Lush

Lush was a British shoegazing band, formed in 1988 by Steve Rippon, Emma Anderson, Meriel Barham, Chris Acland and Miki Berenyi (see 1988 in music). Barham left nearly immediately, eventually settling in fellow shoegazing band Pale Saints. Robin Guthrie helped the band sign to 4AD and released Scar, an EP, in 1989 (1989 in music). Critical praise for Scar and a wildly popular live show established Lush as one of the best-selling bands in the new "shoegazing" genre of pop music. That year the EPs Mad Love, produced by Robin Guthrie, and Sweetness and Light followed.

In 1990 the LP Gala, which combined the material from their first three EPs, was released by Reprise in the United States, the first exposure of Lush in North America. Their first LP made up of completely new material was Spooky in 1992 (1992 in music). 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. 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.

Split was released in 1994 (1994 in music) and featured a more industrial sound. Split sold poorly, however. After adapting to the newly popular sounds of Britpop, Lush's Lovelife (1996 in music) became the biggest hit of their career, including the hit singles "Ladykiller" and "Single Girl".

In 1996 (1996 in music), Chris Acland hanged himself in his parents' house after months of depression over the limited success of the band. In 1998 (1998 in music) the three remaining members decided to disband.