On September 14th 2003, Mouse Party #4 took place on the Battersea Barge. At 5pm when the doors and bar opened, there were a few green faces as the tide was high and the joint really was rocking! Alex soon ran out of Qualms but all was not lost - our star Mousetery Guest, Go West’s Peter Cox, discovered a great remedy for sea-sickness: A large jug of Pimms.

Even guests who’d found their sea legs expressed alarm about the level of the water outside the windows. Mercifully, the rocking gradually calmed down as the tide went out and the boat was gently lowered onto the mud.

As usual, there were 2 full sets of original Mouse Music, with a nutty Mousetery interlude and hot buffet dinner in the middle. 3 Blind Mice gems performed during the evening included (in no particular order):

The Word
Summer Still to Come
Friends & Relations
Pray God
Don’t Go Killing Me
Baby & All
Feeling All Gone Selfish
Don’t Get Caught
Blue Is Blue
I Wanna Be Alright
Jack & Billy
Boots Up
Wednesday
Colyshanka
The Bear Lies Down
Heartstrings
12
Hellbound Eyes
The First to Call Me Beautiful

Pete Cox’s incredible vocals went down brilliantly as the highlight of the Mousetery portion of the evening. Backed by a delighted Alex, Garry and Lyndon, Pete sang Don’t Dream It’s Over, Big Yellow Taxi and A Lover Is Forever. We’d like to thank Pete for being there, being brilliant and beautiful and letting his hair(?!) down with the other revellers.

Also in the Mousetery section, Lyndon sang Danny Boy, accompanied by Tam and Ted; Alex did Wait ’Till You See Her and, in a sudden gay moment, Broadway Baby from Follies. This last song had the bar staff mincing up Nine Elms Lane in glee!

Several songs during the night featured our guest Brass section of Sean Freeman (sax) & Ted Emmett (trumpet) and Richard Brooke on drums. Tam Neal made occasional appearances on piano, and Big Tom Edwards whipped out his harmonica to join the entire ensemble for a rabble-rousing rendition of Ride On at the end of the night.

The Cresswell clan were the last to leave and overheard us booking the venue for Mouse Party #5 on February 21st & 22nd. They immediately asked if they were allowed to come to both parties and whether they could bring their sleeping bags..... Let’s talk about that later, shall we?!

A huge thank you to all our fans, and a special thanks to our real dedicated fans who’ve been to just about every gig and Mouse Party so for - Tuong-Van and Wayne, Dan & Pip, The Cresswell/Skelton posse, Gary the Cowboy, Dawn Langan, the wonderful Helen and tribe and of course Big Tom.

Oh, and a quick mention to Wolf, who arrived after it finished.... that’s the closest he’s got to seeing the band as yet! We’re fairly confident he’ll make it in time for the 2nd set in February!

Everyone commented on the wonderful venue and delicious food. We really can’t praise the Battersea Barge highly enough. 3 Blind Mice have found their true home. Thank you to Peter and all the staff there. If you’re looking for a quirky, friendly, happy place for any occasion, do give them a call!