Editing Cardiacs (section)

{{short description|English rock band}}
{{About|the English rock band|other uses|Cardiac arrest (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2013}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Cardiacs
| image             = Cardiacs live at Reading Rock Festival 1986.jpg
| landscape         = yes
| alt               = A composite image of the band onstage
| caption           = Cardiacs live at [[Reading and Leeds Festivals|Reading Rock Festival]] 1986
| origin            = [[Kingston upon Thames]], England
| genre             = {{flatlist|
<!---   Do NOT add genres that are not supported by an inline citation  --->
*[[Art rock]]
*[[psychedelic rock]]
*[[avant-punk]]
*[[post-punk]]
*[[art-pop]]
*[[art-punk]]
*[[experimental rock]]
*[[indie rock]]
}}
| discography       = [[Cardiacs discography]]
| years_active      = {{hlist|1977–2008|2024–present}}
| label             = {{hlist|Tortch|[[Alphabet Business Concern|Alphabet]]|Torso|[[Strange Fruit Records|Strange Fruit]]|[[Organ (magazine)|Org]]|[[Aaron Tanner|Melodic Virtue]]}}
| spinoffs          = {{hlist|[[Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake|Mr & Mrs Smith & Mr Drake]]|[[The Sea Nymphs (band)|Sea Nymphs]]|[[Panixphere]]|[[Spratleys Japs|Spratleys&nbsp;Japs]]}}
| website           = {{URL|cardiacs.net}}
| current_members   = *[[Jim Smith (bassist)|Jim Smith]]
*[[Bic Hayes|Christian Hayes]]
*[[Jon Poole]]
*[[Bob Leith]]
*[[Craig Fortnam]]
*Chloe Herington
*Adrien Rodes
| past_members      = *[[Tim Smith (Cardiacs)|Tim Smith]]
*Michael Pugh
*[[Peter Tagg (musician)|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
*[[Circulus (band)|Cathy Harabaras]]
*[[Sidi Bou Said (band)|Claire Lemmon]]
*Dawn Staple
*[[Melanie Woods (musician)|Melanie Woods]]
}}
'''Cardiacs'''{{efn|sometimes also referred to as '''the Cardiacs'''<ref name="roughguide"/><ref name="UK Tour"/><ref name="quietusheartattack">{{Cite web |last=Bendel |first=Graham |author-link=Graham Bendel |date=4 May 2010 |title=Why A Heart Attack Must Not Arrest The Cardiacs |url=https://thequietus.com/articles/04192-why-a-heart-attack-must-not-arrest-the-cardiacs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204161743/http://thequietus.com/articles/04192-why-a-heart-attack-must-not-arrest-the-cardiacs |archive-date=4 February 2013 |access-date=27 June 2022 |website=[[The Quietus]]}}</ref><ref name="Spencer">{{Cite web |last=Mr. Spencer |date=20 April 2011 |title=The Cardiacs - an epic overview by Mr. Spencer with help from Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon and Captain Sensible |url=https://louderthanwar.com/the-cardiacs-an-epic-overview-by-mr-spencer-with-help-from-damon-albarn-graeme-coxon-and-captain-sensible/ |access-date=27 June 2022 |website=[[Louder Than War]]}}</ref><ref name="pse-garage"/><ref name="Cashmore">{{Cite web|last=Cashmore|first=Pete|date=2 June 2015|title=Cult heroes: Tim Smith led the Cardiacs in the face of hatred – and much love|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/jun/02/cult-heroes-tim-smith-led-the-cardiacs-in-the-face-of-hatred-and-much-love|url-status=live|access-date=30 September 2021|website=[[The Guardian]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150603135943/http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/jun/02/cult-heroes-tim-smith-led-the-cardiacs-in-the-face-of-hatred-and-much-love |archive-date=3 June 2015 }}</ref><ref name="Seaside boxset">{{Cite web |last=Barton |first=Mark |date=10 December 2015 |title=Re-issue Of The Year - The Cardiacs - The Seaside |url=https://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/2015/12/10/re-issue-of-the-year-the-cardiacs-the-seaside/ |access-date=14 July 2022 |website=[[God Is in the TV]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Reilly |first=Nick |date=22 July 2020 |title=The Cardiacs' Tim Smith has died at the age of 59 |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-cardiacs-tim-smith-has-died-at-the-age-of-59-2712830 |access-date=14 July 2022 |website=[[NME]]}}</ref><ref name="Billboard">{{Cite magazine |last=Kaufman |first=Gil |date=22 July 2020 |title=Tim Smith Dead: The Cardiacs Singer Dies |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/tim-smith-dead-cardiacs-singer-dies-9422351/ |access-date=19 August 2022 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref><ref name="allmusic">{{Cite web |last=Demalon |first=Tom |title=Cardiacs Biography, Songs, & Albums |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cardiacs-mn0000531346/biography |access-date=21 August 2022 |publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref>}} are<!