126-513: The North Sea Radio Orchestra ( NSRO ) is an English contemporary music ensemble and cross-disciplinary chamber orchestra (plus chorus ). Formed in 2002, the NSRO was set up mainly as a vehicle for the compositions of its musical director, Craig Fortnam , but has also performed works by William D. Drake and James Larcombe . The ensemble is notable for its post-modern fusion of Romantic music and later twentieth-century forms, and for its bridging of
252-529: A Ball and a Chain") has ever been released to the public (it appears on the band's 2002 compilation Greatest Hits ). Another song, the Jon Poole-penned "Silvery", appeared regularly in the band's live repertoire, and was later re-recorded by Jon Poole himself for the God Damn Whores' second album (albeit under the title "Sparkly Silver Sky"). While Tim Smith's given explanation for the album's nonappearance
378-585: A Moon' would be released on their own new label, called The Household Mark, on 4 July 2011. The band also announced a series of live dates for summer 2011, including a repeat performance of the Vernon Elliot music at Kings Place, London, on 10 June, further visits to the Quaker Meeting House in Brighton (10 July) and St Martin-in-the-Fields (15 July) and appearances accompanying indie-folk band Stornoway at
504-483: A bit different, then this is a great rock pool to do it in." Organ lavishly praised the album, saying that "North Sea Radio Orchestra are blossoming in a rather fine way now with their inviting mix of delicate English prog and 20th century classical pastoral folk. Harmonically rich and fluid in a Henry Cow , Art Bears , Incredible String Band kind of way... A fine mix of delicate English folk and something that has evolved out of fine traditions of chamber music… Birds
630-533: A bit. It's just a way of creating your own world, isn't it? Nobody else is doing that, so that's half the battle – doing something different." Craig Fortnam on the early City of London church concerts Members of NSRO for the first concert included the Fortnams, percussionist Hugh Wilkinson, cellist/composer Harry Escott and organist/composer James Larcombe (of Stars in Battledress ), all of whom would continue in
756-1855: A cappella Contemporary blues Contemporary Catholic liturgical music Contemporary Christian music Contemporary classical music Contemporary commercial music Contemporary folk music Contemporary hit radio Contemporary improvisation Contemporary Jewish religious music Contemporary laïkó Contemporary R&B Contemporary soul Contemporary worship music New adult contemporary Rhythmic adult contemporary Rhythmic contemporary Urban adult contemporary Urban contemporary gospel Urban contemporary music Regions [ edit ] Contemporary music of France Contemporary music of Indonesia Contemporary music of Madagascar Malaysian contemporary music Contemporary underground music in Syria Institutions [ edit ] Academy of Contemporary Music Advanced School of Contemporary Music ARChive of Contemporary Music Association for Contemporary Music Center for Contemporary Music Center for Contemporary Opera Contemporary Music Project Cornel School of Contemporary Music Edition of Contemporary Music INSAM Institute for Contemporary Artistic Music The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance International Society for Contemporary Music Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts London Centre of Contemporary Music Quebec Contemporary Music Society Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music School of Jazz and Contemporary Music Ensembles [ edit ] Accessible Contemporary Music Birmingham Contemporary Music Group Concorde Contemporary Music Ensemble Contemporary Youth Orchestra The Group for Contemporary Music NOTUS,
882-474: A cut-glass English Rose singer, delicate, classical, strong and capable." Reviewing Birds in issue 181, Mojo described the album as sounding like " Tortoise reworked by Howard Goodall " and suggested "there's charm and melody aplenty, but the churchier excursions suggest bourgeois smugness – Blake would not approve." In the underground music press, the Name Someone That's Not A Parasite music blog hailed
1008-440: A distinctly non-conformist sound but nevertheless achieves its aim with quiet, reserved gusto. NSRO aren't about to go on a media rampage shouting about how good they are; the whole project is far too middle-class for that. But by putting out Birds they are giving their audience a knowing wink. They realise they've created a fine piece of work and you can feel the confidence growing from track to track." Cambridgeshire Times called
1134-940: A full group member at the annual London Astoria concert on 12 November (Poole would go on to concentrate on God Damn Whores, various Wildhearts -related projects, Crayola Lectern and others). This lineup performed classic songs on Radio2XS in December 2004 as part of the station's "Barn Sessions". A number of other new members were drafted into the Cardiacs lineup around 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. 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
1260-483: A full-length cassette release titled The Obvious Identity in 1980, which was released at around 1000 copies exclusively sold at concerts. Shortly after, the group went through a number of name changes, settling on simply Cardiacs in 1981. They held their first concert under the new name in April. In 1981, Cardiacs self-released the cassette album, Toy World , featuring both new material and recordings dating back to
1386-546: A full-time member (also doubling on bass synthesizer). In July 1983, Tim Smith married Sarah Cutts – taking his surname, she was henceforward known as Sarah Smith. In mid-1983 Mark Cawthra left the band, to be replaced on keyboards by William D. Drake . Tim Smith had previously met Drake in 1982 at the debut performance of Drake's band Honour Our Trumpet (who promptly invited him to join as bass guitarist.) Following Cawthra's departure, Smith returned Drake's favour by inviting him to join Cardiacs. Drake played his first concert with
SECTION 10
