Miki Berenyi | |
|---|---|
 Berenyi on stage in 1994 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Miki Eleonora Berenyi |
| Born | 18 March 1967 Chelsea, London, England |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1987–1998, 2015–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | Piroshka |
| Formerly of | Lush |
Miki Eleonora Berenyi (born 18 March 1967) [1] is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known as a member of the alternative rock band Lush and currently a member of Piroshka. [2] [3]
Berenyi was born in Chelsea, London to a Japanese mother, [4] actress Yasuko Nagazumi, and Hungarian father, Ivan Berenyi. She is also a second cousin of the Japanese singer-songwriter Cornelius. [5] [6] Her parents divorced when she was young and Berenyi began to divide her time between her mother and father's separate houses. Berenyi mentions in her autobiography that at her father's house, she was subjected to sexual abuse from both family friends and her paternal grandmother. [7]
At age 14, Berenyi met friend and future bandmate Emma Anderson while both were students at private school Queen's College. They became interested in music and together published a music fanzine, Alphabet Soup (which lasted for five issues). [8] Berenyi first played bass with the band the Bugs. [9] In 1987, Berenyi studied English literature at North London Polytechnic, where she met drummer Chris Acland and singer Meriel Barham. Along with Anderson, they decided to form their own band, originally called the Baby Machines. [10] [8] Bassist Steve Rippon joined and they changed their name to Lush. When Barham left, "the remaining members of Lush placed ads in local papers looking for Barham's replacement, but they couldn't find the singer they wanted and Berenyi took over the vocals". [8]
From 1987 until 1996, she played with Lush, releasing several albums, singles and music videos and toured extensively through the UK, North America, Japan, Australia and other countries. [8] [11] She and Acland also collaborated with members of Cocteau Twins and Moose, releasing one song in 1991 under the name Lillies. [12] [13]
Lush officially announced their breakup in February 1998, [8] following Acland's death by suicide in October 1996.
After Lush split, Berenyi appeared on The Rentals' album Seven More Minutes (1999). She also contributed vocals to a remix of a Flat 7 track by Robin Guthrie (who also produced Lush's early work) and appeared on Seinking Ships' debut album, Museum Quality Capture, released in 2010. [14] [15]
When asked if she missed anything about her time in Lush, Berenyi stated, "I miss the excitement and energy of playing live and the camaraderie of touring—being with the band and crew in a foreign country is like going on holiday with your mates but even more fun because it's free." [16] She also said, "I enjoyed being in the band immensely, I'm glad I did it". [17]
Berenyi later worked for a magazine as a sub-editor [18] and did not perform for many years. She explained: "I was never a proper guitarist—only in the context of Lush. I played the guitar to write songs on and to play live". [16]
Lush, including Berenyi, announced a reunion on 28 September 2015, with former Elastica drummer Justin Welch taking over for Acland. [19] They toured extensively throughout 2016 and released an EP of new material; "Blind Spot" in April of that year. [20] [21] Bassist Phil King left the band in October 2016 and as a consequence Lush played their final farewell gig, with Michael Conroy of Modern English on bass at Manchester Academy on 25 November 2016.
In September 2022, Berenyi's memoir Fingers Crossed, which included her account of Lush's story, was published by Nine Eight Books.
In September 2018, Berenyi announced that she had formed a new band, Piroshka, a quartet including Berenyi, Justin Welch (Elastica), Michael Conroy (Modern English) and former Moose member K.J. "Moose" McKillop. [22] Their debut album, Brickbat, was released by Bella Union on 15 February 2019. [23] A second album, Love Drips and Gathers, followed in July 2021.
Berenyi and partner McKillop have two children. [24]
Berenyi formed the Miki Berenyi Trio with her partner McKillop and guitarist Oliver Cherer. On 8 May 2024, the they released a video of their debut single 'Vertigo'. [25] The ‘Vertigo’ single release was supported with an 8-date tour of America in May/June, including an appearance at the Schellraiser Festival in Nevada and headline shows at Los Angeles’ Fonda Theatre and New York’s Webster Hall, where the Miki Berenyi Trio (MB3) was joined by Lol Tolhurst (The Cure) and Budgie (Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Creatures, The Slits) as special guests. The two drummers also joined MB3 on stage in New York for a live performance of Lush’s ‘Baby Talk’.
In 2020, Berenyi cited The Shangri-Las as an influence for their harmonies and lyrics. [26] She has also cited ABBA and The Smiths as influences.
Shoegaze is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volume. It emerged in Ireland and the United Kingdom in the late 1980s among neo-psychedelic groups who usually stood motionless during live performances in a detached, non-confrontational state. The name comes from the heavy use of effects pedals, as the performers were often looking down at their pedals during concerts.
