Liverpool Eric's: Eric's - May 7th

Monday, 30 May 2016

Eric's - May 7th - 31st 1979

Monday 7th May Next
Next had a Monday night residency through May. Phil Jones was Afraid of Mice.

Afraid of Mice is the musical creation formed in Liverpool in 1979, drawing inspiration both from the infamous theatricality of progressive tradition and the energy of punk. The band's leader, Phil Franz Jones had been in music for quite some time before putting the band together. His music career started in 1977 with the WC Wardrobe's Swinging Clit, a band quite at odd with what was going on in London, whose sound was structured around a flute, a rhythm guitar and bongos.

In the same year he left WWCWSC to join Skyfall and Mothmen, first, and form Next, then. Next had a quite fluid line-up including at some point -- besides Jones on vocals and sax -- Dave Cunningham (guitars and vocals), Ronnie Stone (guitars), Steve Emberton (bass, future Motion Pictures), Terry Sterling (drums, ex Love Ponies, later Personal Column), Geoff Kelly (bass, ex Strange Band), and occasionally Charlie Griffiths (keyboards, also Pink Military, Wah! Heat, Mothmen, then Simply Red and James). Next recorded one single (Funny Lady), and several track for an album that never got released, due to the band split (1978).

James and Geoff recruited drummer Clive Gee (ex Hitlerz Underpants, with Paul Humphreys and Amdy McCluskey who went on to form OMD) and through after various changes of names (among which Beano, Press, Jones) they finally settled on Afraid of Mice. This act started out as a cover band and only later they started to write their own material. At this point in the band history other members entered the picture, first guitarists Ronnie Stone (later to form Freeze Frame) and then Roddie Gilliard (then to join Windows). The four-piece band (with Giliard on guitar) recorded two song to be featured in the Liverpool compilation 'A Trip To The Dentists' (1980).