In The Loop On the Road Series Presents: Miki Berenyi Trio at Pearl Street Warehouse Washington, DC

Oct 15, 2025 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0

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Review by: Raymond Burton Estes

Photos by: Fleurette Estes

On Friday, 10 October 2025, Miki Berenyi Trio played to a packed crowd at the Pearl Street

Warehouse located at the Wharf area in Washington, DC with local art punkers Bottled Up

as the opener.

Washington, DC’s Bottled Up opened the show with a frenetic bang of indie rock/art pop

bliss. Led by singer/guitarist Nikhil Rao, Bottled up delighted the crowd with their blend of

1970’s and 1980’s-inspired rock that was as vital and contemporary as it was reminiscent

of a time before any these incredible musicians were born.

Rao makes no effort to hide his affection for Talking Heads and literally wears it on his

sleeve – he’s got “Stop Making Sense” tattooed on his left arm and, of course, the band’s

songs shimmer with reflections of this inspiration and we were all the better for it. But the

magic doesn’t end with Rao, his bandmates – Jeremy Ray (drums), Nina Randazzo (bass),

Dajando Smith (guitar/vocals) – were instrumental in manifesting these songs before their

audience and it was a delight to watch and hear them do it. Be sure to check them out!

Bottled Up’s setlist follows:

Ride Forever

Revive

Big Rush

Johnnie

Fried Egg

House Is On Fire

Miki Berenyi Trio is comprised of singer/guitarist Miki Berenyi (formerly of Lush/currently of

Piroshka), guitarist Kevin “Moose” McKillop (formerly of Moose/currently of Piroshka), and

bassist Oliver Cherer (of Gilroy Mere and Aircooled). Berenyi and company shared that

hiccups with their travel and a lengthy immigration line at the airport caused them to rush

to the gig and make it just in time. The audience, of course, was not dismayed because

they began lining up well before the doors opened and waited patiently for the band to

play.

Miki Berenyi Trio began the show with their latest single, Doldrum Days, setting the tone for

a joyous, yet melancholy, performance of dream pop and shoegaze delight. Their 17-song

set included five Lush covers, surely satiating fans of Berenyi’s work from the early 1990s.

The crowd ate it up and swayed and sang and bathed in the sonic atmosphere. There were

a handful of interesting folks that showed up, too…Mark and Wendy Redfern from Under

the Radar Magazine, Dave Mann, the bassist for local dream pop band anocean, and Will

Ritcher, one of the most unique photographers in the area.

Toward the end of their set, Berenyi reminded the audience that they don’t do encores but

did appreciate the rush that came from an audience begging for more and offered that they

could take advantage of the time it took her to catch her breath and hit her vape. The

audience new their assignment and howled and cajoled the band to play more songs,

which they did before launching into a cover of Lush’s Light From A Dead Star and then

their original single, Stranger.

While many in the audience had seen Berenyi perform before this was first time for others.

But after communing with the band and crowd for 17 songs and catching up with them in

the crowd for selfies and autographs afterwards, no one left the show a Stranger.

Be sure to check out their debut album, Tripla, on Bella Union Records, and go see them

when they play your town.

Miki Berenyi’s setlist follows:

Doldrum Days

Hurricane

A Different Girl

Undertow (Lush cover)

Leaves Me Cold (Lush cover)

Gango

Kinch

Manu

8th Deadly Sin

Vertigo

For Love (Lush cover)

Ubique

Big I Am

Ladykillers (Lush cover)

Stray (Lush cover)

Light From A Dead Star (Lush cover)

Stranger

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• Bottled Up, concert review, DC, Lush, Miki Berenyi Trio, Pearl Street Warehouse, Tour 2025, US Tour, Washington

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