This article is about the English rock band. For other uses, see Cardiac arrest (disambiguation).
Cardiacs
Cardiacs live at Reading Rock Festival 1986
Background information
Also known as
Cardiac Arrest[a]
Origin
Kingston upon Thames, England
Genres
Post-punk
pop
psychedelia
art rock[1][2]
Discography
Cardiacs discography
Years active
1977–2008[b]
2024
Labels
Tortch
Alphabet Business Concern
Torso
Strange Fruit
Org
Spinoffs
The Trudy
The Sea Nymphs
Spratleys Japs
Members
Jim Smith
Christian Hayes
Jon Poole
Bob Leith
Craig Fortnam
Chloe Herington
Adrien Rodes
Past members
Tim Smith
Michael Pugh
Peter Tagg
Colvin Mayers
Ralph Cade
Mark Cawthra
Sarah Smith
Tim Quy
Dominic Luckman
William D. Drake
Graham Simmonds
Marguerite Johnston
Kavus Torabi
Sharron Fortnam
Cathy Harabaras
Claire Lemmon
Dawn Staple
Melanie Woods
Website
cardiacs.net
Cardiacs[c] are an English rock band formed in Kingston upon Thames by Tim Smith (guitar and lead vocals) and his brother Jim (bass, backing vocals) in 1977 under the name Cardiac Arrest.[a]
One of Britain's leading cult rock bands, Cardiacs' sound folded in genres including art rock, progressive rock, art punk, post-punk, jazz, psychedelia and heavy metal (as well as elements of circus, baroque pop, medieval music, nursery rhymes and sea shanties), all of which was topped by Smith's anarchic vocals and hard-to-decipher lyrics.[10][17] The band's theatrical performance style often incorporated off-putting costumes and make-up, complete with on-stage confrontations. Their bizarre sound and image made them unpopular with the press, but they amassed a devoted following.
Tim Smith was the primary lyricist, noted for his complex and innovative compositional style. He and his brother were the only constant members in the band's regularly changing lineup.[16] The band created their own indie label, the Alphabet Business Concern, in 1984 and found mainstream exposure with the single "Is This the Life?" from their debut album A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window (1988). Their second album, On Land and in the Sea (1989), was followed by Heaven Born and Ever Bright (1992), which displayed a harder edged, metal-leaning sound retained in the subsequent albums Sing to God (1996) and Guns (1999).[18] The final Cardiacs album, LSD, was left unfinished after Tim Smith was hospitalised with dystonia resulting from a cardiac arrest and stroke in 2008, which caused the band to go on hiatus indefinitely.
Smith's illness brought increased and belated critical recognition to Cardiacs, with several music outlets calling Sing to God a masterpiece.[d] His death in 2020 saw a raft of tributes on social media. Many rock groups including Blur were influenced by Cardiacs' eclectic music, which appeared on streaming services in 2021.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
^Dalton, Stephen. "Album Reviews - Heaven Born and Ever Bright". NME. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2023 – via Cardiacs.com. Tim Smith's mental art-rock project still churn out their unique brand of turbo-charged whimsy with scarily psychotic gusto.
^ ab"80's Psych Rock Legends To Play Full UK Tour". Uncut. 24 October 2007. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
^Cite error: The named reference roughguide was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Bendel, Graham (4 May 2010). "Why A Heart Attack Must Not Arrest The Cardiacs". The Quietus. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
^Mr. Spencer (20 April 2011). "The Cardiacs - an epic overview by Mr. Spencer with help from Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon and Captain Sensible". Louder Than War. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
^Cite error: The named reference pse-garage was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cashmore, Pete (2 June 2015). "Cult heroes: Tim Smith led the Cardiacs in the face of hatred – and much love". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
^Barton, Mark (10 December 2015). "Re-issue Of The Year - The Cardiacs - The Seaside". God Is in the TV. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
^Reilly, Nick (22 July 2020). "The Cardiacs' Tim Smith has died at the age of 59". NME. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
^ abKaufman, Gil (22 July 2020). "Tim Smith Dead: The Cardiacs Singer Dies". Billboard. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
^ abSacher, Andrew (22 July 2020). "Cardiacs' Tim Smith, RIP". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
^Sgrignoli, Marco (20 July 2022). "Cardiacs - biografia, recensioni, streaming, discografia, foto". Ondarock [it] (in Italian). Retrieved 30 July 2022.
^Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (22 July 2020). "Tim Smith, frontman of cult band Cardiacs, dies aged 59". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
^Mark, Alvin (22 July 2020). "Tim Smith, the Cardiacs frontman, dies at 59". Music Times. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
^ abCite error: The named reference quietustimsmithdead was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Sacher, Andrew (23 July 2020). "The Essentiality of Cardiacs' 'A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window'". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
^Rowlands, Marc (10 January 2018). "Members Of Faith No More, Voivod And Napalm Death Join Fundraiser For Cardiacs Vocalist". Kerrang!. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
including Blur were influenced by Cardiacs' eclectic music, which appeared on streaming services in 2021. Cardiacs originated in Kingston upon Thames...
Cardiac arrest, also known as sudden cardiac arrest, is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. As a result, blood cannot properly circulate...
renamed to Cardiacs, the band released two more cassettes, Toy World (1981) and The Seaside (1984). 1987's Big Ship EP acted as Cardiacs' first proper...
Cardiac catheterization (heart cath) is the insertion of a catheter into a chamber or vessel of the heart. This is done both for diagnostic and interventional...
In cardiac physiology, cardiac output (CO), also known as heart output and often denoted by the symbols Q {\displaystyle Q} , Q ˙ {\displaystyle {\dot...
The cardiac nerves are autonomic nerves which supply the heart. They include: Superior cardiac nerve (nervus cardiacus cervicalis superior) Middle cardiac...
Archive Cardiacs (also known simply as Archive) is a compilation album by English rock band Cardiacs. The album is composed of early tracks by the band...
Cardiac muscle (also called heart muscle or myocardium) is one of three types of vertebrate muscle tissues, with the other two being skeletal muscle and...
future Cardiacs bandmate Bob Leith Following some early cassette experiments, Jon Poole's first proper band as writer and performer was the Cardiacs-inspired...
Problems playing this file? See media help. Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, are irregularities in the heartbeat, including when it is...
16-year-old girl's heartbeat Problems playing this file? See media help. The cardiac cycle is the performance of the human heart from the beginning of one heartbeat...
ISBN 978-0-85712-773-0. Sarah Liss. "Cardiacs Attack". Now, May 26, 2005. Kolasky, Sarah (May 1, 2004). "The S.S. Cardiacs". Wavelength Toronto. Wavelength...
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...
Cardiac amyloidosis is a subcategory of amyloidosis where there is depositing of the protein amyloid in the cardiac muscle and surrounding tissues. Amyloid...
Cardiac index (CI) is a haemodynamic parameter that relates the cardiac output (CO) from left ventricle in one minute to body surface area (BSA), thus...
died, prompting reactions from music outlets and Cardiacs members. Quy began his career as Cardiacs' sound engineer, lighting technician and roadie alongside...
Cardiac markers are biomarkers measured to evaluate heart function. They can be useful in the early prediction or diagnosis of disease. Although they...
members in Cardiacs' regularly changing line-up. After playing his first gig as Gazunder, Tim Smith formed Cardiacs under the name Cardiac Arrest, and...
Cardiac monitoring generally refers to continuous or intermittent monitoring of heart activity to assess a patient's condition relative to their cardiac...
Cardiac fibrosis commonly refers to the excess deposition of extracellular matrix in the cardiac muscle, but the term may also refer to an abnormal thickening...
Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "the sum of activity and interventions required to ensure the best possible...
The cardiac plexus is a plexus of nerves situated at the base of the heart that innervates the heart. The cardiac plexus is divided into a superficial...
ventricle), the middle cardiac vein (draining the bottom of the left and right ventricles), and small cardiac veins. The anterior cardiac veins drain the front...
or with a preserved ejection fraction. Heart failure is not the same as cardiac arrest, in which blood flow stops completely due to the failure of the...
Cardiac surgery, or cardiovascular surgery, is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. It is often used to treat complications...
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