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A decade on from their last performance together, Brighton based emo-rock band Verses have returned for a special two-date hometown residency at the very intimate Hope & Ruin. We sat down with vocalist-guitarist Jason Danzelman to chat about how the reformation came about, his feelings on being back on stage with the band again and what the future holds for Verses.

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How does it feel that Verses are back?

Jason: It feels pretty surreal, something we never thought would happen to be honest. It feels amazing, we’ve been rehearsing a lot and it’s great to smash these songs out and get back in a room. It sounds kind of strange, re-learning your own songs, but after ten years, it’s something that has to be done. It feels great that the four of us are hanging out again too.

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How did the discussion for a reunion come about?

Jason: We’ve all stayed friends and kept in touch over the years. We were friends at school from the age of thirteen. The four of us and some other mates from school, we all try to hang out and stay in each other’s lives, so It’s not like we haven’t seen each other for a long time, just not on a regular basis. Going from all of those years ago living in a van together for six months of the year to then seeing each other every couple of months is quite different. We would half-jokingly talk about doing the band again, but one of the guys just said “shall we play a show for a laugh?”.

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What was the feeling like being in a practice room together for the first time in a decade?

Jason: The reality of it was “oh shit, what are we doing!?”. You forget how much time you have to put into being in a band. Even just preparing for these two hometown shows we are doing, we are putting them on ourselves so there is more work involved than there would be if we were going through a promoter. 

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What was the reception like when the announcement was made?

Jason: It was incredible. We just did not expect the reaction that we actually got. The first show sold out within a few hours of going on sale. Back when we were touring and doing well in smaller venues up and down the country, they wouldn’t sell out on the day of release. We would be trying to push those tickets until the start of the tour. When this first show went on sale I had a look after about 15 minutes and we had already done 70 tickets. I guess It’s that nostalgic feeling that makes it feel special as we haven’t played together for so long.

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Has reality now set in that the show has sold out?

Jason: We forgot that there were people who actually really wanted to see us again. When we were rehearsing, that gave us a kick up the arse because there are people coming who are expecting a good night. It feels great.

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What was the reason behind adding a second show?

Jason: Our initial thought was to do a venue upgrade, that seemed the obvious thing to do. It didn’t work out though, so we just made the decision to do two. Tickets are almost sold out for that too, so fingers crossed.

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What was the feeling like to re-visit your music, whether that is in the practise room or just listening to the album and EP’s?

Jason: Quite strange. Lyrically, there are some songs that are definitely in a different place to where I am now. It’s interesting being in these rehearsals where I am putting myself back to where I was when I wrote those lyrics. I am sure it feels strange for the other guys more so. I’ve been making a living as a singer and musician in a function band. I’ve done lots of weddings and corporate events, but the guys haven’t been on stage at all. It feels great for me because I’m playing songs I have written again rather than ‘Mr. Brightside’ and ‘Sex On Fire’ every week. 

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Have you got your eyes set on anything for the remainder of 2026, or are the hometown shows the only plans for now?

Jason: I think the plan when we booked these shows was to do a show or two for fun, for the sake of doing it again, and then we’ll see how it feels and we’ll assess where it goes. I can’t see it feeling bad, but it’s one of those things where we want to take one step at a time. We did get together and write something a couple of months ago, but that has been put on hold for now. We’re focused on doing these two shows for now. The reality of touring as relentlessly as we used to is quite unlikely.

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What message do you have to not only the people who have bought a ticket, but to your fans over the years?

Jason: Just a massive thank you. We just didn’t expect people to care so much after so long, it feels amazing. It still doesn’t feel quite real. We’ve had messages from people who are travelling from all over the UK and even from different countries to these shows in Brighton and that is wild. That support, to the level where they are willing to travel that far to see us is amazing.