Cardiacs
Encyclopedia
Cardiacs are an English
alternative rock
/psychedelic pop
band formed in 1977 and led by Tim Smith
. Noted for their complex, varied and intense compositional style and for their eccentric, theatrical stage shows, they have been hailed as an influence by bands as diverse as Blur
, Faith No More
and Radiohead
.
Cardiacs have released eight studio albums plus a number of live albums, compilation albums and singles between 1980 and 2007, and are best known for the 1988 minor hit single "Is This the Life?
" They are also noted for attracting strongly diverse responses: they have remained one of Britain's leading cult rock bands during their four-decade-spanning career, but have also attracted virulent critical attack (including a lengthy editorial ban from the British music magazine New Musical Express).
The band has been on indefinite (and possibly permanent) hiatus following the 2008 hospitalisation of Tim Smith after a heart attack and series of strokes.
with the intricacies and technical cleverness of early British progressive rock
. The band also incorporates elements of other musical forms such as ska
, mediaeval music
, folk music
, heavy metal
, hymn
s and corporate anthems. The music magazine Organ
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
rejects the term, and prefers the description "psychedelic
" or simply "pop". Musicians which the band have cited as Cardiacs influences include XTC, Van der Graaf Generator
, Gong
, early Split Enz
, Gentle Giant
, Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias
, early Genesis
, Deaf School
and Wire
. Smith has 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 has 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 employ a distinctive singing style centred on Tim Smith
's lead vocals (reedy and high-pitched, with a strong punk-styled Estuary English
accent) and choral sections (varying from yelled to falsetto) involving most or all of the band. Smith's singing style has been described by music critics as 'skittish'; it has also been commented that his singing voice sounds very similar to his speaking one. The band's music is written almost entirely by Tim Smith
, although contributions have been made by other group members.
Smith is also responsible for the majority of the band's lyrics, which are written in a cryptic fractured form of English alternately hailed as poetic or nonsensical. He has generally refused to discuss their content, preferring to keep the words and their inspirations shrouded in mystique and allowing for fan interpretations. Smith has also sometimes employed a cut-up
lyrical approach drawing on the works of (among others), William Blake
, Charles Kingsley
, William Shakespeare
and T.S. Eliot. Two favourite cut-and-paste sources are Pedro Carolino’s English As She Is Spoke
(a failed Victorian
English-Portuguese phrasebook once hailed by Mark Twain
as a perfect example of absurdity) and the nineteenth-century Irish poet George Darley
. Fans have also spotted references to the films The Night of the Hunter
and Eraserhead in Smith's words and music videos.
. As with the Cryptic Corporation, there is a strong possibility that the Alphabet mythology is entirely fictional and that the band - often hailed as archetypal independent musicians - control all aspects of their work themselves.
As presented, the Alphabet Business Concern is a repressive, controlling organisation with a vaguely Edwardian character which supervises (and restricts) Cardiacs' recording work and live appearances (as well as communicating band news and statements to the band's mailing list in florid and archaic corporatese
). Several early 1980s video releases by Cardiacs (in particular The Consultant's Flower Garden and the clip for To Go Off and Things) provided "evidence" that Alphabet ran Cardiacs' internal affairs in the manner of an Edwardian children's home, complete with behavioural problems and bullying. The corporation's original representatives were Cardiac's "sordid, waxy" manager James "The Consultant" Stevens and his assistant and band advisor "Miss Smith" (both of whom made in-character appearances onstage with Cardiacs during the 1980s). In the late 1980s both The Consultant and Miss Smith left both Cardiacs management and Alphabet. They were replaced by Mark Walmsley, who played a less public role but did appear for inserts in the Maresnest concert video, expressing contempt for his charges and their music.
In performance, Cardiacs generally reject (or occasionally parody) standard rock band posturing. In keeping with the Alphabet mythology, the band's shows have 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 which Smith rants and acts out bizarre childlike ideas and emotions. During the 1980s the band perfected a detailed stage act involving shabby lift attendant costumes, badly-applied clown make-up, Tim Smith's bullying of other band members (predominantly his hapless brother and bass player Jim Smith), and a final formal presentation of champagne and flowers by The Consultant and Miss Smith 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." 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.
grew up in Chessington
, Surrey
, UK and formed their first musical groups in neighbouring Kingston upon Thames
, Greater London
. In 1975, a teenaged Tim
was playing guitar in a nameless "punky-psychedelic" instrumental band with two of his schoolfriends - Mark Cawthra (on drums) and David Philpot (on keyboard). The sound of Philpot's Korg
synthesizer was to have a strong impact on Smith and the development of the Cardiacs’ sound. The band which would eventtually become Cardiacs began life in 1977 and originally featured Tim Smith on guitar and backing vocals, Michael Pugh on lead vocals and Peter Tagg on drums. The lineup was completed by Jim Smith, who joined on bass guitar and backing vocals. The Smith brothers, Tagg and Pugh played their first live concert in 1978 at The Kaleidoscope in Kingston upon Thames
, under the name of The Filth (sometimes incorrectly remembered as Philip Pilf & The Filth).
By the time of their second concert (later in the same year) the band had changed their name to Cardiac Arrest. They went on to produce a seven-song demo at Elephant Studios in London and subsequently expanded to a sextet, adding Colvin Mayers (keyboards) and Ralph Cade (whose contribution was mainly theatrical, involving manic dancing and posturing with a saxophone
which he didn't know how to play). The band honed their craft playing a mixture of pubs, youth clubs, schools, hotels and free festivals. In the early years, the band's line-up was flexible according to availability and circumstances - for example, Cardiac Arrest played the 1979 Stonehenge Free Festival
as a three piece of Tagg, Mayers and Tim Smith
(Smith played both guitar and bass while Mayers alternated between guitar and keyboards). A subsequent concert at Surbiton on July 6, 1979 apparently featured "about eight to ten people on stage" (including both Peter Tagg and his brother Derek Tagg).
The debut Cardiac Arrest release was a 7” single recorded at Elephant Studios called "A Bus for a Bus on the Bus
", released in 1979 on Tortch Records. Later in the year both Peter Tagg and Ralph Cade left the band (going on to form The Trudy) and Tim's old ally Mark Cawthra
was drafted into Cardiac Arrest to play drums. A little later, Michael Pugh also left to follow other directions, and Tim Smith
took over lead singer duties as well as guitar playing. By this time, the band was beginning to operate in a similar way to a jazz band or football side by keeping various musicians in reserve to cover absences. Many of these people had other roles as part of the technical crew. Future Cardiacs percussionist Tim Quy first performed with the band (as a stand-in bass player) at Snoopies nightclub in Richmond at the start of 1980. This period also saw the arrival of saxophonist Sarah Cutts.
Later in 1980, Cardiac Arrest released a self-produced cassette album called The Obvious Identity
. The album was produced by Tim Smith with the punk/DIY ethic in mind and (as he had little cash to invest in the project) was recorded onto as many old cassette tapes as he could find. An anonymous member of the band has been quoted as commenting that "the recordings were so shit it wouldn’t matter if they were copied onto washing up sponges". Eventually, 1000 cassettes were recorded, but only sold at concerts to save on expenditure.
Shortly afterwards, the band discovered that another band was using the name Cardiac Arrest. After a number of experiments with alternative names (including The Alphabet and The Obvious Identity), they finally decided to rename themselves Cardiacs and played their first concert under that name in April 1981.
, 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 1982, Colvin Mayers left the band to join The Sound
(a group led by Adrian Borland
and with whom Tim
had previously collaborated). Shortly afterwards, Mark Cawthra moved over from drums to keyboards (following a brief period during which Sarah Cutts covered live keyboards as well as saxophone) and Dominic Luckman was recruited from the road crew as the new drummer. At around the same time Tim Quy became a full-time member (as percussionist, later 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 amicably left the band. His replacement on keyboards was William D. Drake
. Tim Smith
had met Drake in 1982 at the debut performance of the latter's band Honour Our Trumpet and had immediately been invited to join as bass guitarist. Smith returned the favour by inviting Drake to join Cardiacs following Cawthra's departure. Drake played his first concert with the band on August 31, 1983. Later in the year, Cardiacs added Marguerite Johnson (alto saxophone) and Graham Simmonds (guitar) and the band became an octet.
Neither Simmonds nor Johnson stayed in Cardiacs for long. Both left the band during the summer of 1984 (in July and August respectively), although Simmonds stayed on as Cardiacs' sound engineer. This left the band as the sextet generally referred to as "the classic line-up" – 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 bass synth) and Dominic Luckman (drums).
(although Cawthra featured throughout, variously on drums, keyboards and voice; and Simmonds and Johnson 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. To tie in with this the band had evolved an elaborate and theatrical stage show, involving "bandsmen's uniforms, make-up, Sarah's music stand, (and) Tim's mile-wide grin". The finale included sprayed champagne, confetti cannons, appearances by The Consultant and Miss Swift on behalf of the Alphabet Business Concern and a mock-heroic/distressed exit for Tim Smith.
Between November 5 and December 21, 1984, Cardiacs performed their first major British support tour, supporting Marillion
at the personal invitation of Marillion’s vocalist, Fish
. 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 December 13 show at the Hammersmith Apollo, Fish
himself was indignant enough to come onstage during Cardiacs' set to berate the audience about their hostile behaviour. Despite this, there was even an attempt by irate Marillion fans to set fire to the safety curtain during Cardiacs' performance at the Manchester Apollo show on December 17. The band eventually ducked out of the last three days of the Marillion tour.
A Cardiacs spin-off project – Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake
– 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.
album.
In March 1987, a British tabloid newspaper, The Sunday Sport
, ran a story claiming to be an exposé and revealing the supposedly incest
uous relationship between Tim
and Sarah Smith, in which the couple were portrayed as brother and sister. The headline ran, "In the bizarre world of music... anything goes - even incest." (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
twelve years later. (Tim and Sarah Smith eventually separated in 1989, although this was entirely unrelated to The Sunday Sport "scandal").
On April 17, the band's music video for "Tarred and Feathered" (from the Big Ship mini-album) was broadcast on Channel 4
'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
". 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
for Janice Long's Night Track show.
In 1988, Cardiacs released their fourth studio album, A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window
. The single from the album, "Is This The Life?
", 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
' "Susannah's Still Alive
" with a video directed by Steve Payne. Strange Fruit Records also released a 12-inch vinyl EP of the band's BBC Radio 1
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 May 15, 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
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 line-up which the band had enjoyed for four years was now beginning to weaken.
(formerly of Ring
and The Dave Howard Singers
). Although Sarah would not rejoin the band, she would retain a long-term connection with Cardiacs by playing on future albums and very occasionally appearing as a special guest for live concerts. The new two-guitar line-up 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 September 17). During this period, the band also released Archive Cardiacs
, a collection of material from the 1976–83 period (some of it previously unreleased).
Cardiacs continued to tour and gig intermittently during 1990, culminating in a performance at a double-headed concert with Napalm Death
at Salisbury Arts Centre on August 30, for which the band performed as a seven-piece (with Sarah Smith making a one-day return as a band member). The concert was filmed and released as the video Maresnest
(produced by Steve Mallet and directed by Steve Payne). It was also released as the live album All that Glitters is a Mares Nest
, although the latter was not released until 1995. Although the concert has achieved legendary status amongst Cardiacs fans, it was also an occasion on which everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Among other things, Tim Smith's guitar fell apart and keys fell off Sarah Smith's saxophone.
