CityLife

Have The Verve split for third time?

NO MORE?: Jones, Ashcroft, McCabe and drummer Pete Salisbury

IT appears there’s more heartbreak for fans of The Verve. As after reforming for the third time (I thought that was supposed to be lucky?) in 2007, news is reaching us here at CityLife of two developments which seem to spell the end of the Wigan psych-rock giants.

First off, after re-activating his solo website earlier this year, shamanic frontman Richard Ashcroft has been canvassing his fans of which tracks they’d like to see included on a B-sides compilation, a new and fourth solo LP is rumoured to be under construction too.

Meanwhile, mercurial guitarist Nick McCabe and enigmatic Ying to Ashcroft’s ebullient Yang, has teamed up with Verve bassist Simon Jones, electric violinist and arranger Davide Rossi and drummer Mig Schillace to form a new outfit, The Black Ships.

The Verve duo met Rossi during the making of The Verve's last record Forth, where he helped with the string arrangements and some electric violin playing.

He also appeared on stage with them for some of their well-received reunion dates.

But after McCabe posted this on his MySpace website earlier this year ("The Verve seem to be on holiday and show 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. [But] don't ask me anything about the big V"), McCabe was seemingly determined not to let his reunion with at least one Verve member go to waste.

Copenhagen

So following a meeting in Copenhagen late in 2008, the quartet set about working on the new project, with an announcement about dates and releases due soon.

After originally forming in 1990 inspired by the achievements of local heroes The Stone Roses, The Verve’s staccato career has witnessed sky-scrapping highs and depressing lows.

1995’s second LP, A Northern Soul, looked set to catapult them into the stratosphere on the back on sublime anthems On Your Own and the sweeping History, before an unhappy Ashcroft reportedly split the band.

The split didn’t last long though and in 1997, the driven frontman realised his latest bunch of songs would only work with the whole band back on side – their third LP, Urban Hymns, went on to shift millions, spawning the achingly beautiful chart-topping single, The Drugs Don’t Work.

By 1999 things had gone pear-shaped again though following an apparent fight between McCabe and Ashcroft on tour in Germany.

And now their third reunion appears to have gone the same way, with no band activity since the summer shows of 2008.

McCabe will be hoping The Black Ships sail on less stormy waters.