Lush were an English rock band formed in London in 1987. The original line-up consisted of Miki Berenyi, Emma Anderson, Steve Rippon and Chris Acland (drums). Phil King replaced Rippon in 1991. They were one of the first bands to have been described with the "shoegazing" label. Following the death of Acland, the group disbanded in 1996.
Seven More Minutes is the second studio album by American rock band The Rentals, released on April 13, 1999, and features numerous guests, including Petra Haden, Donna Matthews, Miki Berenyi, Tim Wheeler, Kevin March, and Damon Albarn.
Justine Elinor Frischmann is an English artist and retired musician. After forming Suede, she co-founded the Britpop band Elastica before retiring from the music industry and pursuing a career as an artist.
Christopher John Dyke Acland was an English drummer and songwriter. He was the drummer of the London-based alternative rock band Lush.
Emma Victoria Jane Anderson is an English musician. She is a songwriter, and was guitarist and singer in the shoegazing/Britpop band Lush.
Justin Steven Welch is an English musician, best known as the drummer in Elastica, Suede, and later the drummer in Lush. Welch is currently the drummer of The Jesus and Mary Chain.
Elastica were an English rock band formed in London in 1992 by guitarist/singer Justine Frischmann and drummer Justin Welch after their departure from Suede. The band was stylistically influenced by punk rock, post-punk and new wave music. The band's members changed several times, with Frischmann and Welch being the only members who remained in Elastica from its formation to its dissolution.
Moose were a British indie rock band who formed in London in 1990. The original line-up included Russell Yates, K.J. "Moose" McKillop (guitar), Damien Warburton (drums), and Jeremy Tishler (bass). After Warburton and Tishler left the band they were replaced with Lincoln Fong (bass), his brother Russell (guitar), and Richard Thomas (drums). Other members have included Mig Moorland (drums) and Mick Conroy (keyboards).
Split is the second studio album by English rock band Lush, released on 4AD on 13 June 1994 in the United Kingdom and a day later in the US. Unusually, the two singles from the album, "Desire Lines" and "Hypocrite", were both released on the same day: 30 May 1994. Split was reissued by 4AD on CD in July 2001.
Lovelife is the third and final studio album by English rock band Lush. It was released on 5 March 1996 by 4AD. On Lovelife, the band moved away from their earlier dream pop and shoegazing style and embraced a more Britpop-oriented sound. The album was produced by Pete Bartlett and the band at Protocol Studios in London, and engineered by Giles Hall. Three songs were released as singles: "Single Girl", "Ladykillers", and "500 ", all of which achieved moderate success on the UK Singles Chart, reaching the top 30 positions. On release, Lovelife reached number eight on the UK Albums Chart.
The Lillies were an indie rock band formed as a collaboration between members of the bands Cocteau Twins, Lush and Moose.
Ciao! Best of Lush is a compilation album by the band Lush, released in March 2001 by 4AD. The essay in the booklet was written by Dominic Wills and included quotes from members Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson. The best-of CD appeared almost five years after the band's dissolution and drummer Chris Acland's suicide; the compilation was dedicated to his memory.
Scar is a mini album by English rock band Lush. It was released on 9 October 1989 on 4AD. Originally intended to be a three-track single release, Scar was produced by John Fryer and the band themselves and recorded at London's Blackwing Studios in 1989.
Mad Love is the debut extended play by the English alternative rock band Lush. It was released on 26 February 1990 by 4AD. Produced by Cocteau Twins guitarist Robin Guthrie, Mad Love was composed of four tracks—including a rerecording of "Thoughtforms", a song from Lush's debut mini-album Scar (1989).
Sweetness and Light is the second extended play by the English alternative rock band Lush. It was released on 15 October 1990 on 4AD. Featuring a less abrasive sound than the band's earlier releases, the title track was also released as Lush's first single and included the B-side "Breeze".
Black Spring is the third extended play by the English alternative rock band Lush. It was released on 7 October 1991 on 4AD. The opening track, "Nothing Natural", was released as a single with the B-side "God's Gift". Several other songs were included on the EP, including a cover version of "Lady" by Dennis Wilson.
Hard Skin is an English punk group from Gipsy Hill, London who play in the early UK Oi! style.
"Ladykillers" is a song by English rock band Lush. It was released through 4AD on 26 February 1996 as the second single from the band's third studio album, Lovelife (1996). Known for its feminist themes, the song became one of the band's bigger hits, peaking at No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 18 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, and No. 15 on the Canadian RPM Alternative 30 chart. The song appeared in the video game NCAA Football 06.
"Ciao!" is a song by English alternative rock band Lush from their 1996 album, Lovelife. Written as a duet sung from the perspective of a breakup, the song was written by Miki Berenyi with Jarvis Cocker of Pulp making a guest appearance to sing the male vocals.
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