After the Salisbury concert, percussionist and synthesizer player Tim Quy left the band to pursue other projects. He was not replaced, and 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 both William D. Drake
and Christian Hayes
also made the decision to leave. Drake played his final concert with the band on May 2 at The Venue in New Cross, London - he would continue his connection with Cardiacs in general, but moved on to join the band Nervous (and would eventually embark on a long-delayed solo career by 2001). Hayes played his own final gig as a Cardiac in Oxford on May 16. By now, he had joined up-and-coming psychedelic indie-prog band, Levitation
: although the bands were friendly with each other, and had even toured together, Hayes finally found it impossible to balance the demands of both Levitation and Cardiacs.
was replaced as second guitarist by Jon Poole
(who had previously played with the Cardiacs-inspired Milton Keynes
band Ad Nauseam). 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. 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
, 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 one notable occasion, at a June 4 gig at the London Astoria, Cardiacs were supported by future British rock megastars Radiohead
, then at the start of their career.
Prior to the departure of Christian Hayes
, Cardiacs had recorded an album called Heaven Born and Ever Bright
(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
. However, disaster struck when Rough Trade
ceased trading shortly after the release of the album. This ensured that Heaven Born and Ever Bright
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). 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.
). This was a taster for Cardiacs’ most epic recorded effort to date. Sing to God
was a double album, due to the sheer amount of material that Tim
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
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
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
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
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
's UK tour.
In June and November 1996, Cardiacs embarked on two UK tours of their own, most significantly filling the London Astoria 2 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 December 4) the band was joined for an encore by William D. Drake
. During the same year Cardiacs also played several performances in Germany and Holland, 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
) and Camp Blackfoot. Cardiacs toured the UK in June 1999 to support the release of their new album, Guns
, 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.
composition Sparkly Silvery Sky, which is still occasionally played at concerts by both Cardiacs and Poole's current band, God Damn Whores). Unfortunately, the songs were lost after an accident in the recording studio and the album was never released. Cardiacs concerts were also rare over the next few years, although the band played the Glastonbury Festival on June 23, 2000 and played two subsequent Whitchurch Festivals on August 5, 2000 and August 3, 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
, Christian Hayes
and Dominic Luckman all appeared onstage with the band on various occasions, as did The Consultant and Miss Smith. Support bands were always musicians with a professed Cardiacs connection or influence, and included Oceansize
, The Monsoon Bassoon
, The Scaramanga Six
, Stars In Battledress
and Jon Poole's hard-rock band GodDamnWhores.
and The Special Garage Concerts Vol II
- was eventually released in 2005.
The concert also marked the first appearance in the band of former Monsoon Bassoon
guitarist Kavus Torabi
, a long-standing Cardiacs’ associate who'd served as the band's guitar technician since the mid-1990s. Torabi was covering for Jon Poole
who was by now doubling as bass player for The Wildhearts
and was busy rehearsing for the latter band's upcoming tour. 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 (with the latter going on to concentrate on GodDamnWhores, various Wildhearts
-related projects, Crayola Lectern and others). Torabi made his formal debut as a full group member at the annual London Astoria concert on 12 November. A number of other new members were drafted into the Cardiacs line-up at the same time – three backing singers (Claire Lemmon and Melanie Woods of Sidi Bou Said
, plus former Shrubbies and current North Sea Radio Orchestra
singer Sharron Fortnam) and two percussionists – Cathy Harabaras and Dawn Staple – playing mostly bass drums. (The official status of most of these additional members remains unclear, although Sharron Fortnam is known to have left the band.)
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
for the latter's tour between December 8–15, 2004. This tour saw another substitution – drummer Stephen Gilchrist
(Graham Coxon
, The Scaramanga Six
, Stuffy/The Fuses
) stood in for Bob Leith, who had previous tour commitments with art-punk band Blurt
.
In 2007, Cardiacs released their first new material for eight years in the shape of a single called Ditzy Scene. This was released on Org Records as a limited edition of 1,000 copies. The Cardiacs line-up on record 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.
collapsed from a heart attack and major stroke
after leaving a My Bloody Valentine concert. While in hospital, he suffered a second stroke which left him in a severely debilitated condition. All Cardiacs-related releases and activity (including the unfinished work-in-progress album, provisionally entitled LSD) 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. At time of writing, Smith remains hospitalised in a neurological rehabilitation centre in Wiltshire.
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
and former Spratleys Japs
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
and OceanLandWorld
) by musicians including The Magic Numbers
, Steven Wilson
, Oceansize
, Robert White
/Andy Partridge
, Sidi Bou Said
and North Sea Radio Orchestra
as well as former Cardiacs including Hayes himself (as Mikrokosmos), Torabi (as Knifeworld), William D. Drake
, Mark Cawthra
and Peter Tagg (with The Trudy).
Cardiacs have had a profound underground influence on over three decades of musicians, including the pioneers of the nu-metal
and avant-garde metal genres. The band has also influenced math rock
artists such as The Monsoon Bassoon
and Battles. The band are sometimes credited as having being the inventors of the "pronk" (progressive punk) music genre; Tim Smith has rejected the term from the off, stating that Cardiacs are better described as a pop
group or a psychedelic rock
band.
Musicians who have cited Tim Smith's work as a major influence include Mike Vennart of Oceansize
, Mike Patton
of Faith No More
and Mr Bungle, Tool
, Korn
and Thom Yorke
of Radiohead
. During the 1980s, Cardiacs were a professed influence or inspiration for Marillion
, It Bites
and British psychedelic acts such as Ring
; during the 1990s, emerging bands and musicians who were Cardiacs fans included Blur
, Radiohead
and Supergrass
Porcupine Tree
's Steven Wilson
, The Scaramanga Six
, The Monsoon Bassoon
and The Wildhearts
(who would later pay direct tribute via their track "Tim Smith" on 2009's Chutzpah!
). In recent years Cardiacs has been influencing a new generation of underground bands such as Rocketgoldstar , Little Trophy, The Display Team
and Silvery.
No official Cardiacs histories or biographies have been published. The ORGAN fanzine produced a Cardiacs anthology of interviews and reviews in 1993. In November 2006 The Organ announced that they would be putting together a book incorporating the previous anthology, interviews and features that been in Organ since that anthology was published and contributions from fans.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
/psychedelic pop
Psychedelic pop
Psychedelic pop is a psychedelic musical style inspired by the sounds of psychedelic folk and psychedelic rock, but applied to a pop music setting...
band formed in 1977 and led by Tim Smith
Tim Smith (Cardiacs)
Tim Smith is an English singer-songwriter, composer, poet, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and music video director....
. Noted for their complex, varied and intense compositional style and for their eccentric, theatrical stage shows, they have been hailed as an influence by bands as diverse as Blur
Blur (band)
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, Faith No More
Faith No More
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and Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
.
Cardiacs have released eight studio albums plus a number of live albums, compilation albums and singles between 1980 and 2007, and are best known for the 1988 minor hit single "Is This the Life?
Is This the Life?
"Is This the Life" is the third single from Cardiacs and their best known. It is from the album, A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window....
" They are also noted for attracting strongly diverse responses: they have remained one of Britain's leading cult rock bands during their four-decade-spanning career, but have also attracted virulent critical attack (including a lengthy editorial ban from the British music magazine New Musical Express).
The band has been on indefinite (and possibly permanent) hiatus following the 2008 hospitalisation of Tim Smith after a heart attack and series of strokes.
Musical & lyrical style
Cardiacs' music is noted for balancing the attack and 'raw energy' of punk rockPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
with the intricacies and technical cleverness of early British progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
. The band also incorporates elements of other musical forms such as ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
, mediaeval music
Medieval music
Medieval music is Western music written during the Middle Ages. This era begins with the fall of the Roman Empire and ends sometime in the early fifteenth century...
, folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
s and corporate anthems. The music magazine Organ
Organ (magazine)
Organ is an independent music magazine based in London, covering a variety of rock, alternative, punk, progressive, metal and experimental music. The magazine was founded in 1986 as a handmade fanzine and has evolved many times over the last 20 years...
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
Tim Smith (Cardiacs)
Tim Smith is an English singer-songwriter, composer, poet, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and music video director....
rejects the term, and prefers the description "psychedelic
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
" or simply "pop". Musicians which the band have cited as Cardiacs influences include XTC, Van der Graaf Generator
Van der Graaf Generator
Van der Graaf Generator are an English progressive rock band, formed in 1967 in Manchester. They were the first act signed to Charisma Records. The band achieved considerable success in Italy during the 1970s...
, Gong
Gong (band)
Gong is a Franco-British progressive/psychedelic rock band formed by Australian musician Daevid Allen. Their music has also been described as space rock. Other notable band members include Allan Holdsworth, Tim Blake, Didier Malherbe, Pip Pyle, Gilli Smyth, Steve Hillage, Francis Moze, Mike Howlett...
, early Split Enz
Split Enz
Split Enz were a New Zealand band of the 1970s and early 1980s featuring Phil Judd and brothers Tim Finn and Neil Finn. They achieved chart success in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada during the early 1980s ‒ most notably with the single "I Got You", and built a cult following elsewhere...
, Gentle Giant
Gentle Giant
Gentle Giant were a British progressive rock band active between 1970 and 1980. The band was known for the complexity and sophistication of its music and for the varied musical skills of its members. All of the band members, except the first two drummers, were multi-instrumentalists...
, Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias
Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias
Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias were a comedy rock band, formed in Manchester, England in 1973. Their story is told in the book When We Were Thin...
, early Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
, Deaf School
Deaf School
Deaf School are an English rock band, formed in the mid 1970s and hailing from Liverpool. Their style is somewhere in between pub rock, punk, glam rock and art rock. They originally disbanded after their third album but their influence lived on...
and Wire
Wire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
. Smith has 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 has 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 employ a distinctive singing style centred on Tim Smith
Tim Smith (Cardiacs)
Tim Smith is an English singer-songwriter, composer, poet, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and music video director....
's lead vocals (reedy and high-pitched, with a strong punk-styled Estuary English
Estuary English
Estuary English is a dialect of English widely spoken in South East England, especially along the River Thames and its estuary. Phonetician John C. Wells defines Estuary English as "Standard English spoken with the accent of the southeast of England"...
accent) and choral sections (varying from yelled to falsetto) involving most or all of the band. Smith's singing style has been described by music critics as 'skittish'; it has also been commented that his singing voice sounds very similar to his speaking one. The band's music is written almost entirely by Tim Smith
Tim Smith (Cardiacs)
Tim Smith is an English singer-songwriter, composer, poet, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and music video director....
, although contributions have been made by other group members.
Smith is also responsible for the majority of the band's lyrics, which are written in a cryptic fractured form of English alternately hailed as poetic or nonsensical. He has generally refused to discuss their content, preferring to keep the words and their inspirations shrouded in mystique and allowing for fan interpretations. Smith has also sometimes employed a cut-up
Cut-up technique
The cut-up technique is an aleatory literary technique in which a text is cut up and rearranged to create a new text. Most commonly, cut-ups are used to offer a non-linear alternative to traditional reading and writing....
lyrical approach drawing on the works of (among others), William Blake
William Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
, Charles Kingsley
Charles Kingsley
Charles Kingsley was an English priest of the Church of England, university professor, historian and novelist, particularly associated with the West Country and northeast Hampshire.-Life and character:...
, William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
and T.S. Eliot. Two favourite cut-and-paste sources are Pedro Carolino’s English As She Is Spoke
English As She Is Spoke
English as She Is Spoke is the common name of a 19th century book falsely credited to José da Fonseca and Pedro Carolino, which was intended as a Portuguese-English conversational guide or phrase book, but is regarded as a classic source of unintentional humour, as the given English translations...
