The ‘lunacy’ of Ivan, particularly his inability to commit to a relationship, was the flipside of his generosity as well as respect for one’s freedom and choice, including that in Miki’s life. Fingers Crossed is easily my favourite book of 2022 and my favourite autobiography since Bruce Campbell’s If Chins Could Kill (a very different book).

I bought a CD of Lush’s greatest hits album Ciao, loved it, devoured their back catalogue and the rest is history. After a difficult time in my life in the early 1990s, my musical tastes blossomed exponentially and Lush was one of the bands that really appealed to me. Beginning with the upheaval and trauma of a difficult childhood and her friendship / rivalry with bandmate Emma Anderson, with whom she formed Lush in the late Eighties, it tells the story of attempting to establish herself as a woman in a male-dominated industry, and is scattered with numerous engaging celeb anecdotes. Her relationship with her mother is more complex, but I suppose that’s common for mother/daughter relationships and, in this case, it seems to have a lot more to do with Yasuko’s choice of partners (including stuntman-turned-director Ray Austin, which I had no idea about until this point). Formed in 1988, Lush were part of the London gig scene during one of the most vibrant and creative periods in UK music.

Sure, there is an unflinching examination of the excess that came with music industry success in the 1990s in there, but that’s restricted to the latter half of the book. Berenyi’s unconventional childhood is covered in unsparing detail, putting some of the later rock’n’roll behaviour in some context. The book also features an interesting fresh perspective on being a woman on the guitar band circuit at this particular point in time. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. The author paints her in shades of grey, describing how her old-world sensibilities seem completely incompatible with England in the 1970s and 80s.

Rough Trade's Book of the Year 2022A Mojo Book of the Year 2022Formed in 1988, Lush were part of the London gig scene during one of the most vibrant and creative periods in UK music.Berenyi’s telling of their complex and competitive relationship has a scorched earth feel to it, leaving me thinking that any chance of them working together again is negligible. From the bohemian lifestyle of her father's social circle to the privileged glamour of her mother's acting career, Miki's young life was a blur of travel, celebrities and private schooling.

The tension between the two perspectives leads to some great music, but also stressful situations within the band. Despite the trauma at the heart of her story, Berenyi’s writing is characterised by arch humour and a delight in the absurd. In a way, I admired her, because so many musicians plug away at the music business even after it has become intolerable and the results can be tragic.The extraordinary and searingly honest personal story of musician Miki Berenyi, revealing the highs and lows of navigating the madness of the '90s music industry. Berenyi recognises her difficult childhood as leading to neediness that bled into her future relationships and, in part, Fingers Crossed has a touch of therapy about it. But at the heart of the book are Miki’s own battles: the conflict between her mouthy public persona and her thin-skinned private identity; the trials of being a woman in an infuriatingly male world; the struggle to find a middle ground between safe indie obscurity and sellout international success.

Early Lush had more in common with the Cocteau Twins (Robin Guthrie produced Lush’s debut EP, 1990’s Mad Love) or My Bloody Valentine than they did with their more staid indie rock fellow travellers.

PRIMAVERA: THE BLAG INTRODUCTION It’s a massive understatement to say a lot has changed since we bought our ‘early bird’ tickets for Barcelona Primavera 2020 within a couple of weeks. Told through frank confession, wry humour and emotional honesty, this is the incredible tale of a trailblazing woman and a seminal band. Following their bitter divorce, she had to split the time between her father, sports journalist of Hungarian descent Ivan Berenyi, and mother, Japanese actress and producer Yasuko Nagazumi. One of the pictures from that period displays Berenyi, bruised and worn out, on a hospital bed after her desperate stage diving that followed an unpleasant incident with Pearl Jam. All of our books are 100% brand new, unread and purchased directly from the publishers in bulk allowing us to pass the huge savings on to you!