Emma Anderson

Emma Anderson’s contributions on guitar, songwriting, and harmony vocals helped establish Lush as a standout act within the early-’90s alternative scene. She later supplied comparable elements to the trip-hop project Sing-Sing at the start of the 2000s and, in 2023, made her first appearance as a solo artist via the electronic dream-pop album Pearlies.

Her earliest musical activity included a period on bass with the Rover Girls; she then teamed with school friend Miki Berenyi to launch the Baby Machines in 1987 alongside drummer Chris Acland and guitarist Meriel Barham. After bassist Steve Rippon joined, the group adopted the name Lush and moved away from riot-grrrl punk toward a more atmospheric style influenced by Cocteau Twins. When Barham departed, the remaining lineup began performing in London and quickly attracted supporters, among them Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. Guthrie assisted the band in obtaining a deal with 4AD, leading to the release of their well-received debut EP Scar in 1989. Lush promoted the record by supporting Loop and the Darling Buds, and by 1990 they were headlining their own shows.

During 1990 the band’s visibility increased through the release of the acclaimed EPs Mad Love and Sweetness and Light, appearances at events such as Glastonbury Festival, and frequent mentions in the music-weeklies’ gossip pages. At the close of that year Gala, which collected the three EPs, became their first U.S. release. Most of 1991 was spent recording their debut album and issuing the Black Spring EP in October; Rippon exited during those sessions and Philip King, previously of Felt, the Servants, and Biff Bang Pow, took over on bass. The long-delayed, Guthrie-produced album Spooky finally appeared in early 1992, reached the British Top Ten, topped the U.K. indie chart, and earned the group a slot on the second Lollapalooza tour. Their follow-up, Split, arrived in June 1994 and displayed a more direct sound together with more pop-oriented songwriting.

In early 1996 Lush returned with Lovelife, an album that drew on the concise-single aesthetic of Britpop. The stylistic shift produced their two biggest chart successes, “Single Girl” and “Ladykiller,” while the record itself reached the U.K. Top 20. After completing touring and festival dates, the band was shaken by Chris Acland’s suicide in October 1996; the remaining members entered an extended period of mourning and formally disbanded in February 1998.

Anderson had already begun forming Sing-Sing with Locust vocalist Lisa O’Neill. With assistance from Elastica drummer Justin Welch, the pair cut a demo in early 1998; after recruiting Locust’s Mark Van Hoen for keyboards and production, they completed a second demo. That recording attracted the attention of Guthrie and former Cocteau Twin Simon Raymonde, who issued the single “Feels Like Summer” on their Bella Union label in October 1998. Sing-Sing’s music combined sophisticated trip-hop grooves with classic pop melodies, the two members sharing songwriting duties. Their debut album, The Joy of Sing-Sing, appeared on the Poptones label in 2001, followed by Sing-Sing and I in 2005; between those releases the duo assembled a live band and toured regularly.

After the partnership ended, Anderson withdrew from music until rejoining a reunited Lush in 2015. The group contributed to the Chorus box set compiling their complete 4AD recordings and, with Welch again on drums, undertook a world tour in 2016; that year also saw the release of the Blind Spot EP on their own Edamame label.

The reunion proved brief, after which Anderson began collaborating with cellist Audrey Riley on music intended for film and television and featuring a different vocalist. Riley urged her to perform her own material, as did Guthrie once he heard the developing songs. Taking that counsel, Anderson recorded with James Chapman of Maps—joined by guest guitarist Richard Oakes of Suede—and the resulting album was issued by Sonic Cathedral in late 2023. Pearlies presented a melancholy, softly layered sound that evoked the dreamlike atmosphere of early Lush while adding understated yet expansive electronic textures.