The Verve: 'Love Is Noise'

Though Jay-Z grabbed the headlines, The Verve were undoubtedly the biggest success story of Glastonbury '08. Everyone with a modicum of common sense knew Jigga would rock Worthy Farm, but Wigan's Brit-rockers had something to prove when they took to the Pyramid Stage on Sunday, June 29. Nobody knew whether they could they reproduce the shuddering space-rock and heart-swelling anthems of A Northern Soul and Urban Hymns after a decade in the wilderness, but they pulled it off with gusto.

'Love Is Noise', their Glasto set closer and comeback single, ends any lingering doubts about the band's reformation. Fears that Richard Ashcroft's dad-rocky solo ventures may have softened The Verve are vanquished by a disco drum beat, an infectious crowing vocal effect and some typically cryptic lyrics ("Will those feet in modern times / Walk on soles that are made in China?"). The result is thunderous, hypnotic and big enough for any stage in the world. It may have taken ten years, but this was well worth the wait.