Cardiacs are an English
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band formed in
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as ...
by
Tim Smith Tim, Timothy or Timmy Smith may refer to:
Musicians
* T. V. Smith (born 1956), British singer and songwriter
*Tim Smith (Cardiacs) (1961–2020), English singer-songwriter and frontman of Cardiacs
*Timmy Trumpet (born 1982), Australian DJ and prod ...
(lead guitar and vocals) and his brother
Jim
Jim or JIM may refer to:
* Jim (given name), a given name
* Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James
* Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy
* OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism
* ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring
* ''Jim ...
(bass, backing vocals) in 1977 under the name Cardiac Arrest. The band's sound fused
circus
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...
,
baroque pop
Baroque pop (sometimes called baroque rock) is a fusion genre that combines rock music with particular elements of classical music. It emerged in the mid 1960s as artists pursued a majestic, orchestral sound and is identifiable for its appropria ...
and
medieval music
Medieval music encompasses the sacred and secular music of Western Europe during the Middle Ages, from approximately the 6th to 15th centuries. It is the first and longest major era of Western classical music and followed by the Renaissance ...
with
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
and
post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...
,
adding other elements like
nursery rhymes
A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and many other countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes.
From t ...
and
sea shanties
A sea shanty, chantey, or chanty () is a genre of traditional Folk music, folk song that was once commonly sung as a work song to accompany rhythmical labor aboard large Merchant vessel, merchant Sailing ship, sailing vessels. The term ''shanty ...
.
Tim Smith was the primary lyricist, noted for his complex and innovative compositional style. He and his brother were the only constant members in the band's regularly changing
lineup.
The band created their own
indie label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...
, the Alphabet Business Concern, in 1984 and found mainstream exposure with the single "
Is This the Life?
"Is This the Life" (also written "Is This the Life?") is a song by English rock band Cardiacs from their debut studio album ''A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window'' (1988). The song was released on vinyl by the Alphabet Business Co ...
" from their debut album ''
A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window
''A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window'' is the debut studio album proper by the English rock band Cardiacs. Released on 21 March 1988, its single "Is This the Life" saw brief chart success due to exposure on mainstream radio, ...
'' (1988). Their second album, ''
On Land and in the Sea
''On Land and in the Sea'' is the second studio album proper by the English rock band Cardiacs. Produced by band leader Tim Smith, it was recorded and mixed in 1988 at The Slaughterhouse studios in Yorkshire and released in May 1989 by the band ...
'' (1989), was followed by ''
Heaven Born and Ever Bright
''Heaven Born and Ever Bright'' is the third studio album by British rock band Cardiacs. It was produced by Tim Smith, engineered by David Murder and mixed by both. Due to Rough Trade going bankrupt soon after the album's release, it was scarce ...
'' (1992), which displayed a harder edged,
metal
A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
-leaning sound retained in the subsequent albums ''
Sing to God
''Sing to God'' is the fourth studio album by English rock band Cardiacs. Their first album with drummer Bob Leith and their second as a four-piece, it was recorded throughout 1995, breaking a hiatus by the band that had lasted since the band' ...
'' (1996) and ''
Guns
A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, pr ...
'' (1999). The final Cardiacs album, ''
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...
'', was left unfinished after Smith was hospitalised with
dystonia
Dystonia is a neurological hyperkinetic movement disorder in which sustained or repetitive muscle contractions result in twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal fixed postures. The movements may resemble a tremor. Dystonia is often inten ...
resulting from a
cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...
and
stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
in 2008, which caused the band to go on hiatus indefinitely.
One of Britain's leading
cult rock bands, Cardiacs' sound folded in genres including
art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...
,
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
,
psychedelia
Psychedelia refers to the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic music and style of dress during that era. This was primarily generated by people who used psychedelic ...
and metal, topped by Smith's anarchic vocals and hard-to-decipher lyrics.
The band's theatrical performance style often incorporated off-putting costumes and makeup with on-stage confrontations. Their bizarre sound and image made them unpopular with the press, but they amassed a devoted following. Smith's illness brought increased critical recognition to Cardiacs, with several music outlets calling ''Sing to God'' a masterpiece. His death in 2020 saw a raft of tributes on social media. Many rock groups including
Blur and
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...
were influenced by Cardiacs' eclectic music, which appeared on streaming services in 2021.
History
1977–1984: Early years
Cardiacs originated in
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as ...
, Surrey, in the late 1970s.
Frontman
Tim Smith Tim, Timothy or Timmy Smith may refer to:
Musicians
* T. V. Smith (born 1956), British singer and songwriter
*Tim Smith (Cardiacs) (1961–2020), English singer-songwriter and frontman of Cardiacs
*Timmy Trumpet (born 1982), Australian DJ and prod ...
began his musical career in 1975 after forming a nameless band at school in which he played guitar.
Smith played his first gig at Surbiton Assembly Rooms aged 16 alongside
Adrian Borland
Adrian Kelvin Borland (6 December 1957 – 26 April 1999) was an English singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer, best known as the frontman of post-punk band the Sound.
Following a substantial musical career spanning numerous group ...
of
the Outsiders and drummer Bruce Bisland as Gazunder.
The Cardiacs biography describes their two gigs in 1976 as sounding "a bit like the rocky instrumental bits" on
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
's ''
The Man Who Sold the World'' (1970).
The band that would become Cardiacs was formed in late 1977 by Smith and his brother
Jim
Jim or JIM may refer to:
* Jim (given name), a given name
* Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James
* Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy
* OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism
* ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring
* ''Jim ...
on bass guitar and backing vocals, alongside Michael Pugh on lead vocals and
Peter Tagg on drums.
The project was initially called the Filth,
but soon changed their name to Cardiac Arrest.
According to the official history, Tim Smith formed the band merely to punish his brother "for all the unkind things he would do to him as an infant",
as Jim allegedly couldn't play an instrument.
Cardiac Arrest produced a demo in 1977, and released their debut single "
A Bus for a Bus on the Bus" in 1979 under
Tortch Records
Stephen Budd is a British music industry executive based in London. He is a director of artist and producer management company Stephen Budd Music Ltd, the OneFest Festival, the Africa Express (organization), Africa Express project and is the co-f ...
.
Smith, the primary lyricist, initially took on guitar and backing vocal duties before a personnel change saw him promoted to frontman.
Cardiac Arrest followed the single with a full-length cassette release titled ''
The Obvious Identity
''The Obvious Identity'' is a self-released album by English rock group Cardiacs, their first album of any sort, released under the group's earlier name of Cardiac Arrest. The album format was cassette tape, and it was only sold at concerts. T ...
'' in 1980,
which was released at around 1000 copies exclusively sold at concerts.
Shortly after, the group went through a number of name changes, settling on simply Cardiacs in 1981.
They held their first concert under the new name in April.
In 1981, Cardiacs self-released the cassette album, ''
Toy World
''Toy World'' is the second demo album by the English rock band Cardiacs (including ''The Obvious Identity'', released on cassette the previous year under the band name "Cardiac Arrest"). The cassette is a mixture of older songs by the earlier ...
'', featuring both new material and recordings dating back to the Cardiac Arrest period.
(Consequently, some tracks featured Michael Pugh as lead singer rather than Tim Smith). During 1981, Colvin Mayers left the band to join
the Sound, a group led by Borland. Sarah Cutts briefly covered live keyboards as well as saxophone, before Mark Cawthra swapped drums for keyboards and Dominic Luckman was recruited from the road crew as the new drummer. At around the same time percussionist Tim Quy became a full-time member (also doubling on bass synthesizer). In July 1983, Tim Smith married Sarah Cutts – taking his surname, she was henceforward known as Sarah Smith.
In mid-1983 Mark Cawthra left the band, to be replaced on keyboards by
William D. Drake
William Derek Drake (born 7 February 1962) is an English musician, keyboardist, pianist, composer and singer-songwriter. He is best known as a former member of the cult English rock band Cardiacs, whom he played with for nine years between 1983 ...
. Tim Smith had previously met Drake in 1982 at the debut performance of Drake's band Honour Our Trumpet (who promptly invited him to join as bass guitarist.)
Following Cawthra's departure, Smith returned Drake's favour by inviting him to join Cardiacs. Drake played his first concert with the band on 31 August 1983. Later in the year, Cardiacs added Marguerite Johnston (alto saxophone) and Graham Simmonds (guitar), and for about a year the band worked as an octet. Both Johnston and Simmonds left during the following summer (in July and August respectively), although Simmonds stayed on as Cardiacs' sound engineer. At some point in 1983, Tim Smith produced two issues of a comic alternatively called "Peter and His Dog" and "Peter and His Dog Spot".
