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SORRY TO RUB IT IN BUT...
I have two tickets to go and see the mighty fivesome at Hiagh Hall in Wigan on the twenty fourth of May...heh heh

THE REAL NEWS

  • THE VERVE TO RELEASE OUR LONG DOCUMENTARY...
    The Verve will be releasing a video this year containing footage from their recent U.S tour, it will also feature a previously unseen version of a Bitter Sweet Symphony video. The video willnot be released but will be played as an hour long donumentary on BBC television



  • THE VERVE SCORE NME HAT TRICK!CLICK ON SYMBOL TO SEE NME AWARDS PAGE.
    Who's the top band for NME readers? Why, The Verve of course! Richard and friends picked up three Brats awards tonight, for Best Band, Best Single (The Drugs Don't Work) and Best Video (Bitter Sweet Symphony). For good measure, the NME writers voted Bitter Sweet Symphony Best Single of 97. But it was the people's votes that counted for Richard. "You can stuff all those other awards," he said. "But when people at home have been putting crosses on paper, that means something." Modest as ever, the band were too shy to go on stage to get their 'one finger salute' trophy, and the NME's editor had to deliver it to their table. Also on the rostrum were the storming McNamara brothers, as Embrace deservedly picked up Best Newcomer. A good place to start!



  • THE VERVE ARE SET TO PLAY...
    The Verve are set to play their biggest headlining show ever, before an estimated 33,000 people, at Haigh Hall, an 18th century country house, in Wigan on May 24. Support has yet to be announced but the event is billed to start at 6pm and to finish at 10.30. This will be the first ever outdoor show in the Lancashire town (though Wigan borough hosted the Jeremy Beadle-organised Bickershaw Festival in 1973, at which The Grateful Dead headlined). All tickets were sold on Saturday 24th in a record 2 1/2 hours!!! There will be a major car park on site (£4 per vehicle) whilst the site itself is a two mile walk from Wigan Town Centre through a lit and stewarded woodland path.



  • BITTER SWEET SYMPHONY IS BEING USED FOR NIKE AD...
    A statement issued by The Verve pointed out that, although the recorded synchronisation rights of the song belong to The Verve, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Allen Klein own the music publishing synchronisation rights because BSS includes a sample from Andrew Loog Oldham's orchestral version of 'The Last Time'. Therefore, without The Verve's consent, Klein's publishing company ABKCO could rerecord the music for commercial purposes and people might still think it was The Verve. The band agreed to allow Nike the use of BSS in America for a period of 3 months after checking the company's track record in the hope that it "would deter all other possible usage of the song". The statement added: "It is not The Verve's policy to have their music used in commercial advertising. This would not have happened had The Verve not lost the publishing of BSS to Jagger/Richards & Allen Klein/ABKCO Music."



  • ON A LIGHTER NOTE...
    at the time of writing Simon Jones has just finished decorating his hall. It looks great.



  • VERVE SCOOP THREE AWARDS AT 1998's BRIT AWARDS...
    The Verve took the prizes for Best Album for 'Urban Hymns', Best Group and Best Producer which they shared with Chris Potter and Youth. The Verve did not attend the ceremony in person but accepted their awards via a satellite link to the venue from across London at Brixton Academy where they were headlining a charity gig for the homeless. 'Lucky Man' from the band's performance was also beamed in for the awards audience. The band's management are currently investigating a poster advertising campaign for a special-edition Peugeot 306 called The Verve. The advert first appeared on bus shelter hoardings around London in the first week of February and features writing resembling that on The Verve's 1994 release, 'No Come Down'. Obviously the band are not endorsing the product. A spokesman for Peugeot mainatined that any resemblance to a Verve album cover was a "happy coincidence". Of course it was.



  • THE VERVE HAVE POSTPONED...
    The Verve have posponed a spring tour of the USA until summer so that they can go back in the studio. Band manager Jazz Summers said Richard had decided to postpone the shows because he wanted "to get some new music out and some rest". Urban Hymns has sold more than 500,000 copies in the US, going gold. With the forthcoming US release of 'Lucky Man', the album is expected to top the 1,000,000 mark. The band have revealed that all money earned from the use of 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' in Nike's recent US advert will be donated to the Big Issue in the UK. "Sonnet" is to be released as a single on March 2nd on 12-inch vinyl only. It will be sold in a customised Verve cardboard envelope. The track is accompanied by "Stamped", "So Sister" and "Echo Bass". The other three singles from "Urban Hymns" will also be released on vinyl for the first time. They will be available separately in their own sleeves which will fit into the "Sonnet" envelope. The Verve took The Brits by storm collecting a hatrick of awards for Best British Group, Best Album and Best Producer (in conjunction with the legendary Chris Potter and Youth).
    The lads weren't at the ceremony as they were playing a charity gig in Brixton, London. A live satelite link was in place and the boys played Lucky Man. However, I don't think luck has anything to do with it. The Verve won four awards at this years NME Brat Awards. They were voted Best Band, Best Single (Bitter Sweet Symphony) and Best Video (Bitter Sweet Symphony) by the NME readers. The boys also picked up another award for Best Single (Bitter Sweet Symphony) as voted for by NME writers. Richard commented - "You can stuff all those other awards," he said. "But when people at home have been putting crosses on paper, that means something." Good going fellas!!!