Jacob's Mouse

Jacob's Mouse were a three-piece indie rock band from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. The band comprised identical twins Hugo and Jebb Boothby on guitar and bass respectively, along with singing drummer Sam Marsh.

Jacob's Mouse
OriginBury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, United Kingdom
GenresIndie rock
Years active1990–1995
LabelsBlithering Idiot
Wiiija
Associated actsMachismo's, Volunteers
Past members
  • Hugo Boothby
  • Jebb Boothby
  • Sam Marsh

History

The band members initially got together when they were aged 11.[1] They initially played covers, but progressed to original material inspired by bands they heard on John Peel's radio show such as Dog Faced Hermans, and adopted the name Jacob's Mouse, a reference to a cousin's pet.[1][2]

The group's first release, The Dot EP, was named 'single of the week' by Sounds, and they went on to play support slots with bands such as Nirvana, Carter USM, and Senseless Things.[1][2][3] They released first album No Fish Shop Parking on their own Blithering Idiot label, which was well received by critics,[4][5][6] saw them described by Option magazine as "the current embodiment of the rock 'n' roll spirit",[7] and led to airplay on Peel and Mark Goodier's BBC Radio 1 shows, and they went on to record two sessions for Peel's show in 1992.[8]

The band signed to Wiiija, and toured with Babes in Toyland, before releasing the Ton Up EP in September 1992, also signing to Frontier Records in the United States.[1][2] Second album I'm Scared, released in April 1993, saw the band's profile rise further, and it received a four star review in Select.[1][9][10]

A compilation of tracks from singles and EPs, Wryly Smilers, was released in September 1994.[2][11][12]

Third album, Rubber Room, was released in February 1995,[13][14] with the band splitting up later that year.[2]

Marsh went on to record a few singles and three albums as The Machismo's,[2] and played in hardcore punk band Volunteers for a time, before forming dub band Zen Reggae Masters.

Discography

Albums
  • No Fish Shop Parking (1991), Blithering Idiot
  • I'm Scared (1993), Wiiija
  • Wryly Smilers (1994), Wiiija – EP/singles compilation
  • Rubber Room (1995), Wiiija

Singles/EPs
  • The Dot EP (1990), Liverish
  • Ton Up EP (1992), Wiiija
  • "Company News" (1992), Rough Trade
  • Plays World Dom (1992), Rough Trade Singles Club - two World Domination Enterprises covers
  • "Good" (1993), Wiiija
  • "Group Of 7" (1993), Wiiija
  • "Ton of Scum" (1993), Wiiija
  • "Fandango Widewheels" (1994), Wiiija
  • "Hawaiian Vice" (1994), Wiiija

Split releases/compilation appearances
  • "Tumbleswan" on Submerge No. 4 EP (1992)
  • "Kettle" on Ablaze! #10 EP (1993)

References
  1. "Jacob's Mouse Biography", Allmusic. Retrieved 28 October 2018
  2. Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate ISBN 1-84195-335-0, p. 807
  3. Soulsby, Nick (2015) I Found My Friends: The Oral History of Nirvana, Griffin, ISBN 978-1250061522, p. 172
  4. Sheffield, Rob (1993) "Jacob's Mouse No Fish Shop Parking", Spin, January 1993, p. 69. Retrieved 28 October 2018
  5. Raggett, Ned "No Fish Shop Parking Review", Allmusic. Retrieved 28 October 2018
  6. Morrison, Dave "Jacob's Mouse No Fish Shop Parking", Select, 1991
  7. "Jacob's Mouse No Fish Shop Parking", Option, Iss. 48-53, 1993, p. 108
  8. "Jacob's Mouse", Keeping It Peel, BBC. Retrieved 28 October 2018
  9. Raggett, Ned "I'm Scared Review", Allmusic. Retrieved 28 October 2018
  10. Perry, Andrew "Jacob's Mouse - I'm Scared", Select, 1993
  11. Goldman, Marlene "Jacob's Mouse", Trouser Press. Retrieved 28 October 2018
  12. Raggett, Ned "Wryly Smilers Review", Allmusic. Retrieved 28 October 2018
  13. "Jacob's Mouse Rubber Room", Wire, vol. 131-136, 1995, p. 65
  14. Trew, Jonathan (1995) "Jacob's Mouse Rubber Room", The List, Issue 251, 21 April 1995, p. 45. Retrieved 28 October 2018
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.