Vent 414 | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London |
| Genres | Alternative rock |
| Years active | 1994–1997,[1][2] 2024-[3] |
| Labels | Polydor Universal |
| Members | Miles Hunt Morgan Nicholls Pete Howard |
| Past members | Billy Duffy Malcolm Treece |
Vent 414 are a British independent rock band who were active for a few years in the 1990s, before reforming in 2024.
Their line-up featured artists who played in numerous prominent bands: Miles Hunt in The Wonder Stuff, Billy Duffy in The Cult, and Morgan Nicholls in Senseless Things, The Streets, and Muse. Drummer Pete Howard played for The Clash and Eat.
History
[edit]The band, originally called 'Vent', started to collaborate in December 1994, and received considerable media attention, mostly because of the presence of Hunt, with the result that they were invited to produce a session for Radio 1 before they had recorded anything at all.[1] They first played live at the 1995 Reading Festival, before touring the U.S., and returning for a UK tour supporting Therapy? Duffy left the band shortly before this tour.
A full UK headlining tour followed to support the release of their self-titled album, produced by Steve Albini, in 1996.[4] By this time the band had been forced to change their name, because of the threat of legal action by an American band of the same name.
In early 1997, Nicholls left, stating dissatisfaction with Polydor's promotion of the group, and indeed, shortly afterwards the group was dropped. Ex-Wonder Stuff guitarist Malcolm Treece was recruited, but after attempting unsuccessfully to garner record label support for a second album, Hunt folded the group. He and Treece have continued to work together since in the reformed Wonder Stuff.
In 2020 Hunt confirmed that he planning to reform the band with Nicholls, and they had been recording demos during the Coronavirus lockdowns. Tracks from this were released via Hunt's bandcamp page.[5] In 2024 Hunt posted that he, Nicholls and Howard had been recording new material,[3] and in December 2025 they played some shows supporting The Wonder Stuff which featured a handful of new songs.[6]
Discography
[edit]- Albums
- Vent 414 (1996)
- The Post Album Demos (2009)
- Singles
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Vent 414 biography". Room512. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
- ^ Allmusic.com – overview
- ^ a b "Miles Hunt has posted on his Twitter feed about returning to the studio with his long-lost Vent 414 project". Louder Than War. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
- ^ Trouser Press page Retrieved on 2007-06-18
- ^ "We Can All do Better (Vent 414), by Miles Hunt's Lock Down Demo Society".
- ^ Delahunty, Carl (17 December 2025). "The Wonder Stuff coming to Birmingham this December". Birmingham World. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 585. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.