#218: Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream) by Icicle Works
City: Toronto, ON
Radio Station: CHUM
Peak Month: June 1984
Peak Position in Toronto ~ #9
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly)”
Lyrics: “Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly)”
The Icicle Works are a band from the UK named after the 1960 short story “The Day the Icicle Works Closed” by science fiction author Frederik Pohl. The story was first published in the February 1960 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction. It is set on the planet Altair Nine (a cold world with colorful/pink snow) and explores economic collapse, exploitation, and political intrigue. The planet’s sole major industry is the “Icicle Works” (formally Altamycin, Inc.), which harvests natural antibiotic molds from the atmosphere/snow. These are frozen and exported across the galaxy as a valuable commodity. About a year before the story begins, news arrives of the “Gumpert Process,” a cheap synthetic method of producing equivalent antibiotics. Demand collapses, the works shut down, and mass unemployment follows. Most of the population is left destitute.
One remaining source of income is “body-renting” through the Tourist Agency: locals temporarily rent out their bodies to off-world tourists (whose consciousnesses take over), while the locals’ minds are sent elsewhere (often to operate remote machinery, such as mining robots on other worlds). Tourists are said to come primarily to hunt “airfish” (hydrogen-filled creatures that float like natural airships).
The protagonist, Milo Pulcher, is a former lawyer for the Icicle Works who is now a struggling public defender. He is assigned to represent a group of young unemployed people (including an old flame of his) charged with attempting to kidnap the mayor’s son for ransom. The case looks open-and-shut—the defendants are guilty and motivated by desperation—but Pulcher investigates further.
In the course of trying to help them (and specifically to aid his former lover), he rents out his own body. This experience, combined with other clues (such as inconsistencies in local business activity and the nature of the “tourists”), leads him to uncover a conspiracy. The shutdown and isolation of Altair Nine were engineered by a powerful local cabal (centered on a figure named Charley Dickon and associates in high places) who control the Tourist Agency. They cut off communication with the rest of the galaxy, spread false news of the synthetic process, closed the works, and bought up the stock of the highly profitable company at fire-sale prices while the population suffered. The supposed tourists are largely locals from the conspiracy using the rented bodies. Puncher confronts the truth in the courtroom, exposing the scheme. What a story for a band to name themselves after.
The Icicle Works was founded in Liverpool in 1980 when bassist Chris Layhe answered an advertisement for a musical collaborator placed by 20-year-old Ian McNabb. The two got together and started writing. They added drummer Chris Sharrock, and began playing live shows as the Icicle Works. Ian McNabb was born in 1960 in Liverpool. He was a child model and a photo from that time was on the cover of his 2004 compilation album Potency: The Best of Ian McNabb.
Photo from album Potency: The Best of Ian McNabb
McNabb joined a cabaret group named Daybreak in 1975, and wrote his first song. Another bandmate was Chris Sharrock who McNabb would later ask to join Icicle Works. McNabb was later with a band called City Lights. He also began attending the Mabel Fletcher College of Music and Drama.
Chris Sharrock was born in 1964 in Bebington, in Merseyside, England. In 1980, at the age of 15 he was with the Cherry Boys and that bands debut indie rock single “Man to Man”. Later that year he joined Icicle Works. Chris Layhe was born in Liverpool and likely born in 1960.
In 1982, Icicle Works released a non-album single titled “Nirvana”, which earned them some attention on the UK Indie charts. This was followed by the release of “Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly)”. However, the single stalled at #90 on the UK Top 100 Singles chart. Still, it climbed to #2 on the UK Indie singles chart. In 1983, the band released “Love Is A Wonderful Colour”. It climbed to #15 in the UK, and #25 in Ireland. On the strength of “Love Is A Wonderful Colour”, the band re-released “Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly)”.
“Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly)” was written by Ian McNabb. The song that explores themes of love, hope, disillusionment, and the search for meaning in life. The lyrics convey a sense of longing and a desire for something more profound. The song begins with a plea for love to come down and envelop the individuals, comparing it to water flowing and burning with the hope of insight. This imagery suggests a thirst for deeper understanding and emotional connection. The recurring phrase “We are but your children” emphasizes vulnerability and a sense of being guided or influenced by forces beyond one’s control. It suggests a yearning for guidance and a feeling of helplessness in the face of life’s uncertainties and complexities. This phrase also highlights the idea that all human beings are interconnected and share common struggles and emotions.
The appearance of birds flying in the eyes of the faithless daughter and the experience of being “broken at the bitter end” symbolize the fragility of faith and the disappointment when it comes apart. At the bitter end, the faithless find themselves “wasted,” having “sacrificed for a new nirvana.” How often do people seek transformation and spiritual fulfillment but often at great personal cost, and even mired in folly.
“Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream)” reached #9 in Toronto, #11 in Hamilton (ON), #13 in Ottawa, and Providence (RI), #15 in Cleveland, and #17 in Yellowknife (NWT).
Icicle Works released 17 more singles between 1984 and 1992. None of these cracked the Top 50 in the UK. Though “Up Here in the North of England” climbed to #5 on the UK Indie chart in 1986. Both Chris Layhe and Christ Sharrock left the band in the late ’80s. Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr of the Beatles, joined Icicle Works for a time. And there was a revolving lineup, fronted by Ian McNabb until 1991.
In the 1990s, Chris Layhe worked as events organiser at Blue Coat Arts Centre in Liverpool, co-ordinating appearances by Tori Amos and Doris Lessing, among others. Layhe currently teaches guitar at the Manchester Adult Education Service. In 2009, Layhe formed the indie rock band Shadow History, with the Australian singer/guitarist Ben Winch, and returned to bass playing after a lengthy hiatus.
Chris Sharrock joined The La’s in 1988 and was on the minor single “There She Goes”. He subsequently joined the post-punk UK band Wild Swans on their 1990 album Space Flower. Next up, Sharrock was with World Party, including their minor hit “Is It Like Today?” The song was later covered by folksinger Eliza Gilkyson. Sharrock remained with World Party for most of the decade. Concurrently, Sharrock was with The Lightning Seeds from 1994 to 1997. This included on their Top 20 hits “Change”, “Perfect”, and “Lucky You”, and number-one 1996 (and 1998, and 2018) UK hit single “Three Lions”. As well, Chris Sharrock was with the Lightning Seeds for their 1997 Top Ten hit cover of the Turtles 1968 single “You Showed Me”.
From 1998 to 2006, Sharrock was the drummer in Robbie Williams’ band. Sharrock became a touring guest for Oasis he played on the Dig Out Your Soul tour. he performed several times whilst touring with Oasis during 2008 and 2009. As well, he was noted for his flamboyant tricks with his drumsticks, including twirling them during the intro to “Morning Glory” and throwing them up in the air now and again. In 2010, Sharrock formed Beady Eye. The band had a Top Five Indie Rock hits with both “Bring The Light” and “The Roller”.
Since 2016, Chris Sharrock has been a member of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. The band’s single “Blue Moon Rising” reached #2 in Scotland in 2020. He has been a session musician on recordings for Tom Jones, Sinéad O’Connor, Eurythmics, and others.
Ian McNabb has released 21 solo albums since 1993. His most recent being 65 in 2026.
September 18, 2026
Ray McGinnis
References:
Cherry Boys, “Man to Man“, Open Eye Records, 1981.
World Party, “Is It Like Today?” Ensign Records, 1993.
The Lightning Seeds, “You Showed Me“, 1997.
Beady Eye, “The Roller“, Beady Eye Records, 2011.
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, “Blue Moon Rising“, Sour Mash, 2020.
Ian McNabb, “Let The Girl Do What She Wants to“, Fairfield Records, 2005.
Michelle Harris, “Who is Former Oasis drummer Chris Sharrock and where is he now?,” August 27, 2024.
Dick Clark, “Icicle Works Interview,” American Bandstand, 1984.
Luca De Pasquale-Manuela Avino, “Interview with Chris Layhe,” Bass, My Fever, Italy, 2021.
“Interview: Ian McNabb,” Lancashire Post, Lancashire, UK, February 28, 2019.
CHUM 1050-AM “The Rock of Toronto” Toronto (ON) | June 23, 1984
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