Ian McNabb

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Ian McNabb, one of Liverpool’s most celebrated singer-songwriters and founder of The Icicle Works, returns to the Flowerpot, Derby for a special live performance on Thursday 10th December 2026.

Best known for the timeless hits Love Is A Wonderful Colour and Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly), McNabb helped define the Liverpool music renaissance of the 1980s. Beyond those iconic songs, he has built a critically acclaimed solo career spanning more than three decades, earning a Mercury Music Prize nomination and collaborating with artists including Ian Broudie, R.E.M.’s Peter Buck, Ringo Starr, Crazy Horse, and The Waterboys.

This intimate seated/standing show at the Flowerpot offers fans the chance to experience Ian McNabb up close, drawing from The Icicle Works catalogue alongside highlights from his rich and expansive solo work.

About Ian McNabb:Born in Liverpool in 1960, Ian McNabb first picked up a guitar at the age of 12 after seeing Marc Bolan on Top Of The Pops. After years on the northern club circuit, he formed The Icicle Works in 1981, quickly gaining national and international success with four UK Top 40 albums before the band split in 1988.

As a solo artist, McNabb has continued to write and perform with warmth, intelligence, humour and bite. Albums such as Truth And Beauty, Head Like A Rock and Merseybeast cemented his reputation as one of Britain’s most respected songwriters, while later releases have seen him remain fiercely independent, prolific and creatively restless.

Venue information

Venue Discovery: The Flowerpot