The Field Mice initially formed as a duo from the south London suburb of
Mitcham comprising Robert Wratten (vocals and guitar) and Michael Hiscock (bass guitar). The pair had first met in the lower sixth form at
Tamworth Manor School as 16-year-olds, drifting apart until being reunited following a chance meeting in the Croydon branch of
Our Price two years later. Wratten and Hiscock were initially inspired by
post-punk bands including
Joy Division,
New Order and
Echo & the Bunnymen. The group's first single, "
Emma's House", was released in November 1988, and reached number 20 in the
UK Independent Chart. But it was with their second single "
Sensitive" that they first received significant critical attention, with the unique feat of
Les Inrockuptibles naming it a unanimous single of the month among their writers, giving them a top-20 indie hit and with a subsequent placing in John Peel's 1989
Festive Fifty. Debut mini-album
Snowball reached number 3 on the UK Indie Albums Chart. with the first recorded fruits of this new line-up being the
Skywriting mini-LP and the
So Said Kay EP. Williams was less entrenched in the group's established post-punk influences; he introduced Wratten to
the Beach Boys' catalogue, and the pair further bonded over shared inspirations such as
Kraftwerk,
OMD and
the Jam. on vocals, keyboards and guitar, and Mark Dobson (whom the band had first met at the Camden Falcon on the occasion of Williams' live debut) on drums. This five-piece line-up later recorded what was to be their final album,
For Keeps. displayed a strong influence from the popular dance music of the time. Catt later went on to develop the pop dance sound of "Missing the Moon" further with
Saint Etienne (whose second single was a
cover version of the Field Mice's "
Let's Kiss and Make Up"). ==Split and legacy==