#17328689474461512-620: A guitarist. One of the bands which he played in was the psychedelic acoustic band Lake of Puppies, led by Fortnam's friend (and former Cardiacs keyboard player) William D. Drake . The band gigged infrequently and recorded a few tracks, but never released an album. However, the band also featured singer and bass guitarist Sharron Saddington. The two would also become longtime musical partners, and following their marriage, she would become known as Sharron Fortnam. In 1995, Craig and Sharron teamed up with two other former Cardiacs (saxophonist/keyboard player Sarah Smith and drummer Dominic Luckman) to form
1638-458: A harder edged, metal -leaning sound retained in the subsequent albums Sing to God (1996) and Guns (1999). 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
1764-495: 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 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 (
1890-451: A lot of people won't admit to. It's the weirdness in everyone whether you like it or not. Some people think it's dead funny, others hate it. It's strange when people hate us—they really do hate us, it brings out something odd in people. —Tim Smith Between 5 November – 21 December 1984, Cardiacs performed their first major British support tour, supporting Marillion at the personal invitation of Marillion's vocalist, Fish . Whilst
2016-607: A lot of recordings in St Olave's , which is a beautiful, pre- Fire of London church that survived, just behind Trinity Square. And the sound of that record, to me, is like London. It sounds like timeless London to me. Like the Thames, the shingle when the tide goes out. " Craig Fortnam contradicts NSRO's "pastoral" image The album received plenty of critical praise. Word Magazine called it "a beautiful debut.... unreservedly recommended," while Leeds Guide praised "a style of songwriting and
2142-408: A lyricism (nostalgic, pastoral, quaint) which is peculiarly English and suddenly, in their hands, timeless" and their reviewer dubbed the recording "one of the best albums, whatever the genre, that I have heard this year." Playlouder.com claimed that "North Sea Radio Orchestra splash colour into every corner of the speakers with a regal splendour and effervescent celebration of God, Nature or whatever it
2268-508: A masterpiece. 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. 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. Cardiacs originated in Kingston upon Thames , Surrey, in
2394-535: 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
2520-415: A real orchestra, this is something that's both timeless and enchantingly beautiful – a very fine, very enjoyable rather magical album." Following the release of Birds , NSRO appearances and activity became rarer, partly due to Craig Fortnam's concentration on a smaller-scale project called Arch Garrison , the live line-up of which also featured Sharron Fortnam and James Larcombe. (The project's debut album
2646-410: A shared concert with Napalm Death at Salisbury Arts Centre on 30 June. The Cardiacs half of the concert was filmed and released as the video Maresnest (produced by Steve Mallet and directed by Steve Payne, and eventually also released as the 1995 live album All that Glitters is a Mares Nest ). The band performed as a seven-piece, with Sarah Smith making a one-day return as a band member. Although
SECTION 20
#17328689474462772-564: A slightly antique/Edwardian feel (complete with home-made art-deco -styled concert programmes designed by Sharron Fortnam). "It was thirty quid to hire a church in the City of London, so I thought, I know, we'll just do gigs in city churches, and it'll be like this weird thing, this funny band who play in churches. And the music I wrote, I was really aware of the acoustic potential, so some songs were definitely written so I could have this amazing piano chord that just goes 'ching!' and just let it ring for
2898-596: A social thing, and people were talking all the way through. That just started annoying me and I thought, 'I'll write music that doesn't have drums, that isn't loud, and we'll play places where people sit down and then they won't talk." The Shrubbies split up in 1998, and the now-married Fortnams opted to pursue a more ambitious and flexible project which could showcase both Craig's contemporary classical compositions and Sharron's unconventional singing voice (which blended elements of classical mezzo-soprano with folk and pop stylings). Recruiting several other musicians, they set up
3024-464: A teenager, Craig Fortnam gravitated towards the cluster of bands surrounding the long-standing British psychedelic band Cardiacs . He went on to study composition and guitar at Dartington College of Arts . Graduating in 1990, he returned to London. During this period he composed material written for a variety of classical genres and ensembles, but also became involved with the London underground rock scene as
3150-751: Is also encouraged. The NSRO themselves cite influences including Benjamin Britten , television composer Vernon Elliott , The Incredible String Band , Vaughan Williams , and more metaphysical influences such as " London clay , water from the Thames and shingle from Bankside ". Various critics have also made comparisons to the music of rock/classical/crossover musicians such as Simon Jeffes ' Penguin Café Orchestra , Sean O'Hagan's High Llamas , Frank Zappa , Clogs , Sufjan Stevens , Max Richter , Nick Drake , Virginia Astley , Kate St John and Peter Warlock . Since 2010,
3276-477: Is an album pulling gently in two distinct ways. One direction; nice, simple, sitting in a sunny field, female-voiced acoustic folk, the other towards a rarer thing, this fusion of English medieval progressive classical, chamber orchestral music, via Vaughan Williams , Cardiacs , Vernon Elliott , Henry Cow . In the end, it all works as a melodic spirited integral classical whole. Always more than just decorating modern music with classical instrumentation, at its core
3402-576: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Cardiacs Cardiacs 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. 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
3528-465: Is fine for a night, but I wouldn't want to stay." Notorious underground music commentator Everett True was considerably more scornful in his Hugs And Kisses blog (reprinted in The Village Voice ), castigating the band for "po-faced snobbery" and "baroque warbling" and comparing them unfavourably to their more post-rock inclined support act: “Crayola Lectern tick the same high musicality boxes as