(a failed Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
English-Portuguese phrasebook once hailed by Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
as a perfect example of absurdity) and the nineteenth-century Irish poet George Darley
George Darley
George Darley was an Irish poet, novelist, and critic.He was born in Dublin, and educated at Trinity College. Having decided to follow a literary career, in 1820 he went to London, where he published his first poem, Errors of Ecstasie . He also wrote for the London Magazine, under the pseudonym of...
. Fans have also spotted references to the films The Night of the Hunter
The Night of the Hunter (film)
The Night of the Hunter is a 1955 American thriller film directed by Charles Laughton and starring Robert Mitchum and Shelley Winters. The film is based on the 1953 novel of the same name by Davis Grubb, adapted for the screen by James Agee and Laughton...
and Eraserhead in Smith's words and music videos.
Performance style & mythology
Cardiacs are also renowned for their startling performance style, which has been historically integrated (via video work, publicity, interviews and onstage presentation) with a vague and oppressive band mythology. The latter involves Cardiacs' record label and supposed management company, the Alphabet Business Concern, which shares some similarities with the "Cryptic Corporation" supposedly responsible for managing The ResidentsThe Residents
The Residents is an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. The first official release under the name of The Residents was in 1972, and the group has since released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects and ten DVDs....
. As with the Cryptic Corporation, there is a strong possibility that the Alphabet mythology is entirely fictional and that the band - often hailed as archetypal independent musicians - control all aspects of their work themselves.
As presented, the Alphabet Business Concern is a repressive, controlling organisation with a vaguely Edwardian character which supervises (and restricts) Cardiacs' recording work and live appearances (as well as communicating band news and statements to the band's mailing list in florid and archaic corporatese
Corporate jargon
Corporate jargon lists jargon often used in business communication of corporations. A slang type or form is called "corporatese." Corporate jargon is not confined to business and can also be found in education and government departments.- Initialisms :...
). Several early 1980s video releases by Cardiacs (in particular The Consultant's Flower Garden and the clip for To Go Off and Things) provided "evidence" that Alphabet ran Cardiacs' internal affairs in the manner of an Edwardian children's home, complete with behavioural problems and bullying. The corporation's original representatives were Cardiac's "sordid, waxy" manager James "The Consultant" Stevens and his assistant and band advisor "Miss Smith" (both of whom made in-character appearances onstage with Cardiacs during the 1980s). In the late 1980s both The Consultant and Miss Smith left both Cardiacs management and Alphabet. They were replaced by Mark Walmsley, who played a less public role but did appear for inserts in the Maresnest concert video, expressing contempt for his charges and their music.
In performance, Cardiacs generally reject (or occasionally parody) standard rock band posturing. In keeping with the Alphabet mythology, the band's shows have 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 which Smith rants and acts out bizarre childlike ideas and emotions. During the 1980s the band perfected a detailed stage act involving shabby lift attendant costumes, badly-applied clown make-up, Tim Smith's bullying of other band members (predominantly his hapless brother and bass player Jim Smith), and a final formal presentation of champagne and flowers by The Consultant and Miss Smith 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." 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.
Cardiac Arrest (1977-1980)
Brothers Jim and Tim SmithTim Smith (Cardiacs)
Tim Smith is an English singer-songwriter, composer, poet, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and music video director....
grew up in Chessington
Chessington
Chessington is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in Greater London, England. The Hogsmill river runs through it. Neighbouring settlements include: Tolworth, Ewell, Surbiton, Claygate, Epsom, Oxshott, Leatherhead, Esher, Kingston upon Thames and Worcester Park.-History:Its name...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, UK and formed their first musical groups in neighbouring Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
, Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
. In 1975, a teenaged Tim
Tim Smith (Cardiacs)
Tim Smith is an English singer-songwriter, composer, poet, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and music video director....
was playing guitar in a nameless "punky-psychedelic" instrumental band with two of his schoolfriends - Mark Cawthra (on drums) and David Philpot (on keyboard). The sound of Philpot's Korg
Korg
is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners...
synthesizer was to have a strong impact on Smith and the development of the Cardiacs’ sound. The band which would eventtually become Cardiacs began life in 1977 and originally featured Tim Smith on guitar and backing vocals, Michael Pugh on lead vocals and Peter Tagg on drums. The lineup was completed by Jim Smith, who joined on bass guitar and backing vocals. The Smith brothers, Tagg and Pugh played their first live concert in 1978 at The Kaleidoscope in Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
, under the name of The Filth (sometimes incorrectly remembered as Philip Pilf & The Filth).
By the time of their second concert (later in the same year) the band had changed their name to Cardiac Arrest. They went on to produce a seven-song demo at Elephant Studios in London and subsequently expanded to a sextet, adding Colvin Mayers (keyboards) and Ralph Cade (whose contribution was mainly theatrical, involving manic dancing and posturing with a saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
which he didn't know how to play). The band honed their craft playing a mixture of pubs, youth clubs, schools, hotels and free festivals. In the early years, the band's line-up was flexible according to availability and circumstances - for example, Cardiac Arrest played the 1979 Stonehenge Free Festival
Stonehenge Free Festival
The Stonehenge Free Festival was a British free festival from 1972 to 1984 held at Stonehenge in England during the month of June, and culminating on the summer solstice on June 21. The festival was a celebration of various alternative cultures...
as a three piece of Tagg, Mayers and Tim Smith
Tim Smith (Cardiacs)
Tim Smith is an English singer-songwriter, composer, poet, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and music video director....
(Smith played both guitar and bass while Mayers alternated between guitar and keyboards). A subsequent concert at Surbiton on July 6, 1979 apparently featured "about eight to ten people on stage" (including both Peter Tagg and his brother Derek Tagg).
The debut Cardiac Arrest release was a 7” single recorded at Elephant Studios called "A Bus for a Bus on the Bus
A Bus for a Bus on the Bus
"A Bus for a Bus on the Bus" is the only 7" single by Cardiac Arrest, who later became Cardiacs.Until the release of The Special Garage Concerts Vol II, none of the tracks on the 7" had been reproduced anywhere else. The single was supposed to contain four tracks and not three, but the limited...
", released in 1979 on Tortch Records. Later in the year both Peter Tagg and Ralph Cade left the band (going on to form The Trudy) and Tim's old ally Mark Cawthra
Mark Cawthra
Mark Cawthra is a musician and music producer working in the UK. He was born in Bishop Stortford, Hertfordshire.-Biography:...
was drafted into Cardiac Arrest to play drums. A little later, Michael Pugh also left to follow other directions, and Tim Smith
Tim Smith (Cardiacs)
Tim Smith is an English singer-songwriter, composer, poet, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and music video director....
took over lead singer duties as well as guitar playing. By this time, the band was beginning to operate in a similar way to a jazz band or football side by keeping various musicians in reserve to cover absences. Many of these people had other roles as part of the technical crew. Future Cardiacs percussionist Tim Quy first performed with the band (as a stand-in bass player) at Snoopies nightclub in Richmond at the start of 1980. This period also saw the arrival of saxophonist Sarah Cutts.
Later in 1980, Cardiac Arrest released a self-produced cassette album called The Obvious Identity
The Obvious Identity
The Obvious Identity is the debut album by English rock group Cardiacs . It was released solely on cassette and was only sold at concerts. The album title came from a name which the band used for a short time prior to taking on the "Cardiac Arrest" name...
. The album was produced by Tim Smith with the punk/DIY ethic in mind and (as he had little cash to invest in the project) was recorded onto as many old cassette tapes as he could find. An anonymous member of the band has been quoted as commenting that "the recordings were so shit it wouldn’t matter if they were copied onto washing up sponges". Eventually, 1000 cassettes were recorded, but only sold at concerts to save on expenditure.
Shortly afterwards, the band discovered that another band was using the name Cardiac Arrest. After a number of experiments with alternative names (including The Alphabet and The Obvious Identity), they finally decided to rename themselves Cardiacs and played their first concert under that name in April 1981.
Early Cardiacs (1981–1983)
In 1981, Cardiacs self-released the cassette album, Toy WorldToy World
Toy World is the second album released by Cardiacs . The cassette is a mixture of older songs by the earlier Cardiac Arrest lineup and newer songs by the then-current Cardiacs lineup...
, 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 1982, Colvin Mayers left the band to join The Sound
The Sound
The Sound were an English post-punk band, formed in 1979 and dissolved in 1988. The band was fronted by Adrian Borland and evolved from his previous band, The Outsiders...
(a group led by Adrian Borland
Adrian Borland
Adrian Borland was an English singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer, bestknown as the lead singer of post-punk band The Sound...
and with whom Tim
Tim Smith (Cardiacs)
Tim Smith is an English singer-songwriter, composer, poet, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and music video director....
had previously collaborated). Shortly afterwards, Mark Cawthra moved over from drums to keyboards (following a brief period during which Sarah Cutts covered live keyboards as well as saxophone) and Dominic Luckman was recruited from the road crew as the new drummer. At around the same time Tim Quy became a full-time member (as percussionist, later 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 amicably left the band. His replacement on keyboards was William D. Drake
William D. Drake
William D. Drake 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 and 1992...
. Tim Smith
Tim Smith (Cardiacs)
Tim Smith is an English singer-songwriter, composer, poet, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and music video director....
had met Drake in 1982 at the debut performance of the latter's band Honour Our Trumpet and had immediately been invited to join as bass guitarist. Smith returned the favour by inviting Drake to join Cardiacs following Cawthra's departure. Drake played his first concert with the band on August 31, 1983. Later in the year, Cardiacs added Marguerite Johnson (alto saxophone) and Graham Simmonds (guitar) and the band became an octet.
Neither Simmonds nor Johnson stayed in Cardiacs for long. Both left the band during the summer of 1984 (in July and August respectively), although Simmonds stayed on as Cardiacs' sound engineer. This left the band as the sextet generally referred to as "the classic line-up" – Tim Smith
Tim Smith (Cardiacs)
Tim Smith is an English singer-songwriter, composer, poet, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and music video director....
(lead vocals and guitar), Jim Smith (bass and vocals), William D. Drake
William D. Drake
William D. Drake 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 and 1992...
(keyboards and vocals), Sarah Smith (saxophones and vocals), Tim Quy (percussion and bass synth) and Dominic Luckman (drums).
The "classic line-up" established: The Seaside and Seaside Treats (mid-1984–1985)
The first release featuring the solid sextet line up was Cardiacs' third album, The SeasideThe Seaside (Cardiacs album)
The Seaside is the third album from English rock group Cardiacs. The album originally featured the second recording of what would become the band's only hit single, "Is This the Life?". It is the last of the band's releases to feature keyboard player/drummer/singer Mark Cawthra and the first to...
(although Cawthra featured throughout, variously on drums, keyboards and voice; and Simmonds and Johnson 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. To tie in with this the band had evolved an elaborate and theatrical stage show, involving "bandsmen's uniforms, make-up, Sarah's music stand, (and) Tim's mile-wide grin". The finale included sprayed champagne, confetti cannons, appearances by The Consultant and Miss Swift on behalf of the Alphabet Business Concern and a mock-heroic/distressed exit for Tim Smith.
Between November 5 and December 21, 1984, Cardiacs performed their first major British support tour, supporting Marillion
Marillion
Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
at the personal invitation of Marillion’s vocalist, Fish
Fish (singer)
Derek William Dick, better known as Fish, is a Scottish progressive rock singer, lyricist and occasional actor, best known as the former lead singer of Marillion.-Biography:...
