Shoegaze sorceress Miki Berenyi will bewitch Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday, October 11th with a mix of classics from her beloved 90’s indie band Lush and critically acclaimed solo material from her recently released Miki Berenyi Trio album called Tripla on the Bella Union label. Berenyi was rock royalty in the 90’s indie rock scene as frontwoman and guitarist for Lush , mingling with all the cool kids at top festivals from Lollapalooza to Glastonbury. They never seemed to break through to mainstream success despite some super catchy hits like “Ladykillers” and “For Love” worming their way into our eardrums on the indie stations and shows like 120 Minutes, but like most of their 4AD label mates they never got to that big time crossover blockbuster they deserved to be.
The band started at the very start of the indie revolution in the late 80’s, but after 3 albums and a crazy amount of touring, even opening for the likes of The Cure, they broke up in 1996 shortly before their drummer drummer Chris Acland committed suicide. A reunion seemed highly unlikely as Berenyi became an extremely accomplished magazine publisher, going many years without performing music at all. Lush did have an unexpected brief reunion rebirth in 2016 with a new EP and tour, but after Berenyi had a falling out with bandmate Emma Anderson, something that she says “still hurts,” any further Lush reunions became unlikely. Miki was also part of a spin-off band called Piroshka, a supergroup with members of Elastica, Modern English, and Moose, releasing a couple of albums and touring. But now, she is finally giving going her solo career a spin. After releasing her debut album as the Miki Berenyi Trio in April, she surprisingly released a new single called “Stranger”, teaming up with The Cure’s founding member Lol Tolhurst and his son Gray.
Miki recently updated her fans on social media with plans for this tour as well as some surprising news, that these shows are “Dates for our LAST EVER North America tour. No drama, but it’s a miracle Moose has agreed to fly, and though I love crossing the pond, it’s exhausting to organize and financial risks are overwhelming.” When The Miki Berenyi Trio toured last year, the lineup included Oliver Cherer on guitar and Mick Conroy on bass, but backed by a drum machine for beats because her partner and guitarist K.J. “Moose” McKillop didn’t make the trip due to fear of flying. However, it seems Miki managed to get him back out for one last tour on this side of the Atlantic. This apparently does not mean she will never play the US again, but she won’t be playing in this particular formation again, and I do look forward to any chance to see this true musical visionary play live in concert.