VENTRELLES – ‘ACID FLOWER’ – SINGLE REVIEW

ACID FLOWER

VENTRELLES are the Manchester-based quartet headed by Phil Knox on lead vocals and guitars, Connor Long on Guitars/Lead Guitar, Paul Winny Mawhinney on Bass and Gaykord Knott on Drums/Percussion. They describe their sound as ‘Fleece Pop’ fusing the styles of 80’s guitar groups such as Pale Fountains and Echo and the Bunnymen and sometimes darker tinged edges of The Chameleons and The Jesus and Mary Chain with a punchy delivery, sun-soaked guitars, energetic rhythms, life-affirming vocals and soulful bass lines.

Formed from the embers of past collectives and distant echoes of teenage knock about bands, Phil came home from living in Chicago in 2014 ready to take on the world of music, so with the help of some band mates old and new, the VENTRELLES sound was born.

The unusual band name came about by combining the Chicago Transit Authority ‘Ventra’ card and The ‘L’ train to form what the band admit sounds a bit like a Phil Spector produced female soul-pop group!

Having previously toured with cult indie favourites Cabbage and having had repeated radio support from Jim Salevson on XS Manchester, the band are now currently putting the finishing touches to what they describe as the first ever Fleece Pop album, the debut single from which ‘Acid Flower’ was recently released.

‘Acid Flower’ is 3 minutes and 30 seconds of equal parts pulverising shoegazing wall of sound and shimmering acoustic-led foot tapping rhythms, laced with acid chiming melodious lyricism Perfect for fans of The La’s, Super Furry Animals, Ride and Echo & The Bunnymen.

Front man Phil Knox has said of the track;

“I was listening to Johnny Marr’s solo back catalogue quite a lot at the time, it was definitely influenced by him guitar wise, lyrically, I just scribbled out anything that sounded like it was coming from an indie band in 2023/4. I wanted a more old school direct but not obvious feel. I wanted to leave some space for the listener to make their own mind up about what this particular song was about. I always try to keep them as open books, keep the magic in there, it’s rare nowadays, a lot of modern songwriters don’t leave any mystery. It’s a disappearing art in a world that’s constantly telling you what to feel.”

‘Acid Flower’ was written by Phil Knox and was predominantly recorded at Vibe Studios in Manchester with additional vocals being added to the track in Phil’s living room!

Upcoming Gigs/Tours –

Ventrelles will undertake a mini headline tour this year amongst other things taking in Grimsby, Blackpool, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow for starters. Fans are advised to keep an eye on the band’s socials or sign up to their mailing list for updates.

Next up for the band will be the upcoming release, the soulful stomp of ‘’Sand Crawl’ followed by the promise of the bands seminal album in Summer 2024.

Listen to ‘Acid Flower’ here now