Exhibition, Museum of Liverpool, until  27th July 2025
The Holly Johnson Story

Header image © Trevor Leighton

It’s rare that a debut single gathers as much controversy as Relax did back in 1984. Frankie Goes To Hollywood made their mark at the top of the UK charts with no holds barred, two more consecutive number 1s following in the shape of Two Tribes and The Power of Love. 40 years on from the release of accompanying album Welcome To The Pleasuredome, an exhibition at Museum of Liverpool celebrates the life of frontman Holly Johnson – details from the press release below…

The Holly Johnson Story explores the incredible life of Holly Johnson and his meteoric rise to fame, where he became one of the first openly gay and openly HIV+ high profile artists in history.

Supported by a £142,338 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, National Museums Liverpool has partnered with local arts organisations Homotopia and DuoVision in collaboration with Holly Johnson to deliver this landmark exhibition that will take visitors on a journey through Holly’s outstanding career, from his early years in Liverpool to international stardom.

Made possible by National Lottery players, the exhibition is part of a project that has documented LGBTQ+ heritage by working with sexual health and wellness charity Sahir, to explore Holly’s archive and capture the stories of local LGBTQ+ people in community workshops and oral history sessions.

Featured in the exhibition are unique items from Holly Johnson’s career, including iconic costumes by Leigh Bowery and Vivienne Westwood, Frankie Goes to Hollywood memorabilia, personal audio accounts of people living with HIV in Liverpool, produced in collaboration with Sahir House, and paintings by Holly himself.

Social and political unrest in a changing 1980s Britain led the way for a cultural revolution, set against a backdrop of synth-pop music and experimental sounds. The era was a time of innovation and rebellion, punks, and new wave bands, and at the forefront stood Holly Johnson.

The Holly Johnson Story charts Holly’s early personal life and career, from a young musician to an internationally renowned, openly gay star, living in the public eye. Dealing with the price of fame, coping with an HIV+ diagnosis and the unwanted negative press, whilst going it alone as a monumental LGBTQ+ icon.

Through polarising emotions of glamour and sexual liberation, alongside fear, loss, and stigma, The Holly Johnson Story tells the stories of people who experienced the gay scene in the 1980s, and the devastating impact and legacy of HIV.

Holly Johnson said: “The opportunity to mount this exhibition is actually like winning the National Lottery for me. As a teenager Music and Art were my passion, reading Jean Genet, William Burroughs and listening to the music of The Beatles, Marc Bolan, David Bowie and The Velvet Underground: seeing the films of Derek Jarman and Andy Warhol along with his supercharged colour paintings. Pondering over Peter Blake’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band artwork as a child led me ultimately to Hollywood and back again. Everything I was ever drawn to, through a lens of Queerness and controversy I brought with me into the future we live in now.”

The Holly Johnson Story runs until Sunday 27 July 2025

Museum of Liverpool, Pier Head, Liverpool L3 1DG – open Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 4pm (please check website for any updates before visiting)

Click here for more information and to book tickets

Feature added by Callum

Published 9th November 2024