The British Music Experience based at Liverpool’s Cunard Building has announced ‘Frankie say 1984! – the Word is My Oyster’, a temporary exhibition celebrating iconic Liverpool band Frankie Goes To Hollywood. The exhibition will open in line with The British Music Experience’s return, in line with government guidelines, and will run until 4 July.
No band has ever dominated a year like Frankie Goes to Hollywood in 1984. Born out of Liverpool’s post-punk scene with brash, mischievous, ‘do what you want’ attitude – Frankie were a one-off. With their first three singles all going to No.1 – a feat previously only achieved by fellow Liverpudians, Gerry and the Pacemakers – they dominated the charts and the airwaves. They had a sound and image unlike anything else; part punk with rock and dance thrown in for good measure.
The world needed Frankie’s innocence and fun. With a bleak backdrop that included Thatcher, Reagan, Cold War, Trident, the miner’s strike, IRA bombs and HIV – Britain, and certainly Liverpool, were not in a good place. Frankie’s success allowed them to play about with political themes in a serious but entertaining way.
The BME is celebrating Frankie’s enormous contribution to British popular music in their home city of Liverpool through a temporary exhibition of some iconic Frankie Goes To Hollywood stage outfits, instruments, memorabilia and a collection of retro “Frankie Say” merch. With the focus on their meteoric success in 1984 and the political landscape of that year, the exhibition will launch with a bang and conclude with Frankie say 2020 – bringing the story up to date in a sombre but uplifting way, highlighting the strange times we are living through.
The exhibition will be further supported through a season of events celebrating 1984, including film screenings, album playbacks and discussions.
Kevin McManus, Head of UNESCO City of Music for Liverpool commented, “I am delighted to hear the British Music Experience are celebrating one of Liverpool’s most successful groups ever. When you look at our illustrious music it takes something to stand out but from their very early days Frankie Goes To Hollywood always stood out. For a year or so they were the biggest band of the planet, cementing Liverpool’s place as the musical capital city of the world. It is only fitting that this unique exhibition is taking place in Liverpool, the only city that could have given birth to such a brilliant, maverick band delivering works of pure pop genius. I think the exhibition will remind the world of just how significant FGTH were.”
Harvey Goldsmith, legendary promoter and Chair of BME Trustees said, “The British Music Experience is thrilled to host an exhibition so important to Liverpool and a close look at the year 1984, which captures our imaginations. We’re excited to try to decipher that magic something Frankie Goes To Hollywood brought to the world at just the right moment in time. It was an amazing year, when cultural norms were being pushed and challenged, relax and then the wildly successful Frankie Say T-shirt campaign was ground-breaking, followed by Two Tribes and The Power of Love. Frankie Goes to Hollywood smoothly pulled off a level of success not seen since the 1960’s.”
For more information, please visit the website. For trade and group rates, please contact the ticket office on 0151 519 0915 or email the British Music Experience team.
