The Verve

The Verve formed in Wigan, near Manchester, England in 1989, and were signed to Hut Records two years later. With a sound combining psychedelic instruments and shoegaze haziness, their early singles created a little buzz on the indie-rock scene without leading to mainstream success. Debut album A Storm In Heaven only reached No.23 in the UK album charts, but it was widely praised by critics.

For follow-up A Northern Soul, the band ditched their psychedelic swirling in favour of a Britpop and ecstasy-influenced sound. The album only did slightly better in the charts and was met with mixed reviews by critics - but it has since been listed by several magazines as one of the best British albums of the era.

The Verve made their commercial breakthrough with third album Urban Hymns (1997). First single "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was a worldwide smash hit, but the band didn't make a penny from it because it relied on a Rolling Stones-owned sample for the orchestral hook. Second single "The Drugs Don't Work" went to No.1, and two more singles charted too. It was voted Album of the Year by Melody Maker and has gone on to sell over five-million copies worldwide.

In April 1999, the band split up, but they made a surprise reunion in 2007. Their first reunion concert was in San Francisco, followed by a larger show at the Coachella Music Festival. In 2008 they released a fourth album, eleven years after their third, imaginatively titled Forth.