William D Drake

Many, many years ago, I was sat in the Kingston Mill with a couple of friends of mine, when we were joined by a chap who was introduced to me as "Tim". Sotto voce, one of my friends, Bill, told me that he was the lead singer of The Cardiacs. I'd heard of them as a 'Kingston band' and, consequently, as a Kingstonian myself, I wasn't particularly impressed. Tim seemed like a nice enough guy, though. Slightly aloof perhaps, but then he was sat with a bunch of people he didn't know. 

The next time I remember hearing of The Cardiacs was a few years later when Ash played me their song 'Is This The Life?", which I loved. (Go on, watch it; it's a corker.) I thought the band might be a new love but, really, that was the only song I liked by them. However, Ash became a passionate fan, regularly going to see them play live.

In 2008, Tim suffered a heart attack and stroke, which, whilst horrible and obviously very sad, has only served to magnify the love his fans had for him and The Cardiacs. Ash has gone on to become involved in some of the spin off bands, and he made this video for William D Drake (who's the keyboard player in the 'Is This The Life?' video). 

It was precisely for this reason, that when I saw that William was going to be playing at the New Continental in Preston that I bought tickets for me and the Minx. I had a rough idea of what to expect, if only based on the video that Ash made, and it turned out to be an excellent performance. William himself was self-effacing and charming, and his band were amazing. And while the songs weren't perhaps quite my cup of tea for repeated listening, I really did enjoy hearing them played live. 

There is a palpable joy in his music that is clearly shared by his band, The songs, often syncopated and verging on the discordant, are clever and entertaining, all the more so for seeing them performed by his band, which was superb. At worst, to the unfamiliar ear, I'd say the sound became little repetitive but I reckon that the Minx and I were the only people in the room who didn't know his oeuvre well. Predictably, when he covered a Cardiacs song - 'Saver', maybe?* - there was a warm welcome in the room. It was almost like being at a family gathering.

*Ash informed me later that the song was 'Savour', a Tim Smith solo number.