1984–1989: The "classic lineup" established
''The Seaside'' and ''Seaside Treats''
By autumn 1984, the band lineup had settled as the sextet generally referred to as "the classic lineup" – Tim Smith (lead vocals and guitar), Jim Smith (bass and vocals), William D. Drake (keyboards and vocals), Sarah Smith (saxophones and vocals), Tim Quy (percussion and keyboards) and Dominic Luckman (drums).
The first Cardiacs release featuring the "classic" lineup was their third album, ''
The Seaside''
(although Cawthra featured throughout on drums, keyboards and voice; and Simmonds and Johnston also appeared on several tracks). The album was released on Cardiacs own record label, Alphabet (which later became Alphabet Business Concern). The bizarre and sinister "Alphabet Business Concern" mythology now began to become a significant part of Cardiacs' artistic presentation, and the band members would promote and add to it at every opportunity.
The band evolved an elaborate and theatrical stage show, involving off-putting
"bandsmen's uniforms, makeup, Sarah's music stand, (and) Tim's mile-wide grin".
Between 5 November – 21 December 1984, Cardiacs performed their first major British support tour, supporting
Marillion
Marillion are a British rock music, rock band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1979. They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock, becomin ...
at the personal invitation of Marillion's vocalist,
Fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...
. Whilst the tour afforded the band a new level of publicity, generally they were not well received by Marillion's fanbase.
On most dates of the tour, the band was pelted with a variety of makeshift missiles. During the 13 December show at the Hammersmith Apollo, Fish himself was indignant enough about the Marillion fans and their hostile behaviour to come onstage during Cardiacs' set and berate the audience about it. The band eventually ducked out of the last three days of the Marillion tour.
["Meet the most influential band you've never heard of"](_blank)
(Cardiacs article by Tom Goodhand in The Yorkshire Post, 9 November 2007
A Cardiacs spin-off project –
Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake
''Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake'' is an album by English psychedelic folk band the Sea Nymphs. Recorded and released in 1984 under the name Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake, it was the band's only recording to be distributed prior to their 1991 r ...
– emerged in 1984. As the name suggests, this featured Tim and Sarah Smith plus William D. Drake and consisted of a quieter, more acoustically-orientated take on Cardiacs' music. The project released a self-titled cassette album which was only available via the Cardiacs fan club. Later on, the project would be renamed
the Sea Nymphs.
On 1 April 1985, an attempt was made to film Cardiacs at a live concert at the Surbiton Assembly Rooms. The band had been approached by film-maker Mark Francombe (later a member of
Cranes) and his colleague Nick Elborough, both of whom were at that time students at Portsmouth College of Art and Design. Francombe and Elborough offered to film the band for free as part of their coursework project. However, when the band viewed the resultant footage, they decided against releasing it. Instead, they retained Francombe and Elborough for a new video project which would become ''
Seaside Treats'', named after the 12" single that was released at the same time. As well as containing three music videos, ''
Seaside Treats'' contained a ten-minute film named ''The Consultant's Flower Garden''. The latter featured Cardiacs (and various people connected with them) in bizarre, comedic situations which continued to propagate the absurdist Alphabet Business Concern mythology which surrounded the band.
''Big Ship'', ''A Little Man and a House'' & ''On Land and in the Sea''
In 1986, Cardiacs released the mini-album ''
Big Ship'' (the title track would prove to be one of their most enduring anthems). The band played the
Reading Festival
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festiv ...
on 24 August, releasing the very rough audio footage as the ''
Rude Bootleg
''Rude Bootleg'' (subtitled ''Live at the Reading Festival, 1986'') is a live album by the English rock band Cardiacs. It is the band's first live album, and was originally recorded at the Reading Rock Festival on 24 August 1986.
The original ...
'' album.
![Cardiacs incest headline](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Cardiacs_incest_headline.png)
In March 1987, the British tabloid newspaper ''
Sunday Sport
The ''Sunday Sport'' is a British tabloid newspaper that was founded by David Sullivan in 1986. It mainly publishes images of topless female glamour models, and is well known for publishing sensationalized, fictionalized, and satirical conten ...
'' ran a story claiming to be an exposé and revealing the supposedly
incestuous
Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adoption ...
relationship between Tim Smith and Sarah Smith, in which the couple were portrayed as brother and sister. The headline ran, "In their bizarre world of music... anything goes – even incest."
["We're Brother and Sister"](_blank)
– article in ''Sunday Sport
The ''Sunday Sport'' is a British tabloid newspaper that was founded by David Sullivan in 1986. It mainly publishes images of topless female glamour models, and is well known for publishing sensationalized, fictionalized, and satirical conten ...
'' 1 March 1987 (archived @ Cardiacs Museum website) (The article ultimately debunked the story by including a corrective quote from Tim Smith's mother). Band manager Mark Walmesley is thought to have started the whole rumour to gain some publicity for the band, predating the superficially similar strategy later employed by
the White Stripes
The White Stripes were an American rock duo from Detroit formed in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar, piano, and mandolin) and Meg White (drums and vocals). After releasing several singles and three albums with ...
twelve years later.
On 17 April, the band's music video for "Tarred and Feathered" (from the ''Big Ship'' mini-album) was broadcast on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
's groundbreaking music show ''
The Tube'', giving Cardiacs their first exposure on national television. Later in the year, Cardiacs released a 12-inch single called "
There's Too Many Irons in the Fire
"There's Too Many Irons in the Fire" is the second single by the English rock band Cardiacs, released on 12 August 1987.
Critical reception
In the week of its release, ''There's Too Many Irons in the Fire'' was awarded "Single of the Week" in ...
". In October, a live-in-the-studio session was recorded and broadcast by BBC Radio Leeds, followed in December by a similar session on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
for Janice Long's ''Night Track'' show.
In 1988, Cardiacs released their debut studio album proper, ''
A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window
''A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window'' is the debut studio album proper by the English rock band Cardiacs. Released on 21 March 1988, its single "Is This the Life" saw brief chart success due to exposure on mainstream radio, ...
''.
The single from the album, "
Is This the Life?
"Is This the Life" (also written "Is This the Life?") is a song by English rock band Cardiacs from their debut studio album ''A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window'' (1988). The song was released on vinyl by the Alphabet Business Co ...
", saw brief chart success due to exposure on mainstream radio, and garnered the attention of a wider audience when it entered the Independent Top 10 in the UK.
The band followed up this burst of success with another single, a cover of
the Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...
' "
Susannah's Still Alive
"Susannah's Still Alive" is a song by Dave Davies, released for his second solo single. The recording featured all of the Kinks' members as his backing band. It was a hit (peaking at #20 in the UK) but it did not live up to the expectations of ...
" with a video directed by Steve Payne.
Strange Fruit Records
Strange Fruit Records was an independent record label in the United Kingdom.
The label, established by Clive Selwood and John Peel in 1986, was the primary distributor of BBC recordings, including Peel Sessions.Larkin, Colin (ed.) (1998) ''Th ...
also released a 12-inch vinyl EP of the band's
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
session from the previous year, under the title ''Night Tracks (The Janice Long Session)''. By this time, Cardiacs concerts were drawing hundreds of audience members and they were well on their way to becoming a hit underground band. On 15 May, the band played a concert at the Paradiso in Amsterdam, which was recorded for later release as ''
Cardiacs Live''.
Later in the year, Cardiacs recorded tracks for what would become their fifth studio album, ''
On Land and in the Sea
''On Land and in the Sea'' is the second studio album proper by the English rock band Cardiacs. Produced by band leader Tim Smith, it was recorded and mixed in 1988 at The Slaughterhouse studios in Yorkshire and released in May 1989 by the band ...
'' which was released in 1989.
The album successfully consolidated the intricate style and unusual songwriting vision of ''
A Little Man and a House...'', but the stable lineup which the band had enjoyed for four years was now beginning to weaken.
1989–1999: Classic lineup fractures and power quartet established
''All That Glitters Is a Mares Nest'' and multiple departures
Over the following two years, the Cardiacs lineup began to disintegrate. Sarah Smith left the band suddenly in April 1989 and was not replaced, removing saxophone from the standard Cardiacs sound. Although Sarah would not rejoin the band, she would retain a long-term connection with Cardiacs by playing on future albums and would very occasionally appear as a special guest for live concerts. Tim Smith brought in a second guitarist –
Christian 'Bic' Hayes, formerly of
Ring
Ring may refer to:
* Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry
* To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell
:(hence) to initiate a telephone connection
Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...
and
the Dave Howard Singers
The Dave Howard Singers is a cult Canadian alternative rock band/project originally formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The project is based around the talents of singer-songwriter Dave Howard (the only consistent member) and the signature sound ...