3654-529: 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. On 17 April, 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
3780-591: Is you may wish to call it." In the underground press, Art Rocker praised the NSRO for "doing something really quite special.....in their ability to ebb and sway and permeate through styles without erring away from the constant series of lush orchestrations", and hailed the record as "the most beautiful album of the year… could surely sway even the most ardent distortion-pedal freak to step back and open their minds and hearts to this." Foggy Notions called it "an everchanging trip, blooming with melody and twinkling beauty from start to finish," while Subba Cultcha commented that
3906-497: 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
North Sea Radio Orchestra - Misplaced Pages Continue
4032-583: The Folly Bololey - Songs from Robert Wyatt's "Rock Bottom" concert featuring Greaves, the NSRO and Italian singer Annie Barbazza. Marchini subsequently produced the critically acclaimed album version of Folly Bololey , recorded live during the Musiche Nuove a Piacenza Festival in November 2018 and eventually released in 2019, with liner notes written by Robert Wyatt and Jonathan Coe. In September 2016 - prior to
4158-642: The Green Man Festival in August. On 27 September 2008 the NSRO performed an "open rehearsal" at the Purcell Room , Southbank Centre , London in a double bill with Ted Barnes . This was part of the Open Weekend event (itself part of the 2008 Cultural Oympiad). A second North Sea Radio Orchestra album – Birds – was released on 1 December 2008 on Oof! Records (with the band performing a concert at St Martin in
4284-482: The Shrubbies ). Luckman retained his connection with the band and would later make an appearance on stage during Cardiacs' 2001 Astoria show. 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. After three years without any new releases, 1995 saw
4410-510: The Shrubbies . This band gigged enthusiastically in London for several years (playing concerts with like-minded bands such as The Monsoon Bassoon , Podsdarapomuk and Delicate AWOL ) and released one eponymous EP in 1997 followed by the album Memphis in Texas in 1999. However, Fortnam began to become disillusioned with the poor etiquette and atmosphere he encountered at rock concerts, later recalling "I began to realise that most people were there for
4536-474: 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. Tim would have drums and rough keyboard chords on tape and would ask me to come up with guitar and bass riffs. I
4662-573: The Alphabet Business Concern is that you realise the high regard they must have for The Organ ". The song charted at number 72 on the Spanish iTunes Chart on 11 October 2020. Claire Lemmon and Dawn Staple had also left the active lineup by the time of the 2007 winter tour, on which Melanie Woods and Cathy Harabaras both doubled on percussion and singing. On the tour, Torabi recalled that "the crowds were getting bigger and younger and something
4788-782: The British Isles and North America – this was the Craig Fortnam solo performance of “Guitar Miniature”. The NSRO performed at the Spitz again on 28 October 2006 (supported by William D. Drake ). This concert received a five-star review in the Daily Telegraph which nominated the "superbly disciplined chamber ensemble" as "the kind of deserving enterprise the BBC should really be throwing money at," and singled out praise for Sharon Fortnam's voice as possessing "dazzling, pre-industrial clarity." Reviewing
4914-495: The British tabloid newspaper Sunday Sport ran a story claiming to be an exposé and revealing the supposedly incestuous relationship between Tim Smith and Sarah Smith, in which the couple were portrayed as brother and sister. The headline ran, "In their bizarre world of music... anything goes – even incest." (The article ultimately debunked the story by including a corrective quote from Tim Smith's mother). Band manager Mark Walmesley
5040-596: The Cardiac Arrest period. (Consequently, some tracks featured Michael Pugh as lead singer rather than Tim Smith). During 1981, Colvin Mayers left the band to join the Sound , a group led by Borland. Sarah Cutts briefly covered live keyboards as well as saxophone, before Mark Cawthra swapped drums for keyboards and Dominic Luckman was recruited from the road crew as the new drummer. At around the same time percussionist Tim Quy became
5166-542: The Cloths of Heaven", plus new instrumental "Kingstanding" and the part-instrumental/part-choral "Chimes". Other members also contributed material. William D Drake provided "Bill's March" and " Mimnermus in Church " – the latter a Drake setting of a poem by William Johnson Cory with orchestrations by Craig Fortnam – and Sharron and Craig Fortnam co-wrote the folk song "Joy For My Heart". "It's funny, because for our first album we did
North Sea Radio Orchestra - Misplaced Pages Continue
5292-1173: The Contemporary Music of Mexico and Brazil Contemporary Jeep Music Dreamweapon: An Evening of Contemporary Sitar Music Jazz Contemporary The Modern Jazz Society Presents a Concert of Contemporary Music Publications [ edit ] Apostles of Rock: The Splintered World of Contemporary Christian Music Contemporary Christian Music Magazine Contemporary Country Awards [ edit ] Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Song Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album Grammy Award for Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance Helpmann Award for Best Contemporary Concert Presentation Instruments [ edit ] Contemporary harpsichord See also [ edit ] List of 21st-century classical composers 21st-century music List of artists who reached number one on
5418-669: The Contemporary Vocal Ensemble San Francisco Contemporary Music Players Festivals [ edit ] Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival London Festival of Contemporary Church Music Royan Festival for Contemporary Music Tehran Contemporary Music Festival Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival University of Plymouth Contemporary Music Festival Albums [ edit ] Cal Tjader Plays
