I had heard of the 90s UK band Lush before, but they came into full focus only when I researched a shoegaze feature for the newsletter. At the same time, we received a press release for the Miki Berenyi Trio, led by the former singer of Lush. She wrote a memoir, Fingers Crossed, in 2022, which covers a similar time period and scene to Simon Raymonde‘s In One Ear, which Elke is currently reading. That could be fun, I thought, so I bought Miki‘s book.

Miki and I are about the same age, so many of her cultural references are familiar to me. However, I lived in Southern Germany, while her life unfolded in the middle of things in London. I bought Thompson Twins’ Into The Gap as my first album; she met singer Tom Bailey and was invited to his studio. I was glued to the TV for Space 1999 (in Germany, Mondbasis Alpha), while her stepfather actually produced the show¹ and invited her to visit the set. And while I continued to buy records by bands, she co-founded one and toured the world.

A large part of the book is about her childhood, which was difficult due to parents who loved her but were entangled in their own affairs. That left Miki on her own devices when navigating abuse, a rape attempt, self-harm, eating disorders, and the challenge of fitting in as the daughter of immigrant parents. She recounts all this without bitterness, and her resilience and ability to pull herself out of trouble at the right time are inspiring.

While, like most teenagers, she loved music and going to live shows, she did not have a calling to write and perform songs herself. She did it because everybody else seemed to be doing it. Being a double-female-fronted band helped Lush get attention, but on the downside, they also had to endure pervasive misogyny in the music industry.

According to Miki, sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll are not a cliche, and she fully indulged in it². She has many anecdotes to share, and her stories about the Lollapalooza tour leave you breathless.

The 1990s are considered a golden age for music, but the story of Lush details how musicians face struggles all the time, even when their albums chart and they tour globally. It also shows that when you keep going, true happiness can be around the corner.

Discovery of the Week: Angine to Poitrine

As a follow-up to last week‘s piece about generating fake buzz to promote music, here‘s some real virality: the Quebec duo Angine de Poultrine did a KEXP show at the Trans Musicale Festival in France, and suddenly everybody is talking about them. They even replaced The Kooks as the headliners of The Great Escape in Brighton after The Kooks had to drop out because of an injury. Their music, instrumentals with guitar, bass, drums, and a loop pedal, is not what you would expect from a band going viral, but that is a good sign, isn‘t it?

Cover Song of the Week:

I had “Walk Away” originally lined up as a Song Pick of the Day and was looking forward to writing about it. But once I started the feature and dug a little deeper, it hit me: this is not an original song, but a cover. The press release calls it “reimagined,” which is fair enough, yet at the end of the day, it is still a cover.

Which makes it an easy pick for our new Cover Song of the Week series. I have never heard the original version by Kelly Clarkson, but I really dig Chantal Kreviazuk’s take on “Walk Away.” Warm, expressive, and emotionally direct, it feels entirely lived in rather than borrowed. Oh, and it looks like Chantal Kreviazuk is no stranger to creating fabulous cover songs, as her 1998 version of “Leaving on a Jet Plane” is proof.

Listen to “Walk Away” here:

Five Songs: Lush

Lush released three full-length albums and several EPs from 1989 to 1996, so they have an extensive œuvre to dig into. Our five songs include one of their biggest hits, “Ladykiller,” which Miki wrote after meeting Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis during the Lollapalooza tour. Her song, “Kiss Chaser,” becomes very clear after you read the book.

Listen to glamglare five songs on Spotify, Apple Music, or below on YouTube:

This Week in glamglare history

1 Year Ago: Eden Rain - It’s Always Been Like This

“It’s Always Been Like This” is the sixth Song Pick of the Day from London singer/songwriter Eden Rain.

5 Years Ago: Warpaint - Lilys

We announced “Lilys,” a song Warpaint contributed to an HBO soundtrack, as a single from their yet-unannounced album. The album Radiate Like This came a year later, but “Lilys” was not on it. Does Warpaint still exist as a band? They will play a one-off show in London in June, so that’s a good sign. If we ever see a new album, that’s a different story – the four members are busy with many things, and maybe they have found some other happiness, like Miki Berenyi.

10 Years Ago: BLAJK - Good Liars

The Toronto quartet BLAJK released only an EP and a handful of singles in 2016 and 2017, but they enjoyed full glamglare coverage, including a Q&A feature.

Song Pick of the Day

Listen to all seven songs on YouTube, or follow our daily updated Song Pick playlists on YouTube, Apple Music, or Spotify.

• Las Robertas - Everything I Wanted to Be
• Kiki Kramer - dionysus
• Miss Grit - Waste Me
• Maud feat. Moyka - All Your Waves
• Beck Zegans - Love in the End Times
• Flame Parade - Criminal Gospel
• Bella Kay - Promise?

We publish one Song Pick of the Day every day. You can subscribe to receive them by email.

Nine Photos – Last Stop: Oriente & Parque das Nações

For our last day in Lisbon, we combined necessity with opportunity. Our Virgin-operated Delta flight was scheduled to leave at 10 am, so we decided to book a hotel at the airport (Meliã — highly recommended) and explore the nearby Parque das Nações and the Oriente station, both part of the former Expo ’98 site that transformed this stretch of Lisbon into a modern waterfront district.

As longtime fans of Santiago Calatrava, we wanted to see his work here firsthand. We’ve seen his Puente de la Mujer in Buenos Aires, the Samuel Beckett Bridge in Dublin, and, of course, the World Trade Center Transportation Hub in New York. The Gare do Oriente is nothing short of stunning, and we sat for half an hour watching people walk by and trains come and go. Everything felt slower, softer than New York — almost meditative.

From there, we checked out the Vasco da Gama shopping center, a very well-maintained mall with major brands and a surprisingly large supermarket, where incredibly helpful staff assisted us. Maybe it helped that we could test our Portuguese and speak their language. Of course, we also explored the food court, which spans two floors and offers freshly prepared dishes, all with beautiful views over the river Tejo. We spent quite some time there and enjoyed the splendid view and the easygoing atmosphere.

Then we started to explore the park in earnest and got excited about the cable car connecting the Vasco da Gama Tower to the Oceanário de Lisboa, and hopped on for the last ride of the day.

With our feet firmly on the ground again, we set out for one of the many small international restaurants and “imbiss” spots, and not far from the Expo mascot, enjoyed the glorious sunset with a glass of wine and some excellent olives.

Before heading back to the hotel, we took a look at Lisbon’s largest arena, the MEO Arena, where Bryan Adams is expected to play in November, before hopping on the metro for a quick ride back. A really good last day in Lisbon, in a part of the city that feels a little removed from the traditional, tourist-seeking Lisbon.

1. He also produced two other favorite shows of mine, The Professionals, and the New Avengers. ↩︎
2. Not so much the drug part as per her account. ↩︎