Living the Lush life again

Lush provided a feminine presence for the British shoegaze movement of the late '80s and early '90s. Recording on the 4AD label, guitarists-composers-singers Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson, with bassist Phil King and drummer Chris Acland, underlined the "gaze" in the slow-driving dream-pop genre with a starry, sparkling sense of song craft, one that was sorely missed after Acland committed suicide in 1996 and Lush splintered in 1998.

Now, Lush is making new music (the EP Blind Spot) and touring, with a stop Thursday at Union Transfer, a treat for Britpop fans of all stripes. That the band members still sound as blunt as they did during Lush's initial rush to fame makes the reunion better still.

That each member still sounds as blunt and forthright as each member did during Lush's initial rush to fame makes their reunion better still. "I was no fan of being lumped in with the shoegaze scene," says Anderson from London. "We don't sound like Ride or My Bloody Valentine. I don't know what it means, really."

The women of Lush were friends first, bonding over their love of garage punk and the culture of DIY fanzines that each had a hand in publishing. What truly drew the pair together, though, was their shared admiration and inspiration when it came to the British label scene.

"Yes, it was a coup that we signed with 4AD [in 1989]. ... When me and Emma were in school together, labels like Factory, Rough Trade, or 4AD - they all had their own atmospheres about them," said Berenyi. "Being into the music then meant knowing a label's vibe, individual design aesthetic. Every aspect. I'm sure other labels came to our gigs and left after one song - we knew that'd happen - but 4AD didn't leave."

Lush's spidery, emotionally caustic songs launched the band into the British Top 10 singles charts ("Single Girl," "Ladykiller"). They released big-selling albums in the U.K. with names connected to their dark vibes (1992's Spooky, 1994's Split), but it wasn't until 1996's Lovelife that the band became an MTV-kinda-sorta-alternative smash in America.

This came after Lush had toured the U.S. with Perry Farrell's second edition of Lollapalooza in 1992. "The bands were lovely, but the vibe was very macho - subservient girls in white miniskirts, wannabe hard guys," Berenyi said.

That same machismo surrounded Lush and Lovelife in the U.K., as the album came out in the middle of Oasis' chart reign and the lad culture that surrounded the Gallagher Brothers.

"We got asked to be in glossy magazines and to pose a certain way because we were women with a Top 30 single," said Anderson. "We wouldn't pose in our bras and knickers on those loud and loutish TV shows filled with shock value."

Anderson and Berenyi were devastated by Acland's suicide. By Lovelife's release, they also had had it with the criticism their third album received in the U.K. press, and the overall grind of the biz.

Going their separate ways, the women had families and found other bands. Anderson led the poppy Sing Sing, and Berenyi got out of music altogether.

"I think a big part of our deciding to do Lush again had this one element of thinking, 'Will I regret it all if I don't do this?' It was a big unknown," said Anderson.

She, Berenyi, and King, the original bassist, also were primed after the British-release in January of a five-CD box set of the band's work, Chorus. Then there was the lure of writing new music, starting with the single "Out of Control," the EP, and an album to come.

"That was a big carrot dangling in my face, the idea of new music," Anderson said with a laugh. "I don't know that I wouldn't have done it otherwise. Even if, outside of the old songs, most of [the audience] walk out when we play the new songs anyway."

Lush, with Tamaryn: 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St. Tickets: $30-$32. Information: 215-232-2100, utphilly.com.