– and the new two-guitar lineup toured extensively around the UK and Europe for the rest of the year (with Sarah Smith making the first of her special guest appearances at a Brixton Fridge concert on 17 September). During this period, the band also released ''
Archive Cardiacs'', a collection of material from the 1976–83 period (some of it previously unreleased).
Cardiacs toured and gigged intermittently during 1990, culminating in a shared concert with
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in 1981 in Meriden, West Midlands. None of the band's original members has been in the group since 1986. But since ''Utopia Banished'' (1992), the lineup of bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch ...
at Salisbury Arts Centre on 30 June. The Cardiacs half of the concert was filmed and released as the video ''
Maresnest'' (produced by Steve Mallet and directed by Steve Payne, and eventually also released as the 1995 live album ''
All that Glitters is a Mares Nest
''All That Glitters Is a Mares Nest'' (also known simply as ''Maresnest'') is a live album and concert film by the English Rock music, rock band Cardiacs. It is their third live album, and was originally recorded in the afternoon in the Salisbu ...
'').
The band performed as a seven-piece, with Sarah Smith making a one-day return as a band member. Although the concert has achieved legendary status amongst Cardiacs fans, it was problematic for the band. Among other things, Tim Smith's guitar fell apart and keys fell off Sarah Smith's saxophone.
After the Salisbury concert, Tim Quy left the band to pursue other projects. Like Sarah Smith, he was not replaced: the removal of live tuned and untuned percussion from the lineup further altered the established Cardiacs sound. Quy's departure was commemorated by a message at the end of the ''
Maresnest'' video stating "this film is dedicated to Tim Quy who left our world 30/8/90". (At the time, this was widely misinterpreted as an announcement of Quy's death).
The band was quiet for the first four months of 1991, during which time two more members departed.
William D. Drake
William Derek Drake (born 7 February 1962) is an English musician, keyboardist, pianist, composer and singer-songwriter. He is best known as a former member of the cult English rock band Cardiacs, whom he played with for nine years between 1983 ...
played his final concert with the band on 2 May at The Venue in New Cross (going on to join the band Nervous and, in 2001, embarking on a long-delayed solo career).
Christian Hayes
Christian David "Bic" Hayes (born 10 June 1964) is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. Best known as the frontman of Dark Star and guitarist with Levitation, he has also released solo material as Mikrokosmos, which was produced b ...
(had joined up-and-coming indie-psychedelic band
Levitation
Levitation (from Latin ''levitas'' "lightness") is the process by which an object is held aloft in a stable position, without mechanical support via any physical contact.
Levitation is accomplished by providing an upward force that counteracts ...
) played his own final gig as a Cardiac in Oxford on 16 May: although Cardiacs and Levitation were friendly with each other and had even toured together, Hayes had finally found it impossible to balance the demands of both bands. Both Hayes and Drake would continue to be associated with Cardiacs, and would occasionally guest with the band at selected live concerts many years later.
''Heaven Born and Ever Bright'' and the Rough Trade debacle
Although the band had historically been well-used to lineup changes, Cardiacs were profoundly affected by the multiple departures taking place between 1989 and 1991. A particular blow had been the departure of Drake, whose virtuoso keyboard skills and compositional input had made him one of the backbones of the band. Drake was considered irreplaceable and Cardiacs opted not to look for a new keyboard player, remaining as a quartet of two guitars, bass and drums (with
Christian Hayes
Christian David "Bic" Hayes (born 10 June 1964) is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. Best known as the frontman of Dark Star and guitarist with Levitation, he has also released solo material as Mikrokosmos, which was produced b ...
being replaced as second guitarist by
Jon Poole
Jonathan Charles Poole (born 16 October 1969), also known by his stage name Random Jon Poole, is an English multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter. He is best known for his work as guitarist for Cardiacs and as bass player for the Wildhea ...
who had previously played with the Cardiacs-inspired
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...
band Ad Nauseam). While Cardiacs was still able to record more fully orchestrated music in the studio, a lack of suitable personnel (or the budget to keep them in place) meant that the live band had to change drastically. Abandoning several signature musical features (saxophone, assorted percussion and virtuoso keyboards), Cardiacs' live music shifted away from the wider instrumentation of the past and moved towards a more guitar-heavy, power-rock sound in line with the remaining quartet lineup. However, the music remained complex, if narrower in focus, and Smith recorded additional keyboard and percussion parts onto backing tapes for the band to play over.
Before 1991 was over, the revitalised band had released a new single, called "
Day Is Gone", and played several concerts from October to December. This year also saw the release of ''
Songs for Ships and Irons
''Songs for Ships and Irons'' is a 1991 collection of non-album Single (music), singles and B-sides by Cardiacs. It combines the whole of the ''Big Ship (Cardiacs), Big Ship'' extended play, the whole of the "There's Too Many Irons In The Fire" ...
'', which compiled material from the ''Big Ship'' mini-album plus various singles and EPs. Also making an appearance in 1991 was the debut release by the Cardiacs spin-off,
the Sea Nymphs. Their debut single, "Appealing to Venus", was a free bonus item with the first 500 copies of "Day Is Gone" and was subsequently sold through the fan club. The debut Sea Nymphs album, ''
The Sea Nymphs'', was released in 1992. Cardiacs remained active during 1992, touring frequently within the UK, including a double-headed tour with Levitation. On 4 June 1992 at the
London Astoria
The London Astoria was a music venue at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England.
Originally a warehouse during the 1920s, the building became a cinema and ballroom. It was converted for use as a theatre in the 1970s. After further developme ...
, Cardiacs were supported by
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...
, who have acknowledged their influence from the band.
Prior to the departure of Hayes, Cardiacs had recorded an album called ''
Heaven Born and Ever Bright
''Heaven Born and Ever Bright'' is the third studio album by British rock band Cardiacs. It was produced by Tim Smith, engineered by David Murder and mixed by both. Due to Rough Trade going bankrupt soon after the album's release, it was scarce ...
'' (which featured several of Hayes' guitar and vocal parts, plus a track he had co-written called "Goodbye Grace"). This was released as the new Cardiacs album in the summer of 1992, the first fruit of a new distribution deal with
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. Having successfully promoted and sold records by punk rock and early post-pun ...
.
However,
Rough Trade ceased trading shortly after the release of the album. This ensured that ''
Heaven Born and Ever Bright
''Heaven Born and Ever Bright'' is the third studio album by British rock band Cardiacs. It was produced by Tim Smith, engineered by David Murder and mixed by both. Due to Rough Trade going bankrupt soon after the album's release, it was scarce ...
'' could neither be stocked nor ordered by record shops, with the result that Cardiacs were left thousands of pounds in debt and unable to recoup their recording expenses. (The album was eventually reissued on a revived Alphabet Business Concern in 1995 – it featured a picture of Jon Poole on the cover, although he had not actually played on the album when it was recorded.)
Despite this crippling blow, the band soldiered on, but by July 1993 yet another long-term member – drummer Dominic Luckman – had decided to quit. He played his last concert as a Cardiac member on 20 July at Camden Palace, London (and would later join the
Shrubbies
The Shrubbies were an English pop group from Wallington, London, active from 1996 to 1998. The band was formed as Shrubby Veronica by Craig Fortnam (vocalist and guitarist), Sharron Saddington (vocalist and bass guitarist) and the former Cardia ...
). In December 1993, Cardiacs revealed their new drummer, Jon Poole's former Ad Nauseam bandmate, Bob Leith. However, the following year proved to be Cardiacs' quietest year for a long time, with only four concerts played in total.
''Sing to God'' & ''Guns''
After three years without any new releases, 1995 saw the release of the ''Bellyeye'' single on Org Records (the record-releasing wing of long-term Cardiacs' supporters
Organ Magazine). This was a taster for Cardiacs' most epic recorded effort to date. ''
Sing to God
''Sing to God'' is the fourth studio album by English rock band Cardiacs. Their first album with drummer Bob Leith and their second as a four-piece, it was recorded throughout 1995, breaking a hiatus by the band that had lasted since the band' ...
'' was a double album, due to the sheer amount of material that Smith had written over a number of years. The album was notable for a change in Cardiacs' working methods – whereas most previous material had been written and arranged by Smith, the ''Sing to God'' sessions saw extensive contributions from
Jon Poole
Jonathan Charles Poole (born 16 October 1969), also known by his stage name Random Jon Poole, is an English multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter. He is best known for his work as guitarist for Cardiacs and as bass player for the Wildhea ...
who played a strong role in orchestrating Smith's basic material with detailed riffs and keyboard parts (and contributed several songs entirely written by himself). Drummer Bob Leith also made significant contributions to the album's lyrics.