. Whilst the tour afforded the band a new level of publicity, generally they were not well received by Marillion
Marillion
Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
's fanbase. On most dates of the tour, the band was pelted with a variety of makeshift missiles. During the December 13 show at the Hammersmith Apollo, Fish
Fish (singer)
Derek William Dick, better known as Fish, is a Scottish progressive rock singer, lyricist and occasional actor, best known as the former lead singer of Marillion.-Biography:...
himself was indignant enough to come onstage during Cardiacs' set to berate the audience about their hostile behaviour. Despite this, there was even an attempt by irate Marillion fans to set fire to the safety curtain during Cardiacs' performance at the Manchester Apollo show on December 17. The band eventually ducked out of the last three days of the Marillion tour.
A Cardiacs spin-off project – Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake
Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake
Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake is an album performed by a side project of Cardiacs, created by Tim Smith, Sarah Smith and William D. Drake. At the time, the project itself was also known as "Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake" but would later be renamed The Sea Nymphs.The album was initially only...
– 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
Cranes (band)
Cranes are a British music group formed in 1986, whose style has been described as "gothic minimalism".-History:Formed in 1986 in Portsmouth, England by siblings Alison and Jim Shaw, and named after the many mechanical cranes around the city's docks, Cranes are best known for the childlike,...
) 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.
On the verge of success: Big Ship, A Little Man and a House & On Land and in the Sea (1986–1989)
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 on August 24, releasing the very rough audio footage as the Rude BootlegRude Bootleg
Rude Bootleg 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....
album.
In March 1987, a British tabloid newspaper, The Sunday Sport
Sunday Sport
Sunday Sport is a British tabloid newspaper, published by Sport Newspapers, which was established in 1986. It prints plainly ludicrous stories, such as a double-decker London bus being found frozen in the Antarctic ice, or a World War II bomber found on the moon. Defenders of the paper pointed out...
, ran a story claiming to be an exposé and revealing the supposedly incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
uous relationship between Tim
Tim Smith (Cardiacs)
Tim Smith is an English singer-songwriter, composer, poet, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and music video director....
and Sarah Smith, in which the couple were portrayed as brother and sister. The headline ran, "In the bizarre world of music... anything goes - even incest." (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
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
twelve years later. (Tim and Sarah Smith eventually separated in 1989, although this was entirely unrelated to The Sunday Sport "scandal").
On April 17, the band's music video for "Tarred and Feathered" (from the Big Ship mini-album) was broadcast on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's groundbreaking music show, The Tube
The Tube (TV series)
The Tube was an innovative United Kingdom pop/rock music television programme, which ran for five seasons, from 5 November 1982 until 1987...
, 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
"There's Too Many Irons in the Fire" is the second single by the English rock band Cardiacs, released in September 1987.-Critical reception:In the week of its release, There's Too Many Irons in the Fire was awarded "Single of the Week" in Sounds magazine...
". 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
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
for Janice Long's Night Track show.
In 1988, Cardiacs released their fourth studio album, A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window
A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window
A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Cardiacs, released in 1988. Arguably the band's best known album, it contains their only hit single, "Is This the Life?"...
. The single from the album, "Is This The Life?
Is This the Life?
"Is This the Life" is the third single from Cardiacs and their best known. It is from the album, A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window....
", 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
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
' "Susannah's Still Alive
Susannah's Still Alive
"Susannah's Still Alive" is a song by the British musician Dave Davies and his group The Kinks. It was one of the few Kinks songs that was written by Davies, the brother of lead songwriter Ray Davies. The single was credited solely to Dave Davies and featured all of The Kinks as his backing band...
" with a video directed by Steve Payne. Strange Fruit Records also released a 12-inch vinyl EP of the band's BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
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 May 15, the band played a concert at the Paradiso in Amsterdam, which was recorded for later release as Cardiacs Live
Cardiacs Live
Cardiacs Live is a live album by Cardiacs, recorded at the Paradiso in Amsterdam on 15 May 1988. The live photo on the back cover, however, appears to have been taken at The Town and Country Club in London....
.
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
On Land and in the Sea is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Cardiacs. It was recorded and mixed in 1988 at The Slaughterhouse studios in Yorkshire, produced by Cardiacs band leader Tim Smith and engineered by Roger Tebbutt....
which was released in 1989. The album successfully consolidated the intricate style and unusual songwriting vision of A Little Man and a House...
A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window
A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Cardiacs, released in 1988. Arguably the band's best known album, it contains their only hit single, "Is This the Life?"...
, but the stable line-up which the band had enjoyed for four years was now beginning to weaken.
The "classic line-up" fractures - Maresnest and multiple departures (1989–1991)
Over the following two years, the Cardiacs lineup began to disintegrate. The process began when Sarah Smith left the band suddenly in April 1989, removing an important aspect of the Cardiacs sound. She was quickly replaced, but not by another saxophonist. Instead, Tim Smith brought in a second guitarist - Christian 'Bic' HayesChristian Hayes
Christian Hayes , also known as Bic Hayes, is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. His highest profile musical role has been fronting the band Dark Star between 1998 and 2001, whom he formed with fellow ex-Levitation members David Francolini and Laurence O'Keefe.He has also played in a...
(formerly of Ring
Ring (band)
Ring were an English psychedelic rock band active during the 1980s.The band is notable for having helped to launch the subsequent musical careers of Robert White , Michael "Mik" Tubb and Christian "Bic" Hayes .-History:Ring evolved out of the south London experimental...
and The Dave Howard Singers
The Dave Howard Singers
The Dave Howard Singers is a cult Canadian alternative rock band/project originally formed in Toronto, Canada. The project is based around the talents of singer-songwriter Dave Howard and the signature sound of his Ace Tone organ...
). Although Sarah would not rejoin the band, she would retain a long-term connection with Cardiacs by playing on future albums and very occasionally appearing as a special guest for live concerts. The new two-guitar line-up 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 September 17). During this period, the band also released Archive Cardiacs
Archive Cardiacs
Archive Cardiacs is a compilation of tracks from Cardiac Arrest's The Obvious Identity and Cardiacs' Toy World, plus some demo tracks created by Tim Smith and Dominic Luckman, for a side project, that never made it to release until this compilation came out....
, a collection of material from the 1976–83 period (some of it previously unreleased).
Cardiacs continued to tour and gig intermittently during 1990, culminating in a performance at a double-headed concert with Napalm Death
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
at Salisbury Arts Centre on August 30, for which the band performed as a seven-piece (with Sarah Smith making a one-day return as a band member). The concert was filmed and released as the video Maresnest
Maresnest
Maresnest is the second official video released by Cardiacs and it was recorded live at the Salisbury Arts Centre on 30 June 1990.This video is notable as being the last time Sarah Smith and Tim Quy played with the band. Sarah had ceased to be a full time member of the band more than a year...
(produced by Steve Mallet and directed by Steve Payne). It was also released as the live album All that Glitters is a Mares Nest
All That Glitters Is a Mares Nest
All That Glitters Is a Mares Nest is a live album by the English rock band Cardiacs. It is their third live album, and was originally recorded in the afternoon in the Salisbury Arts Centre on 30 June 1990. In effect, it is the soundtrack album to the live concert film Maresnest...
, although the latter was not released until 1995. Although the concert has achieved legendary status amongst Cardiacs fans, it was also an occasion on which everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Among other things, Tim Smith's guitar fell apart and keys fell off Sarah Smith's saxophone.
After the Salisbury concert, percussionist and synthesizer player Tim Quy left the band to pursue other projects. He was not replaced, and 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
Maresnest
Maresnest is the second official video released by Cardiacs and it was recorded live at the Salisbury Arts Centre on 30 June 1990.This video is notable as being the last time Sarah Smith and Tim Quy played with the band. Sarah had ceased to be a full time member of the band more than a year...
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 both William D. Drake
William D. Drake
William D. Drake 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 and 1992...
and Christian Hayes
Christian Hayes
Christian Hayes , also known as Bic Hayes, is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. His highest profile musical role has been fronting the band Dark Star between 1998 and 2001, whom he formed with fellow ex-Levitation members David Francolini and Laurence O'Keefe.He has also played in a...
also made the decision to leave. Drake played his final concert with the band on May 2 at The Venue in New Cross, London - he would continue his connection with Cardiacs in general, but moved on to join the band Nervous (and would eventually embark on a long-delayed solo career by 2001). Hayes played his own final gig as a Cardiac in Oxford on May 16. By now, he had joined up-and-coming psychedelic indie-prog band, Levitation
Levitation (band)
Levitation were an English rock band fronted by ex-House of Love guitarist Terry Bickers. Levitation's music and attitude challenged an early 1990s UK alternative music scene dominated by shoegazing and Madchester....
: although the bands were friendly with each other, and had even toured together, Hayes finally found it impossible to balance the demands of both Levitation and Cardiacs.
The power quartet established: Heaven Born and Ever Bright and the Rough Trade debacle (1991–1994)
Although the band had historically been well-used to line-up changes, Cardiacs were profoundly affected by the multiple departures taking place between 1989 and 1991. A particular blow had been the departure of William D. Drake, whose virtuoso keyboard skills and compositional input had made him one of the backbones of the band. Christian HayesChristian Hayes
Christian Hayes , also known as Bic Hayes, is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. His highest profile musical role has been fronting the band Dark Star between 1998 and 2001, whom he formed with fellow ex-Levitation members David Francolini and Laurence O'Keefe.He has also played in a...
was replaced as second guitarist by Jon Poole
Jon Poole
Jon Poole is a British multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter best known for his work as guitarist for Cardiacs and as bass player for The Wildhearts .Poole is the frontman and main performer of God Damn Whores, and has also worked with the...
(who had previously played with the Cardiacs-inspired Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
band Ad Nauseam). 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. 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
Day Is Gone
"Day Is Gone" is the sixth single from Cardiacs, taken from the album, Heaven Born and Ever Bright. The other three tracks on the single are exclusive to this release.Bic Hayes originally recorded the guitar parts...
, 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
-Source material:Songs for Ships and Irons combines the whole of the Big Ship mini-album, the whole of the "There's Too Many Irons In The Fire" 12-inch single and the B-side of the "Susannah's Still Alive" 12-inch single. It also includes a bonus song called "Everything is Easy," a longstanding...
, 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
Appealing to Venus
Appealing to Venus is a 1992 single by The Sea Nymphs, reissued in 1998 as an album.-Appealing to Venus :This is a 7" single from The Sea Nymphs, which is a side project by Tim and Sarah Smith, and William D. Drake of the band Cardiacs....
", was a free bonus item with the first 500 copies of Day Is Gone
Day Is Gone
"Day Is Gone" is the sixth single from Cardiacs, taken from the album, Heaven Born and Ever Bright. The other three tracks on the single are exclusive to this release.Bic Hayes originally recorded the guitar parts...
and was subsequently sold through the fan club. The debut Sea Nymphs album, The Sea Nymphs
The Sea Nymphs (Cardiacs album)
The Sea Nymphs is an album recorded as a side project by Tim and Sarah Smith, and William D. Drake of the band Cardiacs, originally known as Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake...
, was released in 1992. Cardiacs remained active during 1992, touring frequently within the UK, including a double-headed tour with Levitation. On one notable occasion, at a June 4 gig at the London Astoria, Cardiacs were supported by future British rock megastars Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, then at the start of their career.
Prior to the departure of Christian Hayes
Christian Hayes
Christian Hayes , also known as Bic Hayes, is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. His highest profile musical role has been fronting the band Dark Star between 1998 and 2001, whom he formed with fellow ex-Levitation members David Francolini and Laurence O'Keefe.He has also played in a...
, Cardiacs had recorded an album called Heaven Born and Ever Bright
Heaven Born and Ever Bright
Heaven Born and Ever Bright is the sixth album by the 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 until reissued in 1995 by Alphabet Business Concern...
