The Verve brought Glastonbury 2008 to a close last night (Sunday June 29) with a rapturously received set on the Pyramid Stage.
Frontman Richard Ashcroft had kind words for Saturday night’s headliner Jay-Z, telling the crowd, “A shout out for Jay-Z for putting in a good performance but tonight is rock n roll!”
The newly reunited band played a crowd-pleasing set, heavy on material from 1997’s seven-million selling ‘Urban Hymns’, although they also aired material from their forthcoming album ‘Forth’, due in August.
Surprisingly, new single ‘Love Is Noise’ – which the band played last – generated an enthusiastic crowd response, prompting dancing all the way to the back of the field, even though most people were hearing it for the first time.
Earlier in the set, Ashcroft had made a veiled criticism of festival organiser Michael Eavis, suggesting that The Verve were not the 72-year-old’s first choice of headliner.
“I want to thank Emily Eavis for asking us to play,” declared the singer. “I hope her dad realises why she booked us now, I think he was worried we wouldn’t be as good as Keane or something. But, no, respect to Keane, respect to all bands.”
The Verve played:
‘This Is Music’
‘Sonnet’
‘Space And Time’
‘Sit And Wonder’
‘History’
‘Life’s An Ocean’
‘Velvet Morning’
‘Rolling People’
‘Drugs Don’t Work’
‘Lucky Man’
‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’
‘Love Is Noise’