The daughter of a minister and a maths teacher, Mishkin Fitzgerald comes from a very Christian background but subsequently found more secular inspiration through artists like Queen, Jimi Hendrix and Nick Cave.
The song Blame is an unambiguous rejection of the solace of religion. She says “I feel like I’ve had a lot of upheavals in my life, especially spiritually and emotionally, and music is how I process that.”
This processing is done with the help of her band, The Chemical Perils, with a sound inspired by Fitzgerald’s Greek, accordion/piano-playing grandma. The line-up includes Garry Mitchel (double bass and brass), Anna Mylee (drums), Hana Piranha (violin), Jacy de Sousa (sax/clarinet/flute) and Jonny Parlett on guitar, and vocals,
The carnivalesque tunes plunder musical motifs from Jewish folk, gypsy punk, gothic rock and schmaltzy pop. The opening tune Pink Elephants has nods towards Disney’s Dumbo and Nellie the Elephant while Himaar Miyet is a picaresque tail of a donkey!
This is roller coaster ride of an album base on a quirky mix of lowbrow fun and high blown drama with plenty of energy to spare.
