Winter Box

Chox 18

Windermere 18

Busy Tuesday

Lunch at Dirleton with Ian and Tom, then

King Crimson at the Playhouse with Bill and Gavin.

Tuesday 13th November 2018

Neurotica, Indiscipline, Epitaph, Peace: An End
Pictures of a City, Cadence and Cascade, Discipline,
Radical Action (To Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind),
Meltdown, Radical Action II, One More Red Nightmare
Islands, The Letters, Cirkus, Lizard (Bolero to Lament)
Moonchild, Easy Money, Larks' Tongues in Aspic II,  The Court of the Crimson King, Starless

Anthony

1.19% of Boys’ names in 1959; steadily falling away since.

First Aid Kit

First Aid Kit at The Usher Hall Friday 26th October, very good show, easy-rock with great harmonies. Went with Bill and Woody. Next concert..King Crimson!

Gig 50– DM@30

A Special gig at Henry’s Cellar Bar, Edinburgh

20th October 2018, the 30th anniversary of Ian and Gavin dropping round to start a band, which turned out in the end to be Dancing Mice.

The set covered all seven albums, great to dig out Tamagotchi Girl, Crusader Castles, Blue Screen, The Science of Survival, and at long last the world premiere of a live version of Waterboy Blues, which will definitely feature in the future.

Setlist:

I - Pictures of Biggles, Cool, St Rita's Matrix, Backroom Boys, Tamagotchi Girl, Crusader Castles, Blue Screen, Freiburg (CH) '98

Interval

II - Death Makes You Feel Like a Man, Waterboy Blues, The Science of Survival, Swiss Disco, The g Factor, Red Star, It's Abnormal, Mouse in Love, Selling The Party.

Sound: Tom. Took a lot of trouble and the sound was great onstage and front of house

Reception: Warm, appreciative, strangers wowed.

Robert Fergusson Wreath 2018

Lovely autumn day at the Canongate Kirk, with Leona, Ruby, Charlie and Moyra, followed by coffee in Cafe Vivo.

More annoyances

Looks like I can’t post photos via Open Live Writer again grr.

The Musical Box

Genesis tribute band at the Usher Hall last night, remarkably good mimics. Some odd choices of song, e.g.”Time Table”, “Seven Stones” and finishing with “Looking For Someone” from Trespass. Also, came on dressed in the fox-head for “The Musical Box” which was just wrong.

Did my arithmetic and realised it was 43 years since I saw the real band at the Usher Hall, which makes me 58 yrs old. Two Exclamation Marks in brackets.

Accompanied by Bill W. Expected to see Dale G.

DM Anniversary Gig

30th Anniversary gig planned for 20th October. Reviving some old songs, including a live premiere for Waterboy Blues, from Red Light Effect.

Denmark Trip Part 2

Roskilde Domkirke, Viking Ship Museum, Copenhagen Glyptotek, Thorvaldsen Museum, Frederiksborg Slot, Copenhagen dusk.

Denmark Trip Part 1

Copenhagen, Rosenborg Slot, Statens Museum for Kunst, Kronborg Slot, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

Denmark Trip

6th – 11th September with the Friends of the National Galleries of Scotland. Copenhagen, Roskilde, Hillerød. Sunny weather, interesting company, sumptious stuff.

Pics: https://www.flickr.com/photos/amoffoot/albums/72157671222854057

League of Gentlemen

At the Playhouse tonight, great show, started in simple tuxedos and gradually worked up to full costume and sets. Dozens of sketches, three-quarters new. Really funny all the way through. Went with Bill W.

Modern Tempers Review

In the August edition of Terrascope viz:

Edinburgh’s Dancing Mice, self-deprecatingly cite their influences as ranging from the 70s to the mid-70s (which begs the question why Fruits de Mer haven’t picked them up). In fact they may be thought of as a Caledonian version of Soft Hearted Scientists, slightly less bucolic perhaps but with an added quarter turn of XTC pop sensibility. Opener ‘Saint Rita’s Matrix’ is a fine case in point, a jollity farm-full of neat hooks and melodies that also doffs a cap in the direction of Divine Comedy. ‘Swiss Disco’ is also familiarly Partridge, a little more edgy and intricate with notes of early ‘80s King Crimson in structure and arrangement. This is the one I keep coming back to. The see sawing ‘Wastewater’ and ‘ECML’ (the latter about rail travel as you might have guessed from the title and therefore likely to pique our esteemed editor’s interest) are two that, unwittingly perhaps, cement the aural bond between Edinburgh and the Cardiff. ‘Summer (It Seemed To Me)’ though is vaguely Cope-ish – think those first couple of albums with their pastoral sequences - with a hint, too, of Barrett’s ‘Scarecrow’.

Nothing at all not to like there, then. It doesn’t always strike gold, though. ’Standing In For Love’ sounds flippantly jazz-lite in an old fashioned Radio 2 style and pretty much undoes the good work of ‘Saint Rita’s Matrix’ while there is a slight tailing off in quality in the latter third before ‘The Viper’s Bite’ brings us safely home to camp, though, in a manner that might not be unbecoming of a latter-day Caravan. Truth to tell this didn’t really gel with me the first time and selective listening would still be advisable, but it’s good to see them back with this their first album since 2014. While it’s been some time in gestation (as has this review) let us not forget the old adage, that if a thing’s worth doing well it’s worth doing slowly.

(Ian Fraser)

Phew!

Origins of Dancing Mice

Visit to Newbridge

First trip to Mercedes at Newbridge, faulty capacitor. 65 minute trip back to home grrr.