(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
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
. However, disaster struck when Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
ceased trading shortly after the release of the album. This ensured that Heaven Born and Ever Bright
Heaven Born and Ever Bright
Heaven Born and Ever Bright is the sixth album by the 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 until reissued in 1995 by Alphabet Business Concern...
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). 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.
The comeback: Sing to God & Guns (1995-1999)
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 MagazineOrgan (magazine)
Organ is an independent music magazine based in London, covering a variety of rock, alternative, punk, progressive, metal and experimental music. The magazine was founded in 1986 as a handmade fanzine and has evolved many times over the last 20 years...
). This was a taster for Cardiacs’ most epic recorded effort to date. Sing to God
Sing to God
Sing to God is the seventh album by Cardiacs and their first with drummer Bob Leith.Sing to God was also the band's first double album, due to the sheer amount of material that group leader Tim Smith had written over a number of years with little or no Cardiacs live performances...
was a double album, due to the sheer amount of material that Tim
Tim Smith (Cardiacs)
Tim Smith is an English singer-songwriter, composer, poet, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and music video director....
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
Jon Poole
Jon Poole is a British multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter best known for his work as guitarist for Cardiacs and as bass player for The Wildhearts .Poole is the frontman and main performer of God Damn Whores, and has also worked with the...
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
Sing to God is the seventh album by Cardiacs and their first with drummer Bob Leith.Sing to God was also the band's first double album, due to the sheer amount of material that group leader Tim Smith had written over a number of years with little or no Cardiacs live performances...
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
The Seaside (Cardiacs album)
The Seaside is the third album from English rock group Cardiacs. The album originally featured the second recording of what would become the band's only hit single, "Is This the Life?". It is the last of the band's releases to feature keyboard player/drummer/singer Mark Cawthra and the first to...
onwards, CD issues of live album All that Glitters is a Mares Nest
All That Glitters Is a Mares Nest
All That Glitters Is a Mares Nest is a live album by the English rock band Cardiacs. It is their third live album, and was originally recorded in the afternoon in the Salisbury Arts Centre on 30 June 1990. In effect, it is the soundtrack album to the live concert film Maresnest...
and the Archive Cardiacs
Archive Cardiacs
Archive Cardiacs is a compilation of tracks from Cardiac Arrest's The Obvious Identity and Cardiacs' Toy World, plus some demo tracks created by Tim Smith and Dominic Luckman, for a side project, that never made it to release until this compilation came out....
compilation, and a new compilation, the Cardiacs Sampler.
In April 1995, Cardiacs performed a BBC Manchester radio session on Mark Radcliffe
Mark Radcliffe
Mark Radcliffe is an English broadcaster who has worked in various roles for the BBC since the 1980s and remains one of Britain's most recognised DJs. He is currently a presenter on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music, where he hosts an afternoon show five times a week alongside Stuart Maconie, called...
's show. During May, they toured with Pura Vida and Sidi Bou Said
Sidi Bou Said (band)
Sidi Bou Said were a London based rock band, who existed during the 1990s. Their music combined an indie rock/folk sound with complex arrangements and literate lyrics. They were often compared to Throwing Muses and the Pixies, with whom they shared a taste for sometimes uncomfortable lyrical themes...
and recorded a live acoustic session for GLR Radio. On 17 June, they appeared as special guests of (and concert openers for) Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
at their triumphant London Mile End Stadium concert. From 31 October to 18 November, Cardiacs performed a long support stint on Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
's UK tour.
In June and November 1996, Cardiacs embarked on two UK tours of their own, most significantly filling the London Astoria 2 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 December 4) the band was joined for an encore by William D. Drake
William D. Drake
William D. Drake 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 and 1992...
. During the same year Cardiacs also played several performances in Germany and Holland, 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
Dark Star (band)
Dark Star were an English rock band from London, whose music mixed dark psychedelica, with a dub undertow and noisy effects-laden guitar.-History:...
(a new band featuring ex-Cardiac Christian Hayes
Christian Hayes
Christian Hayes , also known as Bic Hayes, is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. His highest profile musical role has been fronting the band Dark Star between 1998 and 2001, whom he formed with fellow ex-Levitation members David Francolini and Laurence O'Keefe.He has also played in a...
) and Camp Blackfoot. Cardiacs toured the UK in June 1999 to support the release of their new album, Guns
Guns (album)
Guns is the eighth studio album by Cardiacs, and their last with Jon Poole. It was recorded and mixed at Apollo 8 in London. After a brief period of unavailability, the album was re-pressed in August 2007 and is once again available on the official .-Themes:...
, 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.
Rare sightings, family gatherings and a lost album (2000–2002)
During 1999–2000, Cardiacs began composing songs for a new album (including the Jon PooleJon Poole
Jon Poole is a British multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter best known for his work as guitarist for Cardiacs and as bass player for The Wildhearts .Poole is the frontman and main performer of God Damn Whores, and has also worked with the...
composition Sparkly Silvery Sky, which is still occasionally played at concerts by both Cardiacs and Poole's current band, God Damn Whores). Unfortunately, the songs were lost after an accident in the recording studio and the album was never released. Cardiacs concerts were also rare over the next few years, although the band played the Glastonbury Festival on June 23, 2000 and played two subsequent Whitchurch Festivals on August 5, 2000 and August 3, 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 D. Drake
William D. Drake 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 and 1992...
, Christian Hayes
Christian Hayes
Christian Hayes , also known as Bic Hayes, is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. His highest profile musical role has been fronting the band Dark Star between 1998 and 2001, whom he formed with fellow ex-Levitation members David Francolini and Laurence O'Keefe.He has also played in a...
and Dominic Luckman all appeared onstage with the band on various occasions, as did The Consultant and Miss Smith. Support bands were always musicians with a professed Cardiacs connection or influence, and included Oceansize
Oceansize
Oceansize were a British rock band, formed in Manchester, England on 19th October 1998. The band consisted of Mike Vennart , Steve Durose , Richard "Gambler" Ingram , Mark Heron and Jon Ellis for the majority of its career, with Steve Hodson replacing Ellis on bass in 2006...
, The Monsoon Bassoon
The Monsoon Bassoon
The Monsoon Bassoon were a British 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...
, The Scaramanga Six
The Scaramanga Six
The Scaramanga Six are an English rock band noted for their aggressive live act, their flamboyant and theatrical songs and their independent business practices...
, Stars In Battledress
Stars In Battledress (band)
Stars In Battledress are an English musical duo featuring brothers Richard and James Larcombe. They are notable for their complex but tuneful compositions, their unorthodox fusion of folk music sources and British/American art rock influences, and for their intricate and allusive lyrics.A related...
and Jon Poole's hard-rock band GodDamnWhores.
The Garage Concerts, lineup changes and reestablishment (2003–2008)
Between October 17 and October 19, 2003, Cardiacs recorded three special concerts at the Highbury Garage venue in London. 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 Vol IThe Special Garage Concerts Vol I
This is a live album recorded at the three day Garage concerts in London and released exclusively on CD.Cardiacs only played songs that predated 1984, some of which hadn't been heard for many years...
and The Special Garage Concerts Vol II
The Special Garage Concerts Vol II
-Description:This is a live album recorded at the three day Garage concerts in London and released exclusively on to CD.Cardiacs only played songs that predated 1984, some which had never been heard for many years. The tracks, An Ant, Hello Mr...
- was eventually released in 2005.
The concert also marked the first appearance in the band of former Monsoon Bassoon
The Monsoon Bassoon
The Monsoon Bassoon were a British 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...
guitarist Kavus Torabi
Kavus Torabi
Kavus Torabi is a British musician and composer . A multi-instrumentalist, he is known for his work in the avant-garde rock field...
, a long-standing Cardiacs’ associate who'd served as the band's guitar technician since the mid-1990s. Torabi was covering for Jon Poole
Jon Poole
Jon Poole is a British multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter best known for his work as guitarist for Cardiacs and as bass player for The Wildhearts .Poole is the frontman and main performer of God Damn Whores, and has also worked with the...
who was by now doubling as bass player for The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. 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-era Metallica...
and was busy rehearsing for the latter band's upcoming tour. 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 (with the latter going on to concentrate on GodDamnWhores, various Wildhearts
The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. 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-era Metallica...
-related projects, Crayola Lectern and others). Torabi made his formal debut as a full group member at the annual London Astoria concert on 12 November. A number of other new members were drafted into the Cardiacs line-up at the same time – three backing singers (Claire Lemmon and Melanie Woods of Sidi Bou Said
Sidi Bou Said (band)
Sidi Bou Said were a London based rock band, who existed during the 1990s. Their music combined an indie rock/folk sound with complex arrangements and literate lyrics. They were often compared to Throwing Muses and the Pixies, with whom they shared a taste for sometimes uncomfortable lyrical themes...
, plus former Shrubbies and current North Sea Radio Orchestra
North Sea Radio Orchestra
North Sea Radio Orchestra is an English contemporary music ensemble and cross-disciplinary chamber orchestra ....
singer Sharron Fortnam) and two percussionists – Cathy Harabaras and Dawn Staple – playing mostly bass drums. (The official status of most of these additional members remains unclear, although Sharron Fortnam is known to have left the band.)
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
The Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. 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-era Metallica...
for the latter's tour between December 8–15, 2004. This tour saw another substitution – drummer Stephen Gilchrist
Stephen Gilchrist
Stephen Gilchrist is a musician from London, England who also teaches drums and guitar across London. He is best known as the drummer in Blur guitarist Graham Coxon's live band, and also appears on Burnt To Bitz, Graham Coxon Live at the Zodiac and the single Bloody Annoying / What Ya Gonna Do...
(Graham Coxon
Graham Coxon
Graham Leslie Coxon is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and painter. He came to prominence as the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and occasional lead vocalist of rock band Blur, and is also a critically acclaimed solo artist, having recorded seven solo albums...
, The Scaramanga Six
The Scaramanga Six
The Scaramanga Six are an English rock band noted for their aggressive live act, their flamboyant and theatrical songs and their independent business practices...
, Stuffy/The Fuses
Stuffy/the fuses
- Biography :The band was formed by Stephen Gilchrist who recorded the band's debut album Join Me Or Die before actually getting a complete line up together. The core line up consisting of Jon Fuse , Jen Fuse , and stuffy formed in early 2003...
) stood in for Bob Leith, who had previous tour commitments with art-punk band Blurt
Blurt
Blurt is a British musical group founded by the poet, saxophonist and puppeteer Ted Milton in 1979 in Stroud, Gloucestershire; with Milton's brother Jake Milton, formerly of psychedelic group Quintessence, on drums and Peter Creese on guitar...
.
In 2007, Cardiacs released their first new material for eight years in the shape of a single called Ditzy Scene. This was released on Org Records as a limited edition of 1,000 copies. The Cardiacs line-up on record 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.
Tim Smith's heart attack and consequent band hiatus (2008-present)
At the end of June 2008, Tim SmithTim Smith (Cardiacs)
Tim Smith is an English singer-songwriter, composer, poet, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and music video director....
collapsed from a heart attack and major stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
after leaving a My Bloody Valentine concert. While in hospital, he suffered a second stroke which left him in a severely debilitated condition. All Cardiacs-related releases and activity (including the unfinished work-in-progress album, provisionally entitled LSD) 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. At time of writing, Smith remains hospitalised in a neurological rehabilitation centre in Wiltshire.
In December 2010, two tribute CDs, Leader Of The Starry Skies: A Tribute To Tim Smith, Songbook 1
Leader of the Starry Skies: A Tribute to Tim Smith, Songbook 1
Leader of the Starry Skies: A Tribute To Tim Smith, Songbook 1 is a compilation album featuring cover versions of songs by Tim Smith . It was released on CD on December 13, 2010 on the Believers Roast label...
and its limited edition companion Leader Of The Starry Skies - A Loyal Companion
Leader of the Starry Skies - A Loyal Companion
Leader of the Starry Skies - A Loyal Companion is a limited edition compilation album featuring cover versions of songs by Tim Smith . It was released on CD on December 13, 2010 on the Believers Roast label...
