Test Icicles were a short-lived

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band that formed in England, primarily influenced by post-hardcore, dance-punk and

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

but containing musical elements from a variety of genres (notably dance, hip hop,

crossover thrash Crossover thrash (often abbreviated to crossover) is a fusion genre of thrash metal and hardcore punk. The genre lies on a continuum between heavy metal and hardcore punk. Other genres on the same continuum, such as metalcore and grindcore, ...

, and

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

). The band was formed in 2004 by

Rory Attwell Rory Attwell is an English musician, best known for his part in UK punk trio Test Icicles, who formed in 2004 and played a handful of concerts before disbanding on 22 April 2006, after their sold out final show at the Astoria in London. During th ...

and

Sam Mehran Sam Mehran ( ; August 17, 1985 – July 28, 2018) was an American-Australian musician, songwriter, and producer who co-founded the punk rock, punk band Test Icicles and later formed the solo projects Matrix Metals and Outer Limits Recordings (OLR ...

, who were later joined by Devonte Hynes. Hynes and Mehran were both 18 years old at the time of the band's inception. The group has since become notable due to the later success of its members.

History

Prior to forming the band, Atwell, Hynes and Mehran (all of whom shared vocal and guitar duties) had met each other through mutual friends. The trio's preference for the same nightspots (such as the Afterskool night club, in London) also led to frequent meet-ups. Initially the band formed under the moniker Balls with Ferry Gouw, who shortly after went on to form Semifinalists, effectively in the role Hynes eventually filled. Gouw left the band for an extended trip to Indonesia, at which time Attwell and Mehran recruited Hynes and changed the band name to Test Icicles, the new band name also being a suggestion from Gouw. All three members of the group were involved in numerous, short-lived musical projects before the forming of Test Icicles.

Split

In February 2006, the band announced they were splitting up. On 26 April 2006 the band released '' Dig Your Own Grave'', an EP meant as a farewell from the band. It featured a CD with remixes and unreleased tracks, and a DVD with the band's music videos.

Post-Test Icicles

After the band split, the individual members continued to stay active, becoming involved in a number of

side project In popular music, a side project is a project undertaken by one or more people already known for their involvement in another band. It can also be an artist or a band temporarily switching to a different style. Usually these projects emphasize ...

s between them. Mehran was believed to have moved back to America after the split and claimed to have been spotted working in a record store in New York. In July 2018, Mehran was found dead in his Hollywood home due to suicide, just after completing work on a planned solo album. Hynes paid tribute to him on Instagram, saying, “Every time I was with you we were 17 again. You were such a gift to this world. The floor has gone and I don’t know where to stand. RIP.”

Members

(aka Raary Deci-hells, Raary Rambert RAT ATT AGG, Rory Brattwell) English (born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England) — guitar and vocals *

(aka Sam E Danger, Sam E Slaughter) American (born in Miami, moved to

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, Australia, then to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

before moving to England) — vocals and guitar (died July 2018) * Devonté Hynes (aka Dev Metal, !Ved) English (born in

, England) — guitar, keyboards and vocals

Touring members

* Adam Bainbridge (aka DJ Jitset) English (Born in Peterborough, England) — DJ

Equipment

* Rory Attwell (Guitars - Wilson Bros. Venture VM-75, Fender '72 Deluxe Telecaster) * Devonté Hynes (Guitars - Squier HH Showmaster (hot pink), Aria II Pro ZZ Deluxe, and in earlier shows, he used a Telecaster copy). * Sam Mehran (Guitars - Les Paul Deluxe copy, Peavey Raptor) Amps - All three of the members would switch guitar duties, usually sharing the same amps. They usually used a Peavey Valveking 1x12, a small Trace Elliot combo, or a Fender Hot Rod deluxe. Keyboard - Dev used a

Korg , founded as Keio Electronic Laboratories, is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners. Under the Vox brand name, th ...

Microkorg. Effects - It is hard to see which effects they used, but one picture shows an

Electro Harmonix Electro-Harmonix (also commonly referred to as EHX) is a New York City-based company that makes electronic audio processors and sells rebranded vacuum tubes. The company was founded by Mike Matthews in 1968. It is best known for a series of gu ...

WORM modulation pedal, which is probably responsible for the ring modulation effect in the song "Boa vs. Python". In an interview they claimed to use the same effects as nu-metal group

KoЯn Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream. Originally formed in 1993 by ...

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

For Screening Purposes Only ''For Screening Purposes Only'' is the debut studio album by UK dance-punk trio Test Icicles, released in 2005. It was critically praised for being unique and compelling in an increasingly homogenous indie music scene. Following the group's s ...

'' (31 October 2005) #69 UK

Singles and EPs

Demos

* "4 Track Demo" (July 2004)

References

External links

Farewell gig review on Sound Generator

Coverage in ''NME''

"Band of the Day: Test Icicles"
''Spin'', 2 November 2005
Interview on XFM

Videos

YouTube
- Circle Square Triangle music video
YouTube
- What's Your Damage music video
PUNKCAST #836
- video of Test Icicles' first U.S. show at

Sin-é Sin-é (; from the Irish phrase meaning "that's it") was a music venue in New York City that helped launch the careers of several noted musicians in the early 1990s. History Original café The original Sin-é, located at 122 St. Mark's Place i ...

, on 15 September 2005
BBC
- Test Icicles session video and interview
YouTube
demon(sic) Insanity Problem music video {{Authority control Musical groups established in 2004 Musical groups disestablished in 2006 English indie rock groups Dance-punk musical groups Domino Recording Company artists 2004 establishments in England 2006 disestablishments in England