''
Sing to God
''Sing to God'' is the fourth studio album by English rock band Cardiacs. Their first album with drummer Bob Leith and their second as a four-piece, it was recorded throughout 1995, breaking a hiatus by the band that had lasted since the band' ...
'' was released in two formats – as a limited edition double CD, and as two separate CDs. At the same time, the band reissued almost their entire back catalogue on CD. This constituted all of the albums from ''
The Seaside'' onwards, CD issues of live album ''
All that Glitters is a Mares Nest
''All That Glitters Is a Mares Nest'' (also known simply as ''Maresnest'') is a live album and concert film by the English Rock music, rock band Cardiacs. It is their third live album, and was originally recorded in the afternoon in the Salisbu ...
'' and the ''
Archive Cardiacs'' compilation, and a new compilation, the ''
Cardiacs Sampler''.
In April 1995, Cardiacs performed a BBC Manchester radio session on
Mark Radcliffe's show. During May, they toured with Pura Vida and
Sidi Bou Said
Sidi Bou Said ( ar, سيدي بو سعيد ') is a town in northern Tunisia located about 20 km from the capital, Tunis.
Named for a religious figure who lived there, Abu Said al-Baji, it was previously called Jabal el-Menar. The town it ...
and recorded a live acoustic session for
GLR Radio. On 17 June, they appeared as special guests of (and concert openers for)
Blur at their triumphant London Mile End Stadium concert.
From 31 October to 18 November, Cardiacs performed a long support stint on
Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba () were a British rock band formed in 1982 and disbanded in 2012. They are best known for their 1997 single "Tubthumping", which was nominated for Best British Single at the 1998 Brit Awards. Other singles include "Amnesia", " Enou ...
's UK tour.
In June and November 1996, Cardiacs embarked on two UK tours of their own, most significantly filling the
Astoria 2
The Astoria 2, subsequently known as the LA2 then the Mean Fiddler, was a nightclub at 165 Charing Cross Road in London, England.
History
The venue was originally a ballroom in the basement of the London Astoria theatre and connected by stairw ...
on 2 November. The June tour was promoted by a second BBC Manchester radio session with Mark Radcliffe, aired on 11 June.
The next two years saw no new music from Cardiacs and reduced live activity. However, there were three more London concerts in 1998 – at one of these (the Garage concert on 4 December) the band was joined for an encore by
William D. Drake
William Derek Drake (born 7 February 1962) is an English musician, keyboardist, pianist, composer and singer-songwriter. He is best known as a former member of the cult English rock band Cardiacs, whom he played with for nine years between 1983 ...
. During the same year Cardiacs also played several performances in Germany and the Netherlands, and made appearances in Brighton and at a festival in St Austell in Cornwall.
1998 also saw renewed activity by
the Sea Nymphs, with the "
Appealing To Venus" single reissued with extra tracks by Org Records, and a rare concert at the Camden Falcon in north London.
At the start of 1999, Cardiacs played three nights in a row at the Camden Falcon, London between 29 and 31 January: on the final date, Sarah Smith and William D. Drake joined in for the encore. On 20 and 21 March the band played two concerts at the Garage with support from
Dark Star (a new band featuring ex-Cardiac
Christian Hayes
Christian David "Bic" Hayes (born 10 June 1964) is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. Best known as the frontman of Dark Star and guitarist with Levitation, he has also released solo material as Mikrokosmos, which was produced b ...
) and Camp Blackfoot. Cardiacs toured the UK in June 1999 to support the release of their new album, ''
Guns
A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, pr ...
'',
described by some of the music press as being their most accessible album to date. The band performed another radio session on 13 June for "Inside Tracks" (on BBC Choice digital radio). Three more concerts followed in October.
2000–2008: lineup changes and reestablishment
Rare sightings, family gatherings and aborted recordings
During 1999–2000, Cardiacs began work on a new studio album that remains incomplete and unreleased. Only one song slated for inclusion ("Faster Than Snakes With a Ball and a Chain") has ever been released to the public (it appears on the band's 2002 compilation ''Greatest Hits''). Another song, the Jon Poole-penned "Silvery", appeared regularly in the band's live repertoire, and was later re-recorded by Jon Poole himself for the God Damn Whores' second album (albeit under the title "Sparkly Silver Sky"). While Tim Smith's given explanation for the album's nonappearance was that it had been rendered "broken" in some manner, bandmate Kavus Torabi has since stated that, while the band did record around this time, the concept of a "lost album" was apocryphal. Cardiacs concerts were rare over the next few years, although the band played the Glastonbury Festival on 23 June 2000 and played two subsequent Whitchurch Festivals on 5 August 2000 and 3 August 2001.
Counterbalancing the lack of tours, the band set up an annual tradition of one-off large-scale London concerts (the first of which took place on 11 November 2000 and the last in 2007). These usually took place in November at the London Astoria, and soon became a kind of Cardiacs family gathering in which the band was joined by various guests including former members and newer Cardiacs-inspired supported bands. During these concerts, Sarah Smith,
William D. Drake
William Derek Drake (born 7 February 1962) is an English musician, keyboardist, pianist, composer and singer-songwriter. He is best known as a former member of the cult English rock band Cardiacs, whom he played with for nine years between 1983 ...
,
Christian Hayes
Christian David "Bic" Hayes (born 10 June 1964) is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. Best known as the frontman of Dark Star and guitarist with Levitation, he has also released solo material as Mikrokosmos, which was produced b ...
and Dominic Luckman all appeared onstage with the band on various occasions, as did the Consultant and Miss Swift. Support bands were always musicians with a professed Cardiacs connection or influence, and included
Oceansize
Oceansize were an English rock band from Manchester, formed in 1998. The band consisted of Mike Vennart (vocals, guitar), Steve Durose (guitar, backing vocals), Richard "Gambler" Ingram (guitar, keyboards), Mark Heron (drums) and Jon Ellis (bass ...
,
the Monsoon Bassoon
The Monsoon Bassoon were an English independent rock band active between 1995 and 2001, notable for their exceptionally complex and energetic music. During their lifespan, the band won the NME's Single Of The Week award three times (for three c ...
,
the Scaramanga Six
The Scaramanga Six are an English rock band. Originally formed in 1995 and based in Huddersfield, the band currently consists of multi-instrumentalist founder members Paul Morricone (vocals, guitar, etc.) and Steven Morricone (vocals, bass guita ...
,
Stars in Battledress
Stars in Battledress (SiB) was an organisation of entertainers who were members of the British Armed Forces during World War II.
History
In Britain, during the Second World War, entertainment was considered an essential to keep morale high. I ...
and Jon Poole's hard-rock band GodDamnWhores.
''The Special Garage Concerts''
Between 17–19 October 2003, Cardiacs recorded three special concerts at the Highbury Garage venue in London. As
Jon Poole
Jonathan Charles Poole (born 16 October 1969), also known by his stage name Random Jon Poole, is an English multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter. He is best known for his work as guitarist for Cardiacs and as bass player for the Wildhea ...
was by now also the bass player for
the Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are an English rock band, formed in 1989 in Newcastle upon Tyne. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as the Beatles and 1980s-e ...
["Ginger's Secret History of Rock’n’Roll (pt. 7)" in Classic Rock magazine](_blank)
(Ginger from The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are an English rock band, formed in 1989 in Newcastle upon Tyne. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as the Beatles and 1980s-e ...
describing Cardiacs and retrospectively reviewing ''On Land and in the Sea
''On Land and in the Sea'' is the second studio album proper by the English rock band Cardiacs. Produced by band leader Tim Smith, it was recorded and mixed in 1988 at The Slaughterhouse studios in Yorkshire and released in May 1989 by the band ...
'') (and busy rehearsing for the upcoming Wildhearts tour) he was replaced for the concert by
Kavus Torabi
Kavus Torabi ( fa, كاووس تورابى; born 5 December 1971) is a British-Iranian musician and composer, record label owner and broadcaster. A multi-instrumentalist, he is known for his work in the psychedelic, avant-garde rock field (prim ...
(formerly guitarist and singer for
the Monsoon Bassoon
The Monsoon Bassoon were an English independent rock band active between 1995 and 2001, notable for their exceptionally complex and energetic music. During their lifespan, the band won the NME's Single Of The Week award three times (for three c ...
, Torabi was also a long-standing Cardiacs' associate who'd served as their guitar technician since the mid-1990s.)
