Promoters and venues have pulled shows in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle and Kinross after the former Icicle Works frontman said the convicted rapist was being “stitched up”. McNabb says he has been “cancelled”.
Ian McNabb, the former frontman of The Icicle Works, has had a number of his upcoming tour dates cancelled after he defended Russell Brand on social media. Brand, 51, was jailed this week for more than 10 years for one count of rape and three sexual assaults. After the sentencing, McNabb said the comedian was being “stitched up” for his “outspoken views”. His comments were met with disgust online and were reported to the production company assisting with his shows, which has now cancelled dates in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle and Kinross.
What McNabb said
According to reports, McNabb wrote on social media after Brand’s sentencing: “He got close to the target and he has a big audience. I know people who were in his orbit and girls were throwing themselves at him every night. If that happened to me I know what I would do.” He also wrote: “Yer pays yer money yer takes yer chance. If you want to hang out with the artist don’t cry when you’re in the picture.”
He added: “All these chicks who turn up at these situations know exactly what’s going on. The ones who decided they were done badly to – ten years after the event – are the worst.”
McNabb later deleted the post. In a follow-up, which has also reportedly been deleted, he said he had been “CANCELLED” and that all his future shows had been affected as a result. According to Scottish News, he wrote that he had “condemned the treatment of Brand, who I feel has been railroaded and treated unfairly”. He added: “I condemn the treatment of women for sexual pleasure that is not consensual, I condemn the predatory nature of males who do so.”
He apologised to fans who had bought tickets and said he would “enter a period of self-reflection and contemplation”. The full text of his messages is now preserved mainly through news reports and screenshots, Parade reported.
The Lancashire Evening Post reproduced a longer version of the follow-up, in which McNabb said he had never personally liked Brand but found some of his political and cultural commentary interesting, and that he did not support Brand’s behaviour in various situations. Scottish News reported that he also linked Brand’s legal difficulties to what he called the “Epstein Class”, suggesting that Brand became untenable after criticising powerful people. He offered no evidence that the prosecution was politically orchestrated. The Lancashire Evening Post also reported that he questioned why people he considered responsible for worse conduct remained free from prosecution, without naming anyone.
The cancellations
Ewan McNaught, of the production company Renegade Communications, which had been helping with McNabb’s shows, confirmed that it had cancelled the planned concerts. “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,” he said.
He said he had spoken to McNabb’s agent and the venues, and that “we’re all on the same page on this”. He added that these would not be the only cancellations, and that he had been told another five had been cancelled that day. Further comments attributed to him by AOL said the decision was not unilateral but agreed between the agent, the promoter and the venues, and that he had previously promoted controversial artists.
The following shows have been cancelled:
- The Cluny 2, Newcastle, 25 November
- Cottiers, Glasgow, 26 November
- The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, 27 November
- Backstage at the Green Hotel, Kinross, 28 November, cancelled separately by the local promoter
- The Grand, Clitheroe, Lancashire, 29 and 30 May 2027
Mr McNaught said ticket refunds are available from the point of purchase. Renegade Communications’ website now marks the Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh shows as cancelled.
David Mundell, founder of Mundell Music, told The Courier he cancelled the Kinross show himself: “I don’t agree with Ian McNabb’s views on Russell Brand therefore I have cancelled the show.”
The Grand in Clitheroe changed its position within about 24 hours, the Lancashire Evening Post reported. On 10 November, staff said tickets for the May concerts remained on sale and no decision had been made. By the afternoon of 11 November, the venue had confirmed that both performances were cancelled. No refund arrangements for those shows were reported.
What happens to the rest of the tour
It is unclear whether every remaining date is off. Parade reported on 10 November that McNabb’s website still listed a 6 December show in Liverpool, a 10 December show in Derby and concerts in March and April 2027. Ticketing listings on Skiddle and Ents24 show the dates as previously advertised, but no venue has confirmed that they will go ahead. The Skiddle listing for The Cavern Club in Liverpool shows afternoon and evening shows on 6 December, and one for The Flowerpot in Derby shows a show at 8.45pm on 10 December. It is also not currently clear whether an Icicle Works concert planned for next year will go ahead.
Reaction from musicians
Sean Dickson, the former frontman of The Soup Dragons, circulated a screenshot of McNabb’s original remarks with the words “Share this vileness”, Scottish News reported. The comedian Jo Caulfield responded to the cancellations on X with: “Oh dear, how sad, never mind.”
The case McNabb was commenting on
Brand was convicted of raping a 21-year-old woman and sexually assaulting three others, after a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that jurors were unanimous on the four guilty verdicts. He had denied all the charges.
The Crown Prosecution Service said the women reported their experiences independently of one another after a September 2023 television investigation. It said trauma can affect when victims disclose sexual offences. The Met said detectives gathered evidence from more than 100 witnesses, took over 400 witness statements and examined more than 1,400 documents. Because of the passage of time, there was limited forensic evidence, and investigators reconstructed historical locations using floor plans and photographs. Police said Brand, who was interviewed four times, initially said he did not recognise the women making the allegations, and that prosecutors later challenged changes in his recollection as the trial approached.
ABC News reported that the judge said Brand must serve two-thirds of his sentence before becoming eligible for release. It said the sentence consisted of nine years for rape plus a consecutive term for the sexual assaults, and that the court took account of his limited previous record and his work supporting people with addiction. Two further rape allegations remain under investigation, ITV News and The Guardian reported, one involving a complainant who was 16 at the time. They are allegations and not convictions.
