The Verve were one of the most popular bands of the Britpop era thanks to their massive third album, Urban Hymns, which is one of the best-selling albums in British chart history. However, the band from Wigan, which was formed by Richard Ashcroft, Nick McCabe, Simon Jones and Peter Salisbury in 1990, achieved commercial and critical success throughout the ‘90s, their signature blend of pop-rock hooks with spacey psychedelia making A Northern Soul and Urban Hymns unique entries in the Britpop canon.

The band split up in 1999 amid rising tensions among the band members, of which one was now keyboardist Simon Tong. The controversy regarding the credits of their huge hit “Bitter Sweet Symphony” also contributed towards these tensions. The band reunited in 2007, despite Ashcroft’s earlier dismissal of the idea of a reunion:

You’re more likely to get all four Beatles on stage.

They then released their fourth album, Forth in 2008, but disbanded again shortly afterwards. Since their break-up, the individual members–Ashcroft in particular–have pursued successful solo careers.