LUSH :: Providence, RI :: March 22, 1992

22 years ago today... Lush plays Providence, RI on March 22nd, 1992. Enjoy the full show :)

Rick McGinnis - Some Old Pictures I Took

Toronto-based photographer Rick McGinnis has been shooting professionally for almost thirty years. Recently he's shared three unseen images he took of Lush when they were on tour back in 1991 and 1992. Please visit his blog for more:

Some old pictures I took: Shoegaze: Lush, Toronto, Feb. 20, 1992 LUSH ARE TOURING AGAIN ALMOST TWENTY YEARS AFTER THEY BROKE UP.  This comes after the reunions of at leas...

Lush :: New Haven :: March 23,1992 [full show]

19 years ago today...
Lush playing live in New Haven, CT at Toad's Place on March 23, 1992.

24 Years Ago... 'Spooky'

It was 24 short years ago today... 

Lush's release 'Spooky' made it's debut back in 1992. What an amazing collection of songs, and what a timeless influential work that was.

LUSH + My Bloody Valentine

LUSH + My Bloody Valentine, from March 1992 'Alternative Press'.

LUSH @ Heathrow Airport

The photo booth series appeared in the May 1992 issue of Select Magazine. Can you guess each letter?

Scroll down for the answers...

Answers: A, B, C - D, E, F - G, H, I - J, K, L

Phil on Shooting 'For Love'

From Facebook - Phil shares his first experience shooting a video as the newest band mate:

"The first video I did with Lush. Don't think I even knew the bass line at this point. The bass - a white Squier Precision - belonged to Emma, guitar nerds - and the leather jacket I wore had previously belonged to Douglas Hart from The Jesus And Mary Chain. The big selling point for the video was that the director was Winona Ryder's cousin. It cost £30,000. My memory was of him constantly disappearing off with our manager. Can't think what they were doing. Our manager's thinking was that somehow this video would help us get MTV Buzz Binned - or something. It did get us on MTV 120 Minutes. The video was shot up on York Way in Kings Cross in the Christmas break of 1992 in a warehouse. I remember it being a long cold walk from Kings Cross station. I still cycle by the location occasionally. Much pouting ensued on the video shoot - mostly by me it seems by the look of it. After having done my close ups Miki said rather witheringly, "you're not as good looking as you think, you know". Oof!"

LUSH Unveils New Line-Up :: Meet Phil

Twenty years ago . . .

LUSH unveils the new line-up!

The word is out. See the first bloke to your left in the snap above? Introducing Phil King, formerly of Felt and CC Rider. He is the new member of LUSH, taking over the recently vacated bass position left by founding member, Steve Rippon.

How many bassists did the band audition to replace Rippon? One-- Phil King an editorial assistant at NME music magazine and former bassist for the bands Felt and C.C. Rider. Why did Lush hire him? Because some friends told them King was a really good guy, and a pretty good musician. There's nothing like sound judgment, and this is nothing like it.

"Well, we didn't want to go through the grief of auditioning loads of people. Auditions are such crap. They're just so embarrassing. We've had bad experiences with them in the past," says Berenyi."

We'd like to extend our own heart felt well-wishes to Phil on the twentieth anniversary of his inauguration. Yes indeed, Phil, you have proven yourself a really good guy, and a pretty good musician!

Can I have a bass intro please? And now . . . Meet Phil

'For The People' Reunion Tour! (or, 'It's a happy little dream, BUT...')

May you and your's experience the best in this Merry New Year! I want to thank each and every one of you for stopping by to have a look at the blog, and especially to those who have lent their support. I'm looking forward to celebrating some pretty big anniversaries that are coming up this year. Twenty years ago things were happening with Lush, BIG things, especially over here in the States... it should be fun!

And as my little bonus for the brand new year I'd like to unveil my latest poster creation, and possibly start some totally unsubstantiated rumours without basis in any fact whatsoever! "Why?" may you ask would I want to stir up the unmentionable r-word here? "Why?" when all former members of the band have repeatedly repeated that the chances of a reunion are about as likely as Avril Lavigne 'fessing up to her borrowing from the Lush cover of the Rubinoos song "I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend". "Why?" Because, this coming summer is the 20th anniversary of Lush's Lollapalooza tour, that's why! What better time is there for any Lush fan to daydream about a reunion tour??

