A SONG written by a Prestwich man about the perils of climbing the corporate ladder is set to be an indie hit.

David Walsh, 49, has written and recorded Iceicle Director – deliberately misspelled – as a warning about getting swallowed up by work.

Mr Walsh said: “I grew up in the 70s and 80s and I was very aware of being surrounded by an off-kilter Mancunian musical heritage, be it The Smiths, The Fall or The Bee Gees

“Saying it in song was the most direct and effective method of getting across your unique voice. If you wanted to say something, write a song.”

Mr Walsh, who lived in Cranbrook Drive before moving to London, and is a former pupil of St Monica’s RC High School, explained that the song is about a person who loses themselves trying to get ahead. They neglect their wider self and become a hollowed out ladder- climber, or a ”corporate zombie” as he puts it.

“It’s easy to drift into becoming like that and often looking in the mirror is the best place to start as everyone has the potential to be the icicle director,” said Mr Walsh, who attended Stand College in Whitefield.

“I know I’ve come pretty close a number of times.”

He added: “Coming from the north helps to ground me. Its the self- deprecating take on the world. No-one gets too big for their boots and gets away with it for long, unless they do it in a funny way, as we are tolerant of eccentrics and oddballs. “

He said: “After many years working in large organisations in London I was inspired, if that’s the right word, when I compared how different people at work approached their careers.

“Some could climb the ladder, humour and humanity intact, while others rose coldly, with power and promotion being an end rather than a means to do something better. These people have a negative charisma yet they can exploit the weakness of their workplace to rise and rise.”

Mr Walsh hastens to add that this does not apply to the people he currently works with at Camden Council.

“They are a decent, dedicated, knowledgeable, hard working bunch, but I’ve not always worked in such positive places and it is these experiences the song is based on.”

Mr Walsh counts The Buzzcocks and The Fall amongst his musical influences, as well as early David Bowie, from his adopted home of Bromley in South East London.

“I hope people like the song,” he said. “There’s a dance to go with it but that is strictly optional.”

Iceicle Director by David Walsh is available on the website cdbaby