Jon Poole

Following some early cassette experiments, Jon Poole's first proper band as writer and performer was the Cardiacs-inspired Ad Nauseam, formed after a move to Milton Keynes circa 1990.

"[6] Poole's work with Ad Nauseam (plus relentless "pestering", as a fan) had brought him to the attention of Cardiacs and their leader Tim Smith.

On hearing of guitarist Christian 'Bic' Hayes departure from Cardiacs in May 1991, Poole promptly put himself forward as a replacement candidate and was recruited into the band later in the year.

(His Ad Nauseam bandmate Bob Leith would also join the band as drummer, replacing the outgoing Dominic Luckman in December 1993.

Poole and Leith can be spotted in the crowd during Cardiacs' Salisbury Arts Centre gig on 30 June 1990, as featured in the All That Glitters Is a Mares Nest video release.

He was noted for his parodic tapping-style guitar solos on live performances of the songs "Fiery Gun Hand" and "Anything I Can't Eat".

He was present in the crowd for the live performances collected on Cardiacs' The Special Garage Concerts, recorded in 2003 during replacement guitarist Kavus Torabi's first stint with the band, and can be heard conversing with Tim Smith prior to the song "An Ant".

During Poole's tenure, Two Worlds Collide recorded the Sympathetic Storm album (eventually released in 2006 by the Le Cluricaun label.

Although Poole left the band during the 1990s, Two Worlds Collide (currently managed by former Public Image Ltd publicist Helen Maleed) has continued with a lineup of Giblin, Leith and Marina Young, working on a second album and live performances.

While still a member of Cardiacs, Poole also played and worked with Ablemesh, a Milton Keynes art-rock band centred on singer/publicist Gordon Glass, guitarist/lyricist Sean Walmsley and drummer/photographer Wig Worland.

[17] Poole's main involvement with Ablemesh was in 1995, when he played bass guitar with the band, apparently "reinvented" many of their songs and produced their album Present Imperfect.

The rest of the band were current or former Ablemesh members – Allum on bass guitar, Turbutt on keyboards and percussion and Leith on drums.

Now bear in mind that the phrase "Random" wasn't used in such a way in 2000 as it is now, and Ginger thought this was really funny and I think he'd had concerns over how to market a bald bloke in a mod suit to a bunch of rockers, so decided that giving me a nickname may endear me to the metal crowd.

Poole played on the Black Leather Mojo album (produced by Tim Smith) and joined the Silver Ginger 5 live band as bass player.

Poole's work with Silver Ginger 5 led directly to him joining the Wildhearts in 2003 (replacing Danny McCormack on bass).

After leaving the Wildhearts in 2005, Poole created the God Damn Whores, a glam punk/hard rock band centred on himself as lead vocalist and guitarist.

"[6] At various times the God Damn Whores has featured Ginger, Denzel, Wolfsbane guitarist Jase Edwards and Chris Catalyst (The Sisters of Mercy/Eureka Machines).

During 2006, Poole drummed for Celebricide, which featured two of his future La Momo bandmates (both Chris Anderson and Sadie Fredericks).

[30] In April 2014, a PledgeMusic preorder campaign was launched for a new project called the Dowling Poole, a power pop band whose influences are quoted as 10cc, the Beatles and XTC, among others.

The project sees Poole teaming up with Willie Dowling, who had been the frontman of Honeycrack and Jackdaw4, and had played as a session keyboardist with the Wildhearts in the mid-1990s.

"[34] However, Poole has cited a wide range of influences affecting his music, starting with the jazz which his family were all interested in (and played).

I must've been like one of those embarrassing Elvis fanatics that couldn't imagine a world with him not in it… Being only 23 years old when hit with this hammer I decided in a very obsessive manner that I simply must pay tribute to the man the only way I knew how.

In 1994, Poole released a particularly ambitious Frank Zappa tribute album Mothers Covers (later renamed What's the Ugliest Part Of Your Body?

[39] On this album, Poole performed a surprisingly accurate and effective one-man band rendition of old Mothers of Invention songs using only multiple overdubbed vocal parts, guitars, a Yamaha DX7 synthesizer and a primitive Alesis HR16 drum machine.

Poole performing with Cardiacs in 1999.
Poole performing with Lifesigns in 2020.