5544-530: The Eastleigh Festival (8 July) and at London's Somerset House (9 July). When former Henry Cow member John Greaves asked Max Marchini of Italy-based Dark Companion Records if the label would be interested in producing a live concert and accompanying album, Craig Fortnam was asked to create a new arrangement of the songs from Robert Wyatt 's classic Rock Bottom . These were performed later in 2017 in Lyon as
5670-516: The Fields in London on 27 April. On 2 July the NSRO released the 7-inch vinyl-only EP End of Chimes . This featured an edit of the album centrepiece "Chimes" plus three entirely new tracks ("Guitar Miniature No2", "Hurdy Gurdy Miniature", "The Tide Rises the Tide Falls") and was hailed as "a highly entertaining discovery" by Drowned in Sound and as "gentle, lush and frankly beguiling" by SoundsXP. Later in
5796-605: The Fields on 18 November 2008, to promote it). The album contained a version of previous EP lead track "The Flower" and another long-standing NSRO Tennyson setting, "Move Eastward Happy Earth", plus further settings of poems by Geoffrey Chaucer ("Now Welcom Somer") and William Blake ("The Angel", "A Poison Tree" and "Golden Cage"). Reviews of the album were generally positive. Isle of Man Today described Birds as "effortlessly beautiful to listen to… NSRO manage to take you back centuries to an ancient form of music while retaining an eerie ability to remain thoroughly modern… Birds has
5922-513: The Fields , Trafalgar Square , London. On 31 July 2006 the North Sea Radio Orchestra performed at the Spitz, East London at a Music Orbit evening (a spin-off of the iF Festival) alongside NEM and Makeshift. The evening was presented as "a combination of gamelan , improvisation, electronica and lyrical chamber music ." In September 2006, an NSRO track appeared on the nu-folk compilation album Folk Off: New Folk and Psychedelia from
6048-541: The Fortnam's former Lake of Puppies bandmate William D. Drake joined the ensemble as chorus singer and occasional solo pianist. A few demo CDs were also made available at this time. These included early recordings of Craig Fortnam's settings of Tennyson 's "The Flower" and "Every Day Hath Its Night" and the Zappa -esque "Nest of Tables". Early (and very positive) reviews of both the EP and
6174-611: The Garage concert on 4 December) the band was joined for an encore by William D. Drake . During the same year Cardiacs also played several performances in Germany and the Netherlands, and made appearances in Brighton and at a festival in St Austell in Cornwall. 1998 also saw renewed activity by the Sea Nymphs , with the " Appealing To Venus " single reissued with extra tracks by Org Records, and
6300-642: The Marginalise Concert Series organised by the Arctic Circle label, performing the music of one of their leading influences, Vernon Elliot (arranged by Craig Fortnam and fellow composer Laura Rossi ). The playlist featured music from the animated television series The Clangers , Ivor the Engine and Pogles Wood . In December 2010, an NSRO cover version of the Cardiacs song "March" appeared on Leader of
6426-500: The NSRO as "(the) band British Sea Power wish they could be! These guys are like a latter day Incredible String Band mess of uniquely Anglican eccentricity." Describing the NSRO's music as "kitchen-sink folk" Subba Cultcha commented that Birds was "something quite magical, but at times cringingly twee and fluffy, but in terms of artistic endeavour, it's a tour-de-force in no uncertain terms. Part classical, part folk, part something entirely new, if you fancy dipping your toe in something
SECTION 50
#17328689474466552-448: The NSRO released their first formal EP The Flower (on seven-inch vinyl) on the tiny London independent label Oof! Records. It contained a re-recorded version of "The Flower", plus two more Tennyson settings ("The Lintwhite" and "Move Eastward Happy Earth") and three instrumental pieces ("Music For Two Clarinets And Piano", "Organ Miniature No. 1" and "Nest of Tables"). On 22 October 2005 the NSRO played their first concert at St Martin in
6678-460: The North Sea Radio Orchestra. The North Sea Radio Orchestra first appeared in public via a series of successful concerts in various antique churches within the square mile of the City of London – St Martin, Ludgate ; St Clement Eastcheap and St Olave Hart Street . Taking place during 2002 and 2003, these concerts were publicised mainly by word-of-mouth. They were very much self-motivated occasions with
6804-470: 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 lineup which the band had enjoyed for four years was now beginning to weaken. Over the following two years, the Cardiacs lineup began to disintegrate. Sarah Smith left the band suddenly in April 1989 and was not replaced, removing saxophone from
6930-480: The Starry Skies: A Tribute To Tim Smith, Songbook 1 , a fundraising compilation album to benefit the hospitalised Cardiacs leader Tim Smith . The third North Sea Radio Orchestra album, I a Moon , was released on 4 July 2011. Craig Fortnam composed the music for the album during the winter of 2010/2011, and the album was recorded at various locations in southern England on his laptop computer. Prior to release,
7056-463: The Tim Smith-penned "More Money Than God", various covers including Cardiacs, XTC , Ring , and Foetus songs, and raw versions of Jon Poole-penned tracks that would later be recorded for Sing to God . Although the band had historically been well-used to lineup changes, Cardiacs were profoundly affected by the multiple departures taking place between 1989 and 1991. A particular blow had been
7182-470: The U.S. Adult Contemporary chart List of contemporary classical violinists List of Billboard Top Contemporary Christian Albums number ones of the 1990s Category:Lists of number-one adult contemporary songs in the United States Contemporary art [REDACTED] Index of articles associated with the same name This set index article includes a list of related items that share
7308-496: The UK and Europe for the rest of the year (with Sarah Smith making the first of her special guest appearances at a Brixton Fridge concert on 17 September). During this period, the band also released Archive Cardiacs , a collection of material from the 1976–83 period (some of it previously unreleased). It was horrible, really like one of those yellow panic nightmares where everything's going wrong and you can't stop it, but I kept thinking it
