The Holly Johnson Story celebrates Holly's creative genius, and marks the 40th anniversary release of Frankie Goes to Hollywood album, 'Welcome to the Pleasuredome', featuring songs 'Relax', 'Two Tribes' and 'The Power of Love'. We've been to check out the exhibition at the Museum of Liverpool.
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00:00In the 1980s, Britain was changing. Social and political unrest led the way for a cultural
00:05revolution set against a backdrop of synth, pop music and experimental sounds. The 80s was a time
00:12of innovation and rebellion, punks and new wave bands and at the forefront stood Holly Johnson.
00:17The legacy is massive just for one individual from the city and it means so much to lots of
00:23different types of people for very different reasons. The Holly Johnson story charts Holly's
00:28early personal life and career from a young musician to an internationally renowned pop
00:33star living in the public eye. And music's so powerful for so many people in lots of
00:39different ways. We've got a response area in the exhibition and just how kind of certain songs
00:44take people back to certain events in their lives and how it connects to them personally.
00:50Celebrating Holly's creative genius and marking the 40th anniversary release of
00:56Frankie Goes to Hollywood album Welcome to the Pleasure Dome featuring songs Relax,
01:00Two Tribes and The Power of Love. I think we really went big and bold for the exhibition.
01:05It's so much fun and obviously we think about really important issues too so it's a really
01:10nice strong mix but I think for the music for a lot of people will take them back to their
01:16youths growing up. A particular highlight for me is the costume in the exhibition. Costumes really
01:22make you think about the evolution of not just Holly's career but also the evolution of the
01:27music as well at the time. The exhibition charts Holly's early personal life and career from a
01:32young musician to an internationally renowned openly gay star living in the public eye.
01:37Dealing with the price of fame, coping with an HIV diagnosis and unwanted negative press.
01:43He was diagnosed as HIV positive in 1991.
01:47He's an incredible patron for Sahiya, a local charity here in the city.
01:53The exhibition runs at the Museum of Liverpool until the 27th of July 2025.