Any big backers with the financial resources out there to make this dream a reality? Now's your big chance! :)

OLO, London :: December 19, 1991

Twenty years ago today . . .

Founding bassist Steve Rippon plays his final show with LUSH. The band performs for the last time in 1991 at London's ULU along with Ride.


So this is the year of 1991. Lush has put on 55 shows on three tours, playing all across London, Europe, and overseas to the U.S. and Japan. They've been back to the recording studio and have given us the Black Spring (Nothing Natural in the US) EP plus an LP of new material (their first full studio album) is well on the way. And with Steve bidding a fond farewell departure, there's changes a-foot with a new bass guitarist soon to be surfacing in the band.

And thus for a moment we can dot the last period at the end of this busy, hectic, crazy year for the band called Lush. The following New Year of 1992 promises to carry-over some of that and quite a bit more...

"Up The Junction" :: November 3, 1991

Twenty very short years ago...

On Sunday the 3rd, at 7:30pm Up The Junction TV filmed LUSH performing at the Junction on Clifton Road in Cambridge, England to be broadcast in February the next year. Recording the same night as the band were Banderas, Bassomatic and Yes No People and hosted by Rowland Rivron. Tickets to get in are only £1!

Video of Lush performing "For Love" and "Sweetness and Light" recently put up on YouTube:

These video captures are taken from the show (look for more come next February). And since one is not enough, here is another, older YouTube video from the same Up The Junction programme.

Happy Lushoween!

Lush was reborn in October 1988, with Miki taking the vacated lead vocal spot. And according to at least one source, Lush was originally formed on Halloween night of 1988, in London, England (*please see note below!). For today I'm referencing this alternate view to give full play to the whole Lush 'mythology' and for adding a bit fun for the holiday occasion ;)

Later on the band would eventually play a gig on an October 31st date. In 1990 they performed at Birmingham's Institute of Art and Design. Never again would Lush do another Halloween gig after this performance - coincidence? We may never know!

On several occasions the band members dressed up in costume (even at one time raiding a Hollywood costume shop in 1991)... which just so happens to be a very popular custom typically observed only for Halloween!

In 1992 Lush's first full length "proper" album was titled "Spooky".... though the whole wasn't entirely spooky in nature!

While staying in Normandy for the mixing of the album Split in 1994, some band members reported strange goings-on while holed-up at their secluded - and haunted - chateau. Chris felt his bed abruptly moved back one night. Phil too had a strange experience here. "[I dreamt that] I was in a red cathedral, and there was this red room in this huge church..." It wasn't until after relating the dream to their producer that Phil learned that "there used to be a church on the grounds where the chateau was, and one day there was a massacre in a big red room there." The band's mysterious connection to the nether realms deepens!

So what more is there to add but Lush's own music itself, last but not least. Hauntingly beautiful, for the Halloween holiday I offer you:

Lush's Most Haunted Mix!

• I Have the Moon - Amazon Preview
  
• When I Die - Amazon Preview
  
• Invisible Man - Amazon Preview
  
• Ocean - Amazon Preview
• Undertow [Spooky remix] - Amazon Preview (Spooky remix version n/a)
  

MP3 versions of these tracks may be purchased for download at Lush - Amazon.com


* There is no record of a Halloween gig in '88 on Miki's own exhaustive show listing, though she admits she may have missed one or few. It's near certain that the band had their very first gig in March 1988, having just filled the bass spot with Steve in the nick of time. Chris was on drums, Emma and Miki both backing vocals/guitar and Merial Barham on lead vocals. Personally I think a bit of confusion is responsible for the Halloween '88 date, even an '87 date when the very beginnings of the band were forming in the Fall of that year would make more sense. Also see one of my older post, Lush v.2.0.

Miki Berenyi of Lush at the Ritz, March 1992

Miki Berenyi of Lush at the Ritz, March 1992 (1 of 2), originally uploaded by scottcrawford.

losanjealous.com: Lush Record Signing at Aron's Records '92

Looks like they had quite a line backed up - wish I was in Los Angeles that day! Photo Flashback: Lush Record Signing at Aron’s Records, 1992

Lush/J&MC Lollapalooza '92

Time to get back to that list of bootlegs I'd started...

