Piroshka – In session at KEXP-FM (In London) – February 6, 2019 -KEXP-FM –
I’ve been meaning to run some live Piroshka ever since hearing the band was getting ready to release a debut album and rumors were rife of a tour and numerous broadcast gigs shortly after.
But like life, things happen and the best of intentions get put on the back burner until some 6 months pass by and I realized I hadn’t posted anything. Fans of Miki Berenyi from her days with Lush no doubt know about this Supergroup of Alt, which got started a little bit after the Lush reunion tour late in 2018. Piroshka features a virtual who’s who of Alternative Rock during the Halcyon days of Shoegaze, Britpop and Indie, including former members of Elastica, Moose and Modern English. One could say this might be the first evidence of an Alternative Supergroup, but that might be putting a bit too much pressure on a band you’re just happy got together to play music.
Suffice to say, Piroshka is a welcome addition and a sound for sore ears. Having been a fan of Lush since their inception, anything that even remotely carries on that tradition is a must-see/must-hear in my book.
Here’s an excerpt from their Bella Union Page (just to get you up to speed):
From four individual parts, with distinct musical pasts but also overlapping histories, a new unified chapter begins with Piroshka and the quartet’s thrilling debut album Brickbat.
The album is named after the word for a missile, which nails the record’s heavyweight lyrics if not the music’s gorgeous, bittersweet and euphoric pop. Think of Brickbat as a wolf in sheep’s clothing – which suits the name Piroshka, the Hungarian take on the wolf-terrorised fairytale hero Little Red Riding Hood – a subtle nod, too, to a certain red hairdo that stood out in the 1990s Brit-guitar-pop scene….
The four band members are former Lush vocalist/guitarist (and former redhead) Miki Berenyi, former Moose guitarist KJ “Moose” McKillop, Modern English bassist Mick Conroy and former Elastica drummer Justin Welch. The connections between them are a veritably tangled family tree. Before they lived together and raised a family, Miki and Moose were notable figures on the so-called shoegaze scene, while Elastica were Britpop peers. After post-punk pioneers Modern English split for a second time, Mick became a latterday member of Moose, while Justin joined the reformed Lush in 2015. And when Lush required a bassist for what proved to be their final show (in Manchester) in November 2016, Mick stepped in.
Okay – enough out of me – hit the Play button and jump in.