Miki Berenyi, the flame-haired icon of 1990s shoegaze, reflects on Lush’s tumultuous journey with unflinching candour. The band, celebrated for ethereal tracks like De-Luxe and Ladykillers, navigated the suffocating pressures of 1990s indie stardom – press scrutiny, gruelling US tours, and internal fractures. “We weren’t built for the treadmill of American success,” Berenyi admits, referencing Lush’s ill-fated attempts to crack the Billboard charts under 4AD’s avant-garde banner. The tragic 1997 suicide of drummer Chris Acland, whom Berenyi describes as “genuine, honest, and joyfully unpretentious,” left scars that linger. Acland’s absence destabilised the band’s dynamic, particularly her fraught relationship with co-founder Emma Anderson. “Without Chris as a balancing force, things turned nasty,” she confesses. Though the 2015 reunion tour reignited fan fervour, Berenyi underscores its ephemeral nature: “It was a one-off – a bittersweet farewell, not a reboot.”
Tripla: A Joyful Reinvention
Now 57, Berenyi embarks on a bold new chapter with Tripla, her debut album alongside the Miki Berenyi Trio. The title, Hungarian for “triple,” nods to her heritage and the trio’s collaborative ethos. “It’s upbeat, unapologetically political,” she says, addressing themes from climate anxiety to social media’s grip on modern life. Tracks like Vertigo and We Hit a Wall eschew nostalgia, instead channeling the raw energy of youth through a prism of hard-won wisdom. “Writing about love at my age risks sounding trite,” she quips. “But green politics? That’s universal.” Partnering with Moose’s Kevin McKillop and multi-instrumentalist Oliver Cherer, Berenyi crafts a sound both familiar and refreshingly defiant – proof that reinvention needn’t erase the past.
Memoir of Survival
In her 2022 memoir Fingers Crossed, Berenyi laid bare a life marred by childhood sexual abuse, industry sexism, and self-destructive coping mechanisms. The book, praised for its unvarnished prose, dismantles the “riot grrrl adjacent” caricature often thrust upon her. “Survivors navigate trauma differently – promiscuity, self-harm, fractured relationships,” she writes, rejecting sensationalism for nuanced reflection. Critics lauded its literary merit, a validation Berenyi hadn’t anticipated: “I thought no one cared about the singer from Lush.” Yet its true triumph lies in its resonance with readers who saw their struggles mirrored in her journey – a quiet revolution against silence.
Navigating the 90s Music Press
The 1990s music press, with its penchant for myth-making and takedowns, proved a double-edged sword for Lush. Berenyi recalls the era’s “tabloid viciousness” with measured critique: “Young writers hustling for clicks before clicks existed.” Yet she reserves empathy for journalists shackled to low pay and relentless deadlines. “Writing about music is hard – making every band sound unique, avoiding cliché.” The label “shoegaze,” initially a sneer at bands’ pedal-obsessed stage presence, now wears a badge of honour. “We never gazed at our shoes,” she laughs. “Maybe our effects boards.”
Shoegaze and Spurs: Defying Labels
Beyond music, Berenyi’s passions orbit North London’s Tottenham Hotspur. A lifelong Spurs devotee, she once immortalised a 1991 FA Cup victory over Arsenal in the flexi-disc And David Seaman Will Be Very Disappointed About That…. “We were hungover, barely coherent – Simon Raymonde [Cocteau Twins] somehow looked pristine,” she recalls. Football, like music, offers communal catharsis – a counterpoint to industry isolation.
Legacy Beyond the Stage
Motherhood and a publishing career forced Berenyi to recalibrate. Trading neon hair for practicality (“Dyed roots and toddlers don’t mix”), she embraced freelance editing – a far cry from Lush’s chaotic tours. Yet creativity persists. The Miki Berenyi Trio, signed to Bella Union, channels her trademark candour into lyrics that resonate across generations. “Ageing artists aren’t relics,” she asserts. “We’re navigating the same chaos – just with more baggage.”
As Tripla’s release looms, Berenyi embodies a rare authenticity in an industry obsessed with youth. Her journey – from shoegaze pioneer to memoirist to trio frontwoman – defies neat categorisation, much like the genre she helped define. In her own words: “Relevance isn’t about trends. It’s about staying true to your voice, even when the world moves on.” For Berenyi, that voice remains as vital as ever – raw, resilient, and unapologetically human.
Tripla is released on 4 April via Bella Union. The Miki Berenyi Trio begins their UK tour the same day at Rough Trade East, London.