For these concerts, the band delved back into their distant past, abandoning virtually all of their available back catalogue in favour of exclusively playing songs that had been performed prior to 1983. These were taken mostly from the cassette albums (''The Obvious Identity'' and ''Toy World'', but also included songs such as ''An Ant'', ''Hopeless'', ''Gloomy News'' and ''Hello Mr Minnow'' (which had never been officially recorded before and had only ever been played at concerts in the late '70s/early '80s). A two-volume CD set of recordings from the three shows – ''
The Special Garage Concerts'' – was eventually released in 2005. Professional video camera equipment was apparently seen being used to record the band during the concerts, leading to a rumour that members of Org Records had filmed the entire three nights for later video release. This was debunked by Torabi in a 2009 interview, in which he stated that no such recordings existed.
In the autumn of 2004, Torabi officially replaced Poole as Cardiacs' second guitarist, and made his formal debut as a full group member at the annual London Astoria concert on 12 November (Poole would go on to concentrate on GodDamnWhores, various
Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are an English rock band, formed in 1989 in Newcastle upon Tyne. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as the Beatles and 1980s- ...
-related projects,
Crayola Lectern and others). A number of other new members were drafted into the Cardiacs lineup at the same time – three backing singers (Claire Lemmon and
Melanie Woods of
Sidi Bou Said
Sidi Bou Said ( ar, سيدي بو سعيد ') is a town in northern Tunisia located about 20 km from the capital, Tunis.
Named for a religious figure who lived there, Abu Said al-Baji, it was previously called Jabal el-Menar. The town it ...
, plus former Shrubbies and current
North Sea Radio Orchestra
The North Sea Radio Orchestra (NSRO) is an English contemporary music ensemble and cross-disciplinary chamber orchestra (plus chorus). Formed in 2002, the NSRO was set up mainly as a vehicle for the compositions of its musical director, Craig F ...
singer Sharron Fortnam) and two percussionists – Cathy Harabaras and Dawn Staple – playing mostly bass drums.
![קארדיאקס](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/%D7%A7%D7%90%D7%A8%D7%93%D7%99%D7%90%D7%A7%D7%A1.jpg)
After several years of limited live activity in front of established fans, Cardiacs made another attempt to recapture their momentum and play to fresh audiences by supporting long-terms fans
the Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are an English rock band, formed in 1989 in Newcastle upon Tyne. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as the Beatles and 1980s-e ...
for the latter's tour between 8–15 December 2004. This tour saw another substitution – drummer
Stephen Gilchrist
Stephen Gilchrist is an English people, English musician from London, England, who also teaches drums and guitar across London. He is best known as the drummer in Blur (band), Blur guitarist Graham Coxon's live band, and also appears on Coxon's l ...
(
Graham Coxon
Graham Leslie Coxon (born 12 March 1969) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and painter who came to prominence as a founding member of the rock band Blur. As the group's lead guitarist and secondary vocalist, Cox ...
,
the Scaramanga Six
The Scaramanga Six are an English rock band. Originally formed in 1995 and based in Huddersfield, the band currently consists of multi-instrumentalist founder members Paul Morricone (vocals, guitar, etc.) and Steven Morricone (vocals, bass guita ...
,
Stuffy/The Fuses) stood in for Bob Leith, who had previous tour commitments with art-punk band
Blurt
Blurt is an English post-punk band, founded in 1979 in Stroud, Gloucestershire.
Background
Blurt was founded in 1979 in Stroud, Gloucestershire by poet, saxophonist and puppeteer Ted Milton along with Milton's brother Jake, formerly of p ...
. Smith would later perform as a live acoustic trio with Ginger Wildheart and former Cardiac Jon Poole. Around this time a "Diary" was begun and updated for the majority of 2005 on the official Cardiacs website, chronicling the band's exploits in typical absurd fashion.
Three more annual Astoria gigs passed (the 2005 edition having been professionally shot, currently existing in an unedited state awaiting Tim Smith's involvement until 2007 when Cardiacs released their first new material for eight years: the "
Ditzy Scene
"Ditzy Scene" is a song by English rock band Cardiacs. It was planned as the opening track and lead single from the band's unfinished sixth album, ''LSD''. It was released on Org Records, and was the band's last single to be released in frontman ...
" single. Released on Org Records as a limited edition of 1,000 copies, "Ditzy Scene" was also the first release by the new lineup: on record this included Claire, Melanie, Cathy and Dawn, but the 2007 winter tour featured only Melanie and Cathy, both of whom were now playing percussion and singing.
2008–2020: Indefinite hiatus and death of Tim Smith
Tim Smith's heart attack
![Tim Smith of Cardiacs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Tim_Smith_of_Cardiacs.jpg)
At the end of June 2008, Tim Smith collapsed from a
cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...
after leaving a
My Bloody Valentine concert. This led to
hypoxic brain damage, leaving Smith severely debilitated by the rare condition
dystonia
Dystonia is a neurological hyperkinetic movement disorder in which sustained or repetitive muscle contractions result in twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal fixed postures. The movements may resemble a tremor. Dystonia is often inten ...
.
All Cardiacs-related releases and activity (including a work-in-progress album, provisionally entitled ''
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...
'') were immediately shelved until further notice. A year of silence followed during which Smith recuperated in private. In June 2009, a new announcement appeared on the official Cardiacs website, letting readers know that, after a year of rehabilitation, Tim Smith's mind had returned to full functionality and that "no part of your favourite pop star's intellect or personality has been found to be absent whatsoever." It thanked fans for their kind thoughts and made clear Smith's interest in returning to playing music with Cardiacs at such time as his physical rehabilitation allowed. However, it became clear that such rehabilitation would be a long process; and in August 2010, Kavus Torabi stated in an interview podcast that Cardiacs would never play live again.
Hiatus, fundraisers and related activities
Despite the enforced halt in Cardiacs' work as an active band, the group's influence and presence has been sustained by various concerts and campaigns. While most of these have been primarily aimed at raising money for Tim Smith's medical rehabilitation, they have also served both to raise awareness of the band's work and the growing body of musicians influenced by it.
In December 2010, two tribute CDs, ''
Leader of the Starry Skies: A Tribute To Tim Smith, Songbook 1'' and its limited edition companion ''
Leader of the Starry Skies - A Loyal Companion'', were compiled by former Cardiac
Christian Hayes
Christian David "Bic" Hayes (born 10 June 1964) is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. Best known as the frontman of Dark Star and guitarist with Levitation, he has also released solo material as Mikrokosmos, which was produced b ...
and former
Spratleys Japs
Tim Smith's Spratleys Rats, more commonly known by their original name Spratleys Japs, is an English psychedelic rock band formed by Cardiacs leader Tim Smith and Joanne Spratley in 1998. The band changed their name in 2021 to distance themsel ...
singer Jo Spratley. These were released on Kavus Torabi's record label Believers Roast, with all proceeds going directly to the continuing care of Tim Smith. The albums featured cover versions of Smith-penned material (originally for Cardiacs,
the Sea Nymphs,
Spratleys Japs
Tim Smith's Spratleys Rats, more commonly known by their original name Spratleys Japs, is an English psychedelic rock band formed by Cardiacs leader Tim Smith and Joanne Spratley in 1998. The band changed their name in 2021 to distance themsel ...
and Smith's solo album
OceanLandWorld) by musicians including
the Magic Numbers
The Magic Numbers are an English pop rock band consisting of two brother-and-sister pairs, from Hanwell in west London. The group was formed in 2002, releasing their debut album titled ''The Magic Numbers'' on 13 June 2005. Their follow-up alb ...
,
Steven Wilson
Steven John Wilson (born 3 November 1967) is an English musician. He is the founder, guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Porcupine Tree, as well as being a member of several other bands, including Blackfield, Storm Corrosio ...
,
Oceansize
Oceansize were an English rock band from Manchester, formed in 1998. The band consisted of Mike Vennart (vocals, guitar), Steve Durose (guitar, backing vocals), Richard "Gambler" Ingram (guitar, keyboards), Mark Heron (drums) and Jon Ellis (bass ...
,
Robert White/
Andy Partridge
Andrew John Partridge (born 11 November 1953) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer who founded the rock music, rock band XTC. He and Colin Moulding each acted as a songwriter and frontman for XTC, with Partridge writi ...
,
Sidi Bou Said
Sidi Bou Said ( ar, سيدي بو سعيد ') is a town in northern Tunisia located about 20 km from the capital, Tunis.
