Michael James Vennart (born 19 August 1976) is an English musician, best known as a guitarist and singer. The former frontman of Oceansize, he has been a touring guitarist for Biffy Clyro since 2010 and a member of British Theatre following Oceansize's breakup in 2011. He formed and leads the solo project Vennart, which has released four albums since 2015. He and Simon Neil debuted the grindcore band Empire State Bastard in 2023. In 2025, Vennart was announced as the lead singer of Cardiacs, after having recorded vocals for the long-unfinished album LSD (2025).
Biography Early years and influences
Michael James Vennart was brought up in the village of Methley, Yorkshire, England."Empire State Bastard: “I’ve been needing to make a record like this for a long time”" – article in Kerrang by Ian Winwood, 31 May 2023 Early musical influences included Cardiacs, Mogwai ("minimalism, maximalism, texture, simplicity and pure soul") and Pavement ("I never quite got over listening to Pavement. I keep waiting to grow out of it, but I get so much out of their music, and the strange thing is, it's actually incredibly simple, but Steve Malkmus’s guitar sounds are just incredible.")Mike Vennart talks debut solo album The Demon Joke – article by Michael Brown in Total Guitar published 5 August 2015 Others included Iron Maiden, Mr Bungle and Faith No More (whose Angel Dust he cited as "the album that hits you at age sixteen that will more than likely be there for you your whole life). For me, Angel Dust is that album. It seemed to come out of nowhere."“Mike Vennart: the 10 records that changed my life” – article by Michael Astley-Brown in ‘’Music Radar’’, 17 March 2016 Later influences included Silo and St. Vincent, the latter of whom "totally changed my mind about how pop really could be bent into any freaky shape you wanted it to be". He has described his initial style of guitar playing as coming from a "a real trained metal, prog-rock background", characteristics which he would mute in his early career in favour of a less virtuosic approach.
Oceansize
During the mid-1990s, Vennart attended the Popular Music course at the University of Salford, where he met the other members of Oceansize, forming the band in 1998 following a Mogwai concert. Vennart served as the band's frontman, spokesman and as one of its three guitarists.
Oceansize would go on to tour extensively and release four studio albums plus several EPs and singles, displaying a wide array of influences from several genres including post-rock, math rock, psychedelic rock and space rock. The band split up in February 2011.
Post-Oceansize, 2011–2014 – joining Biffy Clyro, plus British Theatre
While still with Oceansize, Vennart became a touring guitarist for Biffy Clyro in 2010."Biffy Clyro, blast-beats and Brexit: how Simon Neil and Mike Vennart made one of the extreme metal albums of the year with Empire State Bastard" – article by Stephen Hill in Metal Hammer, 31 October 2023 He has described himself as feeling "tremendously lucky" to be in the band, adding "I love all the people involved – the band are great, genuine guys. The crew are fucking ace fun, and most importantly, I enjoy playing the music every single night." Vennart remains in the Biffy Clyro live band to this day.
At around the same time, Vennart also reunited with Oceansize guitarist/keyboard player Gambler in the duo British Theatre. Conceived as a more experimental reaction against Oceansize's heavy rock aspects, British Theatre took a more psychedelic electronic approach, with far fewer guitars or clear guitar parts and more emphasis on keyboard synthesizers, extensive processing and glitch work while retaining Vennart's vocals.“Introduction: enter the Theatre” (part of "Mike Vennart: the 10 records that changed my life” – article by Michael Astley-Brown published in Music Radar, 17 March 2016)Ex-Oceansize man Mike Vennart on making laptop music with British Theatre" – article by Emma Johnston in Prog magazine, 16 June 2016 The project released two EPs in 2012, EP (2012) and Dyed in the Wool Ghost (2012), followed by a gap while both members toured with Biffy Clyro. Subsequent sessions and reworkings led to the release of a debut album, Mastery, in 2016, although no further work has followed.
The launching of Vennart: The Demon Joke and Target: '15 (Live At Bush Hall) (2015–2017)
Mike Vennart's solo career proper began in 2014 with the Bandcamp download-only single “Operate” on which he was joined by another former Oceansizer, Steve Durose. Vennart and DuRose would continue their re-engagement while Vennart toured with Biffy Clyro, with Vennart sending his initial ideas to Durose in order for piano and backing vocal ideas to be added.Vennart – ‘The Demon Joke’ album review by Ryan Barham in Spectral Nights, 15 June 2015 In 2015 the results were released under the project name "Vennart" via the album The Demon Joke, with a band consisting of Mike Vennart, Steve Durose and Gambler plus drummer Dean "Denzel" Pearson (Young Legionnaire, Mutation, Ginger Wildheart band).
In an interview with Total Guitar, Vennart confessed "I’d wanted to do something for years, even before the old band broke up – I’d had a hankering to do something a little more egocentric, I suppose, because Oceansize was very much a collaborative, painfully fucking democratic collective. It was a lot of fun in that respect: a very, very creative environment, but there were some things that were absolutely out of the question and certain guitar sounds that I liked – really horrible, fuzzy, broken-up Velcro shitty-sounding things. The Demon Joke’s an optimistic-sounding record in places, and I wouldn’t have gotten away with that in miserable old Oceansize. I got a lot more confident, as well; it wasn’t really prudent to be as virtuosic in Oceansize. I’m from a real trained metal, prog-rock background, and I wanted to fling a bit of that in, so there’s quite a lot of shredding in it, but it’s in a very, very ridiculous, shitty-sounding way."