, were compiled by former Cardiac Christian Hayes
Christian Hayes
Christian Hayes , also known as Bic Hayes, is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. His highest profile musical role has been fronting the band Dark Star between 1998 and 2001, whom he formed with fellow ex-Levitation members David Francolini and Laurence O'Keefe.He has also played in a...
and former Spratleys Japs
Spratleys Japs
Spratleys Japs was a British psychedelic rock band formed by Cardiacs leader Tim Smith and Joanne Spratley. The band is known to have been inspired by the sound of a malfunctioning Mellotron loaned to Tim Smith by Planet Mellotron coordinator Andy Thompson. The Mellotron is used extensively on the...
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
Spratleys Japs
Spratleys Japs was a British psychedelic rock band formed by Cardiacs leader Tim Smith and Joanne Spratley. The band is known to have been inspired by the sound of a malfunctioning Mellotron loaned to Tim Smith by Planet Mellotron coordinator Andy Thompson. The Mellotron is used extensively on the...
and OceanLandWorld
Tim Smith's Extra Special OceanLandWorld
This is a solo album by the lead singer and co-founder of Cardiacs, Tim Smith.From the official :Here we have a titillating collection of songs, released exclusively on to CD, from the prolific pen of Cardiacs' main composer and lead singer Tim Smith...
) by musicians including The Magic Numbers
The Magic Numbers
The Magic Numbers are an English pop rock band comprising two pairs of brothers and sisters from Greenford. The group was formed in 2002, releasing their critically acclaimed debut album titled The Magic Numbers on 13 June 2005...
, Steven Wilson
Steven Wilson
Steven John Wilson is an English musician, best known as the founder, lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of progressive rock band Porcupine Tree...
, Oceansize
Oceansize
Oceansize were a British rock band, formed in Manchester, England on 19th October 1998. The band consisted of Mike Vennart , Steve Durose , Richard "Gambler" Ingram , Mark Heron and Jon Ellis for the majority of its career, with Steve Hodson replacing Ellis on bass in 2006...
, Robert White
The Milk And Honey Band
The Milk And Honey Band is an English rock band centred around the talents of singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Robert White .-Sound:...
/Andy Partridge
Andy Partridge
Andrew John "Andy" Partridge is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has been known as Sir John Johns and Melchior and rose to fame as a founding member, guitarist and chief songwriter of the pop/new wave band, XTC. He lives in Swindon, Wiltshire, where he was raised.Partridge also...
, Sidi Bou Said
Sidi Bou Said (band)
Sidi Bou Said were a London based rock band, who existed during the 1990s. Their music combined an indie rock/folk sound with complex arrangements and literate lyrics. They were often compared to Throwing Muses and the Pixies, with whom they shared a taste for sometimes uncomfortable lyrical themes...
and North Sea Radio Orchestra
North Sea Radio Orchestra
North Sea Radio Orchestra is an English contemporary music ensemble and cross-disciplinary chamber orchestra ....
as well as former Cardiacs including Hayes himself (as Mikrokosmos), Torabi (as Knifeworld), William D. Drake
William D. Drake
William D. Drake 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 and 1992...
, Mark Cawthra
Mark Cawthra
Mark Cawthra is a musician and music producer working in the UK. He was born in Bishop Stortford, Hertfordshire.-Biography:...
and Peter Tagg (with The Trudy).
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 are 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 attracts fulsome praise: he has been described in the music press as the "Mozart" or "Beethoven" 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).Cardiacs have had a profound underground influence on over three decades of musicians, including the pioneers of the nu-metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
and avant-garde metal genres. The band has also influenced math rock
Math rock
Math rock is a rhythmically complex guitar-based style of experimental rock that emerged in the 1980s and that was very influenced by progressive rock like King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Henry Cow - and 20th century composers such as Steve Reich and John Cage...
artists such as The Monsoon Bassoon
The Monsoon Bassoon
The Monsoon Bassoon were a British 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...
and Battles. The band are sometimes credited as having being the inventors of the "pronk" (progressive punk) music genre; Tim Smith has rejected the term from the off, stating that Cardiacs are better described as a pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group or a psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
band.
Musicians who have cited Tim Smith's work as a major influence include Mike Vennart of Oceansize
Oceansize
Oceansize were a British rock band, formed in Manchester, England on 19th October 1998. The band consisted of Mike Vennart , Steve Durose , Richard "Gambler" Ingram , Mark Heron and Jon Ellis for the majority of its career, with Steve Hodson replacing Ellis on bass in 2006...
, Mike Patton
Mike Patton
Michael Allan "Mike" Patton is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor, best known as the lead singer of the metal/experimental rock band Faith No More. He has also sung for Mr...
of Faith No More
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...
and Mr Bungle, Tool
Tool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
, Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
and Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke
Thomas "Thom" Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
of Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
. During the 1980s, Cardiacs were a professed influence or inspiration for Marillion
Marillion
Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
, It Bites
It Bites
It Bites are an English progressive rock and pop fusion band, formed in Egremont, Cumbria, England in 1982 and best known for their 1986 single "Calling All The Heroes", which gained them a Top 10 UK Singles Chart hit...
and British psychedelic acts such as Ring
Ring (band)
Ring were an English psychedelic rock band active during the 1980s.The band is notable for having helped to launch the subsequent musical careers of Robert White , Michael "Mik" Tubb and Christian "Bic" Hayes .-History:Ring evolved out of the south London experimental...
; during the 1990s, emerging bands and musicians who were Cardiacs fans included Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
, Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
and Supergrass
Supergrass
Supergrass was an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band consisted of brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes , Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey ....
Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree is a progressive rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Their music is difficult to categorise, being associated with both psychedelic rock and progressive rock, yet having been influenced by trance, krautrock and ambient due to Steven...
's Steven Wilson
Steven Wilson
Steven John Wilson is an English musician, best known as the founder, lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of progressive rock band Porcupine Tree...
, The Scaramanga Six
The Scaramanga Six
The Scaramanga Six are an English rock band noted for their aggressive live act, their flamboyant and theatrical songs and their independent business practices...
, The Monsoon Bassoon
The Monsoon Bassoon
The Monsoon Bassoon were a British 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...
and The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. 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-era Metallica...
(who would later pay direct tribute via their track "Tim Smith" on 2009's Chutzpah!
Chutzpah! (album)
¡Chutzpah! is the eighth studio album by The Wildhearts. Recorded in Denmark with producer Jacob Hansen, it was released in Europe on August 31, 2009 and in the USA on September 1, 2009.-Track listing:-Japanese Track Listing:...
). In recent years Cardiacs has been influencing a new generation of underground bands such as Rocketgoldstar , Little Trophy, The Display Team
The Display Team
The Display Team are a six-piece independent pronk band from southeast London, UK. According to Orange unsignedAct the group "has appealed to legions of brave ears, enabling the band to tour the UK and Europe several times, at clubs, pubs and festivals of every size." The Display Team has received...
and Silvery.
Present line-up
- Tim SmithTim Smith (Cardiacs)Tim Smith is an English singer-songwriter, composer, poet, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and music video director....
– lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, organ, production, etc. (1977–present) (a.k.a. "Philip Pilf" on early Cardiac Arrest recordings) - Jim Smith – bass, vocals (1977–present) (a.k.a. "Patty Pilf" on early Cardiac Arrest recordings)
- Kavus TorabiKavus TorabiKavus Torabi is a British musician and composer . A multi-instrumentalist, he is known for his work in the avant-garde rock field...
– guitar, vocals (2003–present) - Bob Leith – drums (1994–present)
- Melanie Woods – percussion and backing vocals (2004–present)
- Cathy Harabaras – percussion and backing vocals (2004–present)
Past members
(alphabetically)- Ralph Cade – dancing and saxophone (1978–1979) (a.k.a. "Raphel Cadd" on early Cardiac Arrest recordings)
- Mark CawthraMark CawthraMark Cawthra is a musician and music producer working in the UK. He was born in Bishop Stortford, Hertfordshire.-Biography:...
– drums (1980–1982), keyboards (1982–1983) (a.k.a. "Little Bobby Shattocks" on early Cardiac Arrest recordings) - William D. DrakeWilliam D. DrakeWilliam D. Drake 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 and 1992...
– keyboards (1983–1990) (not replaced – all live keyboard parts since June 1991 have been pre-recorded) - Sharron Fortnam (née Saddington) – vocals (1999–present – only appears at concerts when "Will Bleed Amen" is performed) (a.k.a. "Sophie")’’
- Stephen GilchristStephen GilchristStephen Gilchrist is a musician from London, England who also teaches drums and guitar across London. He is best known as the drummer in Blur guitarist Graham Coxon's live band, and also appears on Burnt To Bitz, Graham Coxon Live at the Zodiac and the single Bloody Annoying / What Ya Gonna Do...
– drums (December 2004 – one tour supporting The WildheartsThe WildheartsThe Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. 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-era Metallica...
) - Christian HayesChristian HayesChristian Hayes , also known as Bic Hayes, is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. His highest profile musical role has been fronting the band Dark Star between 1998 and 2001, whom he formed with fellow ex-Levitation members David Francolini and Laurence O'Keefe.He has also played in a...
aka "Bic" – guitar, vocals (1989–1990) - Marguerite Johnson – saxophone (1983–1984)
- Clare Lemmon – backing vocals, and lead vocal on "Dog Like Sparky" (2004–present)
- Dominic Luckman – drums (1983–1993)
- Colvin Mayers – keyboards (1978–1982) (a.k.a. "Max Cat" on early Cardiac Arrest recordings)
- Jon PooleJon PooleJon Poole is a British multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter best known for his work as guitarist for Cardiacs and as bass player for The Wildhearts .Poole is the frontman and main performer of God Damn Whores, and has also worked with the...
– guitar, keyboards, vocals (1991–2003) - Michael Pugh – lead vocals (1977–1980) (a.k.a. "Peter Boker" on early Cardiac Arrest recordings)
- Tim Quy – percussion and bass synthesizer (1980–1990)
- Graham Simmonds – guitar (1983–1984)
- Sarah Smith – saxophone and vocals (1980–1989) (also briefly played keyboards in 1982 – continues as guest performer on albums)
- Jo Spratley – guest vocals (1999) (on Guns album only)
- Dawn Staple – percussion (2004–2007)
- Peter Tagg – drums (1977–1979) (a.k.a "Mr Richard Targett" on early Cardiac Arrest recordings)
Studio albums
- The Obvious IdentityThe Obvious IdentityThe Obvious Identity is the debut album by English rock group Cardiacs . It was released solely on cassette and was only sold at concerts. The album title came from a name which the band used for a short time prior to taking on the "Cardiac Arrest" name...
cassette album (1980) (as Cardiac Arrest) - Toy WorldToy WorldToy World is the second album released by Cardiacs . The cassette is a mixture of older songs by the earlier Cardiac Arrest lineup and newer songs by the then-current Cardiacs lineup...
Cassette (1981) - The Seaside (1st Version)The Seaside (Cardiacs album)The Seaside is the third album from English rock group Cardiacs. The album originally featured the second recording of what would become the band's only hit single, "Is This the Life?". It is the last of the band's releases to feature keyboard player/drummer/singer Mark Cawthra and the first to...
