FOUR decades ago Icehouse exploded onto the Australian music scene with its debut album and now it is poised to release a new one.
On October 30, the band will release a live album to celebrate the 40th anniversary of an album that took the nation by storm.
The band - then going under the name Flowers, released its debut album Icehouse on October 10, 1980.
Led by singer, songwriter and multi instrumentalist Iva Davies, Icehouse had built a strong following through extensive live touring over the previous three years.
The album took its name from an eerie old house Iva lived near at the time.
Debut single Can't Help Myself amassed great sales and lots of radio airplay and within days of the album's release, it was clear the band had a big hit on its hands.
The band ran into some copyright issues after signing an international deal with Chrysalis Records in 1981 due to another band called The Flowers owning the name in certain territories.
After a lot of thought, the band officially changed its name to Icehouse and the rest is history.
The new album was recorded during a special gig to commemorate the album's 40 year anniversary at St Kilda Festival this year.
It features songs from the album, some cover versions which pay tribute to the band's beginnings and the band's biggest hit Great Southern Land.
Iva Davies said the band put a huge amount of effort into preparing for what became a very special show.
He used the same Gibson Black Beauty Les Paul guitar he used in 1980 for the performance and said the band had to relearn some songs that had barely been played in 40 years.
"I knew it would be a tough set to keep up with, but what I wasn't prepared for was the explosion of energy that possessed the band that night," he said.
"These were, after all, songs played by a band that had its roots in the hard and fast punk movement.
"Listening back to the evening and the succession of break neck high-energy songs, I'm amazed at what happened that night on St. Kilda beach."
To pre-order the album, click here.