In a separate interview with Prog magazine, Vennart described his trepidation about embarking on this project. “All the Oceansize stuff was written between us. So while I might have brought in ideas, they would get twisted and morphed and fucked about with by everyone. All those songs were written in a very collaborative process where we were all standing in the same room having each other’s ideas fuckin’ ripped apart. So I just didn't think I could do it. I didn't know how I'd do it. But I was lucky.”
The album was described by Prog magazine as "a madly inventive album that hints at Vennart’s arty, noisy American influences (think Faith No More, Slint and the like) while having a distinct personality of its own." In an accompanying review, Alex Lynham wrote "it would be an understatement to say that modern progressive rock fans have high expectations for this album. Some will be expecting a continuation of Oceansize; others, a more straightforward alternative rock album, or an electronic record... Well, The Demon Joke is at once all of these, and none of them... All considered, The Demon Joke is a stunning effort – youthful and vigorous and knowing and wry when it needs to be. Crucially, it fulfils that most pressing of expectations: Oceansize fans are going to love it."Vennart: The Demon Joke – stunning solo debut from ex-Oceansize frontman – article by Alex Lynham in Prog Magazine, published 22 May 2015
For Drowned in Sound, Benjamin Bland noted "unlike a lot of Oceansize’s material, which despite the zany song titles was often all too easy to take ultra seriously, many of the songs on The Demon Joke are overflowing with a carefree joie de vivre that belies the obvious effort that went into the construction of each track. If it’s the accessibility of the songs gathered here that stands out on first listen then it’s likely to be the sheer invention on display... The Demon Joke is an utter joy of a record on several levels. Oceansize were a truly brilliant band, one whose genius will be better recognised in years to come than it ever was when they were still together. If this album is anything to go by, however, then Mike Vennart’s future solo endeavours are likely to prove just as worthy of such acclaim.""Vennart – The Demon Joke" – review by Benjamin Bland in Drowned in Sound, 26 June 2015
Despite singling out the effect of Oceansize's legacy on the album's music in his review for Spectral Nights, Ryan Barham also found reminders of Swans, Patrick Wolf, Clock Opera, King Crimson and Dutch Uncles, concluding that "with The Demon Joke, Vennart has created an album that not only recaptures the magic of Oceansize but also looks forward to something new and no less thrilling… All-encompassing and compelling throughout, it’s an album anyone with a passing interest in prog, math and rock will love. It’s been well worth waiting for…"
While fitting comparisons to New Order, The Blue Nile and Mew into his own review for The Progressive Aspect, Jez Rowden noted that "Vennart has said “I wanted to be experimental and unusual and still write pop songs", and so he has for a good number of years now and here he has put together a sparkling release, cunningly and lovingly crafted from relatively simple parts, the arrangements and dedication to intoxicating melodies building them into more than their individual face value might attest... There are no fiddly extended instrumental workouts, these are songs plain and simple, an album of short sharp shocks that benefits from the brevity to give expansiveness without undue length. Fans of Mike Vennart are sure to love this and hopefully there'll be a few more of those around after hearing this one.""Vennart – The Demon Joke" – review by Jez Rowden in The Progressive Aspect, 27 June 2015
To Cure a Blizzard Upon a Plastic Sea and Copeland (2018)
On 20 May 2018, the Vennart single "Donkey Kong" was released, trailing the release of a second Vennart album, To Cure a Blizzard Upon a Plastic Sea. The album was released on 14 September 2018,"Album Review: ‘To Cure A Blizzard Upon A Plastic Sea’ by Vennart" – review by Luke Nuttall in The Soundboard Reviews, 12 September 2018 with a completely separate EP of other all-new material, Copeland, appearing the same day.
In Already Heard, Sam Seaton gave the album full marks, calling it "one of the most triumphant and impressive prog-rock albums of 2018" and Vennart "a talented and original songwriter undeserving of the past that some clutch on to so dearly... This is his best solo album yet, and possibly the best project he’s ever been a part of.""Vennart – To Cure a Blizzard Upon a Plastic Sea" – review by Sam Seaton in Already Heard, 17 September 2018 Seaton suggested that Vennart's past career had provided the album with "the perfect storm of inspiration. From the first patient bass riffs of "Binary", you can feel the metered passion behind this album. It's richly layered, brooding with atmospheric drum beats and cosmic vocals. The attention to detail production-wise is beautiful, every moment of music on this album feels consistently carefully planned and it's satisfying... Even when things stray to new ideas they're pulled off brilliantly."
In Echoes & Dust, Michael Baker stated that the album "seeks to punch well above its weight class. Its a mini-goliath that refuses to be relegated to its size… less immediate than its predecessor, but given time it’s a far deeper and more rewarding listen – with plenty of trademark catchiness wrapped up in a weirdo rebellious spirit. (It) sounds huge; perhaps not ocean sized, but certainly a sizeable sea. Vennart and his collaborators have once again proven that they are an unpretentious rock force working with pretentious tools. It’s Iron Maiden for the Kafka crowd.""(((O))) Review: Vennart – To Cure a Blizzard Upon a Plastic Sea" – review by Michael Baker in Echoes & Dust, 18 September 2018