Cassette (1984) ALPH 001 - Big Ship Mini LP (1986) ALPH 004
- A Little Man and a House and the Whole World WindowA Little Man and a House and the Whole World WindowA Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Cardiacs, released in 1988. Arguably the band's best known album, it contains their only hit single, "Is This the Life?"...
LP/CD (1988) ALPH 007/TORSO CD060 - On Land and in the SeaOn Land and in the SeaOn Land and in the Sea is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Cardiacs. It was recorded and mixed in 1988 at The Slaughterhouse studios in Yorkshire, produced by Cardiacs band leader Tim Smith and engineered by Roger Tebbutt....
LP/CD (1989) ALPH 012/TORSO CD120 - The Seaside (2nd Version) LP/CD (1990) ALPH 013
- Heaven Born and Ever BrightHeaven Born and Ever BrightHeaven Born and Ever Bright is the sixth album by the 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 until reissued in 1995 by Alphabet Business Concern...
CD (1991) ALPH 017 - Sing to GodSing to GodSing to God is the seventh album by Cardiacs and their first with drummer Bob Leith.Sing to God was also the band's first double album, due to the sheer amount of material that group leader Tim Smith had written over a number of years with little or no Cardiacs live performances...
CD (1995) ALPH 022 (limited edition DOUBLE CD), ALPH 023 (CD One), ALPH 024 (CD Two). - GunsGuns (album)Guns is the eighth studio album by Cardiacs, and their last with Jon Poole. It was recorded and mixed at Apollo 8 in London. After a brief period of unavailability, the album was re-pressed in August 2007 and is once again available on the official .-Themes:...
CD (1999) ALPH 027
Singles and EPs
- A Bus for a Bus on the BusA Bus for a Bus on the Bus"A Bus for a Bus on the Bus" is the only 7" single by Cardiac Arrest, who later became Cardiacs.Until the release of The Special Garage Concerts Vol II, none of the tracks on the 7" had been reproduced anywhere else. The single was supposed to contain four tracks and not three, but the limited...
7" (1979) TOR 002 (as Cardiac Arrest) - Seaside TreatsSeaside Treats"Seaside Treats" is the first single by Cardiacs and was released only as a 12-inch single. It features four songs from the album, The Seaside.Some copies of the single had a poster of the Cardiacs book as a free gift...
12" EP (1985) ALPH 002 - There's Too Many Irons in the FireThere'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 in September 1987.-Critical reception:In the week of its release, There's Too Many Irons in the Fire was awarded "Single of the Week" in Sounds magazine...
12" (1987) ALPH 006 - Is This the Life?Is This the Life?"Is This the Life" is the third single from Cardiacs and their best known. It is from the album, A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window....
7" and 12" (1988) ALPH 008/TORSO 70060 - Susannah's Still AliveSusannah's Still Alive"Susannah's Still Alive" is a song by the British musician Dave Davies and his group The Kinks. It was one of the few Kinks songs that was written by Davies, the brother of lead songwriter Ray Davies. The single was credited solely to Dave Davies and featured all of The Kinks as his backing band...
7" and 12" (1988) ALPH 009 - Night Tracks (The Janice Long Session) 12" EP (1988) SFNT 013
- Baby Heart Dirt 7" and 12" (1989) ALPH 011
- Day Is GoneDay Is Gone"Day Is Gone" is the sixth single from Cardiacs, taken from the album, Heaven Born and Ever Bright. The other three tracks on the single are exclusive to this release.Bic Hayes originally recorded the guitar parts...
12" and CD Single (1991) ALPH 015 - BellyeyeBellyeye"Bellyeye" is the seventh single from the pronk band, Cardiacs, and features tracks that are on Sing to God. Only 1000 copies of the CD single were produced, and it has long since been out of print....
CD Single (1995) ORGAN011 - ManhooManhoo"Manhoo" is the eighth single from Cardiacs and the first taken from Sing to God. Only 1000 copies of the CD were produced and it has long since been out of print....
CD Single (1995) ALPH 025 - Odd EvenOdd Even"Odd Even" is the ninth single from Cardiacs and the second taken from Sing to God. Only 1000 copies of the CD were produced and it has long since been out of print....
CD Single (1995) ALPH 026 - Cardiacs/Camp BlackfootCardiacs/Camp Blackfoot"Cardiacs"/"Camp Blackfoot" is the tenth single from Cardiacs and features tracks that are on Guns and Sing to God. Only 1000 of the CD was produced and it has long since been deleted....
CD Single (1998) ORG056 - SignsSigns (Cardiacs song)"Signs" is the eleventh single from the progressive punk band, Cardiacs, released in 1999. The song is from the album, Guns, while the other tracks on the single are exclusive to this release...
CD Single (1999) ALPH 028 - Ditzy Scene CD Single (2007) ORG419
Compilations
- Archive CardiacsArchive CardiacsArchive Cardiacs is a compilation of tracks from Cardiac Arrest's The Obvious Identity and Cardiacs' Toy World, plus some demo tracks created by Tim Smith and Dominic Luckman, for a side project, that never made it to release until this compilation came out....
Cassette/CD (1989) ALPH 000 - Songs for Ships and IronsSongs for Ships and Irons-Source material:Songs for Ships and Irons combines the whole of the Big Ship mini-album, the whole of the "There's Too Many Irons In The Fire" 12-inch single and the B-side of the "Susannah's Still Alive" 12-inch single. It also includes a bonus song called "Everything is Easy," a longstanding...
LP/Cassette/CD (1991) ALPH 014 - Sampler CD (1995) ALPH 019
- Greatest Hits CD (2002) ALPH 029
Live albums
- Rude BootlegRude BootlegRude Bootleg 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....
LP/Cassette/CD (1986) ALPH 005 - Cardiacs LiveCardiacs LiveCardiacs Live is a live album by Cardiacs, recorded at the Paradiso in Amsterdam on 15 May 1988. The live photo on the back cover, however, appears to have been taken at The Town and Country Club in London....
LP/CD (1988) ALPH 010 - All that Glitters is a Mares NestAll That Glitters Is a Mares NestAll That Glitters Is a Mares Nest is a live album by the English rock band Cardiacs. It is their third live album, and was originally recorded in the afternoon in the Salisbury Arts Centre on 30 June 1990. In effect, it is the soundtrack album to the live concert film Maresnest...
CD (1995) ALPH 018 - The Special Garage Concerts Vol IThe Special Garage Concerts Vol IThis is a live album recorded at the three day Garage concerts in London and released exclusively on CD.Cardiacs only played songs that predated 1984, some of which hadn't been heard for many years...
CD (2005) ALPH CD030 - The Special Garage Concerts Vol IIThe Special Garage Concerts Vol II-Description:This is a live album recorded at the three day Garage concerts in London and released exclusively on to CD.Cardiacs only played songs that predated 1984, some which had never been heard for many years. The tracks, An Ant, Hello Mr...
CD (2005) ALPH CD031
Videos
- Seaside Treats (1985) JE 140
- MaresnestMaresnestMaresnest is the second official video released by Cardiacs and it was recorded live at the Salisbury Arts Centre on 30 June 1990.This video is notable as being the last time Sarah Smith and Tim Quy played with the band. Sarah had ceased to be a full time member of the band more than a year...
(1992) LFV 116
Related releases
- Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr DrakeMr and Mrs Smith and Mr DrakeMr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake is an album performed by a side project of Cardiacs, created by Tim Smith, Sarah Smith and William D. Drake. At the time, the project itself was also known as "Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake" but would later be renamed The Sea Nymphs.The album was initially only...
Cassette (1984) ALPH 003/CD Reissue (2004) AME CD004 - Appealing To VenusAppealing to VenusAppealing to Venus is a 1992 single by The Sea Nymphs, reissued in 1998 as an album.-Appealing to Venus :This is a 7" single from The Sea Nymphs, which is a side project by Tim and Sarah Smith, and William D. Drake of the band Cardiacs....
7" (1991) ALPH 016 - The Sea NymphsThe Sea Nymphs (Cardiacs album)The Sea Nymphs is an album recorded as a side project by Tim and Sarah Smith, and William D. Drake of the band Cardiacs, originally known as Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake...
Cassette/CD (1992) ALPH 021 - Tim Smith's Extra Special OceanLandWorldTim Smith's Extra Special OceanLandWorldThis is a solo album by the lead singer and co-founder of Cardiacs, Tim Smith.From the official :Here we have a titillating collection of songs, released exclusively on to CD, from the prolific pen of Cardiacs' main composer and lead singer Tim Smith...
CD (1995) ALPH 020 - Appealing To Venus CD Reissue (1998) ORGAN044
- Cardiacs and Affectionate FriendsCardiacs and Affectionate FriendsThis is a compilation album released exclusively on CD by Cardiacs in 2001 on ORG Records.The Affectionate Friends of the title refers to the fact that all the featured artists are, or include, at least one person who has at some time been a member of Cardiacs....
CD (2001) ORG228 - Leader Of The Starry Skies: A Tribute To Tim Smith, Songbook 1Leader of the Starry Skies: A Tribute to Tim Smith, Songbook 1Leader of the Starry Skies: A Tribute To Tim Smith, Songbook 1 is a compilation album featuring cover versions of songs by Tim Smith . It was released on CD on December 13, 2010 on the Believers Roast label...
CD (2010) BR003 - Leader Of The Starry Skies - A Loyal CompanionLeader of the Starry Skies - A Loyal CompanionLeader of the Starry Skies - A Loyal Companion is a limited edition compilation album featuring cover versions of songs by Tim Smith . It was released on CD on December 13, 2010 on the Believers Roast label...
CD (2010) BR003
Musical relations
(alphabetically)- Ablemesh (Jon PooleJon PooleJon Poole is a British multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter best known for his work as guitarist for Cardiacs and as bass player for The Wildhearts .Poole is the frontman and main performer of God Damn Whores, and has also worked with the...
and Bob Leith) - Admirals Hard (Kavus TorabiKavus TorabiKavus Torabi is a British musician and composer . A multi-instrumentalist, he is known for his work in the avant-garde rock field...
sings and plays mandolin and guitar in this “psychedelic sea-shanty” band) - Ad Nauseam (Jon PooleJon PooleJon Poole is a British multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter best known for his work as guitarist for Cardiacs and as bass player for The Wildhearts .Poole is the frontman and main performer of God Damn Whores, and has also worked with the...
and Bob Leith – prior to joining Cardiacs) - Authority (Kavus TorabiKavus TorabiKavus Torabi is a British musician and composer . A multi-instrumentalist, he is known for his work in the avant-garde rock field...
with Jamie Keddie and Dan Chudley from The Monsoon BassoonThe Monsoon BassoonThe Monsoon Bassoon were a British 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...
and Craig Fortnam from Lake Of Puppies/North Sea Radio OrchestraNorth Sea Radio OrchestraNorth Sea Radio Orchestra is an English contemporary music ensemble and cross-disciplinary chamber orchestra ....
) - BlurtBlurtBlurt is a British musical group founded by the poet, saxophonist and puppeteer Ted Milton in 1979 in Stroud, Gloucestershire; with Milton's brother Jake Milton, formerly of psychedelic group Quintessence, on drums and Peter Creese on guitar...
(Bob Leith drums for this long-established jazz/punk/art-rock band) - CirculusCirculusCirculus are a psychedelic folk/progressive rock band from South London, England, founded by vocalist Michael Tyack.The band uses a mix of modern and medieval instruments, such as the lute, cittern, crumhorn and rauschpfeife, along with the moog synthesizer, bass and electric guitars...
(Progressive Folk/Rock band featuring Cardiacs Percussionist/Backing Vocalist, Cathy Harabaras) - Dark Star (band)Dark Star (band)Dark Star were an English rock band from London, whose music mixed dark psychedelica, with a dub undertow and noisy effects-laden guitar.-History:...
