The Verve Gig

The Eden Sessions will make a spectacular return in 2008 with legends The Verve headlining on Friday June 27.

This will be the seventh year of the Eden Sessions at the home of the iconic Biomes in Cornwall. The Verve are the first headline act to be announced for 2008.

Peter Hempel, Eden's Creative Director, said: "This is arguably the biggest coup yet for the Sessions and marks a welcome return to our heartland of great guitar bands. The Verve will kick the season off in spectacular style, and with other top names in the pipeline it really looks set to be one of our best ever."

The Verve's layered, melodic, guitar-based sound and reputation for explosive live shows marks a return to the rockier values of earlier Eden Sessions gigs.

The Verve formed in 1990 in Wigan and released their debut album A Storm in Heaven three years later. In 1995, they followed it up with the hugely-acclaimed A Northern Soul.

In the summer of 1997, they established themselves as one of the most important English rock bands of all time with the release of Urban Hymns, an album that included the seminal Bittersweet Symphony and the band's first UK number one single The Drugs Don't Work.

The record became the fifth fastest selling British album ever, sold eight million copies worldwide, went platinum in the US and was given the inaugural Q magazine Classic Album award in 2007.

In a recent poll by Q and HMV, Urban Hymns was voted the tenth best British album of all time.

The Verve split in April 1999 and vocalist Richard Ashcroft, once called "the greatest singer in the world" by Coldplay's Chris Martin, forged a successful solo career with the release of three albums.

In June 2007, it was announced that the band would reform with the original line-up. They are also working on their eagerly-anticipated fourth album.

Since announcing their reformation, they have also been confirmed as headliners at the world-famous Glastonbury and T in the Park festivals in 2008. Their initial comeback gigs in November last year sold out within 20 minutes.

In previous years, the Eden Sessions have seen performances from recent Grammy-winner Amy Winehouse, London-based singer-songwriter Lilly Allen, acclaimed three-piece rock band Muse, dance supremos Basement Jaxx, Britpop legends Pulp and former Beach Boy Brian Wilson.