THE VERVE - SMOKING HABIT THREATENS VERVE SHOWS

THE VERVE refuse to line up lengthy concert runs because frontman RICHARD ASHCROFT's smoking habit leaves him struggling onstage.
Fellow smoker Simon Jones admits he pities his bandmate because he's always battling cigarette-related issues on the road, which often leave him with performance problems.
Jones says, "I really feel for Richard because he smokes and that's hard when you've got phlegm on your lungs and you get a cold or whatever.
"I know that he struggles, especially when we've got a lot of gigs on the run. We're not really made to do that. We can't do that physically."
But Jones insists he'd never suggest the frontman stops smoking - because that's the vice that helps Ashcroft calm his nerves: "That's his own thing. I smoke, so I've got no place to say anything."