Ian McNabb

Born in Liverpool in 1960, Ian McNabb first made his mark in the early 1980s as the singer, guitarist and principal songwriter of the Icicle Works, an English band situated between new wave, alternative rock and psychedelic pop, best known for tracks such as 'Love Is a Wonderful Colour' and 'Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)'. After the band dissolved in its original form, McNabb launched a solo career in the early 1990s with Truth and Beauty (1993), followed by Head Like a Rock (1994), which featured Ralph Molina and Billy Talbot of Crazy Horse, and then Merseybeast (1996). His discography later moved toward a more acoustic, introspective writing style on A Party Political Broadcast on Behalf of the Emotional Party (1998), while remaining rooted in melodic rock with folkish touches—sometimes rough, sometimes brighter. McNabb has also crossed paths with the Wild Swans, the Lightning Seeds and the Waterboys, and has performed on stage with Ringo Starr. Remaining active on the British independent circuit, he continued his solo work with albums such as Before All of This (2005), Great Things (2009), Eclectic Warrior (2013), Star Smile Strong (2017), Our Future in Space (2018) and Utopian (2021).