The Icicle Works North East gigs in the 1980s
I’d forgotten how many times I had seen The Icicle Works. Myself and a couple of mates were quite into them in the early 80s and they toured a lot. They arrived after punk with a sublime blend of psych pop. Love is a Wonderful Colour is a great single, and their concerts were, like the music, pretty uplifting experiences, with lots of swirling, jangly pop, very modern yet very 60s at the same time.
The ticket stubs here are from a couple of gigs at Redcar Coatham Bowl (it could be three gigs actually as I am not sure if the two grey stubs are from the same gig), a gig at Newcastle Poly and a gig at Newcastle Mayfair.
I may have seen them elsewhere; I have a feeling I saw them as a support act, but can’t be certain. Their gigs were always excellent, and they seemed a breath of fresh air at the time. I lost touch with them at the end of the 80s, and they split shortly afterwards.
I know that main man Ian McNabb has been touring recently, and I really should catch up with him sometime. I’ve just watched The Icicle Works playing Love is a Wonderful Colour, and Youtube and it brings back all the memories of happy days. The dates of the gigs I attended seem to be: Sunday 1st April 1984; Friday 10th October 1986; Sunday 1st March 1987; Thursday 5th May 1988.
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16 May