Cardiacs: Classic or Dud?

Eamonn - im having a bad week - but looking forward to saturday's party !

Its true, Cardiacs are the least pompous band on the planet. They may be the most emotional... try listening to them more than once, you may notice that part of it. They are just plain unique, so don't come with a blueprint for listening - everyone gets something diffent out of them, hence such a wide range of gig goers

There's an album just out of quieter moments called 'Cardiacs And Affectionate Friends', with various solo stuff from Bic (Levitation), William D Drake and the Sea Nymphs... Of course Cardiacs are classic, someone described them recently as 'the finest band to walk the face of the earth' (which was nice)

He doesn't care that they sound like a riot in a fairground.

They supported Blur at their big Mile End Indiefest, as I recall. Damian Allbran always sites them as a major influence, although you never know with Blurboy whether it's just something he says to prove his uniqueness. The only other band to really take Cardiac-worship into the mainstream were Ultrasound, and for all their freaky- outsider posturing they were never quite as interesting (Whatever happened to Tiny?)

Popular rumour has it that one editor banned them from the NME. I'd love that to be true, although I've seen the printed review of "Heaven Born" so it seems unlikely.

Anyway, you do know about 'Cardiacs Greatest Hits' just out? - lots of nicely remastered tracks and a soaring new one.

they change my life constantly. no one today can touch them.

to be muttered in the same breath as the smiths, dexys, detroit techno, etc etc

Classic, Classic, CLASSIC

There's a Rock Sounds mention this week (thanks to Sean Organ), and a couple or articles in The Organ 'zine - www.organart.com

Always check out WWW.CARDIACS.COM for info!

I've had the Greatest Hits on constant play since I got it. What an album! I've only had Guns, Sing to God and the Sampler up till now, so most of the old stuff is new to me. Affectionate Friends ain't bad either.

xini

BTW if you get the chance go see Bill Drake, he has an album forthcoming, and there's a CD-single out produced by Tim Smith (Cardiacs).

A fan!

Result!

DL... If you've just heard 'Guns', wait till you hear 'A Little Man And A House And The Whole World Window'... give us an email if you have difficulty getting stuff.

08/12/04: London - Astoria
09/12/04: Manchester - MDH (Uni)
10/12/04: Glasgow - Garage
11/12/04: Sheffield - Leadmill
13/12/04: Cambridge - Junction
14/12/04: Bristol - Anson Rooms
15/12/04: Wolverhampton - Wulfrun Hall

Did anyone see them at the Astoria on 12th Nov? What happened?

Say WHAT? What a fuckin' double-bill!!!!!

I expect indifference followed by swift irritation followed speedily by violence.

Wish I had seen this line up but they rarely played in Glasgow, HB&EB era was my first time.

Well then

It will be up for the next three days. Also, there's going to be a single from LSD up for sale on August 1; a song that no one had any idea existed called "Woodeneye."

Still available to watch (but not for much longer):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KidL8T-Wzy8

thanks for the bump on this one, i just about missed it!

I was there but sadly couldn't spot my youthful hairy self in the audience cutaways

https://alphabet-business-concern.bandcamp.com/album/lsd

here it is now

Cardiacs at their most Terrorvision - and at their most Case the early 80s oi/ska band

But look I don't mean either of those things negatively, it's a lovely track

Oddly, it's a very Jon Poole-y tune, to these ears at least, some touches of Heaven Born.

It’s only 6 weeks away…god damn

Another new one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4o03z8wGIQ

great discussion with Kavus on LSD. a lot of discussion about how these guys were all mainly making music for each other and how Tim was the lynchpin of all of that - he mentions his last solo album (The Banishing) as the first thing he did that Tim didn't get to hear

https://birthdaycakebreakfast.wordpress.com/2025/09/09/lsd-listen-to-episode-44-of-60-minutes-or-less-the-podcast-from-birthday-cake-for-breakfast-featuring-kavus-torabi-of-cardiacs

Bit good, innit?

Busty Beez is absolutely one of the greatest things they've ever done/I've ever heard. The rest ranges from mildly disappointing to really great. I'm happy to take the positives tbh, this could have easily just not happened at all and it'll get more eyes on the band and their body of work

Too early to call anything for me really (other than 'great') I was thinking scattered thoughts whilst listening for the first time last night, it's obviously bittersweet too but, the process of ingesting a new Tim record...goodness, when StG was released it took such a long time, years even, to let it all soak in.

Of course, this one is a collective effort and a different beast, but I hear elements of the later eras more than the middle or early (Heaven Born and Spratley's especially), the influence of Jon Poole is still there along with Kavus, it's interesting to hear a female singer who doesn't have that more telegraphed estuary accent that dovetails so well with Tim's music, but I guess Mike doesn't really have that either, being a northerner.

Oh, I absolutely think Pony is the closest sonic precedent to this, which I'm not complaining about at all (it's one of his best imo)

For me, at least, Pony took even longer to decode, maybe because it seemed to come out of nowhere (and was presented as a full new band), pre social media blah blah. Everyone seemed to be saying the same things, 'it's so psychedelic!!!'

