The Verve to reunite next year for Urban Hymns 30th anniversary?

20 April 2026, 12:56

Richard Ashcroft 2024 — Richard Ashcroft could reportedly reunite with The Verve next year. Picture: Press

By Jenny Mensah

According to reports, Richard Ashcroft is considering reuniting with the Wigan band 17 years after they split.

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Richard Ashcroft is reportedly considering reuniting with The Verve to celebrate 30 years of Urban Hymns.

17 years after the band split, the frontman Ashcroft could be set to reform the Wigan band, after being inspired by Oasis’ success last summer, who he supported on their Live '25 dates.

“Richard’s had a stellar year and his tour was a massive success," a source told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column. “During the Oasis shows he saw the love people had for The Verve and their music, and it got people talking.”

The insider added: “There are many people who think getting The Verve back together to celebrate Urban Hymns would be an absolute coup - not only for the band but for their fans.”

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Despite the rumours, Ashcroft recently said that he didn't think it would "work" to get the band back together, telling The Sun: “We’ve already played that hand. I don’t think it would work.

“The Verve’s situation was a tougher one than Oasis — it was a different dynamic to Oasis.”

Nine years ago when the seminal 1997 album reached its 20th anniversary, Ashcroft had even more scathing words about the thought of celebrating the milestone.

Asked by Radio X's John Kennedy if he'd marked two decades of the band's third record, their former frontman replied: "No. No. It's not necessary to celebrate, you know what I mean? It's just a year."

He continued: "I think that's something that we've had forced on us - lists. 20 years of that. So what? What about 21 years, aint that better? What about 22? It's two years on. It's even bigger.

"Who cares, you know what I mean?"

Watch him discuss the idea of album anniversaries below:

Why Richard Ashcroft didn't celebrate Urban Hymns 20th anniversary

Urban Hymns - which was released on 29 September 1997 - experienced huge success and included the hits Bitter Sweet Symphony, The Drugs Don’t Work, Sonnett and Lucky Man.

The Verve originally formed in 1990 with Richard, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury but they have split and reunited previously and have not appeared together on stage since 2009.

The Verve released four albums in total; A Storm in Heaven (1993), A Northern Soul (1995), Urban Hymns (1997) and Forth (2008).