Vermin Mangle

in 2005|256x256px Tim Smith only played "Vermin Mangle" live a handful of times during his rare forays into solo performance in 2000 and 2006. Playing Upstairs at the Garage for the Organ in 2000, Smith was nervous. He looked up at the ceiling and grinned, which Sean Worral attributed to an audience of rats "running back and forward above his head on some kind of skanky lattice thing suspended from the rafters", meaning he had premiered the song to actual vermin. Smith shared bootlegs of the full song with Organ to keep testament of its progress. The song was only remembered as "Vermin Mangle" because it was Smith's working title, and was known for years as "Dream Dress" before its release. == Release and promotion ==

In 2007, Cardiacs released "Ditzy Scene", the lead single from LSD. Whilst performing on Marc Riley's BBC 6 Music radio show, Smith confirmed the upcoming release of two singles from the album, scheduled for August and November 2008. After his heart attack and death in 2020, the album remained unfinished. The studio version of "Vermin Mangle" was first shared publicly on 30 July 2020 during Steve Davis' Tim Smith tribute show on Phoenix FM. It was released by the band's record label, the Alphabet Business Concern, as a free download through their Bandcamp page at midnight, intended as a thank you to the group's fans. It was their first single and release of new material since "Ditzy Scene" in 2007. == Critical reception ==

"Vermin Mangle" was met with positive reviews from music critics. Reviewing an unreleased version of the track on one of Tim's cassettes, Sean Kitching of The Quietus called it "a beautiful piece of music, initially serene and eventually epic", comparing it to "In the Neighbourhood" by Tom Waits and the funeral hymn "Morning Has Broken". Dom Lawson in Classic Rock included the song in his Essential Playlist. == Personnel ==

According to Eric Benac: • Tim Smith vocals, keyboards, guitar • Jim Smith vocals, bass • Kavus Torabivocals, guitar • Bob Leithdrums, vocals • Cathy Harabarasvocals, percussion • Melanie Woodsvocals, percussion • Suzanne Kirby and Claire vocals == References ==