7434-561: 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. During 1999–2000, Cardiacs began work on a new studio album that remains incomplete and unreleased. Only one song slated for inclusion ("Faster Than Snakes With
7560-458: The UK, including a double-headed tour with Levitation. On 4 June 1992 at the London Astoria , Cardiacs were supported by Radiohead . Prior to the departure of 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
7686-514: The Wildhearts for the latter's tour between 8–15 December 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 . Smith would later perform as a live acoustic trio with Ginger Wildheart and former Cardiac Jon Poole. Around this time a "Diary"
SECTION 60
#17328689474467812-502: The World (1970). The band that would become Cardiacs was formed in late 1977 by Smith and his brother Jim on bass guitar and backing vocals, alongside Michael Pugh on lead vocals and Peter Tagg on drums. The project was initially called the Filth, but soon changed their name to Cardiac Arrest. According to the official history, Tim Smith formed the band merely to punish his brother "for all
7938-532: The absurdist Alphabet Business Concern mythology which surrounded the band. Cardiacs played the Reading Festival on 24 August 1986, releasing the very rough audio footage as the Rude Bootleg album. On 27 January 1987, Cardiacs released the mini-album Big Ship , the first studio release by the sextet, to mixed reviews. The title track would prove to be one of their most enduring anthems. In March 1987,
8064-639: The album "an intriguing proposition (which) feels at times like it's just been unearthed from an archaeological dig alongside some ancient flagstones. Organ, violins, clarinet, bassoon and oboe feature heavily alongside acoustic guitar, drum, percussion and choral parts, conjuring up images of royal court musicians… (The album) straddles the less crowded end of 60s folk and revives traditional chamber music, managing to sound timeless and refreshing rather than hopelessly outdated. A calming record of quality musicianship and carefully woven melodies." The review also praised Sharron Fortnam as being "a beguiling embodiment of
8190-792: The album at a concert at the Union Chapel , London on 5 December 2007 (alongside Ellis Island Sound , Mara Carlyle , David Julyan and The Dollboy Windpipe Arkestra ). 2008 saw the North Sea Radio Orchestra performing more concerts outside London. During the first half of the year they made an appearance at the Jacqueline Du Pre Music Rooms in Oxford in January 2008, and performed at the Friends Meeting House, Brighton on 16 March 2008 supported by Crayola Lectern. The Brighton concert
8316-558: 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
8442-700: 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
8568-455: The approach of Dronne by teaching him how to "(tread) the fine line between spontaneity and composition whilst maintaining a sense of freedom within the original arrangements." The album featured another cover of a Robert Wyatt song, "The British Road". On 2 January 2019, North Sea Radio Orchestra released Gap Species , a collection of early and rare recordings from 1998 to 2006, through Bandcamp . Further Folly Bololey concerts followed in
8694-403: The band announced a number of changes in approach. Firstly, the album would have a "darker, less pastoral sound" with new influences including Krautrock and experimental indie band Deerhoof (and with more emphasis on synthesizer and percussion than previously). Secondly, that there would be a move away from setting poetry in favour of setting self-written lyrics. The band also announced that 'I
8820-503: The band has displayed a stronger influence of Krautrock . Another frequently-cited compositional influence on the NSRO is Tim Smith , leader of the British psychedelic rock group Cardiacs (which incorporates influences including Early and baroque music ). The NSRO is generally regarded as being part of the collection of varied musical groups connected with Cardiacs: it includes in its line-up one former and one current member of Cardiacs, plus at least five other musicians associated with
8946-534: The band lineup had settled as the sextet generally referred to as "the classic lineup" – Tim Smith (lead vocals and guitar), Jim Smith (bass and vocals), William D. Drake (keyboards and vocals), Sarah Smith (saxophones and vocals), Tim Quy (percussion and keyboards) and Dominic Luckman (drums). The first Cardiacs release featuring the "classic" lineup was their third album, The Seaside (although Cawthra featured throughout on drums, keyboards and voice; and Simmonds and Johnston also appeared on several tracks). The album
9072-519: The band on 2 May at The Venue in New Cross (going on to join the band Nervous and, in 2001, embarking on a long-delayed solo career). Having joined up-and-coming indie-psychedelic band Levitation , Christian Hayes played his own final gig as a Cardiac in Oxford on 16 May: although Cardiacs and Levitation were friendly with each other and had even toured together, Hayes had finally found it impossible to balance
9198-532: The band on 31 August 1983. Later in the year, Cardiacs added Marguerite Johnston (alto saxophone) and Graham Simmonds (guitar), and for about a year the band worked as an octet. Both Johnston and Simmonds left during the following summer (in July and August respectively), although Simmonds stayed on as Cardiacs' sound engineer. At some point in 1983, Tim Smith produced two issues of a comic alternatively called "Peter and His Dog" and "Peter and His Dog Spot". By autumn 1984,
9324-591: The band on various occasions, as did the Consultant and Miss Swift. Support bands were always musicians with a professed Cardiacs connection or influence, and included Oceansize , the Monsoon Bassoon , the Scaramanga Six , Stars in Battledress and Jon Poole's hard-rock band God Damn Whores. Between 17–19 October 2003, Cardiacs recorded three special concerts at the Highbury Garage venue in London. As Jon Poole
9450-564: The band that followed, sure: but possess one crucial factor that the North Sea Radio Malarkey just don’t, just don’t get. They have heart .” Conversely, Chris Anderson of Crayola Lectern – in his own blogged review of the same concert – described the NSRO as "perfectly formed and rather marvellous... a magnificent creation." The NSRO played in Malvern in July 2008 (although with only a two-person line-up) and returned in full strength to