Named for a religious figure who lived there, Abu Said al-Baji, it was previously called Jabal el-Menar. The town it ...
and
North Sea Radio Orchestra
The North Sea Radio Orchestra (NSRO) is an English contemporary music ensemble and cross-disciplinary chamber orchestra (plus chorus). Formed in 2002, the NSRO was set up mainly as a vehicle for the compositions of its musical director, Craig F ...
as well as former Cardiacs including Hayes himself (as Mikrokosmos), Torabi (as Knifeworld),
William D. Drake
William Derek Drake (born 7 February 1962) is an English musician, keyboardist, pianist, composer and singer-songwriter. He is best known as a former member of the cult English rock band Cardiacs, whom he played with for nine years between 1983 ...
,
Mark Cawthra
Mark Cawthra is an English musician and record producer working in the UK. He was born in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England.
Biography
Cawthra's first serious musical activity was in an early (unnamed) music project with schoolfriend ...
and Peter Tagg (with
the Trudy
The Trudy are an English post-punk band formed in Kingston upon Thames in 1979 by former Cardiacs members Peter Tagg (drums) and Ralph Cade (vocals and keyboards) along with Derek Tagg (guitar) and Sue Smallwood (bass).
In 1980 The Trudy, with ...
).
In 2013, after a long period of radio silence, the official Cardiacs website relaunched with many pieces of merchandise for sale. Among other updates, an amendment to the 'History' section of the site humorously addressed Tim Smith's accident, subsequent incapacitation and the band's hiatus.
In the coming years, various Cardiacs releases would and continue to be added to the online shop, most notably a 2015
''Seaside'' boxset containing the original album remastered and with the original four "missing" tracks restored, as well as various supplementary material related to the era.
In 2013 and 2015 events dubbed "The Alphabet Business Convention" were held in celebration of and with all proceeds going towards Tim Smith's rehabilitation. They featured Cardiacs-related groups in performance such as Knifeworld, William D. Drake, and Redbus Noface. Several smaller benefit concerts were held from time to time in this period and moving forward.
In a 2016 feature via ''
The Quietus
''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics.
Content
''The Quiet ...
'', Kavus Torabi shed light on several past, present, and future Cardiacs projects.
It was an extraordinarily interesting and brilliant time for me because we'd already talked a great deal about what the plan was for the next few years for Cardiacs. We were going to make a film. Tim and I were planning out loads of treatments and scripts. Tim wanted to share the burden of Cardiacs a bit with someone and I was more than happy to do that. The way things stand, SDis nearly done but needs vocals and eyebrows and some of them need a few other touches. What there is does sound great but there's far more stuff completed that hasn't come out yet, that needs to come out. Tim is a perfectionist, and rightly so. Because his melodies make so much sense of everything, it would be ridiculous to put out these recordings, as exciting as they are, without the melodies. We have talked about people who Tim would approve of adding vocals, under his direction. I think Tim just wants to be well enough to really be producing it. I think his big drive at the moment is to finish off things that were started. There are a lot of loose ends that need tying up.
Later the same year, teaser images began appearing on Cardiacs' website and Facebook group, culminating in the announcement of the long-awaited next Sea Nymphs album, ''On the Dry Land'', whose songs had been recorded around the same time as the first album but were left unreleased for over 20 years. The album was released in November 2016 in CD and vinyl formats. The completion of on the Dry Land was made possible thanks to a turn for the better in Tim Smith's health; he was able to return to the studio to supervise production and additional recording necessary to the album's completion between 2015-2016. In an interview with
Uncut
Uncut may refer to:
* ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship
* ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997
* '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...
, Smith revealed that even more Sea Nymphs material beyond on the Dry Land will be released at some point. He also stated that he was "deeply touched" by the efforts of those who had contributed toward the Cardiacs tribute album, Leader of the Starry Skies (the sales of which went directly toward rehabilitating Smith) and that he had since "made a pledge to
imelf to get better".
In November 2016, Jo Spratley gathered several musicians of Cardiacs-influenced origins and "reformed" her and Tim Smith's band, Spratleys Japs (albeit without Smith due to his health, although he did attend as an audience member), for a one night show in which the band performed the entirety of the Japs' sole album, ''
Pony
A pony is a type of small horse ('' Equus ferus caballus''). Depending on the context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. Compared ...
'' (1999), as well as the remaining tracks from the "Hazel" EP (and ended the set with Cardiacs' own "Flap Off You Beak"). A second show was announced shortly afterward for January 2017, as a double billing with Kavus Torabi's band
Guapo.
In December 2016 Tim, Sarah, and William D. Drake were interviewed for Prog magazine, detailing more of Tim's current condition, the sessions behind ''On the Dry Land''
's creation and completion and confirming "at least an album's worth" of Sea Nymphs material that is yet to be finished.
Cardiacs will always be here. As for me, I'm still fighting them critters who are trying their best to stop me. But they are losing.
-Tim Smith
A third Alphabet Business Convention was held on 26 August 2017, featuring Cardiacs-related and inspired bands, in the spirit of the preceding conventions. The following month, in September 2017, the Alphabet Business Concern released the long-awaited ''Some Fairytales from the Rotten Shed DVD'' which featured Cardiacs rehearsing early songs (mixed with surrealist comedy similar to the ''Maresnest'' DVD) in preparation for "The Special Garage Concerts"-era live shows. (Prior to this, only four clips had been available to the public via the "abcglobus" YouTube channel, with a nearly-complete version of the DVD having been screened at the 2013 Alphabet Business Convention. During this time, the unreleased film was commonly referred to as "The Bumming Shed video" or "The Garage Rehearsals video".)
In January 2018, almost ten years since Tim Smith's cardiac arrest, an interview and full explanation of his condition were published in multiple major news publications as well as the official Cardiacs website. A donation campaign was simultaneously launched, its goal being to facilitate improved care for Smith with the hope that the proper neurological treatment it would fund would help him regain control of his body, as he had responded positively to similar, but minimal and inconsistent treatment in the past. The initial donation goal of 40,000 GBP was breached in less than 24 hours, and a new goal of 100,000 GBP was instated, which would fund treatment for one year.
In March 2018, almost all of the Cardiacs back catalogue (including all of the post-1990 singles and EPs, plus the
OceanLandWorld,
Spratleys Japs
Tim Smith's Spratleys Rats, more commonly known by their original name Spratleys Japs, is an English psychedelic rock band formed by Cardiacs leader Tim Smith and Joanne Spratley in 1998. The band changed their name in 2021 to distance themsel ...
,
Sea Nymphs and
Mr & Mrs Smith & Mr Drake spinoff projects) was reissued on
Bandcamp
Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...
as digital downloads.
Death of Tim Smith
Following twelve years of living with dystonia, Smith died on 21 July 2020, with his death announced the following day.
Following his death, Smith received a raft of tributes on social media.
Musical and lyrical style
Cardiacs' music is noted for balancing the attack and 'raw energy' of
punk rock with the intricacies and technical cleverness of early British
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
.
The band also incorporates elements of other musical forms such as
ska
Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
,
mediaeval music,
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
,
heavy metal,
hymns
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
and corporate anthems.
[Live review: Cardiacs – The Wedgewood Rooms, 22 November 2007](_blank)
from ''The Dreaded Press'' The music magazine
Organ
Organ may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a part of an organism
Musical instruments
* Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone
** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument
** Hammond ...
once commented that "one Cardiacs song contains more ideas than most other musicians' entire careers."
The broad combination of styles in the band's music has sometimes been referred to as "progressive punk" – or "
pronk" – and has led to Cardiacs being labelled the primary exponents of this musical style.
Tim Smith rejected the term, preferring the description "
psychedelic
Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...
" or simply "
pop".
Musicians that the band have cited as influences include
XTC
XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (guitars, vocals) and Colin Moulding (bass, vocals), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing in ...
,
Van der Graaf Generator
Van der Graaf Generator are an English progressive rock band, formed in 1967 in Manchester by singer-songwriters Peter Hammill and Judge Smith, Chris Judge Smith and the first act signed by Charisma Records. They did not experience much commerc ...
,
Gong
A gongFrom Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs ...
, early
Split Enz
Split Enz were a New Zealand rock band formed in Auckland in 1972 by Tim Finn and Phil Judd and had a variety of other members during its existence. Originally started as a folk-oriented group with quirky art rock stylings, the band built a ...
,
Devo
Devo (, originally ) is an American rock band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs (Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a ...
,
Gentle Giant
Gentle Giant were a British progressive rock band active between 1970 and 1980. The band were known for the complexity and sophistication of their music and for the varied musical skills of their members. All of the band members were multi-inst ...
,
Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias, early
Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
,
Deaf School
Deaf School is an English art rock/ new wave band, formed in Liverpool, England, in January 1974.
