Icicle Works

The Icicle Works took their name from a Frederik Pohl science fiction story, and their music had the same mix of wide-eyed wonder and cold weather. Formed in Liverpool in 1980, they were a trio at heart: Ian McNabb singing, writing and playing guitar and keyboards, Chris Layhe on bass and Chris Sharrock on drums.

Their big moment in America was "Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream)", which turns up on the countdowns under several titles but always with the same booming drums and McNabb's voice climbing from hush to holler, just as the title promises. Back home, "Love Is a Wonderful Colour" was the bigger hit. The self-titled debut in 1984 set out their stall, bright and romantic, and by If You Want to Defeat Your Enemy Sing His Song in 1987 they had grown tougher and more anthemic, with "Understanding Jane" as proof.

After four albums the original band came apart, with Layhe and Sharrock both gone by 1988. McNabb kept the flag flying with a rotating cast that included Zak Starkey and Roy Corkill, and he has carried on under the name with new players since. But the heart of it will always be those three and that drumbeat.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.