9576-506: 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
9702-596: 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 15 May, the band played a concert at the Paradiso in Amsterdam, which was recorded for later release as Cardiacs Live . Later in the year, Cardiacs recorded tracks for what would become their fifth studio album, On Land and in
9828-408: The band's plans for the rest of the year: a DVD release of All That Glitters is a Mares Nest , the release of LSD and two accompanying singles, another Marc Riley session and a fall tour supporting the new album. At the end of June 2008, Tim Smith collapsed from a cardiac arrest after leaving a My Bloody Valentine concert. This led to hypoxic brain damage , leaving Smith severely debilitated by
9954-530: The band. "There's no pining for anything, we don't walk around in waistcoats. But it is very much informed by certain types of English music, those are my influences." Craig Fortnam explains the apparent "nostalgic English" sound of NSRO For much of its existence, the NSRO was nostalgic in presentation and themes. Between 2002 and 2010, the poetry chosen for musical settings was predominantly classic 18th /19th/ early 20th century pre- modernist material, chosen for "its natural song-like meter and rhyme". with
10080-431: The cassette albums ( The Obvious Identity and Toy World , but also included songs such as An Ant , Hopeless , Gloomy News and Hello Mr Minnow (which had never been officially recorded before and had only ever been played at concerts in the late '70s/early '80s). A two-volume CD set of recordings from the three shows – The Special Garage Concerts – was eventually released in 2005. Professional video camera equipment
10206-592: The concept of Englishness quickly and easily, I could do a lot worse than to play them the music of the North Sea Radio Orchestra." In October 2006 the NSRO released their debut album – North Sea Radio Orchestra – on Oof! Records. The album was recorded, engineered and mastered by former Cardiacs member Mark Cawthra and contained much of the ensemble's live set from the past three years. Tracks included Fortnam's settings of Thomas Hardy 's "Shelley's Skylark", Yeats ' "He Gives His Beloved Certain Rhymes" and "He Wishes for
10332-489: The concert has achieved legendary status amongst Cardiacs fans, it was problematic for the band. Among other things, Tim Smith's guitar fell apart and keys fell off Sarah Smith's saxophone. After the Salisbury concert, Tim Quy left the band to pursue other projects. Like Sarah Smith, he was not replaced: the removal of live tuned and untuned percussion from the lineup further altered the established Cardiacs sound. Quy's departure
10458-518: The concerts appeared in underground publications including Organ and Evophonic . In October 2004 the NSRO played a concert at Bush Hall in West London which was reviewed by John L. Walters in The Guardian . Walters drew attention to the initial difficulties in classifying the ensemble's music but drew positive conclusions: “Is it ironic? Romantic retro? Or post-minimalist post-modernity ? Behold
10584-409: The demands of both bands. Both Hayes and Drake would continue to be associated with Cardiacs, and would occasionally guest with the band at selected live concerts many years later. Between 1991 and 1993, Tim Smith, Christian Hayes, and Jon Poole (with drumming by David Francolini ) performed live shows in a revitalized lineup of Hayes' 80's band, Panixphere. The band performed Hayes' original material,
10710-582: The departure of Drake, whose virtuoso keyboard skills and compositional input had made him one of the backbones of the band. Drake was considered irreplaceable and Cardiacs opted not to look for a new keyboard player, remaining as a quartet of two guitars, bass and drums (with Christian Hayes being replaced as second guitarist by Jon Poole who had previously played with the Cardiacs-inspired Milton Keynes band Ad Nauseam). While Cardiacs were still able to record more fully orchestrated music in
10836-449: The eleven-piece chamber orchestra beneath the chandeliers of Bush Hall, and you realise that Craig Fortnam, their leader and chief composer, is utterly serious in his quest for accessible, intelligent, non-trivial music…. What makes the NSRO special is Fortnam's gift for orchestration , the deft and original way he puts deceptively simple materials in the hands of sophisticated performers. Melody pours from his pen on every page." In 2005,
10962-516: The ensemble features woodwind, strings, orchestral and electronic percussion, nylon-string guitar , chamber organ , piano and the human voice. In some line-ups, between six and ten members have sung as "the North Sea Chorus". Compositionally, the NSRO favours original material with elements of the following – tonal/melodic classical composition, English choral and festival music, modern and ancient folk music , and minimalism . Some improvisation
11088-649: The ensemble long-term. Other performers included Nick Hayes (clarinet). Inspired by the success of the first few concerts, the NSRO began to expand (ultimately becoming a twenty-person ensemble). While the instrumentalists were mostly drawn from the classical world, the vocal chorus contained former Shrubbies concert-mates and collaborators from the Fortnams' time on the London art rock circuit. These included current and former members of Stars in Battledress , The Monsoon Bassoon and Sidi Bou Said . Stars in Battledress frontman Richard Larcombe (brother of James) also shared some lead vocal parts with Sharron Fortnam. Later on,
11214-510: The ensemble's music was "stepping easily between genres, sometimes classical, sometimes indie ; inspired and compelling and often magical, like the soundtrack to a film that hasn't been made yet. It's a thoughtful, melodic and calming record that is sure to attract fans way beyond its classical base." A review in Boomkat (while drawing attention to the NSRO's "idiosyncratic bombast", "cartoonishly baroque melodies" and "unbridled eccentricity") praised
