29 April 2008

Old news but worthy: Verve debut new song at Coachella

The Verve played a brand new song during the penultimate set tonight (April 25) on Coachella's main stage.

Opening with 'This Is Music', the band tore through a highly- atmospheric 80-minute set in Indio, which included some of their biggest hits, such as 'Sonnet', 'Lucky Man' and 'The Drugs Don't Work', as well as 'Sit & Wonder', a track from their forthcoming new album which they have already performed at their comeback UK shows.

In addition to 'Life's An Ocean' and 'The Rolling People', The Verve thrilled the desert crowd with uber-hit 'Bitter Sweet Symphony', which Ashcroft dedicated to legendary writer Hunter S. Thompson.

"I'm off to Vegas after this, you know,” he told the audience “The place with gondolas and pyramids. This is for Hunter S Thompson." The biggest surprise of the night came when Ashcroft announced the band would perform a brand new track exclusively for the festival crowd.

He said: "We're going to play a new song. Most bands when they reform don't make new music, but that's all this band's about, so we made some new music." They then launched into the 90's-style dance-tinged track before making way for Hawaiian headliner Jack Johnson.

They played:

'This Is Music' 'Space & Time' 'Sonnet' 'Life's An Ocean' 'Weeping Willow' 'Sit & Wonder' 'The Rolling People' 'The Drugs Don't Work' 'Lucky Man' 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' 'New Song'

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* the 'New Song' (called 'Disco' on at least one set-list) is titled either 'Modern Times' or 'Love is Noise.'