The Verve
Virgin Mobile V Festival 2008
The Verve played an incredible set to close the
Virgin Mobile V Festival at Chelmsford.
Hopes of a completely dry V Festival were dashed when The Verve opened just seconds after the heavens on Sunday night. But the V Stage at Chelmsford didn't harbour a single dampened spirit. Out like he had something to prove (and to some perhaps he still did), Richard Ashcroft's wounded hard-man swagger act was enough to bring an ebullient spirit back to the main stage despite the rain. "If you think this rain is bad Chelmsford" quipped Ashcroft, "You should have seen last night."
Early on, "Sonnet", "History" and "Space and Time" proved rewards for the big 'real music' draw of the night; they were clearly the serious choice for those in the know. And despite Ashcroft's permanently dour expression providing a constant allusion to the shoegaze from where they originally sprang, the audience's only dull moments coincided with when faith was restored in the band's enthusiasm for their newer and lesser known material. Eventually, a hush fell across the arena as the opening of "The Drugs Don't Work" rang out, sending a chill into the hearts of weekend-weary dishevelled revellers, by the chorus there wasn't a throat on the field not trying to dislodge a dirty great lump.
Despite finishing ten minutes early with no encore at all, the band knocked out "Lucky Man" before discretly allowing the crowd to erupt over the opening strings to "Bittersweet Symphony", finally closing with new single "Love Is Noise". Rumours abound of an imminent split have so far proved empty. So with no announcement, there's hope still for everybody to see one Britain's most vital bands forced together long enough to have the chance to catch them. Start the petition.
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