Pondies (the term used to describe the fans) gathered in their masses, descending from all over the world to witness the rebirth of this legendary band, after the loss of their glorious leader Tim Smith. The Sing to Tim shows from last year were going to be a hard act to beat as they seemed to me to be a full stop celebration featuring past members and friends coming together one last time to present a taste of what a glorious noise they could make.
But Jim had other ideas. After the posthumous release of the epic LSD album last year, the Alphabet Business Concern announced that a band had been assembled featuring an all star cast including Jim Smith, Bob Leith, Kavus Torabi, Craig Fortnam, Chloe Herington, Sharron Fortnam, Rhodri Marsden and Mike Vennart, and a tour was announced. There was much trepidation and speculation. Would it be the same without Tim (of course not, but Tim would never want things to stay the same now would he?), which songs would they do/not do, and who is him? (I’ll leave you to answer that one for yourselves).
The show, in a big old theatre, had been sold out for months, and people were packed to the rafters, excitement building long before the allotted time when the house lights dimmed and a low rumble interspersed with crows and boat noises issued from the speakers, interrupted occasionally with the inevitable ABC chimes, followed by the intro tape to ‘Ditzy Scene’. The crowd erupted as the band filed on and took their positions (with Jim taking centre stage). The moment they burst into life all doubts were dispelled. Our beloved Cardiacs were back. Yes it lacked some of Tim’s glorious playfully insolent mess, and a certain anarchic manner, but it was replaced by a tightness, and a laser sharp focus, each member playing their part to create a cohesive whole.
They tripped through a carefully curated set, concentrating fairly heavily on new album LSD, bringing to life numbers like ‘Breed’ and ‘Downup’, Sharron taking lead on ‘Volob’, which was transformed from filler to fabulous, and ‘Spelled All Wrong’ took its rightful place as an emotional wringer, squeezing tears out of band and audience alike. Every single member was a revelation in their own way, from Rhodri and Craig’s understated brilliance to Kavus’ joy and posturing and breathtaking set pieces, but special mention should go to Sharron Fortnam and Mike Vennart, who together nailed the songs time and again and made them shine with that special magic that makes these songs so glorious, none more so than on ‘The Everso Closely Guarded Line’, which was so precise in its exposition, that my friend turned to me and exclaimed “this is like fucking Beethoven“, the chords and tunes thrusting their way into your stomach and twisting your insides till water was pouring out of your eyeholes.
But that was by no means the end, as they came back on and tore into ‘Dirty Boy’, Mike Vennart growling and soaring like a possessed demon, coming into his own with each step, grabbing the song by the throat and spitting out wounded emotion. There’s something about the song ‘The Whole World Window’. Something very special indeed. It’s something to do with the way one chord follows another, and coupled with the theme of the confusion of growing up, it guarantees that funny fluttering in your stomach, and the onset of overloaded tear ducts, and tonight Mike Vennart, flanked by Kavus quietly scanning the audience, took hold of us in the palm of his hand and made the song a tribute to the great man, throwing flowers into the crowd, and when he brought on a picture of him and held it aloft, the night felt complete.
But even then it wasn’t over, because here comes those ABC chimes again and that could only mean one thing, “Big Ship”, and that crowd chant that says it all,
“All of the noise takes me to the outside where there’s all creations/Joining in celebrating happiness and joy all around the world/On land and in the sea“.
Finishing off with ‘Is This The Life’ the band take a bow, with Jim at the centre of it all.
There is a definite shift occurring with Cardiacs since the release of LSD. In fact since global communications, and especially lockdown. A whole new generation of people have discovered the band, and, after the death of Tim Smith in 2020, many of them never even dreamed they would ever get to see their heroes. And tonight, more than hoped for, the youth have stepped forward to claim their place in the pond, and I for one welcome them. It can be an odd place, full of pitfalls and problems, with issues great and small to deal with, but everyone is welcoming, and we all look out for each other and try to be sensitive and helpful to those around us. So welcome one and all, and here’s hoping Cardiacs return bigger, better and stronger than ever for future generations, and who knows this little pond might turn into a great lake.
Cardiacs: Website / Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp
Review by Andrew Wood / Photos by Ali Blair
Keep up to date with all new content on Joyzine via our
Facebook | Bluesky | Instagram | Threads | Mailing List