The Verve guitarist Nick McCabe has downplayed the chances of the band reuniting any time soon, while revealing that he has more hope in fellow Britpop legends Oasis returning.
McCabe was speaking to NME to celebrate the release of the 20th anniversary edition of their seminal album ‘Urban Hymns‘. However, not all band members are currently on speaking terms.
Asked if he’s still in touch with frontman Richard Ashcroft, McCabe replied: “No, not at all. I tried to call him last year about whether we should do anything to celebrate the 20th anniversary [of ‘Urban Hymns’] and at that point Jazz Summers was still with us so there was talk about it all.
“I spoke to his wife for a couple of hours and that was all civil, quite a nice chat but didn’t hear back from him. That’s kind of where we’re all at now.”
He continued: “I think it’s just whoever’s angry about what, that’s destructive in and of itself. It takes a lot of effort to be angry and Si [Jones, bass guitarist] and Richard – they’ve got grievances that they’ll never sort out. I feel like I made peace at some point with Richard and a lot of this stuff could be easily sorted out with conversation but such things don’t work out.”
However, when asked if former collaborators Oasis might reform, McCabe responded: “I think it’s a matter of time. They’d be stupid not to. I get the feeling sometimes that they’re just playing. It’s like mischief.
“They know that it is on the cards eventually and they’re having a bit of fun with it. But you know I’m wrong about most things.”
Meanwhile, Richard Ashcroft recently spoke out about Liam Gallagher‘s ‘secret cameo’ on The Verve‘s ‘Urban Hymns’.
“I mean there’s lots of jokes within the album,” said Ashcroft. “Liam Gallagher is on the last track ‘Come On’. I don’t think anyone knows this, but if you concentrate you can hear some demented guy screaming ‘come on’. I imagine everyone thinks that’s me, but I remember him doing it.
“He arrived at the studio with the tape of a song he’d just done with [Stone Roses’ guitarist] John Squire. He proceeded, as he does, to play it 15 times in a row in the studio. I played him ‘Bittersweet [Symphony]’, then I said ‘we’re doing ‘Come On’ now, you gotta be on it. He went into this booth with someone else, and he was going ballistic at the end of it – smashing the tambourine against the side of the vocal booth, screaming.”
- Source: NME, Andrew Trendell
