MIKI BERENYI TRIO + ZO LIEF – THE HOPE & RUIN, BRIGHTON 23.2.24
Having seen Lush’s Emma Anderson appear in Brighton as guest vocalist with The Jesus and Mary Chain last year, on Sunday I was excited to see their other vocalist Miki Berenyi play the city as Miki Berenyi Trio. They were supported at The Hope & Ruin by the dream pop sounds of Zo Lief.
Miki Berenyi Trio
Miki Berenyi Trio are Miki Berenyi on vocals and guitar (Lush), Kevin ‘Moose’ McKillop on guitar (Moose) and Oliver Cherer (Gilroy Mere, Aircooled). The three musicians first worked together during Piroshka’s 2021 tour.
The first thing that struck me when arriving at the venue was the stark empty stage. There was no drum kit or keyboards, just a few guitars, a laptop and a vast array of pedal boards. The second was the wide age range of the packed crowd from older Lush fans to the new generation discovering shoegaze music. When Miki Berenyi Trio took the stage, everybody went quiet with an excited expectation of what was to follow.
The trio opened with a couple of Lush songs, ‘Stray’ and ‘Leaves Me Cold’, after which Miki joked “If you know that one, you’re really old”. Both of those songs instantly transported us older people back to the late 80’s early 90’s with Lush’s shoegaze sound. Miki’s voice was as clear and distinctive as it was back then.
The set was largely built around Lush and Piroshka songs from Miki’s previous bands. In among these was new material from Miki Berenyi Trio. The next two songs were original compositions. The sound got slightly louder and punchier on ‘Hurricane’, while still retaining that dreamy feel. ‘Vertigo’ was a beautifully crafted song which effortlessly rose and fell through the song. Miki Berenyi Trio are planning to record and release an album this year. After ‘Vertigo’ Miki announced “That might be the first single for this band.” She added “People don’t have singles these days, and just release tracks” referencing the dominance of streaming services.
The trio returned to Miki’s back catalogue with Lush’s ‘Covert’ and the slightly quicker tempo of Piroshka’s ‘V.O.’. Oliver became more animated on bass by this stage of the set, while Kevin remained fairly static playing side-on to the audience. After ‘V.O.’ Miki wryly commented “I imagine anybody who bought that album is in this room.” The tempo then slowed for the soulful cover of Gist’s ‘Love At First Sight’.
Before ‘Gango’, Miki confessed it was her “panic song” and she’d need a cider. This new track started with a heavier bass sound which continued through the song. It featured longer instrumental sections with slightly distorted guitars and was more staccato than the other flowing dreamier sounds in the rest of the set. There was no need to panic, it was delivered perfectly. At the end of the song, several pints of cider made their way from the back bar to the front of the stage for Miki. Sensibly she refused to down the pints in one, not wanting an accident on stage.
After a Lush oldie ‘Kiss Chase’, there was a change in style on a Moose song ‘Suzanne’ with its jangling guitars seemingly stampeding through the track.
Percussion, via the laptop, featured strongly on the introductions of the next two songs. ‘Ubique’ had a glockenspiel, while ‘Light From A Dead Star’ had a delicate twinkling percussion sound.
‘Everlastingly Yours’, a Piroshka song, was one of the many highlights of an amazing set. It was so easy to get lost in its multi-layered soundscape. The excitement in the crowd rose even higher, when the first bars of the next tune were recognised as the Lush classic ‘For Love’. This got even more of the fully-engaged crowd dancing. As did the next one, the final new song of the set. ‘Big I Am’ which had a faster disco feel to it.
A captivating set closed with Lush’s ‘Baby Talk’. Like the previous new song, it had a quicker tempo, but with screeching guitars. Even without a drummer on stage, that was a perfect way to close an impressive performance.
The Hope & Ruin crowd unquestionably enjoyed Miki Berenyi Trio. This was clear from a real buzz at the end of the set as people discussed the show in glowing terms. There was also a long queue at the merch stall that reached down the stairs. Nobody seemed in a hurry to leave after a concert that special.
Miki Berenyi Trio:
Miki Berenyi – vocals, guitar
Kevin ‘Moose’ McKillop – guitar
Oliver Cherer – bass
Miki Berenyi Trio setlist:
‘Stray’ (Lush cover from 1992 ‘Spooky’ album)
‘Leaves Me Cold’ (Lush cover from 1990 ‘Gala’ album)
‘Hurricane’
‘Vertigo’
‘Covert’ (Lush cover from 1992 ‘Spooky’ album)
‘V.O.’ (Piroshka cover from 2021 ‘Love Drips And Gathers’ album)
‘Love At First Sight’ (Gist cover)
‘Gango’
‘Kiss Chase’ (Lush cover from 1994 ‘Split’ album)
‘Suzanne’ (Moose cover from 1992 ‘…XYZ’ album)
‘Ubique’
‘Light From A Dead Star’ (Lush cover from 1994 ‘Split’ album)
‘Everlastingly Yours’ (Piroshka cover from 2019 ‘Brickbat’ album)
‘For Love’ (Lush cover from 1992 ‘Spooky’ album)
‘Big I Am’
‘Baby Talk’ (Lush cover from 1989 ‘Scar’ EP)
Zo Lief
Opening for Miki Berenyi Trio was Zo Lief, who are a psych-dream pop duo made up of Dutch vocalist and songwriter Laura Chen and British multi-instrumentalist James Attwood. It was only their second appearance in Brighton; the first being an acoustic set at Bella Union’s record shop in Church Street.
They opened the night’s entertainment with their debut single ‘Fool’, which was released just over a year ago. This set the tone of their dream pop with a laid-back dance feel. ‘She Makes You Look Twice’ was a mellower moodier song.
Translated from the Dutch, Zo Lief means “so sweet”, which sums up their sound perfectly. A key feature of which was Laura’s quality vocals, which were reminiscent of Lana Del Ray.
‘In The Air’ and ‘Believe What You Believe’ continued the beautiful dreamy sounds. There was a change for the unreleased song ‘Hypnosis’ with its nostalgic almost old-fashioned feel, while still sounding fresh and new.
‘Pinch Me’ was introduced as more upbeat, which it was. It reminded me of Essex indie band She’s In Parties. Zo Lief closed a very promising performance with ‘Stop The Party’. Its dream-like keyboard sounds via the laptop fitted perfectly with the guitar parts and vocals.
Based on the reception from the audience on Sunday, I think several people would like Zo Lief to play Brighton again soon. I certainly do.
Zo Lief:
Laura Chen –vocals, guitar
James Attwood – guitar
Zo Lief setlist:
‘Fool’ (from 2023 ‘Believe What You Believe’ EP)
‘She Makes You Look Twice’
‘In The Air’ (from 2023 ‘Believe What You Believe’ EP)
‘Believe What You Believe’ (from 2023 ‘Believe What You Believe’ EP)
‘Hypnosis’
‘Pinch Me’
‘Stop The Party’