11340-508: The ensemble's subtler post-modern elements generally restricted to the musical content. Poets chosen included W. B. Yeats , Thomas Hardy and Alfred, Lord Tennyson . Craig Fortnam has also set modern texts, written in the same nostalgic vein by Daniel Dundas Maitland. Since 2010, the band's work has focussed on setting Craig and Sharron Fortnam's original lyrics. While growing up in Kingston upon Thames and playing in psychedelic rock bands as
11466-420: The ideas into something that worked. Tim would chip in with ideas for my songs too like the string arrangement on "Manhoo" which was lovely. —Jon Poole on his contributions to Cardiacs' Sing to God album 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
11592-573: 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
11718-451: 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,
11844-487: The late 1970s. Frontman Tim Smith began his musical career in 1975 after forming a nameless band at school in which he played guitar. Smith played his first gig at Surbiton Assembly Rooms aged 16 alongside Adrian Borland of the Outsiders and drummer Bruce Bisland as Gazunder. The Cardiacs biography describes their two gigs in 1976 as sounding "a bit like the rocky instrumental bits" on David Bowie 's The Man Who Sold
11970-399: 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
12096-493: The only constant members in the band's regularly changing lineup . 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
12222-446: The orchestra's "considerable performance skills and elegant arrangements", and concluded that the album was "a fairly surreal experience all round." On 26 January 2007 the North Sea Radio Orchestra returned to Bush Hall for another concert (supported again by William D. Drake ). On 3 March they played their first concert outside London, at St Michael's Church, Blewsbury , Berkshire. This was followed by another appearance at St Giles in
12348-457: The performance and release of the Folly Bololey concert and album - North Sea Radio Orchestra released their fourth album, Dronne . It was described by Prog magazine as being "particularly inspired" and like "a core sample drilled down through the last few hundred years of music, revealing traces of Purcell, Victorian parlour music, Britten, sea shanties, and krautrock." Craig Fortnam noted that his preceding work on Folly Bololey had informed
12474-530: 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
12600-778: The rare condition dystonia . All Cardiacs-related releases and activity (including the work-in-progress for the unfinished 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
12726-504: The release of the Bellyeye single on Org Records (the record-releasing wing of long-term Cardiacs' supporters Organ Magazine ). This was a taster for Cardiacs' most epic recorded effort to date. Sing to God was a double album, due to the sheer amount of material that Smith had written over a number of years. The album was notable for a change in Cardiacs' working methods – whereas most previous material had been written and arranged by Smith,
12852-502: The same concert, underground e-zine Bubblejam commented on the intimate quality of the music and the quality of the concert itself – "not unlike being at a church service or a poetry recital – the crowd were completely rapt and utterly silent." The reviewer also concluded "for an all too brief time, they evoke an atmosphere of timeless beauty in the otherwise harsh environs of the East End . If I met an extra-terrestrial and wanted to communicate
12978-417: The same name (or similar names). If an internal link incorrectly led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Contemporary_music&oldid=1190151910 " Categories : Contemporary music Set index articles Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description
13104-409: The same year in London and France. Contemporary music Contemporary music is whatever music is produced at the current time. Specifically, it could refer to: Genres or audiences [ edit ] Adult contemporary music British contemporary R&B Christian adult contemporary Christian contemporary hit radio Contemporary
13230-548: The standard Cardiacs sound. Although Sarah would not rejoin the band, she would retain a long-term connection with Cardiacs by playing on future albums and would very occasionally appear as a special guest for live concerts. Tim Smith brought in a second guitarist – Christian 'Bic' Hayes , formerly of the Cardiacs-inspired Ring and the Dave Howard Singers – and the new two-guitar lineup toured extensively around
13356-418: 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,
13482-400: The summer of 1992, the first fruit of a new distribution deal with Rough Trade Records . However, 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
13608-508: The tour afforded the band a new level of publicity, generally they were not well received by Marillion's fanbase. On most dates of the tour, the band was pelted with a variety of makeshift missiles. During the 13 December show at the Hammersmith Apollo, Fish himself was indignant enough about the Marillion fans and their hostile behaviour to come onstage during Cardiacs' set and berate the audience about it. The band eventually ducked out of
13734-457: The unkind things he would do to him as an infant", as Jim allegedly couldn't play an instrument. Cardiac Arrest produced a demo in 1977, and released their debut single " A Bus for a Bus on the Bus " in 1979 under Tortch Records. Smith, the primary lyricist, initially took on guitar and backing vocal duties before Pugh's departure saw him promoted to frontman. Cardiac Arrest followed the single with
13860-449: The worlds of contemporary classical music , British folk music , London art rock and poetry. The North Sea Radio Orchestra is an ensemble of varying size, drawing on a pool of up to twenty members. It performs compositions which range from single-instrument solos and voice-and-guitar duos up to full chamber-orchestra-and-choir pieces (and all points in between, including assorted trios, quartets, quintets etc.). The instrumentation within
13986-459: 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 debut studio album proper, A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window . The single from
