Jacob's Mouse were a three-piece indie rock band from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. The band comprised identical twins Hugo and Jebb Boothby on guitar and bass respectively, along with singing drummer Sam Marsh. The band members initially got together when they were aged 11. They initially played covers, but progressed to original material inspired by bands they heard on John Peel's radio show such as Dog Faced Hermans, and adopted the name Jacob's Mouse, a reference to a cousin's pet.
The group's first release, The Dot EP, was named 'single of the week' by Sounds, and they went on to play support slots with bands such as Nirvana, Carter USM, and Senseless Things. They released first album No Fish Shop Parking on their own Blithering Idiot label, which was well received by critics, saw them described by Option magazine as "the current embodiment of the rock 'n' roll spirit", and led to airplay on Peel and Mark Goodier's BBC Radio 1 shows, and they went on to record two sessions for Peel's show in 1992.
The band signed to Wiiija, and toured with Babes in Toyland, before releasing the Ton Up EP in September 1992, also signing to Frontier Records in the United States. Second album I'm Scared, released in April 1993, saw the band's profile rise further, and it received a four star review in Select. A compilation of tracks from singles and EPs, Wryly Smilers, was released in September 1994. Third album, Rubber Room, was released in February 1995, with the band splitting up later that year. Marsh went on to record a few singles and three albums as The Machismo's,and played in hardcore punk band Volunteers for a time, before forming dub band Zen Reggae Masters.
The band sent their debut EP to Peel in 1990, which led to an airplay by the DJ. In 1992, Peel saw the group perform at the Waterfront in Norwich and also invited the band to do two sessions for his shows during that year. Throughout their period, the group were constantly played by Peel, due to their music that he liked, as well as being a local band from the area where he lived at Peel Acres.
In 2012, the band where the subject of a short video, "J is for... Jacob's Mouse", released after their three albums were found among the first 100 LPs by artists beginning with J when details of John Peel's Record Collection were first shared online. (See Record Collection: J.)
01 October 1993: ‘Dusty (7 inch - Good)’ (Wiija) (JP: ‘I’m wearing one of their [Jacob’s Mouse] t-shirts this evening. I think it gives me a certain devil may care look that you might find attractive.’)
