As of late, it’s again to fundamentals for Miki Berenyi. Finest recognized for her work with ’90s shoegaze/dream-pop pioneers Lush, the London native has assumed the lead position within the Miki Berenyi Trio and hit the highway to win over followers. However whereas MB3 could bear the title of its effortlessly charismatic founder and lead singer, the music is a three-way affair, with KJ “Moose” McKillop (Moose) and Oliver Cherer (Gilroy Mere) casting their lot as artistic equals. Out now on Bella Union, their concisely atmospheric debut LP, Tripla, tethers its layered guitar motifs to a full of life, persistent digital pulse.
Berenyi spoke with MAGNET’s Hobart Rowland.
How did the trio come collectively?
Moose and I’ve been a pair for 30 years, and we grew to become mates with Oliver Cherer when he joined on bass for Piroshka’s Love Drips And Gathers tour, standing in for Mick Conroy, who’d moved to the U.S. After my memoir, Fingers Crossed: How Music Saved Me From Success, got here out, I did a load of dwell guide occasions the place me, Moose and Ollie would bang out a handful of Lush covers to accompany the chat. The reception was surprisingly constructive. (Bella Union’s) Simon Raymonde inspired us to file the songs (launched in December 2024 because the Covers EP), and loads of others stated we must always maintain going. So we thought, “Fuck it, why not?” and began writing songs and taking part in dwell. I want I may declare some grand masterplan, however the evolution was largely unintentional. I’d say among the impetus is that we’re all outdated. I turned 58 in March, so I’m on borrowed time and should leap on any alternatives for “dwelling my finest life” earlier than dementia units in.
How has the trio format influenced the songwriting for MB3.
For sensible causes—primarily price—we don’t have a drummer. We determined early on that, quite than use a backing monitor merely as a substitute for a dwell drummer, we could as properly embrace the know-how. In lots of respects, the sound is much more “studio” than any earlier band I’ve been in, which is form of humorous as a result of the entire genesis of the band was primarily based round taking part in dwell exhibits and writing songs with that in thoughts. However most likely the principle affect is the truth that there are three songwriters within the band who, by completely satisfied and diplomatic likelihood, originated three songs every on Tripla.
Up to now, any songs I wrote relied on being developed with a producer, however there’s no cash for that now, so we rely on one another to provide you with concepts and tweaks and prospers—or to rethink the association—to make a tune work. We’ve managed to keep away from any preciousness or ego, and everyone seems to be an enthusiastic collaborator on one another’s songs. There’s been no frosty sulks or fistfights to date, so I feel it’s working.
Discuss a bit in regards to the recording of Tripla.
All of the songs have been road-tested within the dwell set, so that they had time to develop and embed. As a result of we use a backing monitor, half the studio work was already performed after we obtained round to recording the songs absolutely. Moose and I recorded our elements at dwelling on Logic, whereas Ollie has a correct little backyard studio, which meant his tracks sounded extra skilled even on the first demo stage. Bits and items—keyboards, backing vocals, percussion and different instrumentation—obtained added when any of us felt the tune would possibly want it. Then we’d congregate at Ollie’s so as to add any remaining bits we thought would possibly work to finish the tracks.
We dovetail properly. Moose is hopeless at utilizing a pc and programming, however he’ll spend hours—days—finessing guitar and keyboard elements and sounds to attain his eureka second. Ollie is a whiz with the tech, so that you simply should say, “Are you able to make it sound a bit extra massive, darkish, groovy, transferring?” He immediately is aware of what you imply and makes it occur. I’m hopelessly impatient with regards to exact sonics, and I’ll use the primary Logic pattern or impact that appears to work. However I feel I’m good with dynamics—backing vocals and percussion, keyboard prospers and preparations. We make a very good crew.
As soon as we obtained the whole lot recorded, we despatched the tracks to (Lanterns On The Lake’s) Paul Gregory for mixing. It felt a little bit odd to do that remotely in spite of everything my years of being within the studio with Lush. However we’d labored with Paul earlier than with Piroshka, and he has an incredible ear for the power, magnificence and dynamics of a tune and the element of the person parts. We completely trusted him to convey out the most effective within the recordings.
You’ve described MB3 as a grassroots effort. How so?
A variety of our early exhibits got here to us by way of the indie community. The Wedding ceremony Current provided us exhibits on two excursions, and we didn’t have a reserving agent for the primary yr, counting on mates who promote gigs and word-of-mouth contacts. We rent a automotive, cram the whole lot in and arrange the whole lot ourselves. I’m on the merch stall for the night time, earlier than and after taking part in, and Ollie and Moose do the driving. Usually, mates across the nation allow us to keep over. It’s a full-on crew effort, however we make a nimble and environment friendly unit. We met our video maker, Seb (Faits Divers), when he filmed us taking part in Paris Popfest in September 2023. He put us up in his dad and mom’ home after we got here by means of Dijon the next spring, and his footage then grew to become the movies for “Vertigo,” “eighth Lethal Sin” and “Large I Am.” Truly, a giant a part of our growing friendship was Seb coming to the rescue when Moose left his passport within the bogs of a service station and needed to miss the Eurostar dwelling—so we owe him, massive time.
MB3 may be very reliant on a community of mates and hands-on lovers. There’s Chris Bigg, who does all our paintings and did all of the Lush stuff with Vaughan Oliver at 4AD. And Simon and Abbey Raymonde, together with the entire crew at Bella Union, who all the time go over and above when working with us. And our U.Okay. agent, Julia (Wasielewska), is somebody we’ve a private fondness for.
What’s the dwell MB3 expertise like—and can U.S. audiences get to expertise it?
Bar the earliest days of Lush, that is the primary band I’ve been in the place all of the songs have been performed dwell earlier than they have been recorded for an album. I used to be apprehensive, initially, that utilizing a backing monitor would possibly take away from the dwell expertise, however really the alternative is true. I like drums, but it surely was all the time a headache when taking part in small venues to have the ability to hear myself sing over a package that was invariably positioned proper behind me. Now, it’s not an issue, which has helped my confidence with the vocals. I’m much less uptight about my efficiency, regardless of being older and fewer slot in each sense of that phrase.
We’re planning to tour the U.S. in October. Final time, Moose didn’t come. He loathes flying. We had Ollie change to guitar with Mick Conroy (Trendy English) again on bass, as he was with Piroshka. This time, we’ll all be taking part in, although we could have to slide one thing in Moose’s drink earlier than we set off for the airport. He’s fairly closed-eyes, blissed-out lately onstage—not a lot shoegazing in proof. However all that stated, the individual to observe at MB3 gigs is Ollie. I assure he’ll put you in an incredible temper.
See MB3 dwell.
