Ian McNabb

West End Centre, Aldershot: Friday 17 April 2026

I first knowingly listened to some of Ian McNabb's work in the autumn of 1991. It was my first term at college, and someone added a few Icicle Works songs onto a mix-cassette I had some space on - and I was hooked.

While the Icicle Works were already pretty much done by that point, at least in their original format, I have stayed in touch with McNabb's work through his solo career, with perhaps the main question remaining - why had I never seen him live (solo or with the band) in almost 35 years of listening?

As it happens, Friday night was quite an auspicious night in terms of my personal gigging record. It occurred to me at some point during the evening, that I had now completed the full set of all the Liverpool acts in my collection (at least the ones I wanted to see). There had been China Crisis (1989 & 2024), Julian Cope (1993), The Bunnymen (2009), OMD (1991) - not to forget Macca (1990 and 2003) - and now Ian McNabb.

The Gig:

The West End Centre is a great little community arts centre, and if you live within half an hour or so of Aldershot and have never been there, you should rectify that (though I must confess, I don't make it there as often as I should). They put on an excellent programme of live music and comedy - something for everyone, you might say.

Anyway, there I was for Ian McNabb, along with a pretty much sold out crowd of just over 100 (I did notice, that at 52, I was at the younger end of the demographic), ready for a two hour set with no support.

It must be tough, travelling up and down the country, just you, your four guitars and a keyboard - trying to bring your music to life for a different crowd each night. What I can tell you is this; Ian McNabb has some seriously great guitar skills, able to bring it to life and make it sound like much more than just one instrument. Also, he has managed (despite his confession that he still smokes) to keep his voice in pretty decent shape after all these years, and all these gigs. Close your eyes, and you could almost be listening to him on a record from 1985.

He starts proceedings off with the title track of his most recent album, If It Wasn't For The Music. As noted, his voice is strong and he makes his lovely looking 12-string guitar resonate so beautifully. There is an ongoing fight he is having with his harmonica holder, which seems to be a running theme throughout the evening - always slightly in the way when he switches from blowing it to singing over the top of it. I've never been a harmonica player, so maybe that is just a fact of life...

Next, we get another title track, this time from solo record number three, Merseybeast. This has always been amongst my favourites; a strong bluesy waltz, with some of his most darkly amusing lyrics - "he ran away to kill the pain, such a shame he didn't see the train. The found his legs in Wavertree, his arms were in Fazakerley. The doctors somehow put him back together."

This is a treat, as we are getting a run of songs from his first couple, and perhaps best known, albums. Fire Inside My Soul is the epic opening track to record number two, Head Like A Rock; a Mercury Prize nominee, which had included Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina from Neil Young's Crazy Horse in its recording and touring. There's only the one of him this time of course, but he gets such texture from the patterns he strums, alternating hard and soft, throwing in these fabulous arpeggio sections, that it fills the sound out magnificently. Then, we are straight into You Must Be Prepared To Dream, from the same album, and slowed down a tad to fit the acoustic ambience. The little run concludes with Great Dreams Of Heaven, a corker of a tune from debut album, Truth & Beauty, which he plays so delicately that it is a bit of a treat.

Now it is time to switch to the piano. Silver Scenes, a new song about being a musician, is perhaps a little bit too 10cc for my liking, but the stark arrangement and atmosphere does give ample room for him to demonstrate that his voice can still cut the mustard.

As he notes, the 1980s "was the decade of the metaphor", and we are hit with Out Of Season. What a tune, still sounding unbelievable and incredible forty years on. Perhaps the highlight (for me) of the night? Evangeline, a long time fan favourite, becomes something of a country road trip song (not a bad thing) and the first proper singalong of the evening.

We're back into Merseybeast for Camaraderie,  a wistful tune delivered well, before we are back up and rocking with Our Future In Space, another irresistible rock and roll singalong to bring us rousingly to the mid-set break.

As Ian notes, he and much of his audience are getting to the point where a prostate break is generally much needed....

He re-starts proceedings with Film Noir Star, a homage to the old Cagney and Bogart films. He again manages to generate some decent atmosphere, with a slow strum which gives space for his still clear vocals.

Before All Of This has more fantastic arpeggio work (don't think I've ever used this word so much in such a short space). Ian is almost into crooner mode, really elongating the words as he hits the chorus's.

There is an anecdote about the Icicle Works' one and only Top of the Pops appearance, where they played Love Is A Wonderful Colour, and didn't really enjoy it, because the week they were on had a pretty poor guest list (12 January 1984 for the record, and included - Shakin' Stevens, Bonnie Tyler, Roland Rat). It is one of their earliest and one of the best tunes he has written, and played on the 12-string it starts to sound almost like some sort of mystic Byrds anthem.

When It All Comes Down is another of his masterpieces, spiritual and a little bit of magic sprinkled across the evening. We finish, perhaps inevitably, with the mighty Hollow Horse. Ian has to apologise and re-start after slightly missing a note in the intricate opening riff. But, once more we can sing along to yet another great song - plenty of gusto to finish off a great evening.

All of this from just one man and his four guitars....