14112-506: The year, the NSRO performed two of their highest profile concerts to date – the first being a slot at the Green Man Festival in August, and the second being a performance at the Roundhouse , Chalk Farm , London, on 19 November. In December 2007 the NSRO version of the hymn "O Come O Come Emanuel" appeared on the compilation album The Arctic Circle Presents: That Fuzzy Feeling ( a collection of Christmas songs). The NSRO played live to promote
14238-559: Was a nightmare, then about halfway through the evening I tried to wake up and I realised this was actually happening, right? (S)o I panicked, but nothing was going right and nobody could hear anything and Sarah's sax kept cutting out, and I think that's on the video, me shouting to myself that I can't stop it... but everyone else said it was a really good gig! —Tim Smith recalling the Salisbury Maresnest concert Cardiacs toured and gigged intermittently during 1990, culminating in
14364-478: 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. However, a static cam recording of one night was released by The Consultant. In the autumn of 2004, Torabi officially replaced Poole as Cardiacs' second guitarist, and made his formal debut as
14490-538: Was begun and updated for the majority of 2005 on the official Cardiacs website, chronicling the band's exploits in typical absurd fashion. Three more annual Astoria gigs were performed over the following three years (the 2005 edition having been professionally shot but left in an unedited state awaiting Tim Smith's involvement). Cardiacs performed live radio sessions hosted by Marc Riley in October 2005 and June 2007. On 5 November 2007, Cardiacs released their first new material for eight years. The " Ditzy Scene " single
14616-563: Was by now also the bass player for the Wildhearts (and busy rehearsing for the upcoming Wildhearts tour) he was replaced for the concert by Kavus Torabi (formerly guitarist and singer for the Monsoon Bassoon , Torabi was also a long-standing Cardiacs associate who'd served as their guitar technician since the mid-1990s.) For these concerts, the band delved back into their distant past, abandoning virtually all of their available back catalogue in favour of exclusively playing songs that had been performed prior to 1983. These were taken mostly from
14742-541: Was commemorated by a message at the end of the Maresnest video stating "this film is dedicated to Tim Quy who left our world 30/6/90". (At the time, this was widely misinterpreted as an announcement of Quy's death). Quy remained on good terms with the band and would later appear as a special guest during Cardiacs' 2001 Astoria gig. The band was quiet for the first four months of 1991, during which time two more members departed. William D. Drake played his final concert with
14868-530: Was definitely happening", adding that Tim's brother and bass player Jim Smith said "something was in the air, that this might be our time." Cardiacs toured until the winter of 2007. In 2008, Tim Smith played snippets of two untitled LSD songs during an interview on Resonance FM . On 23 June 2008, the band performed three songs, including the unreleased live favorite "Silvery", live on Marc Riley's Brain Surgery . During an interview segment, Tim Smith revealed
14994-448: 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 Cardiacs member on 20 July at Camden Palace, London (and would later join
15120-439: Was literally allowed to do pretty much anything I wanted. Tim would then do the production bit and get the best out of me… I remember Tim had programmed the weird bit in the middle of "Odd Even" and left me to find a guitar line amongst the chords so I was sat on my own dropping myself in. When he came back it was done and he was very happy... particularly with my choice of last note! We would both make suggestions then Tim would edit
15246-517: Was notably in that (despite a very positive audience response) it generated the first negative press for the ensemble. The Stool Pigeon criticised the nostalgic quality of the NSRO's music commenting that "it's frequently a fine and lovely thing. But in some ways it can't help feeling like a retreat… Certainly there are moments of beauty, but ultimately it's like stepping back into an alternate, pre-war England where rock'n’roll – not to mention mass industrialisation and immigration – never happened. Which
15372-557: Was released on Cardiacs own record label, Alphabet (which later became Alphabet Business Concern). The bizarre and sinister "Alphabet Business Concern" mythology now began to become a significant part of Cardiacs' artistic presentation, and the band members would promote and add to it at every opportunity. The band evolved an elaborate and theatrical stage show, involving off-putting "bandsmen's uniforms, makeup, Sarah's music stand, (and) Tim's mile-wide grin". A lot of people find our act disturbing because it brings out something in you that
15498-695: Was released on Double Six/Domino Records in February 2010.) Despite this, North Sea Radio Orchestra performed several concerts in 2009. On 29 May they performed a free concert in Brixton Library, London, as part of Lambeth Readers and Writers Festival. On 11 July they performed at the 'Les Tombees de la Nuit' Festival in the Opera House in Rennes, Brittany. On 22 October they played at the Union Chapel, London, as part of
15624-466: Was released on Org Records as a limited edition of 1,000 copies, and featured the new line-up, albeit minus Sharron Fortnam. Heavily pre-ordered , the single featured two other new tracks "Gen" and "Made All Up", which teased Cardiacs' next planned project, a full album called LSD (intended as a double set , their second following Sing to God ). On the release, Cardiacs biographer Adrian Bell comments "It's only when you become aware how insular
15750-475: Was that it had been rendered "broken" in some manner, bandmate Kavus Torabi has since stated that, while the band did record around this time, the concept of a "lost album" was apocryphal. Cardiacs concerts were rare over the next few years, although the band played the Glastonbury Festival on 23 June 2000 and played two subsequent Whitchurch Festivals on 5 August 2000 and 3 August 2001. Counterbalancing
15876-426: Was topped by Smith's anarchic vocals and hard-to-decipher lyrics. 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 songwriter, noted for his complex and innovative compositional style. He and his brother were
#445554