Miranda Sex Garden is an English band from London, formed in 1990 by Katharine Blake, Kelly McCusker and Jocelyn West as a trio of madrigal singers. After signing with Mute Records, they released their debut album, Madra, in 1991. Initially focused on a cappella singing, the band later incorporated elements of gothic rock, darkwave and industrial. Their later albums include Suspiria (1993), Fairytales of Slavery (1994) and Carnival of Souls (2000). After pursuing various solo projects in the early 2000s, including Katharine Blake's Mediæval Bæbes, the band reunited in 2022 and released the EP Velventine in 2024.
History
Origins and Madra (1990–1991)
Miranda Sex Garden was formed in 1990 by Katharine Blake, Kelly McCusker and Jocelyn West, who initially performed as a trio of madrigal singers. All three had attended the Purcell School for Young Musicians, then based in Harrow-on-the-Hill, London, England. The trio initially performed Elizabethan madrigals as street musicians in London. While busking on Portobello Road, they came to the attention of musician Barry Adamson. He invited them to contribute vocals to the soundtrack of the film Delusion, including the song "Il Solitario". Daniel Miller subsequently offered the group a recording contract with Mute Records. On 22 April 1991, Miranda Sex Garden released their debut single, "Gush Forth My Tears", an arrangement of a madrigal with a rhythm track mixed by Danny Rampling. Their debut album, Madra, was released on 6 August 1991 and produced by classical producer Tony Faulkner. The album consists of 25 a cappella madrigals and reached number 8 on the UK Independent Albums Chart.
Development and Suspiria (1992–1993)
In January 1992, Music Week featured Miranda Sex Garden in its roundup of 1991's new signings, describing it as a 'useful barometer' of the types of artists record companies believed would succeed in the 1990s. That same year, founding member Jocelyn West left the group. She later worked with the medieval music ensemble Sinfonye, led by Stevie Wishart, and collaborated with David Lynch on Lux Vivens (1998), an album of music by Hildegard von Bingen. Jocelyn West with Sinfonye and David Lynch:
With the addition of Ben Golomstock (guitar, bass, organ) and Trevor Sharpe (drums, percussion, bass), Miranda Sex Garden expanded its sound beyond the a cappella madrigal style of its debut. The EP Iris, released in 1992, also introduced string instruments, with founding members Katharine Blake and Kelly McCusker playing violin, while new member Donna McKevitt contributed viola and vocals. The new line-up performed alongside Nick Cave, the Balanescu Quartet and Levitation. The entry for 8 May 1992 documents Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at the Brixton Academy with Miranda Sex Garden and The God Machine.
Prior to the release of their second album, Suspiria, the singles "Play" and "Sunshine" were released. The album was produced by Paul Kendall for Mute Records and released on 26 March 1993. It built upon the rock-oriented sound of the previous EP, combining the madrigal-style vocal harmonies of their debut album with drums, bass, violins, keyboard, church organ and distorted guitar. According to Billboard, this stylistic shift arose more from experimentation following the addition of Golomstock and Sharpe than from a deliberate change in direction. Contemporary reviews highlighted the "combination of purity and distortion", the contrast between ethereal female vocals and heavy instrumentation, which according to Musician, "gives new meaning to the term 'gothic rock'". Miranda Sex Garden contributed to the soundtrack of Derek Jarman's film Blue (1993), composed by Simon Fisher Turner, alongside artists including Brian Eno and others. In September, Katharine Blake and Donna McKevitt contributed backing vocals to the song Do You Love Me? (Part 2) by Nick Cave.
Kelly McCusker left the group in late 1993 to pursue a career in classical music, leaving Katharine Blake as the only remaining original member. Hepzibah Sessa was subsequently involved in the recording of Fairytales of Slavery, contributing keyboards, viola and violin. Earlier that year, Miranda Sex Garden toured with Einstürzende Neubauten and subsequently supported Depeche Mode on the 1993 European leg of their Devotional Tour. During the tour, Sessa began a relationship with Depeche Mode member Alan Wilder. Sessa left Miranda Sex Garden after the tour and subsequently worked with Wilder on his Recoil project.
Fairytales of Slavery and first hiatus (1994–1998)
Kim Fahey joined Miranda Sex Garden on bass in 1994 during the recording of its third album, Fairytales of Slavery, released on 9 May 1994. Produced by Alexander Hacke of Einstürzende Neubauten, the album combines female vocal harmonies with a varied instrumental arrangement characterised by heavy rhythms, driving electronic textures and elements of industrial music. His bandmate F. M. Einheit contributed musique concrète elements created using stones and an electric drill. Q reviewed the album in August 1994, while The Washington Post discussed the record two months later in a review, highlighting songs including "Serial Angels" and "Peep Show", which was released as a single later that year. CMJ New Music noted more driving rhythms, a 'sinister undercurrent of noise', and particularly highlighted the dynamism of "The Wooden Boat". In a review of an October 1994 show, the Los Angeles Times described the group's music as a form of "Gothic-punk cabaret" incorporating avant-garde elements. The group was also associated with the 'Lunatic Fringe' club nights, which later expanded into the 'Waikiki Lounge', founded by Ben Golomstock and Trevor Sharpe. A 1995 article in The Independent described it as a multimedia experience featuring music, dancers, film projections, theatre, poetry and other performance elements. During this period, the band also developed the alter ego "The Waltzing Maggots", which performed at the London fetish club Torture Garden.
