12 August 2009

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