This Australian rock band was formed as Flowers in the late 70s by classically trained songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Iva Davies (b. Ivor Davies, 22 May 1955). Influenced by Roxy Music and David Bowie, Flowers’ other members included Keith Welsh (bass), John Lloyd (drums), and Michael Hoste (keyboards). The first single, ‘Can’t Help Myself’ was a Top 10 hit in 1980. The following year the band signed to Chrysalis Records, touring the UK and North America. Its name was changed to Icehouse (the title of the debut album) to avoid confusion with a US outfit called Flowers. Despite further Australian success with ‘Love In Motion’ and ‘Great Southern Land’, Davies disbanded the group in 1982 to concentrate on the solo Primitive Man. However, he was persuaded to re-form Icehouse the next year with British musicians Andy Qunta (keyboards) and ex-Killing Joke member Guy Pratt (b. 3 January 1962, London, England; guitar). The new line-up also included Lloyd, Hoste and leading Australian guitarist Robert Kretschmer. Almost immediately, Icehouse had a UK hit with ‘Hey Little Girl’, which was accompanied by a striking video directed by Russell Mulcahy. After touring Europe in support of David Bowie, Davies took the band off the road for a further two years. During this time, he composed scores for Mulcahy’s feature movie Razorback and (with Kretschmer and Graeme Murphy) for a ballet for the Sydney Dance Company. The band returned in 1986 with the tougher ‘No Promises’ and the glam-rock flavoured ‘Baby You’re So Strange’ from Measure For Measure. In 1987, there were more Australian hits with ‘Crazy’ and ‘Electric Blue’ (co-written by John Oates of Hall And Oates), both of which reached the US Top 20 the following year. Although failing to reach this commercial peak again, Davies continued to record with Icehouse before lapsing into relative silence in the mid-90s. He returned in 1999, reworking ‘Great Southern Land’ into a new classical composition entitled ‘The Ghost Of Time’. The piece was performed at the Sydney Opera House to celebrate the new millennium.
