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News

Jun 21, 2023

During seven weeks at Sawmills Studio on the River Fowey in Golant, Cornwall, four young men in the band Verve (singer Richard Ashcroft and guitarist Nick McCabe were only 21 years old) recorded their debut album with producer John Leckie, who had previously worked as an audio engineer for Pink Floyd in the 1970s. These seven weeks of recording resulted in 10 tracks that are deeply numinous and often oceanic. More

Sep 08, 2021

Richard Ashcroft, formerly of The Verve, has announced Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1, a new album featuring new acoustic versions of some of his previous songs, and shared its first single, a new seven-minute acoustic version of his most iconic song, “Bittersweet Symphony.” The new version still features strings. Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1 is due out October 29 via RPA/BMG. More

Feb 19, 2021

Richard Ashcroft, formerly of The Verve, has shared a new cover of John Lennon’s “Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple).” It was shared via a video shot at Abbey Road studios, where, of course, The Beatles used to record. More

Richard Ashcroft Gets the Rights Back to “Bittersweet Symphony” From The Rolling Stones

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards Have Finally Agreed to Give the Former Frontman of The Verve His Due

May 23, 2019

One of the bigger music industry injustices of the 1990s has finally been rectified: Richard Ashcroft has been given back the songwriting credits and publishing rights to his most famous song “Bittersweet Symphony,” by his former band The Verve, returned to him by The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. More

Album of the Week: The Good, The Bad, & The Queen

Merrie Land Out Now via Studio 13

Nov 16, 2018

The Good, The Bad, & The Queen released their long-awaited sophomore album, Merrie Land, today via Studio 13 and it’s our Album of the Week. More

Oct 23, 2018

The Good, The Bad, & The Queen have announced their long-awaited sophomore album, Merrie Land, and shared its title track. The band features Damon Albarn (of Blur and Gorillaz), Afrobeat legend Tony Allen, Paul Simonon (of The Clash), and Simon Tong (of The Verve). More

Oct 22, 2018

Richard Ashcroft (formerly of The Verve) released a new solo album, Natural Rebel, last week via Ashcroft’s own label, RPA, and BMG. Now he has shared a video for previous single “Born to Be Strangers.” Ashcroft self-directed the video, which features him dancing in front of a classic car (perhaps it’s his own car). More

Oct 19, 2018

Richard Ashcroft (formerly of The Verve) has released a new solo album, Natural Rebel, today via Ashcroft’s own label, RPA, and BMG. Now that the album is out, you can stream the whole thing here. More

Richard Ashcroft (ex-Verve) Shares New Song “That’s When I Feel It”

Natural Rebel Due Out October 19 via RPA and BMG

Oct 10, 2018

Richard Ashcroft (formerly of The Verve) is releasing a new solo album, Natural Rebel, on October 19 via Ashcroft’s own label, RPA, and BMG. Now he has shared another song from the album, the string-backed feel good anthem “That’s When I Feel It.” More

Oct 05, 2018

Richard Ashcroft (formerly of The Verve) is releasing a new solo album, Natural Rebel, on October 19 via Ashcroft’s own label, RPA, and BMG. Now he has shared a new non-album track, the acoustic song “Hey Columbo.” He has also announced some new UK tour dates for next April. More

Sep 26, 2018

Richard Ashcroft (formerly of The Verve) is releasing a new solo album, Natural Rebel, on October 19 via Ashcroft’s own label, RPA, and BMG. Previously he shared a video for the album’s first single, “Surprised by the Joy” (which was an honorable mention in our Songs of the Week list). Now he has shared another song from the album, “Born to Be Strangers,” which has kind of a classic rock/1970s vibe to it. More

Sep 10, 2018

Richard Ashcroft (formerly of The Verve) is releasing a new solo album, Natural Rebel, on October 19 via Ashcroft’s own label, RPA, and BMG. When the album was announced no music from it was shared, but now Ashcroft has revealed the album’s first single, “Surprised by the Joy,” via a video for the song. More

Aug 15, 2018

Richard Ashcroft (formerly of The Verve) has announced a new solo album, Natural Rebel, and some UK tour dates. More

May 01, 2018

ShadowParty is a new band that features members of New Order and Devo, among other bands. They have announced their self-titled debut album and shared its first single, “Celebrate.” More

Mar 19, 2018

Former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher released his debut solo album, As You Were, last October via Warner Bros. Now he has announced some North American tour dates for this summer and they feature support from Richard Ashcroft of The Verve. More

The Verve - 11 Previously Unreleased “Urban Hymns” Era Tracks Have Surfaced Online

Urban Hymns Reissue Out Now, But These Tracks Aren't on There

Sep 22, 2017

The Verve recently put out a deluxe 20th anniversary reissue of the British band’s classic 1997 album Urban Hymns (the one with “Bittersweet Symphony,” “The Drugs Don’t Work,” and “Lucky Man” on it). It includes various unreleased tracks and demos, but now, as Stereogum reports, even more unreleased tracks not included in the reissue have mysteriously surfaced on YouTube. More

Aug 16, 2016

Last week The Verve shared a video for the previously unreleased song “South Pacific,” taken from the deluxe reissue of their 1993 debut album, A Storm in Heaven. Now the band has shared the other previously unreleased studio recording from the reissue, “Shoeshine Girl.” More

Watch: The Verve – “South Pacific” Video

Previously Unreleased Track from A Storm in Heaven Reissue Due Out September 9

Aug 13, 2016

Listeners who only know The Verve of “Bittersweet Symphony” and their 1997 hit third album Urban Hymns might be surprised to hear their debut album, 1993’s A Storm in Heaven, which was more shoegaze/space-rock in nature than the songs and album that later topped the charts. The album is finally getting the deluxe reissue treatment, alongside 1995 sophomore album A Northern Soul, on September 9 and the 4CD set includes two previously unreleased studio recordings: “Shoeshine Girl” and “South Pacific.” The latter now has a music video featuring footage of the band recording A Storm in Heaven captured by its producer John Leckie. More

Richard Ashcroft Sounds Off with Latest Solo Effort

'United Nations of Sound' Due March 2011

Feb 18, 2011

The Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft returns with United Nations of Sound, his first solo effort in four years. We have the info, plus a free download. More



Interviews

The Verve

History Repeating

Sep 02, 2008

The fact that The Verve’s 1997 breakthrough mainstream hit was a song called “Bittersweet Symphony” is apt in almost every way. Not only did the track catapult the little-known and criminally ignored band from Wigan, England into superstardom, it also epitomized their future (or lack thereof) and proved to be a fitting epitaph for a band on the cusp of continually falling apart. Indeed, when “Bittersweet Symphony” became a hit, it already seemed that The Verve’s days were numbered. More


Reviews

Dec 19, 2017

In 1997, there were three monumental British albums that caught the imagination of fans on both sides of the Atlantic. While Radiohead (on their way to becoming one of the world’s biggest bands) released the career-making OK Computer and Spiritualized put out the groundbreaking Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, The Verve took angsty lyrics, their own much improved songwriting from Richard Ashcroft, and Funkadelic/CAN-like fuzz and repetition to the top of the U.K. charts and made a significant dent in the American charts as well on the back of songs like “Bitter Sweet Symphony.” More