The Verve dominated the radiowaves and personified Britpop of the 90s.
August 15th, 1990: a young Richard Ashcroft introduces the assorted friends on stage as the Verve for the very first time, blinking in the lights of the Honeysuckle Inn, Wigan. It’ll be two years before their debut album is released and the seeds of Britpop are sown. Ashcroft’s playful mixing of beat driven funk and swelling orchestral melodies lend sombre grandiosity to cigarette-huffing hooliganism. It’s everything the fans need; with the 1997 release of Urban Hymns, Bittersweet Symphony and Lucky Man are sung in stadiums all over the country.
It speaks to the veracity of the band that even with a short career, peppered as it was with health issues, legal troubles, and three different breakups, The Verve’s hold on British pop was legendary. During interviews at the height of their fame, Oasis were asked if they were the greatest rock band alive right now. Liam Gallagher shakes his head and looks conspiratorially at the interviewer: “listen to a band called The Verve”.
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Ashcroft ’98
Photo by: Phil Knott
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Ashcroft 1998
Photo by: Phil Knott
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Ashcroft
Photo by: Phil Knott
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The Verve – Life Is Not A Rehearsal
Photo by: Michael Spencer Jones
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Richard Ashcroft ’98
Photo by: Phil Knott
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The Verve – Urban Hymns Album Cover
Photo by: Michael Spencer Jones
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Richard Ashcroft , 1992
Photo by: Stefan De Batselier
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The Verve – All Farewells should be sudden
Photo by: Michael Spencer Jones
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The Verve – A Storm in Heaven
Photo by: Michael Spencer Jones
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The Verve – I Stand Accused
Photo by: Michael Spencer Jones
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Richard Ashcroft, Portrait
Photo by: Michael Spencer Jones
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The Verve – A Northern Soul Cover
Photo by: Michael Spencer Jones
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Richard Ashcroft, 1993
Photo by: Kenji Kubo
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Richard Ashcroft Plays the Hammersmith Apollo
Photo by: Samir Hussein
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