“I hate cancelling gigs, and it’s the first time in my career that I’ve had to do it, but not only can I not defend Ian McNabb’s disgraceful social media comments in support of Russell Brand, as a husband and a father of a young daughter, I simply can’t work with him moving forward,” said Ewan McNaught, of Scottish promotions company Renegade Communications.
Icicle Works frontman Ian McNabb has lost concert dates and a museum induction after publishing social media posts defending Russell Brand.
Brand was sentenced on Monday to 10 years and six months in prison after being convicted of rape and sexual assault. In a series of posts on platforms including Facebook and X, McNabb claimed the comedian was being stitched up for his outspoken views and made disparaging remarks about women who associated with performers.
The 66-year-old Liverpool native, who found fame fronting The Icicle Works in the 1980s and whose band’s biggest UK hit was “Love Is a Wonderful Colour” reaching number 15 in 1984, started the year by recording a cover of the R.E.M. song “South Central Rain” with that band’s co-founder Peter Buck. McNabb also describes himself as a Fluid, Non Binary Self-Partnered and a “digital creator” on his social media accounts.
Promoters and independent venues moved quickly to pull upcoming performances following the online backlash. Renegade Communications canceled McNabb’s scheduled appearances in Newcastle, Glasgow, and Edinburgh, while Wrecking Ball Arts Centre in Hull dropped a performance slated for March 21, 2027.
Ewan McNaught, Renegade’s communications director, said that he spoke to McNabb’s agent and the venues, noting that they were all on the same page and that additional shows were falling apart as well.
Shows were scrapped at Clitheroe’s The Grand, Acapela Studio near Cardiff, Katie Fitzgerald’s in Stourbridge, Birmingham, and Mundell Music at the Green Hotel in Kinross, Scotland. Specific dates called off later in the month include The Cluny 2 in Newcastle on November 25, 2026, Cottiers in Glasgow on November 26, 2026, and The Voodoo Rooms in Edinburgh on November 27, 2026. Ticketholders were advised that refunds are available from the point of purchase.
A spokesperson for the Liverpool Beatles Museum stated: “Under the circumstances, Ian McNabb will not be inducted.”
McNabb deleted his original remarks and posted a statement claiming he had been canceled, though that post was subsequently removed as well. He wrote: “It is with a heavy heart and deep sadness and regret that I make this post. I have been CANCELLED and therefore all of my shows for the future have also.”
In his follow-up statement, McNabb added: “In no way did I mean to cause offence to those who have been abused sexually either recently or in past times, however long ago. I have committed no crime to my knowledge, but understand the upset I have caused.”