Cardiacs????

Saskia wrote: Are you trying to frighten off potential Cardiacs fans? The Cardiacs are an excentric bunch who play idiosyncratic music but only if you're only familiar with mainstream prog. If you enjoy bands like VDGG, Gentle Giant, Zappa, RIO bands,  Magma and other bands that are supposedly good for getting rid of stragglers at birthday parties, there's no reason why you shouldn't like the Cardiacs as well. A friend of mine borrowed a Cardiacs CD because I told him the Cardiacs were a bit like that band in the way they could switch genres in one song. He didn't like them because they were still too conventional and too much like Genesis  (Of course for non prog fans, everything that sounds even vaguely progressive is compared to Genesis and sl*gged off..) Nice live shots of the Cardiacs BTW!

I am indeed trying to warn people off them. Very few people 'get' Cardiacs. Hell, I hated them when I first heard them (back in, wait for it - 1983) but there was something in their sound that kept me listening. Much like scratching a cut in your hand, I couldn't resist thier strange, often jarring chords and melodies.

I first saw them in a church hall in Twickenham (SW London) and their support act was an old man who make paper people and did small magic tricks. The band were unlike anything I had seen. A sort of cross between punk, prog and Captain Beefheart. Really chaotic but superbly controlled at the same time.

They are a different band now however, just as good but anyone who saw the 'Seaside' line-up will tell you that they were utterly unique.

Thanks for the compliment about the photos