Rother at Leith Theatre

Michael Rother and Hans Lampe setting up earlier tonight (12th) at the revamped Leith Theatre. Stonking show. Blistering version of Zyklodrom. Went with Ian D.

Pedal Car

This was in a charity shop window today. Mine was red.

Barney the Dinosaur

Modern Tempers at  #22 in the WFMU ( New York ) charts. St Rita’s Matrix was commented on, Barney the Dinosaur/ China Crisis comparison. Ian quite pleased.

 

Super Party at Jane’s

Jane decided to throw a party for my retirement (11 months ago) , invited Gill, Mary, Gerry, Natalie and Dave. Amazing effort, much appreciated.

Podcast on KAZA FM

21.20 hrs 19/6/18

KAZA FM is a U.S. station, broadcast in Russian.

Five tracks chosen by Dancing Mice. We were asked to supply our favourite uplifting songs, and a fitting one of our own. The choices were:

Ian Deary (voice and sax)
‘Oslo skyline’ by Jaga Jazzist, from the album What We Must (2005).
Ian says: “Life stutters along interrupted by raptures. This is an anthem for that.”

Gavin Gibson (guitars and recorder)
‘Tribute to the greatest living Englishman’ by Martin Newell from the album The Greatest Living Englishman (1993).
Gavin says: “Good to hear someone who can unapologetically keep their chin up in times of adversity!”

Anthony Moffoot (synthesisers)
‘Flammende Herzen’ by Michael Rother from the album Flammende Herzen (1977).
Anthony says: “Immediately arresting from the first beautiful chime of the guitar, simple and serene and it tells a happy story.”

Roderick Murray (bass and guitar)
‘Go’ by Public Service Broadcasting, from the album The Race for Space (2014).
Roddy says: “I like it because it combines music, great historical events and astronomy which are all interesting!”

A Dancing Mice track
Dancing Mice have chosen ‘Thrills’ from the album 13 Difficult Lessons (2012).
This is a quirky indie-prog hymn to some of life’s simple pleasures.

Thrills sounded great!

Fish Cutlery

Jane gifted me Great Aunt Mary’s fish knives and forks in a poor, tarnished state but they have come up a shiny treat. EPNS unfortunately.

Airplay U.S.A. 3

Independent freeform radio broadcasting at 91.1 fm in New York . St Rita’s Matrix.

We’ll take Manhattan….

Airplay U.S.A. 2

Swiss Disco and Embers, unlikely choices but good.

Airplay U.S.A.

Bridgeport, Connecticut. 18th May 2018, played Summer ( It Seemed To Me ) from Modern Tempers.

Trip to Liverpool

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmkwJ4X8

With Friends of the National Galleries Scotland, 8th – 11th May. Two cathedrals, three art galleries, Terracotta Warriors, Speke Hall, Port Sunlight, Crosby beach Iron Men.

Gig 49

The launch of Modern Tempers, the seventh collection by Dancing Mice 12th May 2018, Henry’s Cellar Bar.

We played two sets separated by an interlude for cakes and prosecco.

Setlist: Pictures of Biggles, Cool, St Rita’s Matrix, Standing In For Love, Backroom Boys, Watching Waters Rise, Medley: Poland/Embers.

Folder Dressed In Blue, Swiss Disco, Death Makes You Feel Like A Man, Jump Jump, Red Star, It’s Abnormal , Mouse In Love, encore – Selling The Party.

Sound – Tom  – new to us,  the audience said the sound was great out front, a little weird on stage in the second half, it had been turned up.

Reception – Yet again, no low points. Everyone seemed to like everything, despite one of two maculate performances. The second half built a momentum and ended in cheers and dancing.

N.B. Ann Deary’s birthday celebrations too.

Peter Hammill

At Oran Mór, Glasgow. Expected to be disappointed, but I wasn’t.  Siren Song, Losing Faith In Words, Time Heals, Sitting Targets, etc. etc. Accompanied by Ian and Ann briefly met Anji and Claudie at the end.

Travel through very easy, train, Subway to Hillhead.

Siren Song,Losing Faith in Words, Anagnorisis, After the Show, Time Heals, Amnesiac, Shingle Song, Charm Alone, Sitting Targets, If I Could, Time for a Change, Last Frame, Unrehearsed, Reputation, His Best Girl, The Mercy, Stranger Still, Vision

Streptocarpus

Good violet-blue.

Modern Tempers

http://www.amoffoot.co.uk/DMmoderntempers.html

London Jaunt

Charles I and Charles II exhibitions very interesting. Learned lots.

Numan

Gary Numan at the Assembly Rooms 16th March. Fun.  With Bill and Woody.

New Blinds for Old

Saga complete, blinds re-dressed.

Repair

Hanging droplet repaired on a whim and a prayer.

Northern Lights Night-Flight

Went last night on the  Omega “Northern Lights” trip, flew up past Shetland.

Website Updated At Last

Website Travel pages updated after 2yr delay. That’s snowy weather for you. 2003 still to be sorted, after the Virgin webspace shut down.

http://www.amoffoot.co.uk/mapX.html

Snowday

Most snow since 2010.

Freesias

Mary liked her birthday present.

Modern Tempers–Stage 1

New Dancing Mice album went off to press today.

Michael Rother Again

Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh 9th February 2018.

Great sound. Hans Lampe terrific on drums. Neuschnee, Seeland, Hallogallo, Negativland faithfully done. Katzenmusik and Karussel especially good. Sterntaler selection good too.

Bill Wait and Ian Deary accompanying.

Supermoon over Pilrig