-- Proper nouns that are plural in form take a plural verb in each of American, Canadian and British English. Please do not change "are" to "is". --> an English [[Rock music|rock]] band formed in [[Kingston upon Thames]] by [[Tim Smith (Cardiacs)|Tim Smith]] (guitar and lead vocals) and his brother [[Jim Smith (bassist)|Jim]] (bass, backing vocals) in 1977 under the name Cardiac Arrest.{{efn|The band was initially formed as the Filth before changing their name to Cardiac Arrest.<ref name="RIP">{{Cite web |last=Sacher |first=Andrew |date=22 July 2020 |title=Cardiacs' Tim Smith, RIP |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/cardiacs-tim-smith-rip/ |access-date=1 July 2022 |website=[[BrooklynVegan]]}}</ref><ref name="OndaRock"/><ref name="timsmithdeadguardian">{{Cite web |last=Beaumont-Thomas |first=Ben |date=22 July 2020 |title=Tim Smith, frontman of cult band Cardiacs, dies aged 59 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jul/22/tim-smith-frontman-cult-band-the-cardiacs-dies-aged-59 |access-date=20 August 2022 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> Performing under the name until 1980,<ref name="musictimes">{{Cite web |last=Mark |first=Alvin |date=22 July 2020 |title=Tim Smith, the Cardiacs frontman, dies at 59 |url=https://www.musictimes.com/articles/82080/20200722/tim-smith-cardiacs-frontman-dies-59.htm |access-date=21 August 2022 |website=Music Times}}</ref> the group went though a number of name changes before settling on simply Cardiacs in 1981.<ref name="quietustimsmithdead"/><ref name="RIP"/>|name=note1}} One of Britain's leading [[Cult following#Music|cult rock bands]], Cardiacs' sound folded in genres including [[art rock]], [[progressive rock]], [[art punk]], [[post-punk]], [[jazz]], [[Psychedelic music|psychedelia]] and [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] (as well as elements of [[Circus music|circus]], [[baroque pop]], [[medieval music]], [[nursery rhyme]]s and [[Sea shanty|sea shanties]]), all of which was topped by Smith's anarchic vocals and hard-to-decipher lyrics.<ref name="Billboard" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Sacher |first=Andrew |date=23 July 2020 |title=The Essentiality of Cardiacs' 'A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window' |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/the-essentiality-of-cardiacs-a-little-man-and-a-house-and-the-whole-world-window/ |access-date=25 June 2022 |website=[[BrooklynVegan]]}}</ref> The band's theatrical performance style often incorporated off-putting costumes and make-up, complete with on-stage confrontations. Their sound and image made them unpopular with the press, but they amassed a devoted following.

Tim Smith was the primary songwriter, noted for his complex and innovative compositional style. He and his brother were the only constant members in the band's regularly changing [[List of Cardiacs band members#Lineups|lineup]].<ref name="quietustimsmithdead"/> The band created their own [[Independent record label|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, [[Heavy metal music|metal]]-leaning sound retained in the subsequent albums ''[[Sing to God]]'' (1996) and ''[[Guns (Cardiacs album)|Guns]]'' (1999).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rowlands |first=Marc |date=10 January 2018 |title=Members Of Faith No More, Voivod And Napalm Death Join Fundraiser For Cardiacs Vocalist |url=https://www.kerrang.com/members-of-faith-no-more-voivod-napalm-death-and-the-widhearts-join-fundraiser-for-cardiacs-vocalist |access-date=17 August 2022 |website=[[Kerrang!]]}}</ref> The final Cardiacs album, ''[[LSD (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.{{efn|See [[Sing to God#Retrospective assessment]]}} His death in 2020 saw a raft of tributes on social media. Many rock groups including [[Blur (band)|Blur]] were influenced by Cardiacs' eclectic music, which appeared on streaming services in 2021. Alternately billed as "Cardiacs", "The Cardiacs", and "Cardiacs Family & Friends", Cardiacs members "past, present, and future" performed the music of Tim Smith at several sold-out gigs in 2024.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=tinysiren2002 |date=2024-05-17 |title=Sing To Tim – The Smith & Drake Ensemble/Crayola Lectern/Spratleys/Cardiacs & Friends – Garage, London & Brudenell, Leeds 4-6 May 2024 - Joyzine |url=https://joyzine.org/2024/05/17/sing-to-tim-the-smith-drake-ensemble-crayola-lectern-spratleys-cardiacs-friends-garage-london-brudenell-leeds-4-6-may-2024/ |access-date=2024-06-19 |website=joyzine.org |language=en-US}}</ref>