Overview
Between 1976 and 1978, the year in which they split up, Deaf School recorded three albums for the Warner Brothers label. The first alb ...
and
Wire
Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm
A wire is a flexible strand of metal.
Wire is c ...
.
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
's ''
Quadrophenia
''Quadrophenia'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released as a double album on 26 October 1973 by Track Records. It is the group's third rock opera, the two previous being the "mini-opera" song " A Quick One, While ...
'' was particularly influential on Smith's approach to songwriting, having taught how to write musical notation from the album's
songbook
A song book is a book containing lyrics for songs. Song books may be simple composition books or spiral-bound notebooks. Music publishers also produced printed editions for group singing. Such volumes were used in the United States by piano manu ...
. Smith once stated, "I don't know what influences us really, I wouldn't say that we are influenced by any actual bands in particular".
Tim Smith denied that Gentle Giant was an influence on the band, but Sarah Smith says that they were.
Earlier lineups of the band were sextets and octets employing extensive use of saxophones, percussion and live keyboards. From 1991 onwards, the band was a rock power quartet centred on two guitars (with the remaining keyboard and percussion parts sequenced on tape). Vocally, Cardiacs employed a distinctive singing style centred on Tim Smith's lead vocals (reedy and high-pitched, with a strong, punk-styled south London suburban accent) and choral sections (varying from yelled to falsetto) involving most or all of the band.
Smith
Smith may refer to:
People
* Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals
* Smith (given name)
* Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland
** List of people wi ...
's singing style has been described by music critics as 'skittish'; it has also been commented that his singing voice sounded very similar to his speaking one. The band's music was written almost entirely by Tim Smith, although contributions were sometimes made by other group members.
Smith was also responsible for the majority of the band's lyrics, which were written in a cryptic fractured form of English alternately hailed as poetic or nonsensical. He generally refused to discuss their content, preferring to keep the words and their inspirations shrouded in mystique and allowing for fan interpretations. Smith also sometimes employed a
cut-up
The cut-up technique (or ''découpé'' in French) is an aleatory literary technique in which a written text is cut up and rearranged to create a new text. The concept can be traced to the Dadaists of the 1920s, but it was developed and popularized ...
lyrical approach drawing on the works of (among others),
William Blake
William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...
,
Charles Kingsley
Charles Kingsley (12 June 1819 – 23 January 1875) was a broad church priest of the Church of England, a university professor, social reformer, historian, novelist and poet. He is particularly associated with Christian socialism, the working ...
,
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
and
T.S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National B ...
. Two favourite cut-and-paste sources were Pedro Carolino's ''
English As She Is Spoke
, commonly known by the name ''English as She Is Spoke'', is a 19th-century book written by Pedro Carolino, with some editions crediting José da Fonseca as a co-author. It was intended as a Portuguese–English conversational guide or phrase boo ...
'' (a failed
Victorian English-Portuguese phrasebook once hailed by
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...
as a perfect example of absurdity) and the nineteenth-century Irish poet
George Darley
George Darley (1795–1846) was an Irish poet, novelist, literary critic, and author of mathematical texts. Friends with such literary luminaries as Charles Lamb, Thomas Carlyle, and John Clare, he was considered by some to be on a level with Te ...
. Fans have also spotted references to the films ''
The Night of the Hunter'' and ''
Eraserhead
''Eraserhead'' is a 1977 American surrealist film, surrealist horror film written, directed, produced, and edited by David Lynch. Lynch also created its Eraserhead (soundtrack), score and sound design, which included pieces by a variety of oth ...
'' in Smith's words and music videos.
Performance style and mythology
![Cardiacs live in Amsterdam 1987 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Cardiacs_live_in_Amsterdam_1987_1.jpg)
Alphabet's original representative characters were Cardiac's "sordid, waxy" manager "the Consultant" (real name James Stevens) and his assistant and band advisor "Miss Swift", both of whom made onstage appearances with Cardiacs during the 1980s.
[1987 live review of Cardiacs at The Marquee Club, London, UK](_blank)
by Christopher "Push" Dawes in ''Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'' (copy of text hosted on Cardiacs homepage)[1987 live review of Cardiacs at The Bunker Club, Rotterdam, Netherlands](_blank)
by Christopher "Push" Dawes in ''Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'' (copy of text hosted on Cardiacs homepage)
In performance, Cardiacs generally rejected (or occasionally parodied) standard rock band posturing. The band's shows instead featured behaviour which has been described as "therapeutic, surrealist pantomime", compared to absurdist theatre, and labelled "not so much theatrically eccentric as completely fucking neurotic". During any given performance Tim Smith ranted between and during numbers, acting out bizarre childlike ideas and emotions.
[January 1988 live review of Cardiacs at The Marquee Club, London, UK](_blank)
by Cathi Unsworth in ''Sounds
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
'' (copy of text hosted on Cardiacs homepage)[March 1988 live review of Cardiacs at Town and Country Club, London, UK](_blank)
by Jane Solanas in ''New Musical Express
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' (copy of text hosted on Cardiacs homepage)[December 1988 live review of Cardiacs at Town and Country Club, London, UK](_blank)
by Andrew Smith in ''Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'' (copy of text hosted on Cardiacs homepage) During the 1980s the band perfected a detailed stage act involving shabby lift attendant costumes, badly-applied clown makeup, Tim Smith's bullying and confrontation
of other band members (predominantly Jim Smith), and a final formal presentation of champagne and flowers by the Consultant and Miss Swift complete with confetti, taking place to "a euphoric sweep of saxophone and keyboards that wouldn't seem out of place in a '70s cigar advert."
[1987 live review of Cardiacs at Dingwalls, London, UK](_blank)
by Andy Hurt in ''Sounds
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
'' (copy of text hosted on Cardiacs homepage) During the 1990s, the theatrical elements of the live show were toned down and the uniforms replaced by formal suits, although certain rituals (including the childlike mannerisms and Smith's ranting style) were retained.
[December 1988 live review of Cardiacs at Town and Country Club, London, UK](_blank)
by Stephen Dalton in ''New Musical Express
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' (copy of text hosted on Cardiacs homepage)
Legacy
While the critical status of Cardiacs is wildly mixed (the band tends to attract extreme responses with some critics hailing them while others violently condemn them to the point of pariahhood), Cardiacs were renowned for their unique performing and songwriting styles and their poetically cryptic, philosophical and abstract lyrics, as well as for their ability to produce a unique, complex and innovative sound with all their musical ventures over and over again throughout their long career.
Tim Smith regularly attracted fulsome praise: he has been described in the music press as the "
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...
", "
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
" and "
Messiaen
Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century. His m ...
" of rock and pop music for his complex and innovative compositional skills,
as well as being hailed as a genius (albeit sometimes a "deranged" one).
The snooker player
Steve Davis
Steve Davis (born 22 August 1957) is an English retired professional snooker player who is currently a Sports commentator, commentator, musician, DJ, and author. He is best known for dominating professional snooker during the 1980s, when he rea ...
is also a big fan of the band and attended many of their live gigs.
Cardiacs have had a profound underground influence on over three decades of musicians, including the pioneers of the
nu metal
Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...
and
avant-garde metal
Avant-garde metal (also known as avant-metal, experimental metal, and experimental) is a subgenre of heavy metal music loosely defined by use of experimentation and innovative, avant-garde elements, including non-standard and unconventional soun ...
genres. The band has also influenced
math rock
Math rock is a style of progressive and indie rock with roots in bands such as King Crimson and Rush as well as 20th-century minimal music composers such as Steve Reich. It is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures (includi ...
artists such as
the Monsoon Bassoon
The Monsoon Bassoon were an English independent rock band active between 1995 and 2001, notable for their exceptionally complex and energetic music. During their lifespan, the band won the NME's Single Of The Week award three times (for three c ...
and
Battles
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
.
The band are sometimes credited as having been the inventors of the "
pronk" (progressive punk) music genre;
[ Tim Smith rejected the term from the off, stating that Cardiacs are better described as a pop group or a ]psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
band.
Groups who have cited Tim Smith's work as a major influence include Blur and Radiohead, as well as Mike Vennart of Oceansize
Oceansize were an English rock band from Manchester, formed in 1998. The band consisted of Mike Vennart (vocals, guitar), Steve Durose (guitar, backing vocals), Richard "Gambler" Ingram (guitar, keyboards), Mark Heron (drums) and Jon Ellis (bass ...
, Mike Patton
Michael Allan Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American singer, producer, film composer and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the alternative metal band Faith No More. Noted for his vocal proficiency, diverse singing techni ...
of Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before settling on the current name in July 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/r ...
and Mr. Bungle
Mr. Bungle is an American experimental rock band formed in Eureka, California in 1985. Having gone through many incarnations throughout their career, the band is best known for music created during their most experimental era. During this time, ...
