14 Iced Bears are a British

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...

band associated with the

C86 ''C86'' is a Audio cassette, cassette compilation released by the British music magazine ''NME'' in 1986, featuring new bands licensed from British independent record labels of the time. As a term, ''C86'' quickly evolved into shorthand for a g ...

music scene. Formed in Brighton in 1985, by Robert Sekula and Nick Emery the band featured a shifting line-up of musicians across their seven-year existence, centred on songwriter and vocalist Rob Sekula and guitarist/songwriter Kevin Canham. Their jangly

was characterised by a fuzzy

protopunk Proto-punk (or protopunk) is rock music from the 1960s to mid-1970s that foreshadowed the punk rock genre and movement. A retrospective label, the musicians involved were generally not originally associated with each other and came from a variet ...

-influenced guitar sound, and saw them receive modest critical acclaim in Britain's music press as well as prompting disc jockey

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

to recruit them to record a couple of sessions for his programme on BBC radio. The group released a handful of singles, including "Come Get Me" on the influential

Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch, prophet, and major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pious woma ...

label, and two full-length albums: the eponymous ''14 Iced Bears'' (1988), and ''Wonder'' (1991).Strong, Martin C.: ''The Great Alternative & Indie Discography'', 1999, Canongate, They reformed in 2010 and toured the US east coast, the US west coast in 2011, as well as some concerts in London, including a John Peel night with Vic Godard, Viv Albertine and the TV Personalities. Robert Sekula announced from the stage of Indietracks Festival 2012 on 7 July that their set had been their first at an outdoor festival. In July 2013, they released a 2-CD retrospective of their total output ''Hold on Inside'' on

Cherry Red Records Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything but the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as w ...

. The month previously, their track "Balloon Song" was included in the comprehensive 1980s indie compilation CD ''Scared to Get Happy'', which featured bands such as

The Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist I ...

Primal Scream Primal Scream are a Scottish rock music, rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie (vocals) and Jim Beattie (musician), Jim Beattie (guitar). The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes (guitar), Simon ...

and

The Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid, who are the two founders and only consistent members of the ...

(Cherry Red Records). Robert Sekula released a solo single "Not Santa Claus" in December 2019.

Influence

In 2003, 14 Iced Bears were mentioned in the song "Twee" by

Tullycraft Tullycraft is an American indie pop band from Seattle, Washington, that formed in 1995. They were an early part of the American twee pop movement. They are known for their DIY ethic, only releasing albums on independently owned and operated rec ...

, and "The Balloon Song" was recorded by

The Aislers Set The Aislers Set is an American indie pop band that formed in San Francisco in 1997, after the breakup of chief songwriter Amy Linton's (currently goes by AV Linton or just Linton) former band Henry's Dress. The Aislers Set's music is often inte ...

for their 2001 album, ''The Last Match''.

Discography

Albums and EPs

* ''14 Iced Bears'' (Thunderball Records, 1988) * ''Precision'' (Thunderball Records, 1990) – a compilation of singles * ''Wonder'' (Borderline Records, 1991) * ''Let the Breeze Open Our Hearts'' (Overground Records, 1998) — compilation of singles and first album * ''In the Beginning'' (

Slumberland Records Slumberland Records is an American independent record label, formed in 1989 in Washington, D.C., and based in Oakland, California. The label has released recordings by Velocity Girl, Honeybunch, Lilys, Stereolab, Evans The Death, St. Christo ...

, 2001) – a compilation of previously released material and live recordings * ''Hold on Inside'' (Cherry Red, 2013) — compilation spanning all the band's releases

Singles

14 Iced Bears * "Inside" / "Bluesuit" / "Cut" (Frank Records, 1986) * "Balloon Song" / "Like a Dolphin" (Frank Records, 1987) * "Balloon Song (live) (7" flexi, split with the Hermit Crabs) * "Lie To Choose" (Penetration, 1987) (7" flexi, split with Splendour in the Grass) * "Come Get Me" (

Sarah Records Sarah Records was a British independent record label active in Bristol between 1987 and 1995, best known for its recordings of indie pop, which it released mostly on 7" singles. On reaching the catalogue number SARAH 100, the label celebrated i ...

, 1988) * "World I Love" (Thunderball Records, 1989) * "Mother Sleep" (Thunderball Records, 1989) * "Falling Backwards"/"World I Love" (Surfacer, 1989) (split EP with Crocodile Ride) * "Hold On" (Borderline Records, 1991) * "Inside" / "Balloon Song" (Slumberland Records, 2001) Solo * Robert Sekula "Not Santa Claus" (Bandcamp.com, 2019)

Various compilations

* ''CD86'' (Sanctuary Records Group, 2006) * ''Scared to Get Happy'' (Cherry Red, 2013)

References

External links

14 Iced Bears on Bandcamp14 Iced Bears at the BBC
{{Authority control English noise rock groups English indie rock groups Sarah Records artists Musical groups established in 1985 Musical groups disestablished in 1992 Musical groups from Brighton and Hove 1985 establishments in England British indie pop groups Slumberland Records artists