Ian McNabb at Fibbers, York - 4th November 04 By Steve Rudd

Former Icicle Works frontman, Liverpudlian genius Ian McNabb has long been setting mid-sized venues alight with his talents since such band glory days. Ian is one of the hardest working and genuinely enthralling singer-songwriters in the UK and has released plenty of truly incredible solo albums since the pure pop-rock days of The Icicle Works.

Still, Ian isn't one to turn his back on his former band days, with this gig (that lasted for the best part of two hours) being jam-packed with both Icicle Works hits - such as Love Is A Wonderful Colour and Understanding Jane - and material from his more recent albums.

One of his most captivating albums in recent years has been the fantastically titled A Party Political Broadcast On Behalf of The Emotional Party, and from such an album he played the quirky sing-a-long anthem Liverpool Girl, that always goes down a treat. He started the gig with a selection of brand new material that is to feature on his forthcoming, due-in-2005 album, before ushering us back in time for an anthem-heavy trip down memory lane.

For the large part, this gig was an acoustic one, although Ian is one of those people who is constantly surprising, and so when he picked up his electric guitar for a few numbers here and there, the crowd could not contain its joy, especially when sensationally loud versions of Hollow Horse and Fire Inside My Soul were cranked out.

Compared to the acoustic-based songs he played, such all-out electric versions were genuinely deafening - but they were so magically exhilarating nobody complained. Ian also jumped behind his keyboard too when he felt like it, going so far as to dedicate his beautiful Too Close To The Sun song to the late John Peel. From his Merseybeast album, an epic masterpiece in every sense, came Heydays and the title song itself, whilst the sweet-natured and really rather touching All Things To Everyone tune (from his Gentleman Adventurer release) heard his heart and soul sublimely become one.

Between many of his songs he is fond of having a good old laugh with his crowd which makes a refreshing change from most singer-songwriters who put their head down and rattle through their songs as though haste is a virtue. Ian would never do this. Instead, he proves his worth as a comedian, making light of any circumstantial heckles and literally any thought that might come to him as he is singing and playing.

Admitting that it was his birthday the day before this gig (yes, that's November 3rd for those people who might be too lazy to work that one out for themselves), he said that he was still feeling a little tired from the night before, which he had spent in the company of fellow pop-rock icon Ian McCulloch, frontman for Echo And The Bunnymen. That explained why Ian was to be found laid out on a seat at the side of the venue's bar, fast asleep, just before the gig... as fans filed by and grinned his way in disbelief.

What a guy, we were all thinking. How cool can you get? Especially when he then seemed to literally wake up and jump straight on stage as though doing such a thing is the most natural thing in the world.

But that's where experience comes in. Remember, Ian has been doing this for over twenty years now. Annoyingly though, should you ask a random selection of people in the street if they have heard of Ian McNabb, the majority will probably look blank. I don't understand why he isn't more famous, because his songs really are inspirational affairs that benefit from being the perfect mixture of 'pop' and 'rock' music. Guitars regularly wail, his voice is magnificently soulful and strong melodies are always abundant and unforgettable.

Oh yes - Ian McNabb is a star. And don't let anybody ever tell you any different. www.ianmcnabb.com

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