Live aus dem Schlachthof...!?!?

This popped up out of nowhere. Rare footage of The Verve performing "Slide Away" on a German TV talk show called 'Live aus dem Schlachthof.' It also shows the beginning of "Stormy Clouds" as the credits roll. Presumably later that evening, the band performed at the Schlachthof in Frankfurt, February 25, 1994. Thanks to the uploader.

More rumors

Hold back on cuing "History" for the moment; though news of a breakup has spread like wildfire, no one has officially confirmed it yet.

Multiple articles now quoting MySpace or the Mirror. In addition, Pitchfork's report here and The Guardian here.

If The Verve have indeed split again, this will be their third. The band split up initially in 1996 and then again in 1999, but reformed in 2007, releasing an album Forth and headlining the Glastonbury Festival the following year.

V Festival curse anyone? Ironically, the band's last UK show the last time they split was the 1998 V Festival.

Putting some Verve into it

The Verve drummer Peter Salisbury helped children get into the beat at a play scheme in Buxton last week.

Peter – an original member of the band whose hits have included the anthemic single Bitter Sweet Symphony – led a rhythm and rhyme workshop for children at the Fairfield Center, alongside local musician Pete Proudlove.

Derbyshire county councilor Tracy Critchlow said: "It was great that an internationally-renowned musician was willing to give up his time to share his expertise with young children and their families.

"The rhythm and rhyme session was brilliant fun for the children and their parents and carers."

Source: Buxton Advertiser

Backstage celebs at Glastonbury

Nick McCabe appeared at this years Glastonbury Festival as a punter.

Black Ships 2010?

The Black Ships have not officially announced any recording or live performance plans, though it is thought they may be shooting for a 2010 release for a debut album.

The Verve finally call it a day?

Nick McCabe has said the reunited band is on "permanent vacation"...

According to McCabe, The Verve have once again split up. In a post on his MySpace page, the guitarist says, "The Verve seems to be on holiday and shows no sign of not being on holiday. I've been hesitant to breach Official Secrets-style policy with any missives from the, well, from any front, basically. Don't ask me anything about the big V."

McCabe and bassist Simon Jones have already started a new band, The Black Ships, while a story in The Mirror states that, "as far as Nick and Simon are concerned The Verve no longer exists. They think Richard was just using the reunion as a vehicle to get his solo career on track."

• Source: Radio X

The Verve break up yet again?

Despite promising they would never part ways again, it appears as if The Verve have broken up. According to guitarist Nick McCabe, the band are now on a permanent vacation and don’t have any plans to head back to work anytime soon.

"The Verve seem to be on holiday and show no sign of not being on holiday,” McCabe writes in a MySpace post. “I've been hesitant to breach Official Secrets-style policy with any missives from the, well, from any front, basically. Don't ask me anything about the big V."

To add more fuel to the break-up rumour fire, the Mirror newspaper claims that McCabe and Verve bassist Simon Jones haven’t spoke to singer Richard Ashcroft since the Verve performed at the V Festival last August.

"As far as Nick and Simon are concerned, the Verve no longer exist,” a source told the newspaper. “They think Richard was just using the reunion as a vehicle to get his solo career on track."

"Their management called Simon and Nick in for a crisis meeting in September. They were told that Richard refused to tour or work with them again as long as Nick continued to drink. He quickly cleaned up his act. There have been too many problems to put behind them. If Richard came back with cap in hand they'd tell him to fuck off".

McCabe and Jones have already launched a new band dubbed The Black Ships, which also features Goldfrapp violinist Davide Rossi.

If you’re keeping track of all the Verve’s various break-ups, this one would mark number three.

Source: Exclaim, Article by Brock Thiessen

All over again for The Verve

AFTER promising their fans that they would never part company again, The Verve have reportedly split up for the third time.

Last September the band, led by Richard Ashcroft, reassured fans that they would not be "careless" enough to call it a day once more. But, according to reports, guitarist Nick McCabe and bass player Simon Jones haven't spoken to Ashcroft since they performed at the V Festival last August.

A source close to the band told a national newspaper: "As far as Nick and Simon are concerned The Verve no longer exists. There have been too many problems to put behind them."

Ashcroft has claimed that he wouldn't be a part of The Verve if McCabe continued to drink. But even now that McCabe has quit drinking the relationship between the two, and between Ashcroft and Jones, appears to be strained.

And earlier this month McCabe and Jones launched a new band featuring Goldfrapp violinist Davide Rossi called The Black Ships. The Verve has a turbulent history of disagreements and break ups. They first decided to call it a day in 1995 and then again in 1999, at the peak of their commercial success, because of in-fighting.

In June 2007 the band announced that they would be reforming and embarked on a sold-out UK arena tour.

The next summer they released their last album to date, entitled Forth, and enjoyed a fruitful return to the festival circuit playing at Glastonbury, T In The Park, and at the V Festival.

McCabe has recently written on his MySpace page: "The Verve seems to be on holiday and shows no sign of not being on holiday. "Don't ask me anything about the big V."

Source: Wigan Evening Post, Article by Adnan Aljilani

The gigs don't work- The Verve finally call it a day

They’ve had more break-ups than Britney Spears has had breakdowns, but I can exclusively reveal that The Verve have now well and truly split.

The legendary indie band have been blighted by rows since forming in 1990. It turns out this time band members Nick McCabe and Simon Jones have not spoken to lead singer Richard Ashcroft since their gig at V Festival last August, despite trying on numerous occasions to hold out an olive branch.

“As far as Nick and Simon are concerned The Verve no longer exists,” a source close to the lads tells me. “They think Richard was just using the reunion as a vehicle to get his solo career on track.”

The Britpop boys announced a reunion in June 2007 and went on a sold-out tour, releasing number one album Forth last summer.

But the old tensions soon came back, centred on guitarist Nick’s wild partying.

“Their management called Simon and Nick in for a crisis meeting in September. They were told that Richard refused to tour or work with them again as long as Nick continued to drink. He quickly cleaned up his act.”

But it’s not as if Simon and Nick are sitting on their bums waiting for the next reunion – they’ve already started up their own band, apparently called The Black Ships.

Nick writes on his MySpace page: “The Verve seems to be on holiday and shows no sign of not being on holiday. I’ve been hesitant to breach Official Secrets-style policy with any missives from the, well, from any front, basically. Don’t ask me anything about the big V. Just let me enjoy my non-alcoholic Piña Colada.”

Simon told fans: “The Black Ships are coming!”

My mole says: “There have been too many problems to put behind them. If Richard came back with cap in hand they’d tell him to f*** off.”

Surely if those feuding Gallaghers can play nice, why not The Verve?

• Source: The Mirror, Article by Dean Piper

The Black Ships get mainstream coverage

The Black Ships news has now reached NME. The Goldfrapp connection is from Davide Rossi (violin).

• Update: The link once above is now broken. This post is kept here for archival purposes.