Afraid of Mice
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Headquarters | Liverpool , England |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
Afraid of Mice was a new wave and post-punk group originating from Liverpool, England, established in 1979. Between 1981 and 1982, they issued five singles and released a self-titled album in 1981 under the Charisma label.
History
Prior to forming Afraid of Mice, Philip Franz Jones had been involved with several Liverpool-based bands since the early 1970s, including Skyfall and Next. The band came together in 1979 with Jones handling vocals, saxophone, flute, and keyboards, alongside Geoff Kelly on bass and vocals, Roddie Gilliard on guitar, and Clive Gee on drums. Initially, the group performed under names such as Beano, The Press, and The Jones,[1] recording demos featuring original compositions by Jones.
After adopting the name Afraid of Mice, they contributed two demo tracks to the A Trip to the Dentist compilation released by Skeleton Records. This exposure led to their contract with Charisma Records.[1][2] Subsequently, Sam Brew took over guitar duties from Gilliard.[1][3]
Their debut album, titled Afraid of Mice and produced by Tony Visconti, was launched in 1981.[4][1] Although it garnered mixed critical responses and produced several singles, the album did not achieve chart success.[3]
Despite having a dedicated following, disappointing sales figures combined with Charisma's acquisition by Virgin Records caused the cancellation of a second album project after producer Anne Dudley withdrew.[1] The band parted ways with Charisma and independently released previously unreleased material as The White Album in 1983.[3] Afraid of Mice ultimately disbanded in 1987.[1]
They reunited briefly for live shows during 2014 and 2015.[5]
Post-split activities
In 1984, while still part of Afraid of Mice, Jones collaborated with Alex McKechnie to create Two's a Crowd (which later became Up and Running). He continues to be an active participant in Liverpool’s music community, performing at various venues and festivals.
Geoff Kelly is employed as a support worker at The City of Liverpool College and leads his own musical project called G.L.I.B., sharing his work through SoundCloud.
Mark Singleton, who contributed guitar and keyboards during the mid-1980s era of the band, founded Now Hear This and authored the book The Art of Gigging: The Essential Guide to Starting up as a Performing Artist published in 2014.
Albums
- Afraid of Mice (1981), Charisma
- The White Album (1983) (self-released)
Singles
- "Intercontinental" (1981), Charisma
- "I'm on Fire" (1981), Charisma
- "Medley: Popstar, Bad News, Taking It Easy, Important" (1981), Charisma – flexi-disc
- "Popstar" (1981), Charisma
- "Transparents" (1982), Charisma
- "What About Me" (live) (1982), Charisma – flexi-disc
- "At the Club" (1982), Charisma
Compilation appearances
- "Transparents" and "I'm Not a Fighter" (original demos) featured on A Trip to the Dentist (1980)
- "Don't Take Your Love Away" included on Jobs for the Boys (1985)
External links
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Cite error: Invalid
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<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedallmusic1 - ↑ "Q&A Afraid of Mice frontman Phil Jones.", Liverpool Echo, 15 August 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2018