Two further members joined the band during this period, Teresa Casella replacing Kim Fahey on bass guitar and Mike Servent replacing Hepzibah Sessa on keyboards. In 1995, Miranda Sex Garden toured with various bands including Hole, supporting her Live Through This Tour. The band subsequently parted ways with both Donna McKevitt and Mute Records and went on hiatus, during which the members pursued other musical projects. In 1996, Blake and Dorothy Carter formed Mediæval Bæbes, an all-female a cappella early music vocal group whose early members included Teresa Casella. The group's debut album, Salva Nos, reached number 2 on the UK Classical Charts; Billboard reported sales of 25,000 copies in the first week. Trevor Sharpe was the drummer of Minty and a founding member and drummer of The Servant. In 1998, Donna McKevitt released the album Translucence: A Song Cycle, on which she set poems by filmmaker Derek Jarman to music. Kelly McCusker was among the contributors and sang the soprano part.
First reunion, Carnival of Souls and second hiatus (1999–2021)
Blake, Golomstock, Sharpe, Servent and Casella reunited around 1999, joined by Hollington on violin and Hammond organ. On 11 July 2000, they released the album Carnival of Souls on SugarDaddy Records, a label co-founded by Blake. Contemporary reviews were positive: The Independent described the album as more coherent and accessible than the band's earlier works, highlighting the fuller sound, Katharine Blake's jazz-influenced vocals and the stronger songwriting. Exclaim! also praised the wider range of instrumentation and styles, whilst retaining the band's signature gothic and industrial rock sound. The album's track "Tonight" was released as part of the single "Tonight / Sex Garden" that same year.
The group became inactive as Blake increasingly focused on the Mediæval Bæbes and other projects. During this period, Ben Golomstock released Stories from the Moon in 2006, an album involving musicians associated with Miranda Sex Garden and several of Blake's other musical collaborations. A contemporary review described the album as drawing on Miranda Sex Garden's sound while combining ambient and experimental elements. Blake released her solo album Midnight Flower in 2007, while Jocelyn West released her own debut solo album, Salt Bird, in March 2009.
Second reunion (2022–present)
In 2022, Miranda Sex Garden reunited after a 22-year hiatus with a sold-out concert at London's 100 Club on 28 July. The reunited group initially consisted of Blake, Sharpe, Casella and Servent, who had all been members of the Carnival of Souls line-up, were joined by Blake's Mediæval Bæbes bandmate Bev Lee Harling on violin and guitarist Kavus Torabi. Torabi replaced Ben Golomstock, who had died in 2018. By July 2023, Emmett Elvin had taken over on keyboards from Mike Servent, who had played keyboards at the band's 2022 reunion. Elvin had previously worked with Torabi in Chrome Hoof, Knifeworld and Guapo. The group toured the UK later that year. In April 2024, the band added keyboardist Justine Armatage to their line-up and released Velventine, its first new material in more than two decades. The track was reconstructed from raw files made around 2000, with Blake incorporating Ben Golomstock's guitar parts. The release coincided with the band's first overseas performances since 2000, including dates in continental Europe.Tour 2023–2024: In 2025, Torabi was replaced by Jimmy Martin on guitar.
Artistry
Musical style
Madra consisted entirely of a cappella madrigal performances of traditional British songs from the Renaissance period.Early music genre (Madrigals from the Renaissance music period): With the addition of rock instruments and strings, the style subsequently evolved into a blend of gothic rockGothic rock genre: and darkwave (ethereal wave),Darkwave genre: with, at times, strong influences from industrialIndustrial music genre: and experimental music. The EP Iris contains elements of dream pop. Suspiria and Fairytales of Slavery were particularly influenced by industrial music, featuring distorted guitars, driving drum rhythms and unusual instruments. Carnival of Souls combines gothic and industrial rock with elements of lounge jazz, shoegaze and soundtrack-inspired music. On this latest album, as well as during the tour following Miranda Sex Garden's reunion, critics also identified elements of prog rock.
Influences
Miranda Sex Garden's origins lie in the Renaissance music tradition: the three founding members met at the Purcell School, where Blake had discovered her interest in Elizabethan madrigals. Katharine Blake particularly enjoyed the music of the 12th century composer Hildegard von Bingen. She has also recalled that the original trio were strongly interested in Prince and would perform an a cappella version of his song "Under the Cherry Moon". After Ben Golomstock and Trevor Sharpe joined the group, Miranda Sex Garden developed from its predominantly vocal and classical approach into an avant-garde gothic rock band. Golomstock's interest in horror cinema was reflected in the band's aesthetic, including the choice of the title Suspiria, the title of Dario Argento's 1977 film, for their second album, while the group recorded a version of "In Heaven" from David Lynch's Eraserhead. The collaboration with members of Einstürzende Neubauten, Alexander Hacke and F. M. Einheit, on Fairytales of Slavery – which featured many elements of industrial music – had an influence on the album's more experimental direction and was recognised as such in the press at the time. In addition, Donna McKevitt cited Henry Rollins and Nick Cave as sources of inspiration.
Band members
Current members
Katharine Blake – vocals, violin, recorders, keyboards, piano, glockenspiel (1990–2000, 2022–present) Trevor Sharpe – drums, percussion (1992–2000, 2022–present) Teresa Casella – bass guitar (1994–2000, 2022–present)