Lush was a shoegaze/alternative rock band, formed in 1987 in London, Englan… Read Full Bio ↴Lush was a shoegaze/alternative rock band, formed in 1987 in London, England. The group consisted of Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson on guitars and vocals, Philip King on bass, and Chris Acland on drums. Other members were the bassist Steve Rippon (from 1987 to 1992) and the vocalist Meriel Barham (from 1987 to 1988). Lush was one of the first shoegaze bands, later moving toward Britpop.

Anderson and Berenyi had been friends since the early 1980s, and published the Alphabet Soup fanzine together. In 1986 Anderson joined The Rover Girls as bassist and Berenyi joined The Bugs as guitarist but neither band lasted long.

Lush formed in 1987, initially named The Baby Machines, with a line-up of Meriel Barham (vocals), Emma Anderson (guitar), Miki Berenyi (guitar), Steve Rippon (bass), and Chris Acland (drums). After Rippon joined, the band members decided on a change of name to Lush, making their live debut at the Camden Falcon on 6 March 1988. Barham was fired, with the rest of the band deciding she lacked commitment (she later joined Pale Saints). Anderson and Berenyi then took on lead vocal duties.

Lush gained recognition when Robin Guthrie helped the band sign to 4AD. The band's first release was Scar, an EP, in 1989. Critical praise for Scar and a wildly popular live show established Lush as one of the best-selling alternative bands of the period. That year the EPs Mad Love, produced by Robin Guthrie, and Sweetness and Light, produced by Tim Friese-Greene of Talk Talk fame, followed.

In 1990 the compilation Gala, which combined the material from the first three EPs, was released by Reprise in the United States, this being the first exposure of Lush in North America.

Lush's first full-length album of completely new material was Spooky in 1992. Produced by Robin Guthrie, Spooky featured a sound very similar to Guthrie's band Cocteau Twins, with walls of sound and a great deal of flange. Reviews were mixed and critics of the album hold that Guthrie's production brought the sound away from the band's original creative vision. Bassist Steve Rippon left the band at this stage in order to concentrate on writing, though his book Cold Turkey Sandwich - a fictionalized chronicle of his time in touring - was rejected by publishers. He was replaced by Phil King. Also in 1992, Lush toured America as part of the Lollapalooza festival.

The band's second studio album Split was released in 1994 and featured a harsher sound alternated with long and softer tracks as "Desire Lines" and "Never-Never". Despite critical praise, the album sold poorly.

After adapting to the newly popular sounds of the Britpop era, Lush's 1996 Lovelife became the biggest seller of their career, including the hit singles "Ladykillers", "500" and "Single Girl", which was released in several different versions with different tracks along with the title track. Also on this album, Jarvis Cocker from Pulp contributed guest vocals to "Ciao!" and the record included the now classic/melancholic favorite "Last Night".

In 1996, drummer Chris Acland committed suicide by hanging, at his parents' house, allegedly due to depression. The situation proved too hard for the band, and in 23 February 1998 the three remaining members of Lush decided to disband.

Emma Anderson has since formed a new band, Sing-Sing, who have released two full-length albums to date.

On September 28th 2015 Lush announced their reunion. The reunited band consists of Anderson, Berenyi & King with the addition of Justin Welch on drums, an old friend of Acland.

Lush discography:
Scar EP (1989)
Mad Love EP (1990)
Sweetness and Light EP (1990)
Gala compliation of the above EPs (1990)
Spooky (1992)
Split (1994)
Lovelife (1996)

Scarlet
Lush Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(Anderson / Berenyi)

Nothing can eclipse
Tender fingertips
Youthful girlish hips
Crimson pouting lips

But what d'you say when nothing's meant

What d'you do when all is spent

Faithless faceless night
Drenched in empty light
Scarlet starlet's bright
Vanity's delight

Cream of life you'll find in her
First to come she's first to serve

Turned away you're out of luck

Spurned again
No one to fall in love

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Lush's song Scarlet seem to talk about a woman who is the center of attention and holds a lot of allure - she has delicate and tender fingers, a youthful figure, and sensuous lips. However, the song seems to convey the idea that despite these outward appearances, there is something hollow and unfulfilling about this woman. The singer asks "what do you say when nothing's meant, what do you do when all is spent". This seems to suggest that the woman may not have any substance or depth beyond her physical allure.

The second verse of the song continues to emphasize how vain and empty the woman is. She is depicted as a "faithless faceless night drenched in empty light", implying that she is only surface and has no real depth to her. But even though she is empty inside, she is still able to draw people in with her beauty - she is a "scarlet starlet's bright vanity's delight". There is a sense of sadness and tragedy in the song's portrayal of this woman, as if she is trapped in a cycle of emptiness and unfulfilling relationships with no hope of finding true love.

Overall, the song Scarlet seems to be a commentary on the emptiness of shallow beauty and the futility of chasing after something that has no substance. It also seems to suggest that true happiness and love cannot be found in such hollow things, but rather must come from within.

Line by Line Meaning

Nothing can eclipse
There is nothing that can overshadow

Tender fingertips
Delicately soft fingertips

Youthful girlish hips
Hips that are young and girlish

Crimson pouting lips
Lips that are red and pouting

But what d'you say when nothing's meant
What do you say when there is no intent behind the words spoken

What d'you do when all is spent
What do you do when everything has been used up

Faithless faceless night
A night that is without faith or identity

Drenched in empty light
Soaked in a light that lacks substance

Scarlet starlet's bright
A bright, glamorous young woman

Vanity's delight
One who takes pleasure in their own appearance

Cream of life you'll find in her
You will find the best parts of life in her