POP EYE

BITTER SWEET TOUR? Could the upcoming U.S. tour by the Verve be the band’s last? That’s the speculation in the British press following the announcement that guitarist Nick McCabe is sitting out the trek, leaving his status in the band uncertain. Given that a previous departure by McCabe in 1995 led to the remaining members’ declaring that they would not continue as the Verve without him (he rejoined last year as the band worked on the “Urban Hymns” album), his latest exit has raised a red flag.

The band’s U.K. spokesman, Tim Vigon, dismissed reports that McCabe left after clashing with singer Richard Ashcroft over group financial matters, but did little to quiet the alarmist conclusions.

“I think it’s fairly obvious that the idea of going on the road in America for that number of weeks just wasn’t appealing to [McCabe] at the moment,” he says.

The tour is hardly a grueling schedule, though, covering just three weeks starting July 28 in Chicago and including an Aug. 14 date at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim. After that, only two more British dates and a final stop at Dublin’s Slane Castle on Aug. 29 are planned.

As for the future, Vigon offers a carefully qualified statement: “At the moment, as things stand, Nick is a member of the Verve . . . and I would personally expect that, should the Verve reassemble for recording this year, that would include Nick McCabe.”

If he doesn’t rejoin, would the Verve be through? The stakes are much higher now than they were when the band was ready to abandon the name before, thanks to the international success of “Bitter Sweet Symphony.” A new, highly lucrative offer from Virgin Records is said to be on the table.

Says Vigon: “This is not a band that is bound together by financial considerations. They’re in the Verve to make that music.”