Colin Reviews – Icicle Works

Taking their name from a short science fiction story by Frederik Pohl called ‘The Day The Icicle Works Closed’ the band released four acclaimed albums in the ‘80s with songwriter and frontman Ian McNabb releasing over twenty albums since 1993, working with The Waterboys, Ringo Starr, Neil Young and Peter Buck amongst others.

Last year, Liverpool legend McNabb and Chris Layhe decided to reunite for a series of acoustic performances under the banner Maximum Air B’n’B Tour. Playing to a full venue on a damp Sunday evening, the night was divided into three sets, an Ian McNabb solo set, followed by Chris Layhe’s solo set before finishing the show with both performing together for a set of Icicle Works classics.

Nabby’s voice is as strong as ever and he can engage an audience with his tales of love, drugs and the often darker side of life in general, but as always with McNabb there’s a dry wit intertwined throughout. That Scouser humour was in fine form during his between song banter and the reverential crowd were soon singing along to his choruses that quite honestly wouldn’t be amiss at a stadium let alone a converted chapel.

Unimposing in his scruffiness – he couldn’t have looked less rock star if he’d tried, a knitted hat covering his tousled hair and a black sweatshirt completed the look of dishevelment. But, musically Ian McNabb is a master, ‘Be Prepared To Dream’, ‘Merseybeast’, and ‘You Stone My Soul’ were particularly well received and the stunning ‘Our Future In Space’ was indeed stellar. His warm-up set was quickly followed by fellow Icicle Works founder member, Chris Layhe. His songs may not be as familiar to the audience as McNabb’s though he gave an interesting mash-up of two songs that he called ‘Tower Reaper’ – a blending of ‘All Along The Watchtower’ with ‘Don’t Fear The Reaper’ that surprisingly proved to be a highlight of the evening.

Without even the briefest of pauses McNabb sauntered back onstage, took a seat next to Layhe and ripped into ‘Hollow Horse’, with its rousing chorus and repeated encouragement from the stage the Acapela audience were eager to provide backing vocals. With Nabby strumming and plucking his 12 string Gretsch acoustic guitar and Chris with his electric bass there followed a constant stream of crowd pleasing favourites for the next 90 minutes, ‘Little Girl Lost’, ‘Love Is A Wonderful Colour’, ‘Birds Fly’ and a country-styled version of the anthemic ‘Understanding Jane’.

Singing with the passion of a man who has lived a full life, McNabb is self-effacing to the point of being humble. And he has so much to not be humble about, demonstrating his guitar mastery there’s fast picking, there’s amazing power but there’s subtlety too. And there’s much more too over the course of the set which wove across his musical career and was full of easy charm and anecdotes. With forty years of music making to call on, and clearly also having fantastic recall, Ian McNabb can have a varied set list most nights. There are a few staples which are pretty much guaranteed – but not all the ones you might think of. McNabb can make his fans laugh at a whim, every song is a mini-masterpiece presented with his powerful, commanding voice, and no-one could complain at a value for money evening of good time music. It should happen more often.

COLIN PALMER