The Verve may not have been in the mainstream "Britpop" movement but it has stood them in good stead in regards to their recorded material.

Urban Hymns crossed over from record collecting circles into the mainstream of British culture, with tracks like the omni-present "Bitter Sweet Symphony" elevated to anthem status. Urban Hymns set the bar extremely high for both the band and other cross-over British music, with rousing rock dynamics based around the at-times tender song writing of Richard Ashcroft.