Daily noise that works faster than a stream of caffeine
24 May 2025
RICHARD ASHCROFT and The Verve (1990–1995, 1997–1999, 2007–2009) scored
their biggest triumph, commercially and critically, in 1997 with their 3rd LP Urban Hymns that topped the UK Charts. So did its timeless single Bittersweet Symphony (more than 1,2 billion streams on Spotify).
The band split twice, came back and, finally, called it a day in 2009. In between and afterward Ashcroft recorded solo. So far he has released 5 albums, with Natural Rebel, which came out in 2018, as his most recent one (if you don’t count Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1 from 2021, featuring reworked versions of some of his best known songs).
The former madman, who kept on performing live now and then, is now
finally back with a new single LOVER is an instantly infectious piece. Sirenic
power pop, with Ashcroft repeating the track’s title non-stop.
The song samples English singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading’s
1976 hit Love And Affection. When RA let Armatrading hear ‘Lover‘
she gave her blessing to release it.
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Lokerse Festival, Belgium – 5 August 2024 – photo by Turn Up The Volume