived 19 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Gourlay, Dom (29 August 2017). "Urban Hymns At 20: DiS Meets Nick McCabe". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 29 August 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2019.