Lush

Lush are a London shoegaze and dream pop group active from 1987 to 2016. The band begins with Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson, who know each other from the early 1980s and publish the Alphabet Soup fanzine together before forming bands of their own. In 1986, Anderson plays bass with The Rover Girls and Berenyi plays guitar with The Bugs, but neither group lasts long.

Lush first forms in 1987 under the name The Baby Machines, with Meriel Barham on vocals, Emma Anderson on guitar, Miki Berenyi on guitar, Steve Rippon on bass and Chris Acland on drums. After Rippon joins, the band takes the name Lush and makes its live debut at the Camden Falcon on 6 March 1988. Barham leaves after the group decides she lacks commitment and later joins Pale Saints. Anderson and Berenyi then share lead vocals.

Early releases and 4AD period

The band gains attention when Robin Guthrie helps it sign to 4AD. Its first release is the Scar EP in 1989. That is followed by the EPs Mad Love and Sweetness and Light, both released in 1990. A compilation, Gala, assembles material from the first three EPs and appears in the United States on Reprise in 1990, giving the group its first exposure in North America. Lush become one of the first shoegaze bands and later move towards Britpop.

Albums and changing line-ups

Spooky, released in 1992, is the band’s first full-length album of all-new material. Robin Guthrie produces it, and its sound is closely associated with Cocteau Twins-style textures, including dense layers of guitar and heavy flange. Reviews are mixed, and some critics feel the production pulls the band away from its original direction. At this stage Steve Rippon leaves to focus on writing, and Phil King replaces him on bass. Rippon later writes a fictionalised account of touring, Cold Turkey Sandwich, but publishers reject it.

Also in 1992, Lush tours the United States as part of Lollapalooza. The second studio album, Split, follows in 1994. It combines harsher songs with longer, softer tracks such as “Desire Lines” and “Never-Never”. The album receives critical praise but sells poorly.

Britpop-era success and split

Lovelife, released in 1996, adapts to the Britpop sound then in vogue and becomes the band’s biggest seller. It includes the singles “Ladykillers”, “500” and “Single Girl”, with “Single Girl” issued in several versions with different track listings. The album also includes “Ciao!”, on which Jarvis Cocker of Pulp contributes guest vocals, and “Last Night”, which becomes a well-known favourite among listeners.

Chris Acland dies by suicide in 1996. The remaining three members decide to disband on 23 February 1998.

Later activity

Emma Anderson later forms Sing-Sing, which releases two full-length albums. Miki Berenyi publishes the autobiography Fingers Crossed in 2022 and records full-length albums with Piroshka and the Miki Berenyi Trio (MB3). Lush announce a reunion in 2015, and the reunited line-up consists of Anderson, Berenyi and King, with Justin Welch on drums.

The band’s core members across its history include Miki Berenyi, Emma Anderson, Philip King, Chris Acland, Steve Rippon, Meriel Barham and Justin Welch.