Wednesday 14 November 2018

Busy Tuesday

Lunch at Dirleton with Ian and Tom, then

King Crimson at the Playhouse with Bill and Gavin.

IanTom

KCPlayhouse

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

Wednesday 31 October 2018

Anthony

Anthony

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

First Aid Kit

FAK1

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!

Saturday 20 October 2018

Gig 50– DM@30

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.

Wednesday 17 October 2018

Robert Fergusson Wreath 2018

RFS18a

RFS18b

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

Wednesday 10 October 2018

More annoyances

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

Monday 8 October 2018

The Musical Box

MusicalBox

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.

Thursday 27 September 2018

DM Anniversary Gig

WB Still

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

Thursday 20 September 2018

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

Thursday 13 September 2018

Denmark Trip

DSC01468

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

Thursday 30 August 2018

League of Gentlemen

LOG

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.

Tuesday 28 August 2018

Modern Tempers Review

Modern-Tempers-Title

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!

Wednesday 22 August 2018

Visit to Newbridge

MercedesCup

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

Monday 13 August 2018

Rother at Leith Theatre

RotherLeith

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.

Wednesday 11 July 2018

Wednesday 4 July 2018

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.

 Barney

Friday 29 June 2018

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.

Pie (2)

Salad

Pud

Tuesday 19 June 2018

Podcast on KAZA FM

KAZAFM

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!

Tuesday 5 June 2018

Fish Cutlery

EPNS

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.

Thursday 31 May 2018

Airplay U.S.A. 3

WFMU2018

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

We’ll take Manhattan….

Tuesday 22 May 2018

Airplay U.S.A.

WPKN2018

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

Monday 14 May 2018

Trip to Liverpool

DSC_1093

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.

Sunday 13 May 2018

Gig 49

The launch of Modern Tempers, the seventh collection by Dancing Mice 12th May 2018, Henry’s Cellar Bar.32293604_10157754940986164_9097350858802200576_n

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.

Wednesday 25 April 2018

Peter Hammill

PH1

PH2PH3

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

Friday 23 March 2018

London Jaunt

St Pauls

Tate Modern

VandA

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

Saturday 17 March 2018

Numan

Numan

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

Tuesday 13 March 2018

Monday 12 March 2018

Northern Lights Night-Flight

Aurora

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

Friday 2 March 2018

Website Updated At Last

Itinerarypage

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

Wednesday 14 February 2018

Sunday 11 February 2018

Michael Rother Again

Rother1

Rother2

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.