He is best known for his work as guitarist for Cardiacs β and as bass player for The Wildhearts β, β, [2] and Lifesigns present.
Jon Poole comes from a musical family and is the youngest of six children, all of whom play musical instruments. One of his brothers is highly regarded session bass player Ed Poole and one of his sisters is jazz trombonist Cathi "Trombabe" Poole, a member of the Cathi Cook Quintet and former musical director of the Milton Keynes Open Band.
He has also commented "I find beautiful perfection repellent. 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. As a listener, he subsequently became interested in in rapid succession , contemporary disco and soul, New Wave and s synth pop, and s pop.
This was followed by a period "catching up with" punk and post-punk, followed by ska, 2-Tone music and Trevor Horn producer pop. By the mid-to-late 80s, when he was beginning to play in bands, he was listening to maverick American art-rock heroes such as Captain Beefheart , Tom Waits , Frank Zappa and also to British progressive rock from the s as well as contemporary prog-inspired bands - most notably Cardiacs. Poole has also expressed interest in a variety of s rock and pop acts including Nirvana , Blur , Sugababes and others.
After a move to Milton Keynes circa , Poole wrote and performed in his first proper band, the Cardiacs -inspired Ad Nauseam alongside lead singer and drummer Bob Leith. Although Ad Nauseam had a shifting lineup Poole played, at various times, most of the instruments in the band. Ad Nauseam split up a short time after Poole's recruitment into Cardiacs. Poole has since expressed interest in an Ad Nauseam reunion, saying "I'd really like to do it if only to get it right this time but I don't know if it'll ever happen.
