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The Verve went from swirling psychedelic rock to one of the most famous songs of the 1990s. Formed in Wigan in 1990 and fronted by Richard Ashcroft, they peaked with Urban Hymns in 1997 and the string-drenched “Bitter Sweet Symphony”. They are an alternative rock and Britpop band, with psychedelic and shoegaze influences.
| Formed | 1990, Wigan, England |
| Members | Richard Ashcroft (vocals), Nick McCabe (guitar), Simon Jones (bass), Peter Salisbury (drums), Simon Tong (guitar, keyboards) |
| Active | 1990–1995, 1997–1999, 2007–2009 |
| Genres | Alternative rock, Britpop, psychedelic rock, shoegaze |
| Label | Hut |
| Biggest album | Urban Hymns (1997) |
Richard Ashcroft, Nick McCabe, Simon Jones and Peter Salisbury formed the band in Wigan in 1990 and signed to Hut Records. Their early records, including the debut A Storm in Heaven (1993), were built on McCabe’s spacey, effects-heavy guitar.
The early Verve were hazy and psychedelic, close to shoegaze. By Urban Hymns they had moved to big, emotional songs with sweeping strings, while keeping the atmospheric guitar that made their name.
The band’s best-known song is built on an orchestral sample from a 1960s version of the Rolling Stones’ “The Last Time”. A legal settlement left the songwriting credit with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for more than twenty years, until they handed their share of the royalties to Ashcroft in 2019.
Urban Hymns is one of the defining British albums of the late 1990s, and “The Drugs Don’t Work” gave the band a U.K. No. 1 single. The Verve split and reformed more than once, releasing a final album, Forth, in 2008.
The psychedelic, atmospheric debut.
A heavier, more emotional record, with “History”.
The band’s landmark, with “Bitter Sweet Symphony”, “The Drugs Don’t Work”, “Lucky Man” and “Sonnet”.
The reunion album, featuring “Love Is Noise”.
These The Verve songs are on our charts and lists:
Oasis, The Stone Roses, Blur, Radiohead, Spiritualized and The National.
The Verve are an alternative rock and Britpop band, with psychedelic and shoegaze influences.
Wigan, England. The band formed there in 1990.
“Bitter Sweet Symphony” (1997), from Urban Hymns.
After a 1990s settlement over its sample, the songwriting credit went to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. In 2019 they handed their share of the royalties to Richard Ashcroft.
Richard Ashcroft, who has also released several solo albums.
The Verve bring the epic, string-swept side of ’90s Britpop to our playlist. Catch it on The Modern Rock Radio Show, check the radio show schedule, or press play on the live stream. Want a specific song? Send a request or dedication.
About this article: Written and fact-checked by The Alternative One editorial team. Last reviewed November 4, 2026. Read our editorial standards or tell us about a correction.
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