Miki Berenyi was a guitarist and a singer by default.
The London-born Berenyi began playing bass as a teen in a band she formed with Emma Anderson, who would later be her bandmate in Lush – their greatest accomplishment as a dueo. It wasn’t long before Berenyi picked up the six-string guitar and stuck with it.
When Lush was formed in the late ‘80s, Berenyi picked up singing duties as well.
Much more of a strummer than thrasher, Berenyi nonetheless evolved into a striking on-stage presence whose two-guitar chemistry with pal Anderson carved Lush’s sound into a mesmerizing and intriguing musical style.
So, yeah, she belongs on the list.
Lush released four albums in all, including a debut mini-LP that began building a loyal fan base for the band. With Berenyi and Anderson picking up songwriting duties – and sharing guitar and vocal duties – Lush fared relatively well.
But when drummer Chris Acland committed suicide the band was done.
Berenyi kept herself in the mix after Lush split up in the late ‘90s, and contributed to works by The Rentals and others. She also released some solo work over the years, but fans still lament her seeming disappearance. One blogger even cited rumors that she became a gardener.
In fact she became a magazine editor, even as Anderson went on with her own band, Sing Sing, for several more years.
(NOTE: This is part of my ongoing series of reports on guitar players who fly under the mainstream radar. Keep checking The Listening Room for future installments of guitar players you should know – JF)
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1 Comment
Wow! Very impressed with the inclusion of Miki on this list. She, and Lush, are very underrated both for their songwriting and their playing. Nice way to branch out beyond typical rocker dudes!