Vent. Can't really put it better than above. Miles is now sporting a crew-cut which seems more in line with his new sound :o) By this point I'd aquired a disposable camera and got a couple of snaps. Fingers crossed they'll come out and Curtis can bung 'em on the Web page.

.....But what of Vent? Can they escape the crippling curse of Cream? Miles Hunt is slipping away in and out of falsetto mode while hammering away on an ostentatiously fat guitar, a grimacing Bill Duff has parted both hair and legs and is relentlessly playing that solo if his, over and over again, and Morgan Senseless Thing is punching his bass and strutting like a stud cockerel. Oh dear. Specifically, Vent play an irritatingly clever brand of heroic stadium rock. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with their songs, it's just that they overplay them.

.....Look at Vent. F***ing hell, I had to. Miles Hunt's latest foray. I know what you're thinking. Miles Hunt, easy target. True, but no less deserving for that. Billy Duffy, ex of The Cult, is in there too, but sadly Vent have none of The Cult's transplendent foolishness. Vent aren't dreadful, they're just solid, unendearing, lustreless rock, and to my mind that's just as bad. Nobody needs Vent except for the people in it. Not my problem.

I have to be honest though, I was disappointed with Vent. Even though their sound is the closest to the WonderStuff, only a couple came across as being instantly enjoyable. The rest seemed to drag on a bit, and each song seemed to sound like the previous one. Miles' voice also seems to have changed a bit, some bits he seemed to be very whiney indeed. I guess, though, that once the songs become more familiar, their qualities will become obvious (I HOPE!).

I must admit I was very surprised to see Billy Duffy up there with Miles! Thankfully seeming to put his GuitarRockGod Cult days behind him.

As for those British music press reviews, I wouldn't take too much notice of them. They have an awful habit of slagging any band that's not one of their current babies. I read all the Melody Maker review, and they hated just about everyone from the whole weekend.