I only knew about it because I walked with Tim from Camden tube to up Dingwall's one night to go see a Bassoon gig and in-between me quizzing him about his favourite Incredible String Band record, I was asking about new music, he told me how much he was enjoying making this new thing which was coming along, Spratley's Japs. Had to ask him to repeat the name hah.

LSD is out. Now..

https://alphabet-business-concern.bandcamp.com/album/lsd

I want this thing to go all over the stupid place. And I will try my best hardest to make it all over the stupid place.

Actually fuck what I said, this owns

(mostly ;) )

Love it. First impression is that it sounds less like an album made by a band and more like an album made by a town.

That is pretty close to the truth.

theres genuinely something very humanly touching about the fact that this was finished and is every bit as good as Tim himself would've done. it really is exactly the album I was hoping would drop in 2008 and make people pay attention

https://kiyimuzik.com/cardiacs-interview-where-tim-is-hes-up-front/

wait, what???

Here is a question asked by a friend: Is LSD the grand finale, or is there more stuff coming out in the future?

No, it’s not the final album. I think we have got two more albums, which we will start soon. It’s not the end of the road. So you can look forward to seeing us all on mobility scooters or wheelchairs on stage. (laughs)

the Vennert band played its first live show and it sounds like it was fookin amazing

I'm going tomorrow, with a heavy heart and enormous misgivings

Had tickets for this evening but had to cancel as I have a poorly kitty to take care of, would have been my first Cardiacs gig in something like 25 years.

Ooops tomorrow evening

I seen them last night in Glasgow and it was really good, I assumed I would know all the songs but was surprised by how much I didn't recognize, I guess some of it really just sounds that different live.

Kind of embarrassed how little I knew about the current lineup, I thought the Saxophone player was Sarah but it's someone else (I seen two women in the band last night but there's 3 women in the current band photo). I think I've got every Tim Smith written studio album now but there's still EPs and singles and the wider family. Very daunting.

Looking for more stuff Sarah sings on because I really love her voice and I wish there was much more.

the Vennert band played its first live show and it sounds like it was fookin amazing

― frogbs, Tuesday, 10 March 2026 04:05 (four days ago) bookmarkflaglink

It was

Imago, what did you think?

I have only watched two of the gigs on YT, I feel Sharron is a little underused; she has such an amazing voice, and my friends said she was very low in the foh mix.

Singing is still a sticking point for me, I feel the STT gigs were let down by some poor choices, but I get that a communal feeling was what drove those concerts, but only Jon Poole carried it off well.

Mike is good a lot of the time, (and he's a great frontman), at his best when singing vocal melodies that he did on the record, but songs like Fiery Gun Hand, he takes this odd middle path, they could have handed it to Sharron, who would have knocked it out of the park.

I don't have much useful to say about the show other than it was an excellent and quite emotional night and there wasn't anything to even nitpick with. It was a fully-formed show for sure, Mike was fantastic.

There was a chance I was gonna have to move outside or leave after Fiery Gun Hand because I fell abruptly sick and the hot air wasn't allowing me any useful breathing so I had to squat for a moment. Shoutout to the man next to me who appeared with some water from out of nowhere I thought it would only help for a short while but it genuinely saved the night.

It's a little odd (not in a bad way) to me that they're playing ArcTanGent, i.e. a crowd beyond the faithful. I mean sure, go for it fellas. I feel like for Jim especially it's joyous to be on stage again playing the catalogue so it's a moment to make the most of. Hope they go down really well.

I thought I read about some Primavera or adjacent gig in the summer, too. So I'm hoping there might be a return later in the year, and I might actually be able to see them, it's been so long. But it must be so difficult to corral all these musicians. I wonder whose job that is.

I was kind of underwhelmed, then suddenly they became absolutely incredible for Signs/Burn/Everso. Weird experience, on balance glad they're back. But bring on Bloom :P

There were some annoying sound issues at Brixton which made it a bit of a frustrating experience - drums/bass way too loud and Kavus's guitar almost inaudible. It improved in the latter half of the gig so hopefully these technical issues will be ironed out at future shows - these seem to have gone down very well so that practically guarantees there will be more.

This channel has uploaded very good quality recording of the entire Portsmouth gig. Never thought in a million years I'd ever hear them do "Hymn" live again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STiW1xHybGM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ttHCrgfx3E

Was at the Manchester Albert Hall gig with my best friend of over 40 years, sharing a devotion to Cardiacs since our teenage years. Very different delivery and sound to the STT tour, but the line-up and Mike Vennart definitely worked for the heavier late era and new material. I expected an emotional evening, so Jim at centre stage, Kavus playing Tim's green Westone guitar, Hymn and the finale with portrait of Tim held aloft certainly delivered.

There was a real standout moment when Mike shot off stage during the encores then appeared on the circle to sing Whole World Window with support from the whole crowd; my pal projects a stone-faced exterior but grabbed me and said "I love you, mate". The power of music :)

Aw <3