"Lollapalooza '92 - Lush/Jesus & Mary Chain" isn't quite a bootleg, it's an actual production quality cd, but neither is it an official Lush release either. For that reason it's grouped along with the usual bootlegs.

This cd was also offered as a three-disc set including Pearl Jam, Sound Garden?.... well, you get the general idea. This one's still a comparatively common find to obtain online.

As far as the recording goes, the note on the back of the jewel case sums it up: "We apologize for the fact that this recording is not up to the standards of other KTS recordings..."

I wouldn't consider this as being ranked among the best myself. The sound quality is good, but the comments of the crowd are often more clearly audible than what's coming from the stage. And some of it not exactly flattering. The band plays a clean, tight set though the majority of the audience were not there to see Lush, but for Pearl Jam which immediately followed after. They're aware that they're facing a hostile audience, which lingers over the performance (at least it seems like it does, compared to others I've heard). Remember, up to this time Lollapalooza was among the biggest events that Lush had played, it would have been both thrilling and terrifying at the same time to have been in the spot they were placed into.

With that said, there were much better performances from Lush during the Lollapalooza tour. These were obviously overlooked by KTS in its eagerness to only cash-in on the Pearl Jam-Jarheads band wagon.

Sorry! Did I let that slip-in? But I've never had any use whatsoever for pretentious musicians (and their followers) of any genre. Can you tell? :)


Recorded live in Miami, Florida August 22, 1992.
Produced by KTS, Italy, released 1992
18 tracks evenly split

SETLIST:
1 Stray/Bitter
2 Nothing Natural
3 For Love
4 Superblast!
5 Covert/ De-Luxe
6 Downer
7 Sweetness and Light
8 New Song (*the unidentified track is 'Starlust')
9 Leaves Me Cold

- the remaining 9 tracks are of the Jesus & Mary Chain, which are not too shabby by the way.

Lush - The North London Poly Years

The North Poly Years @ www.lightfromadeadstar.org

Lush - The North London Poly Years
by David Baker
A college mate of Miki and Chris, Dave Baker, has written a 46 page photo book about the early days of Lush. In addition to Dave's wonderful recollections, it includes photos from Lush's road trip in the student union van to their first gig outside London, along with an afternoon on Brighton beach before the show; Miki's handwritten lyrics and guitar tabs for a few songs; postcards from Miki and Chris on the road; flyers hand drawn by Miki; and much more.


What an absolutely wonderful little bio by Dave! Forget all the rubbish from the press. I really appreciate his recollections of what a lovely bunch Miki and Chris and all really were.

After you have a read, be sure to write webmaster Bill to thank both him and Dave... It's people like themselves who help keep the band alive in spirit for us all ;)

The Lush/J&MC Connection

Miki and Emma onstage for a bit of impromtu backing vocals for the Jesus and Mary Chain during their Lollapalooza '92 tour together.

Really wish someone had video to share of this performance!!









Some 15 odd years later, the Jesus and Mary Chain pulled back together for a world tour in 2007, this time with former-Lush Phil as their permanent bassist. Phil was first courted to join the band in 1998, returned for the 2007 tour and continues to play with them to the present.

It's a small world, indeed.




More photos of Phil's new gigs:
Music Snobbery review

Amniisia's J&MC set on Flickr

• Phil King of J&MC
• J&MC
• J&MC

Lush Perform on the "Up the Junction" Broadcast '92

The high-res quality of this video is beautiful! But embedding of this footage has been disabled by the poster of this clip, so follow YouTube here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJzKuy6vG0o&nofeather=True to see the two song movie of this performance.

As stated by the author: This is Lush on a programme called Up The Junction (broadcast in the first week of February 1992, recorded in November 1991), The Junction being the venus for the show in Cambridge.

Lush perform For Love 0:03 which was their current single from their new album Spooky plus the brilliant Sweetness And Light 3:19.

Lush "For Love", live at Glastonbury Festival '92

Lollapalooza '92 with Lush

Lollapalooza 1992 in Chicago August 2nd 1992