, and Tool
A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...
. During the 1980s, Cardiacs were a professed influence or inspiration for Marillion
Marillion are a British rock music, rock band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1979. They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock, becomin ...
, It Bites
It Bites are an English progressive rock and pop fusion band, formed in Egremont, Cumbria, Egremont, Cumbria, in 1982 and best known for their 1986 single "Calling All the Heroes", which gained them a Top 40, Top 10 UK Singles Chart hit. Initial ...
and British psychedelic acts such as Ring
Ring may refer to:
* Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry
* To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell
:(hence) to initiate a telephone connection
Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...
; during the 1990s, emerging bands and musicians who were Cardiacs fans included Blur, Supergrass
Supergrass are an English rock band formed in 1993 in Oxford. For the majority of the band's tenure, the line-up consisted of brothers Gaz (lead vocals, guitar) and Rob Coombes (keyboards), Mick Quinn (bass, backing vocals) and Danny Goffey ( ...
, Shane Embury
Shane Embury (born 27 November 1967) is a British bassist and a member of the grindcore and death metal band Napalm Death since 1987.
Career Napalm Death
While not a founding member, Embury is the longest standing member of the band, havin ...
of Napalm Death
Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in 1981 in Meriden, West Midlands. None of the band's original members has been in the group since 1986. But since ''Utopia Banished'' (1992), the lineup of bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch ...
, Storm Corrosion
Storm Corrosion was a musical collaboration between Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish progressive metal band Opeth and Steven Wilson, an English solo artist and frontman of the progressive rock band Porcupine Tree. Åkerfeldt and Wilson began a long ...
's Steven Wilson
Steven John Wilson (born 3 November 1967) is an English musician. He is the founder, guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Porcupine Tree, as well as being a member of several other bands, including Blackfield, Storm Corrosio ...
and Mikael Åkerfeldt
Lars Mikael Åkerfeldt (; born 17 April 1974)[Mikael Åkerfeldt](_blank)
, Op ...
, Neil Cicierega
Neil Stephen Cicierega ( ; born August 23, 1986) is an American comedian, actor, filmmaker, singer, YouTuber, musician, songwriter, puppeteer, artist, and animator. He is known as the creator of a genre of Flash animation he termed "Animutation ...
, the Scaramanga Six
The Scaramanga Six are an English rock band. Originally formed in 1995 and based in Huddersfield, the band currently consists of multi-instrumentalist founder members Paul Morricone (vocals, guitar, etc.) and Steven Morricone (vocals, bass guita ...
, the Monsoon Bassoon
The Monsoon Bassoon were an English independent rock band active between 1995 and 2001, notable for their exceptionally complex and energetic music. During their lifespan, the band won the NME's Single Of The Week award three times (for three c ...
, Leech Woman
This is a list of characters from the ''Puppet Master'' series of films.
André Toulon
André Toulon is the main protagonist of the Puppet Master series. Toulon appeared as a hero in '' Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge'', and a victim in the ...
, Justin Hawkins
Justin David Hawkins (born 17 March 1975) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and YouTube personality best known for being the founder, lead singer, and lead guitarist of The Darkness. He was influenced by rock bands of the 1970s and 1 ...
of The Darkness and the Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are an English rock band, formed in 1989 in Newcastle upon Tyne. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as the Beatles and 1980s-e ...
(who would later pay direct tribute via their track "Tim Smith" on 2009's ''Chutzpah!''). In recent years, Cardiacs has been an influence on a new generation of underground bands such as Rocketgoldstar, Little Trophy, the Display Team, Liberty Ships, Major Parkinson
Major Parkinson is a Norwegian rock group currently based in Bergen.
History
Major Parkinson was started in 2003 by Jon Ivar Kollbotn, Eivind Gammersvik, André Lund and Jan Are Rønhovde. In the same year, they won the Eggstock festival in Berg ...
and Silvery
Silvery are a London-based 4-piece indie rock band, signed to Blow Up Records (the label of the Britpop night club Blow Up). Their sound was described by journalist David Quantick in The Word as "Splenetic, frenetic, kinetic" and in NME as " ...
.
Six months after Tim Smith's death, Cardiacs' discography was added to streaming services on 22 January 2021.
Members
Current members
* Jim Smith – bass, vocals (1977–present)
* Bob Leith – drums (1994–present)
* Kavus Torabi
Kavus Torabi ( fa, كاووس تورابى; born 5 December 1971) is a British-Iranian musician and composer, record label owner and broadcaster. A multi-instrumentalist, he is known for his work in the psychedelic, avant-garde rock field (prim ...
– guitar, vocals (2003–present)
* Cathy Harabaras – percussion (2004–present)
* Melanie Woods – vocals (2004–present)
Former members
* Tim Smith Tim, Timothy or Timmy Smith may refer to:
Musicians
* T. V. Smith (born 1956), British singer and songwriter
*Tim Smith (Cardiacs) (1961–2020), English singer-songwriter and frontman of Cardiacs
*Timmy Trumpet (born 1982), Australian DJ and prod ...
– lead vocals, guitar, keyboards (1977–2020; died 2020)
* Michael Pugh – lead vocals (1977–1980)
* Peter Tagg – drums (1977–1979)
* Colvin Mayers – keyboards (1978–1981; died 1993)
* Ralf Cade – saxophone (1978–1979)
* Mark Cawthra
Mark Cawthra is an English musician and record producer working in the UK. He was born in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England.
Biography
Cawthra's first serious musical activity was in an early (unnamed) music project with schoolfriend ...
– drums (1979–1982), keyboards, vocals (1982–1983)
* Sarah Smith – saxophone, vocals, keyboards (1980–1989; touring 1989–2007)
* Tim Quy – percussion, keyboards (1981–1990)
* Dominic Luckman – drums (1982–1993)
* William D. Drake
William Derek Drake (born 7 February 1962) is an English musician, keyboardist, pianist, composer and singer-songwriter. He is best known as a former member of the cult English rock band Cardiacs, whom he played with for nine years between 1983 ...
– keyboards, vocals (1983–1990)
* Graham Simmonds – guitar (1983–1984)
* Margurite Jonston – saxophone (1983–1984)
* Christian Hayes
Christian David "Bic" Hayes (born 10 June 1964) is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. Best known as the frontman of Dark Star and guitarist with Levitation, he has also released solo material as Mikrokosmos, which was produced b ...
– guitar, vocals (1989–1991)
* Jon Poole
Jonathan Charles Poole (born 16 October 1969), also known by his stage name Random Jon Poole, is an English multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter. He is best known for his work as guitarist for Cardiacs and as bass player for the Wildhea ...
– guitar, keyboards, vocals (1991–2003)
* Sharron Fortnam – vocals (2004–2008)
* Claire Lemmon – vocals (2004–2008)
* Dawn Staple – percussion (2004–2008)
* Mr Hiles – Ordinary Shop Girl
* The Consultant – manager, label representative
* Miss Swift – label representative
Discography
* ''A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window
''A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window'' is the debut studio album proper by the English rock band Cardiacs. Released on 21 March 1988, its single "Is This the Life" saw brief chart success due to exposure on mainstream radio, ...
'' (1988)
* ''On Land and in the Sea
''On Land and in the Sea'' is the second studio album proper by the English rock band Cardiacs. Produced by band leader Tim Smith, it was recorded and mixed in 1988 at The Slaughterhouse studios in Yorkshire and released in May 1989 by the band ...
'' (1989)
* ''Heaven Born and Ever Bright
''Heaven Born and Ever Bright'' is the third studio album by British rock band Cardiacs. It was produced by Tim Smith, engineered by David Murder and mixed by both. Due to Rough Trade going bankrupt soon after the album's release, it was scarce ...
'' (1992)
* ''Sing to God
''Sing to God'' is the fourth studio album by English rock band Cardiacs. Their first album with drummer Bob Leith and their second as a four-piece, it was recorded throughout 1995, breaking a hiatus by the band that had lasted since the band' ...
'' (1996)
* ''Guns
A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, pr ...
'' (1999)
* ''LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...
'' (2008; cancelled)
Notes
References
External links
*
Pete's Cardiacs site
contains a wealth of information from 1976–present
Cardiacs Museum
fan site by Mandi Apple with photos and scans
2016 interview with The Sea Nymphs, featuring Tim Smith's first interview since his stroke
Tim Smith Health Statement 2018
Weʼre raising £100,000 to fund Tim Smith's healthcare costs for one year
{{Authority control
Musical groups established in 1981
Post-punk music groups
Musical groups from the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames