The Field Mice were an English

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band on the

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

Sarah Records Sarah Records was a British independent record label active in Bristol between 1987 and 1995, best known for its recordings of indie pop, which it released mostly on 7" singles. On reaching the catalogue number SARAH 100, the label celebrated it ...

. They had top 20 success in both the singles and albums UK Independent Charts.

Career

The Field Mice initially formed as a duo from South

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

suburb of Mitcham comprising Robert Wratten (for vocals and guitar) and Michael Hiscock (on bass guitar). The group's first EP, ''Emma's House'', was released in November 1988, and reached number 20 in the

UK Independent Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rele ...

.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 738Lazell, Barry (1998) ''Indie Hits 1980-1989'', Cherry Red Books, , p. 87 But it was with their second single " Sensitive" that they first received significant critical attention,New Musical Express online feature
on single 'Sensitive'. giving them a top-20 indie hit and with a subsequent placing in

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

's 1989 Festive 50.Field Mice
''Keeping It Peel'',

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

, retrieved 2010-04-29 Debut mini-album ''

Snowball A snowball is a spherical object made from snow, usually created by scooping snow with the hands, and pressing the snow together to compact it into a ball. Snowballs are often used in games such as snowball fights. A snowball may also be a large ...

'' reached number 3 on the UK Indie Albums Chart. The original duo were joined by Harvey Williams (of Another Sunny Day) on guitar: the first fruits of this new line-up being the '' Skywriting'' mini-LP and in late 1990 the band expanded to include Anne Mari Davies on vocals, keyboards and guitar and Mark Dobson on drums. This five-piece line-up later recorded what was to be their final album (but their first full length for Sarah Records), '' For Keeps''. Over a three-year career, the band were often dogged with the reputation of having a post- C86 indie pop, or generic Sarah Records sound, despite producing tracks with numerous styles and influences. Early singles and even their sleeves harked back to early

Factory Records Factory Records was a Manchester-based British independent record label founded in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus. The label featured several important acts on its roster, including Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, the Durutt ...

bands such as New Order and The Wake, with many tracks often featuring sequencers and samples. Many of the group's recordings, notably "Triangle" and their epic seven-minute

swan song The swan song ( grc, κύκνειον ᾆσμα; la, carmen cygni) is a metaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement. The phrase refers to an ancient belief that swans sing a beautiful so ...

, "

Missing the Moon "Missing the Moon" is a single by The Field Mice. It was released as a 12" vinyl record. It was the group's final proper single release (a live cover of Loop's "Burning World" was later issued as a flexidisc) and marks the culmination of their e ...

", displayed a strong influence from the popular dance music of the time. Most of the group's records were produced by

Ian Catt Ian Catt is a British record producer and multi-instrumentalist associated with several popular indie groups, including Saint Etienne, with whom he has been a touring member. He has also collaborated with Saint Etienne's vocalist Sarah Cracknell ...

, who later went on to develop the pop dance sound of "Missing The Moon" further with Saint Etienne (whose second single was a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of The Field Mice's " Let's Kiss and Make Up").

Split and legacy

The band split up in 1991 after a fractious tour to promote the ''For Keeps'' album, during which lead singer/guitarist Robert Wratten announced he was leaving. Later, Field Mice members Wratten, Anne Mari Davies (Wratten's ex-girlfriend), and Mark Dobson briefly formed Yesterday Sky before becoming the more synth-oriented outfit

Northern Picture Library Northern Picture Library was a British dream pop group, formed in 1993 by Bobby Wratten and Anne Mari Davies, both former members of The Field Mice. They were soon joined by former Field Mice drummer Mark Dobson. The group adopted a more abstract ...

, and then Wratten went on to form

Trembling Blue Stars Trembling Blue Stars was the London-based band based music project of Robert Wratten, started in 1996. Later consisting of Harvey Williams, Jonathan Akerman, Keris Howard, Michael Hiscock, and Beth Arzy who replaced Annemari Davies in 2000. Initi ...

in 1995. A double-album compilation of the now long-deleted Field Mice releases, ''

Where'd You Learn to Kiss That Way? ''Where'd You Learn to Kiss That Way?'' is a compilation album by The Field Mice. Track listing ;Disc 1 # "Five Moments" – 5:16 # "If You Need Someone" – 3:43 # "Sensitive" – 5:02 # "Couldn't Feel Safer" – 3:44 # "Below the Stars" – 5 ...

'' was released in 1998 and sold more copies than any Field Mice record ever sold at the time. Their entire back catalogue was reissued on CD for the first time by

LTM Recordings LTM Recordings (originally les temps modernes) is a British independent record label founded in 1983, and best known for reissues of artists and music from 1978 to the present day, as well as modern classical and avant-garde composition. The la ...

in 2005.

Discography

;Studio albums *''

'' (Sarah 402, 1989) *'' Skywriting'' (Sarah 601, 1990) *'' For Keeps'' (Sarah 607, 1991) ;Compilation albums *'' Coastal'' (Sarah 606, 1991) *''

'' (Shinkansen Recordings, 1998) ;Singles and extended plays * " Emma's House" (7", Sarah 012, 1988) * " Sensitive" (7", Sarah 018, 1989) * ''

The Autumn Store Part One "The Autumn Store Part 1" is a single by the Field Mice, featuring the song "If You Need Someone" on the A-side and "The World to Me" on the B-side. It was released as a 7" vinyl record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, ...

'' (7", Sarah 024, 1989) * '' The Autumn Store Part Two'' (7", Sarah 025, 1989) * " I Can See Myself Alone Forever" (7", CAFF 2, 1989) * "

So Said Kay ''So Said Kay'' is an EP by the Field Mice The Field Mice were an English indie rock band on the independent record label Sarah Records. They had top 20 success in both the singles and albums UK Independent Charts. Career The Field Mice initi ...

" (10", Sarah 038, 1990) * " September's Not So Far Away" (7", Sarah 044, 1991) * "

" (12", Sarah 057, 1991) * " Burning World" (7", BULL 4–0, 1991) ;Peel session * "Anoint"/"Sundial"/"Fresh Surroundings"/"By Degrees" (Recorded on 1 April 1990 and originally broadcast on

's radio programme, on 23 April 1990 on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

). All four songs were written specially for this session and were not released on any of their records.

References

External links

Field Mice biography - Alastair Fitchett, LTM reissue sleevenotes

- ''Page capture taken on 16 November 2007, courtesy of Internet Archive'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Field Mice, The Sarah Records artists British indie pop groups Musical groups from London English indie rock groups Musical groups established in 1987 Musical groups disestablished in 1991