Liverpool pop band Frankie Goes to Hollywood will reunite with their original lineup for the first time in 36 years to perform as part of the Eurovision Song Contest‘s opening ceremony next month. Classic members Holly Johnson, Paul Rutherford, Mark O’Toole, Brian Nash, and Peter Gill will play together for the first time since the band’s 1987 dissolution.
As the BBC reports, the group will perform in their hometown of Liverpool, for the Big Eurovision Welcome event next week. Specific details of the performance are not yet known, but it will not be a full-length set, according to the BBC.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood – ‘Relax’
Frankie Goes to Hollywood formed in 1980, releasing debut album Welcome to the Pleasuredome – featuring hits like ‘Relax’, ‘Two Tribes’ and ‘The Power of Love’ – in 1983. Follow-up Liverpool arrived in 1986, and the group disbanded the following year.
The band have remained inactive since then, aside from a brief reunion that didn’t feature either vocalist Holly Johnson or guitarist Brian Nash. Speaking to the BBC, Nash said getting back together for an event in their home city “felt like a good thing to do”, saying he agreed to participate “to be part of this event being staged in Liverpool… it looks like it’s going to be a fantastic thing.”
The event will take place at St George’s Hall on Saturday, 7th May, and will also include fellow Liverpool acts Atomic Kitten, the Lightning Seeds and the Real Thing, along with past Eurovision winners Jamala and Conchita Wurst. The UK will then host this year’s Eurovision, with the grand final taking place in Liverpool on Saturday, 13th May.
Further Reading
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