How "spotty" student Richard Ashcroft asked Brian Cannon to create The Verve's album artwork

20 June 2024, 19:00 | Updated: 15 July 2024, 12:49

Brian Canon recalls the first time he met Richard Ashcroft

Britpop sleeve artist Brian Cannon has recalled the night he met a young Richard Ashcroft at a Wigan house party and how he came to do the band's artwork.

The Verve's A Northern Soul was released on 20th June 1995, but do you remember the story behind its ionic Queen-inspired artwork?

Back in 2020, Brian Cannon recalled the first time he met a young Richard Ashcroft and how he began designing album artwork for his band.

The iconic Britpop album sleeve artist - who is responsible for everything from the cover of Oasis' Definitely Maybe to Suede's Dog Man Star - has talked about his career and how he first met the Wigan singer.

Speaking on the BritPopCast with George Lewis and Paul McCaffrey back in 2020 Cannon revealed: "I was at a party in Wigan with my ex-girlfriend at my ex-girlfriend's house.

"And she went to Winstanley Sixth Form College with Richard and the rest of them, and she's having a party at her house and next to the record player there was some of the sleeves I designed for the [Ruthless] Rap Assassins. I just left them at her house and we just got chatting me and Richard. I didn't know who he was obviously at that time.

"He was quite a bit younger and we just got chatting and he says 'Oh well, I'm getting a band together, when we get signed I'd like you to do our artwork".

The Verve in the early 90s. Picture: Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

He continued: "Two years later I'm at a petrol station in Wigan at six o'clock in the morning looking for a pint of milk. Up pulls this car and these sort of lads get out and one of them is Richard Ashcroft and he remembered me! He said 'You're that record sleeve guy.'

"I'm like, 'yeah you're that spotty-faced student!' He's like, 'We've just been signed to Virgin Records. If you want the gig you've got it. Get in touch with our manager'."

Brian Cannon went on to work on The Verve's first three albums; A Storm In Heaven, A Northern Soul and their 1997 classic Urban Hymns.

He's also responsible for the cover art on their first ever single All In the Mind, which was released in 1992 when the still went under just "Verve".

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Brian Cannon and his Microdot graphic design company are also responsible for the likes of Ash's 1977, Inspiral Carpets' Revenge Of The Goldfish, several Oasis titles including Be Here Now and (What's The Story) Morning Glory, Suede's We Are The Pigs and much more.

Cannon was also given The Lifetime Achievement Award by the global Annual Design Awards in November 2011.