Icon A.D. (formerly known as Icon) were an English

anarcho-punk Anarcho-punk (also known as anarchist punk or peace punk) is ideological subgenre of punk rock that promotes anarchism. Some use the term broadly to refer to any punk music with anarchist lyrical content, which may figure in crust punk, hardcor ...

band formed in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

in 1979. They were included on

Crass Crass were an English art collective and punk rock band formed in Epping, Essex in 1977, who promoted anarchism as a political ideology, a way of life, and a resistance movement. Crass popularised the anarcho-punk movement of the punk s ...

' 1980 compilation album Bullshit Detector and in 1982 recorded a

Peel session John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

for

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

. Their debut EP ''Don't Feed Us Shit'' reach number twenty on the

UK Independent chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rele ...

. Steve Lamacq cited their second EP ''Let The Vultures Fly...'' as one his favourite U.K. punk records of all time.

History

Prior to forming the band, Sharp-Weir and Holmes had played together in local punk rock bands including the Jackets and Terminal Boredom. They formed the band in 1979 with Phil Smith and Dicky Walton while attending

Temple Moor High School Temple Moor High School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. In recent years, it has received 'Science College' status. In 2017 an Ofsted inspection gave the school a Good rating. Hist ...

, under the name Icon. They frequently performed at the venues such as the F–Club and Tiffany's. After sending a home-recorded demo to the members of the

, they were including on their 1980 compilation album Bullshit Detector. They officially broke-up in 1981, when the members left high school, however Sharp and Holmes continued rehearsing together. In 1982, the pair entered the studio half-heartedly, with Sharp's sister and Holmes' wife, Caroline Holmes and her younger sister Bev Smith on vocals and took on the name Icon A.D. They released the ''Don't Feed us Shit'' EP in September of the same year which reached number twenty on the

UK Independent Singles and Albums Charts The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rele ...

, through Radical Change records. They soon recruited bassist Roger Turnbull of Leeds

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

band F-3 and recommenced performing live, however Caroline Holmes stepped down soon after, leading to Bev Smith being the sole vocalist. In October they recorded a session for

presenter

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

, followed by the recording and release of their second EP ''Let The Vultures Fly...''. Soon after, they broke up in early 1983. In 2006, Underground Records released a compilation albums of their entire discography titled ''...Lest We Forget''.

Musical style

The band have been categorised as

anarcho punk Anarcho-punk (also known as anarchist punk or peace punk) is ideological subgenre of punk rock that promotes anarchism. Some use the term broadly to refer to any punk music with anarchist lyrical content, which may figure in crust punk, hardcore ...

. Guitarist Sharp-Weir cited their biggest influence as being fellow-Leeds punk rock band

Abrasive Wheels Abrasive Wheels are a punk rock band of the late 1970s – early 1980s. They hailed from Leeds, England and were seldom out of the Independent charts between 1980 and 1984 when the band split. The band were Shonna Rzonca – vocals, Dave Ryan � ...

, along with lesser influences like

Killing Joke Killing Joke are an English rock music, rock band from Notting Hill, London, England, formed in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (musician), Youth (bass). Their first album, ''Ki ...

Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine in ...

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

AC/DC AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...

and

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...

. Their music was aggressive however also melodic.

Discography

;EPs *''Don't Feed Us Shit'' (1982) *''Let The Vultures Fly...'' (1982) ;Live *

John Peel Session John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

(1982) ;Compilations *''...Lest We Forget'' (2006)

Members

;Final line-up *Bev Smith – vocals (1982–1983) *Craig Sharp-Weir – guitar (1979–1983) *Roger Turnbull – bass (1982–1983) *Mark Holmes – drums (1979–1983) ;Former *Dicky Walton – vocals (1979–1981) *Phil Smith – bass (1979–1981) *Mick – bass (1981) *Caroline Holmes – vocals (1982)

References

{{reflist, 30em Musical groups from Leeds Punk rock groups from West Yorkshire Anarcho-punk groups Musical groups established in 1979 Musical groups reestablished in 1982 Musical groups disestablished in 1981 Musical groups disestablished in 1983