Vennart discusses drug abuse in interview

While Vennart refused to blame any individuals in particular, he had previously said (in a May 2012 interview with the music blog Undersong ) that persistent drug abuse by at least one band member had undermined Oceansize and led to the circumstances surrounding the split: “Whilst Oceansize had no delusions of grandeur, there were those in the band that just weren’t up to the job. Put it like this, when you watch Biffy Clyro live you can rest assured that they are pretty much stone-cold sober. They’re certainly not drunk, stoned, on downers or tripping their tits off … They’re easy to play for cos they know how to play the songs and they play them correctly every single night. There’s an inherent trust there. There’s also a respect for their audience – they understand that their fans may have travelled miles, saved up money for tickets, planned their life around a show. It’s this respect for each other and their audience that has stood Biffy in good stead and it has helped take them to the top. That mindset has to be in place before you even consider a setlist. This respect and these qualities were, I’m sad to say, not consistent in the ranks of Oceansize. Even if the opportunity had ever presented itself, Oceansize simply was not allowed to move forward. Whenever we had to step up to the challenge, the same fucking turd was on the doorstep.”