BE HERE LATER: Even though its “Urban...

BE HERE LATER: Even though its “Urban Hymns” album has made big strides recently on the U.S. charts, the Verve is planning to postpone its highly anticipated North American spring tour in order to take a breather and possibly do some recording.

Jazz Summers, the English band’s manager, told The Times that lead singer and songwriter Richard Ashcroft “wanted to get some new music out of him, some recording and some rest” before returning to the States, where a showcase club tour last fall generated strong reviews.

The tentative plan now is for the band to tour the U.S. this summer and step up from the 3,000-capacity venues it had been eyeing to 8,000- to 10,000-capacity facilities, all with open-floor arrangements.

Thanks in part to the exposure gained for the single “Bitter Sweet Symphony” in a Nike TV commercial, “Urban Hymns” reached No. 23 on the U.S. charts. A second U.S. single, “Lucky Man,” will be released to radio this month.

In England, the album has surprised the record industry by moving past Oasis’ “Be Here Now” as the top-selling release of 1997. Its worldwide sales are estimated at 4 million copies, including 1.7 million in Britain.