(Christian HayesChristian HayesChristian Hayes , also known as Bic Hayes, is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. His highest profile musical role has been fronting the band Dark Star between 1998 and 2001, whom he formed with fellow ex-Levitation members David Francolini and Laurence O'Keefe.He has also played in a...
sang lead vocals and played guitar in this band after leaving Cardiacs and Levitation) - GodDamnWhores (Jon PooleJon PooleJon Poole is a British multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter best known for his work as guitarist for Cardiacs and as bass player for The Wildhearts .Poole is the frontman and main performer of God Damn Whores, and has also worked with the...
’s hard rock band, formed after leaving Cardiacs) - GuapoGuapo (band)Guapo is a British experimental rock/art rock band formed in the mid 1990s by drummer/percussionist Dave Smith and guitarist/vocalist Matt Thompson...
(Kavus TorabiKavus TorabiKavus Torabi is a British musician and composer . A multi-instrumentalist, he is known for his work in the avant-garde rock field...
plays guitar for this progressive rock band) - Katherine In A Cupboard (progressive rock band fronted by Bob Leith on vocals and with Jim Smith on bass)
- Knifeworld (Kavus TorabiKavus TorabiKavus Torabi is a British musician and composer . A multi-instrumentalist, he is known for his work in the avant-garde rock field...
's current band. Complex, dense psychedelic songs also featuring Melanie Woods on Vocals and Craig Fortnam on bass) - Lake Of Puppies (William D. DrakeWilliam D. DrakeWilliam D. Drake 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 and 1992...
’s mid-‘90s “psychedelic acoustic” band, also featuring Sharron Fortnam) - LevitationLevitation (band)Levitation were an English rock band fronted by ex-House of Love guitarist Terry Bickers. Levitation's music and attitude challenged an early 1990s UK alternative music scene dominated by shoegazing and Madchester....
(Christian Hayes played guitar and sang in this band after leaving Cardiacs) - Mice (short-lived band led by former All About EveAll About Eve (band)All About Eve were a British rock/pop band. The creative core consisted of the Coventry born Julianne Regan , and the Huddersfield born Andy Cousin , with other members changing over the years...
singer Julianne ReganJulianne ReganJulianne Regan is an English singer, song writer, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboard player. She is best known for being the lead singer of the band, All About Eve.- Early life :...
, with post-Cardiacs contributions from Dominic Luckman and Christian HayesChristian HayesChristian Hayes , also known as Bic Hayes, is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. His highest profile musical role has been fronting the band Dark Star between 1998 and 2001, whom he formed with fellow ex-Levitation members David Francolini and Laurence O'Keefe.He has also played in a...
) - Mikrokosmos (Christian HayesChristian HayesChristian Hayes , also known as Bic Hayes, is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. His highest profile musical role has been fronting the band Dark Star between 1998 and 2001, whom he formed with fellow ex-Levitation members David Francolini and Laurence O'Keefe.He has also played in a...
solo project) - Nervous (William D. DrakeWilliam D. DrakeWilliam D. Drake 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 and 1992...
played keyboards and sang backing vocals for this folk/roots/rock band after leaving Cardiacs) - The Monsoon BassoonThe Monsoon BassoonThe Monsoon Bassoon were a British 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...
(Kavus TorabiKavus TorabiKavus Torabi is a British musician and composer . A multi-instrumentalist, he is known for his work in the avant-garde rock field...
co-led this psychedelic indie/math rockMath rockMath rock is a rhythmically complex guitar-based style of experimental rock that emerged in the 1980s and that was very influenced by progressive rock like King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Henry Cow - and 20th century composers such as Steve Reich and John Cage...
band prior to joining Cardiacs. Tim Smith produced their album I Dig Your Voodoo.) - Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr DrakeMr and Mrs Smith and Mr DrakeMr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake is an album performed by a side project of Cardiacs, created by Tim Smith, Sarah Smith and William D. Drake. At the time, the project itself was also known as "Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake" but would later be renamed The Sea Nymphs.The album was initially only...
(Tim Smith, Sarah Smith, and William D. Drake – an early version of The Sea Nymphs) - North Sea Radio OrchestraNorth Sea Radio OrchestraNorth Sea Radio Orchestra is an English contemporary music ensemble and cross-disciplinary chamber orchestra ....
– (contemporary chamber ensemble featuring Sharron Fortnam, Kavus TorabiKavus TorabiKavus Torabi is a British musician and composer . A multi-instrumentalist, he is known for his work in the avant-garde rock field...
, William D. DrakeWilliam D. DrakeWilliam D. Drake 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 and 1992...
, Melanie Woods among others; albums produced by Mark CawthraMark CawthraMark Cawthra is a musician and music producer working in the UK. He was born in Bishop Stortford, Hertfordshire.-Biography:...
) - PanixpherePanixpherePanixphere are a British rock band featuring various past, present and future members of Cardiacs and Levitation, Dark Star, Dragons and The Wildhearts....
(band featuring various Cardiacs at different times – the 1982–1984 lineup featured (Christian HayesChristian HayesChristian Hayes , also known as Bic Hayes, is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. His highest profile musical role has been fronting the band Dark Star between 1998 and 2001, whom he formed with fellow ex-Levitation members David Francolini and Laurence O'Keefe.He has also played in a...
, “Flat Hat” and future Cardiacs roadie “Little Hicky”; the 1991–1993 lineup featured Christian HayesChristian HayesChristian Hayes , also known as Bic Hayes, is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. His highest profile musical role has been fronting the band Dark Star between 1998 and 2001, whom he formed with fellow ex-Levitation members David Francolini and Laurence O'Keefe.He has also played in a...
, Tim SmithTim Smith (Cardiacs)Tim Smith is an English singer-songwriter, composer, poet, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and music video director....
, Jon PooleJon PooleJon Poole is a British multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter best known for his work as guitarist for Cardiacs and as bass player for The Wildhearts .Poole is the frontman and main performer of God Damn Whores, and has also worked with the...
and Dave Francolini) - Ponce (band featuring Jim Smith and Melanie Woods)
- RingRing (band)Ring were an English psychedelic rock band active during the 1980s.The band is notable for having helped to launch the subsequent musical careers of Robert White , Michael "Mik" Tubb and Christian "Bic" Hayes .-History:Ring evolved out of the south London experimental...
(psychedelic band featuring Christian HayesChristian HayesChristian Hayes , also known as Bic Hayes, is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. His highest profile musical role has been fronting the band Dark Star between 1998 and 2001, whom he formed with fellow ex-Levitation members David Francolini and Laurence O'Keefe.He has also played in a...
– prior to joining Cardiacs – also featured future members of The Milk And Honey BandThe Milk And Honey BandThe Milk And Honey Band is an English rock band centred around the talents of singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Robert White .-Sound:...
and Zag And The Coloured BeadsZag And The Coloured BeadsZag And The Coloured Beads are an English experimental rock band.Blending elements of psychedelic rock and progressive rock, the band were initially active in the 1980s London free-festival scene and featured several members who went on to subsequent projects including Ring, Levitation and The Milk...
) - Scalp (Mark CawthraMark CawthraMark Cawthra is a musician and music producer working in the UK. He was born in Bishop Stortford, Hertfordshire.-Biography:...
's solo recording projects) - Sidi Bou SaidSidi Bou Said (band)Sidi Bou Said were a London based rock band, who existed during the 1990s. Their music combined an indie rock/folk sound with complex arrangements and literate lyrics. They were often compared to Throwing Muses and the Pixies, with whom they shared a taste for sometimes uncomfortable lyrical themes...
(band led by Clare Lemmon and Melanie Woods, touring extensively with Cardiacs in the early 1990s, before Tim asked Clare and Melanie to do backing vocals on the Sing to GodSing to GodSing to God is the seventh album by Cardiacs and their first with drummer Bob Leith.Sing to God was also the band's first double album, due to the sheer amount of material that group leader Tim Smith had written over a number of years with little or no Cardiacs live performances...
and GunsGuns (album)Guns is the eighth studio album by Cardiacs, and their last with Jon Poole. It was recorded and mixed at Apollo 8 in London. After a brief period of unavailability, the album was re-pressed in August 2007 and is once again available on the official .-Themes:...
albums. Tim Smith produced their second album Bodies and John Poole their third album Obsessive.) - Silver Ginger 5Silver Ginger 5Silver Ginger 5 was originally formed in 1999 as a solo project for Ginger, lead singer/songwriter of The Wildhearts.The band was not formed until after the recording of the album Black Leather Mojo, and despite the name only ever had 4 members...
(band led by Ginger from The WildheartsThe WildheartsThe Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. 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-era Metallica...
with Jon PooleJon PooleJon Poole is a British multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter best known for his work as guitarist for Cardiacs and as bass player for The Wildhearts .Poole is the frontman and main performer of God Damn Whores, and has also worked with the...
produced by Tim Smith) - Spratleys JapsSpratleys JapsSpratleys Japs was a British psychedelic rock band formed by Cardiacs leader Tim Smith and Joanne Spratley. The band is known to have been inspired by the sound of a malfunctioning Mellotron loaned to Tim Smith by Planet Mellotron coordinator Andy Thompson. The Mellotron is used extensively on the...
(short-lived band featuring Tim SmithTim Smith (Cardiacs)Tim Smith is an English singer-songwriter, composer, poet, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and music video director....
and Jo Spratley) - Stuntdog (Dominic Luckman's current band, featuring former Cardiacs merchandise man Steve Wattison on guitar and vocals)
- The Sea Nymphs (semi-acoustic psychedelic folk spin-off from Cardiacs featuring Tim SmithTim Smith (Cardiacs)Tim Smith is an English singer-songwriter, composer, poet, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and music video director....
, Sarah Smith and William D. DrakeWilliam D. DrakeWilliam D. Drake 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 and 1992...
) - The Shrubbies (mid-‘90s "psychedelic acoustic" band led by Craig and Sharron Fortnam and featuring a post-Cardiacs Sarah Smith and Dominic Luckman)
- The SoundThe SoundThe Sound were an English post-punk band, formed in 1979 and dissolved in 1988. The band was fronted by Adrian Borland and evolved from his previous band, The Outsiders...
(Colvin Mayers – after leaving Cardiacs) - Tim Smith's OceanLandWorldTim Smith's Extra Special OceanLandWorldThis is a solo album by the lead singer and co-founder of Cardiacs, Tim Smith.From the official :Here we have a titillating collection of songs, released exclusively on to CD, from the prolific pen of Cardiacs' main composer and lead singer Tim Smith...
(Tim Smith's solo project) - The Trudy (band formed by Peter Tagg and Ralph Cade after leaving Cardiacs)
- Ungodly Racket (project featuring Dawn Staple)
- The WildheartsThe WildheartsThe Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. 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-era Metallica...
(celebrated British hard rock band, which Jon PooleJon PooleJon Poole is a British multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter best known for his work as guitarist for Cardiacs and as bass player for The Wildhearts .Poole is the frontman and main performer of God Damn Whores, and has also worked with the...
joined on bass during/after his time in Cardiacs)
Literature
A black and white A5 booklet of lyrics, drawings and band photographs, created by Tim Smith, was available at Cardiacs gigs for a few years from 1984, appropriately titled 'Cardiacs Book'.No official Cardiacs histories or biographies have been published. The ORGAN fanzine produced a Cardiacs anthology of interviews and reviews in 1993. In November 2006 The Organ announced that they would be putting together a book incorporating the previous anthology, interviews and features that been in Organ since that anthology was published and contributions from fans.