Frankie Goes To Hollywood go back to the Pleasuredome at Liverpool reunion

Frankie Goes To Hollywood person played unrecorded for the archetypal clip successful 36 years - but their long-awaited reunion was brief, lasting for conscionable 1 song.

The popular band, who were among the biggest stars of the 1980s, buried the hatchet to play for 20,000 radical astatine a performance to people the Eurovision Song Contest successful their location city, Liverpool.

They decided against playing their 3 UK fig ones - Relax, Two Tribes and The Power of Love. Instead, they opted for Welcome To the Pleasuredome, a fig 2 deed successful 1985.

When its rumbling bushed and chanted lyrics kicked in, the set succeeded successful rolling backmost the years.

Now with achromatic hair, and wearing a achromatic suit, achromatic glasses and achromatic gloves, frontman Holly Johnson's dependable is inactive unmistakable.

"Bless you," helium said to the assemblage astatine the National Lottery's Big Eurovision Welcome concert. "Lovely to spot you all."

There was nary evident motion of the acrimony that reportedly saw the radical combat backstage earlier their last gig astatine Wembley Arena successful 1987, and has lingered ever since.

Just six weeks ago, erstwhile guitarist Brian "Nasher" Nash and 2 members of chap set The Farm launched their guided tours nether the banner Liverpool Music Icons Tours, this reconciliation was not connected the cards.

Nasher subsequently said helium agreed to instrumentality portion successful the reunion truthful helium could walk clip successful Liverpool with bassist Mark O'Toole and drummer Peter "Ped" Gill - with whom helium has remained affable and who nary longer unrecorded successful the metropolis - and truthful they could "feel a spot of Scouse love".

While not 1 of the trio of chart-topping singles that made Frankie specified a phenomenon, Welcome To the Pleasuredome is simply a large song, and is the rubric way from their singular debut album.

By the clip the tune drew to a adjacent connected Sunday, it sounded similar the set were conscionable warming up, arsenic were the crowd. The fans were afloat expecting them to motorboat successful to Relax oregon Two Tribes.

But past the radical said a little goodbye and walked off. There were muted cheers, arsenic disbelieving murmurs roseate from the assemblage instead. Even Atomic Kitten had performed 2 songs.

If this show was a one-off, it was a memorable if fleeting moment.

It proved the 5 set members tin carnivore to stock a signifier - and that they and their songs tin inactive dependable compelling and fresh.

Perhaps the 40th day of that debut medium adjacent twelvemonth could contiguous an accidental to spot much of Frankie Goes To Hollywood.

At Sunday's concert, extracurricular Liverpool's St George's Hall, they were connected a measure that besides included The Lightning Seeds, Jamie Webster, The Real Thing, Ricky Tomlinson and Shirley Ballas.

The amusement was "Eurovision meets Scousevision", arsenic Lightning Seeds frontman Ian Broudie enactment it.

Speaking beforehand, Atomic Kitten's Natasha Hamilton said: "We're bringing everyone together. Liverpool is conscionable a melting cookware of radical and cultures and music. And we get to execute to the assemblage contiguous and correspond the city, which is amazing."

As good arsenic the section heroes, Ukraine's Jamala performed her 2016 Eurovision winning opus 1944 with the United Ukrainian Ballet. She aboriginal joined British vocalist Birdy to screen The Beatles' All You Need Is Love, accompanied by the Liverpool Signing Choir.

Another Eurovision legend, Conchita Wurst, performed 2014 winning opus Rise Like A Phoenix against a airy show by a fleet of drones.

RuPaul's Drag Race UK victor The Vivienne performed Abba's Eurovision classical Waterloo. "I'm similar the Poundland mentation of Abba," she joked.

There were besides performances from popular stars Alexandra Burke and Zara Larsson.

At the commencement of the show, determination were concerns for assemblage information erstwhile a fig of assemblage members climbed oregon were helped retired of the country successful beforehand of the signifier due to the fact that of overcrowding.

Shortly aft it began, co-host Joel Dommett asked the assemblage to dispersed out, telling them: "We don't privation anyone to get hurt."

Dommett presented the amusement with AJ Odudu. Highlights volition beryllium connected BBC One astatine 18:30 BST connected Monday.

The Eurovision semi-finals volition instrumentality spot successful Liverpool connected Tuesday and Thursday, with the expansive last connected Saturday.

All the build-up, insights and investigation is explored each week connected a BBC podcast called Eurovisioncast.