VIDEO: Richard Ashcroft on why he's "remained silent" on The Verve split

18 December 2018, 12:02 | Updated: 18 December 2018, 13:08

The Bitter Sweet Symphony singer told Radio X's John Kennedy why he left things unsaid when it came to the band's split.

Richard Ashcroft has revealed he's largely "remained silent" on The Verve split because he doesn't want to "burn people out publicly".

The frontman of the iconic band took part in a special conversation with Radio X's John Kennedy at London's Hammersmith Club in front of an intimate audience on Monday (17 December), where he discussed everything from his early beginnings and inspirations to his solo career.

Watch our clip above.

Asked about what he thought contributed to The Verve's demise and why they seemed so fragile, he replied: "If you wanted me to give clarity on why or what was the main factor, what I'd be doing was changing... I made a decision quite a number of years ago that I'd see how it pans out.

"I'll see if any other member tries to re-write history, you know. I'll see how many bizarre takes on events stack up and then maybe one day I'll go: 'You know what? I'll write the book'".

He added: "If I'm attempting to make myself the saint in this that would be wrong, but I think what has happened is, because I've kind of remained a bit silent on the subject, because I don't want to burn people out publicly, I don't want to just say 'here we go this is what I was dealing with'.

"I'm not that kind of guy."

The Bitter Sweet Symphony singer said of his former bandmates, who split for the final time in 2009: "I don't want to be responsible for messing up someone. I don't want to be responsible for that because the things that happened in The Verve, it was heavy stuff. It was real.

"It wasn't just frivolous nonsense, you know what I mean?"

"There was real people's lives. It was real emotions," he added. "And I've never really thought about completely clarifying it because I know the damage that clarifying it will do.

"So I am prepared to take any bizarre misshapen fucked-up version of that reality said by anyone. Any ex member of the band can say what the fuck they like, because I know the truth and I'm cool with it."

The Surprised by the Joy singer concluded: "And I know what I've done since the band, and I know what I'll continue to do. Judge me by my works..."

The conversation with John Kennedy, which took place in aid of Global's Make Some Noise charity, also saw Ashcroft reveal the inspiration behind some of his biggest hits, the creative process and why he will always "tip his hat" to bands like The Stone Roses.

He then treated fans to a mini-concert, where he played Surprised By The Joy and Birds Fly from his latest album, Natural Rebel, as well as Song For The Lovers, They Don't Own Me and Bitter Sweet Symphony:

Watch his epic nine-minute-long live performance of his iconic Verve track below: