In 2017, one of Australia’s most prolific and iconic bands will celebrate another milestone in a long line of success. The legendary ICEHOUSE will mark the 40th anniversary of their very first live performance, which was at the Warriewood Surf Life Saving Club, with shows across Australia and New Zealand.
Every major milestone should be enthusiastically celebrated and ICEHOUSE intend to do just that with solo dates and festival headline shows across the country, and for the first time in 20 years, in the South and North Islands of New Zealand.
ICEHOUSE laid down the soundtrack for a generation with songs like Hey Little Girl, Electric Blue, Miss Divine, Can’t Help Myself, We Can Get Together, Crazy, Don’t Believe Anymore, Street Café and, of course, Great Southern Land.
ICEHOUSE started as a pub rock band called FLOWERS performing their first live show to a crowd of around 30 in Warriewood, beginning three years of local residencies and non-stop shows around the country. That first show included covers of the songs from artists the band loved including David Bowie, T-Rex, Iggy Pop, Sex Pistols and Ultravox. In 1980, they scored a record deal with Regular Records and released their first singles, Can’t Help Myself and We Can Get Together.
The band’s debut album, ICEHOUSE, was released in the same year to critical acclaim and reached multi-platinum status in Australia and New Zealand. ICEHOUSE soon became the highest selling debut album by any band in Australia, a record it was to hold well into the 1990s.
In 1981, FLOWERS changed their name to ICEHOUSE for use in the overseas market. With their new name, the band embarked on their first overseas tour taking on the USA, Canada and the UK in their stride.
ICEHOUSE has sold over three million albums locally, more than nine million internationally, and have achieved 28 platinum album sales in Australasia. They have had eight Top 10 albums and more than 30 Top 40 singles. ICEHOUSE and Iva Davies have won many awards, including the Countdown Award for the Most Popular Male Performer and ARIA Awards for the Best Album and Highest Selling Album for Man of Colours. The band was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006.
“40 years ago we had no idea that the band would last longer than a year, let alone still be performing four decades later” says Iva Davies. “There have been a lot of people involved over the years who have made all the shows happen and I’m always thankful for their efforts. As we tour now there is still the thrill of walking out onto the stage like there was back in 1977, and we hope to continue to take the audiences on the journey with us”.
ICEHOUSE will perform twice in South Australia, starting with a date at the Thebarton Theatre on Thursday, 9 February. They will then back up at Red Hot Summer at the Old Mount Gambier Gaol on Saturday 11 February. Tickets to both shows are available via Ticketmaster.
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