In August 1997 , the band began playing their first gigs in two years , beginning the Urban Hymns Tour . The next single , " The Drugs Do n't Work " gave the band their first UK number 1 single in September . The album immediately reached number 1 on the charts later that month , knocking off Oasis ' highly anticipated album '' Be Here Now '' in the process . The band saw an overwhelming increase in popularity overseas , and " Bitter Sweet Symphony " reached number 12 on the US charts , the band 's highest ever American position . The album reached the US Top 30 , going platinum in the process . Critic Mike Gee of '' iZINE '' said of this time , " The Verve , as he ( Richard Ashcroft ) promised , had become the greatest band in the world . ... The Verve were no longer the question mark or the cliché . They were the statement and the definition . " By November the band released " Lucky Man " in the UK and reached number 7 . At the 1998 Brit Awards , The Verve won the awards for Best British Group and Best British Album ( '' Urban Hymns '' ) . The band 's singles were given extensive airplay on US rock stations and Ashcroft , and bandmates , appeared on the cover of '' Rolling Stone '' magazine in March 1998 . Then , as the band was on a successful tour to promote the album , Jones collapsed on stage . This was the first of many problems to come for the band in the next months . In 1998 , McCabe , Tong , Jones and drummer Leon Parr formerly with Mr. So & So and Mosque were commissioned for a soundtrack for a Jonny Lee Miller film which was recorded in Kilburn . These never made it to the final film due to delays on their part . At the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards , " Bitter Sweet Symphony " was nominated for Video of the Year , Best Group Video , and Best Alternative Video
1998 MTV Video Music Awards
1998 MTV Video Music Awards
The Verve