The Icicle Works formed in Liverpool in 1980, comprising
singer‑guitarist/keyboardist Ian McNabb, bassist Chris Layhe, and drummer Chris
Sharrock. The trio began writing after McNabb spotted Layhe’s advertisement for
a musical collaborator, and they added Sharrock, who had previously played for
the Cherry Boys. Their early releases included the 1981 cassette Ascending and
the 1982 independent single "Nirvana", which reached number 15 on the UK Indie
Chart. In 1983 the band signed to Beggars Banquet’s Situation Two and issued
"Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream)", a single that entere...