It’s probably not unfair to say that a few eyebrows were raised, back in 2008, when The Verve reformed; their impressive history of intra-band ignominy made a sudden ceasefire seem peculiar, with the payday the most obvious reason for such a rapid thawing of hostilities. Once they actually made it to the stage though - most notably, with a Glastonbury headline set that same summer - it didn’t take audiences long to remember just how good that back catalogue is; Urban Hymns, alone, contains more classics than most bands write in a lifetime. It helps that they translate so well to the live arena, too; Richard Ashcroft, of course, is a born frontman, but also manages to temper the obligatory swagger with a vulnerability that set The Verve apart from so many of their contemporaries - Oasis especially. He’s tender behind the guitar on ‘Lucky Man’ and ‘The Drugs Don’t Work’, whilst ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ and ‘This Is Music’ - the latter driven by Nick McCabe’s howling guitar - have him positively prowling the stage. Even if they’re not quite your cup of tea, you have to give them this; they had the guts to end that Glastonbury set with a new track, the raucous ‘Love Is Noise’; it was symbolic of a kind of bravery that all too few bands showcase nowadays.
Fontaines D.C.
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