The Verve - Live Reading Festival 1997 (Soundboard)

[@iggypop2026]

Wow amazing, to see them in 97 playing their old stuff just before urban hymns got released. Beautiful, it's like the essences of their first albums are mastered and played with such clarity

[@spacefish34]

Nicks guitar playing is an otherwordly experience.He coaxes sounds ive never heard before!

[@habibhussain825]

The verves musicanship is some of the best in th world...and richsrds voice slots nicely in to the melodic plesantry. Contrast that with oasis wall of sound...

[@thatpeskylimey]

Very proud to say I was at this show. Crowd surfed to this is music. Great times.

[@northern_lights9333]

They were the best rock band in the world at this point …this is an amazing recording of an incredible performance…McCabe sounds out of this world

[@edwardmulholland7912]

I saw them about a week or so before this gig in Dublin at the SFX. This is exactly what they sounded like. The sound was ferocious and the band blew everyone away. McCabe was incredible! As were the whole band. The best gig I have ever attended. Love them - and I always will.

[@benifivewives]

Salislbury & Jones bang on it giving McCabe the stage to express his guitar wizardry and Ashcroft to adorn with vocal lyrical wisdom.

[@paulstephens4571]

I was at this in the tent :) getting on for 30 years later and the quality is stunning!! Thanks for posting, made my day

[@johnnycasswell7290]

I was there too and one of my favourite gigs and Verve sets ever. I'm sure they were playing Come On as the main stage had finished and people were walking out!

[@stephenlombardo5505]

I was there too visiting from the States, thought I would be crushed by the crowd

[@Monty_2112]

They were a menace at this point. Just incredible

[@nowhereman.]

Nick and the verve at their highest

[@alissonguimaraes]

Slide Away, fucking hell!!!

[@letiziazappetti7868]

Le meilleur groupe légendaire ❤

[@paolo-n2000]

Greatest band ever!!! At their apex in 1997....

[@artiphats]

M all time favorite rock group. What a wall of music they could build. First heard them in 97, went back and found their older music and never heard anything close to them since.

[@tonyramljak241]

So much energy in this performance....it's like being thrown around in a sonic tornado

[@Gumbo72203]

i miss the old sound.... they're playing well with the new songs here but man, Gravity Grave, She's a Superstar, All in The Mind..... :(

[@LSUOdyssey]

Then go listen to Glasto 93 for the 1,000,000th time 😄

[@suitsyousir1980]

If you’re looking for me, I’ll be looking for you.

[@Shakermaker94]

A Northern Soul sounds massive here.

[@lauriemorton9269]

Such a massive song. Live and studio. Love your work too Shakermaker!

[@Shakermaker94]

@@lauriemorton9269 Appreciate it mate!

[@ziggysawdust5407]

This is Music outro is something special, beautifully brutal..

[@tonysproule3408]

Love this version of "On your own"

[@mrjamescurry]

Was at this gig, before all the nonsense hype of Urban Hymns, for me it felt like a last chance to see them closer to the band that I first fell in love with on 'A Storm in Heaven'.

[@iggypop2026]

There's something special in this performance like you said. A better glued band would re-release their older stuff and hype them up a bit.

[@edwardmulholland7912]

Amazing.

[@AaronOwenSmith]

This is the live Verve I've ever heard. Thank you.

[@lauriemorton9269]

This'll do my bro! Haven't heard this reading version of a northern soul in ages. Ta

[@LSUOdyssey]

this is the DEFINITIVE version of A NORTHERN SOUL

[@SethDranes]

Amazing performance. On Your Own here just absolutely blows me away. Thanks again for these uploads you are doing some magic for a lot of people!!

[@shanehambling1797]

I managed to squeeze into the back of the tent for this set. I think the whole of the festival was trying to get in there. No idea who was on the main stage but I bet it was a lonely place to be for that half an hour. One of those defining gigs, stays fresh in the memory....

[@camdenroad44]

Metallica lol

[@onespeeddan6803]

This is absolutely astonishing. Never thought I'd get to hear this concert! I don't suppose you have Glastonbury 1995? Or T in the park 95? I've always wanted to hear those shows before the first split. Thanks for this by the way. Excellent 👌👍👍👍

[@willianchanrockin3952]

I was there! All the way from HK

[@camdenroad44]

I was there with Verve 1997... not so proud to say ... i stood at corner of tent ... so could also watch Metallica on Main Stage .. Head line clash ..

[@alexbell3765]

I was there. Epic

[@RivingtonAve]

Went to this one, far too small that tent, many people got completely trampled on during the first songs. Amazing performance as always though.

[@devotech5258]

Awesome, thanks!

[@phildobie5089]

I was there

[@shoegazer93]

The sonic power of this band shook me. RIDE could also make a magnificent noise

[@enziofrancescoli288]

Awesome mate, thanks for the upload. 👍

[@graziaguerrini6375]

Powerful version of ' The drugs don't work'.

[@elcal9600]

i was there at Reading 1997 - sat by the stage loving every riff from Mcabe's guitar. Never knew there was a copy of this gig. Would love to know where the full show can be downloaded

[@amancalledsun]

Can’t believe how short the set is

[@stevenohenries5127]

This is only part of the set ☺️✌🏻

[@lloydfrangis]

Half hour of power

[@lanemeyer9350]

I wonder which cup you’ll drink from, I hope it’s mine…

[@edwardmulholland7912]

I wish I could find a copy/torrent of this incredible show.

[@user-mr3ps6ol2f]

Audiograbber?

[@dane279]

This was ‘97 and they only played one song off Urban Hymns? Or is this not the whole set? Damn, that’s a ferocious version of Northern Soul though!

[@floytronmusic8680]

They played 3 more songs after, which unfortunately weren't recorded (Or they're sitting on a BBC archive shelf somewhere in London gathering dust). Those songs were, Bittersweet Symphony, Stormy Clouds and Reprise. But yeah a dominant Northern Soul setlist here.

[@MrWayout74]

@@floytronmusic8680 Have you any more from this era? If memory serves me well it's prior to Urban Hymns release date, shortly after the 1st reunion. Saw them at MCR Academy around this time. I remember it was the very first time I heard Drugs Don't Work, Come On was played somewhere in the middle and although Key 103 (shite Manchester radio choc full of ads) were hammering Bittersweet...so much (so much in fact I still can't listen to it or it's parent LP) I don't recall it being played. ANS heavy verve play list can only be a good thing.

[@floytronmusic8680]

@@MrWayout74 I have a few including their first show back in 1997 at Glasgow. They're pretty crap sounding but I'll get them up eventually. I also just found the full version of this concert recorded by audience. Nowhere near the quality of the soundboard, but I'll put it up regardless. The complete setlist is. A New Decade, Slide Away, This Is Music, Life's An Ocean, On Your Own, The Drugs Don't Work, A Northern Soul, A Man Called Sun, The Rolling People, Stormy Clouds, Reprise, Bittersweet Symphony, History and Come On.

[@MrWayout74]

@@floytronmusic8680 Hey Man! Nice work. I'll keep an eye out for those, defo worth a listen regardless of quality. Is glastonbury '94 in the pipeline? That was an amazing experience but memory does not serve me well on that one. I know they weren't quite on form, but of the bits that worked they were just effing amazing. I have it on good authority that McCabe's amps had been tampered with. Sabotaged apparently.

[@edwardmulholland7912]

This was before UH was released. The set list changed immediately after the album came out.