Frankie Goes To Hollywood to reunite for first time in 36 years for National Lottery’s Big Eurovision Welcome

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Frankie Goes To Hollywood will reunite for the first time in over three decades for The National Lottery’s Big Eurovision Welcome - with free tickets to see the band along with a host of other acts up for grabs.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood are set to appear for the first time in 36 years for the National Lottery’s Big Eurovision Welcome. The 80s legends will perform along with a host of other stars during the event outside St George’s Hall on Sunday, May 7.

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Frankie Goes To Hollywood say they are “coming back home” to Liverpool for their first public appearance in more than three decades. The band formed in the city as part of the city’s thriving post-punk scene.

By May 1984, they had released two of the best-selling British singles of all time; “Relax” which spent five weeks at #1 and “Two Tribes” which topped the UK charts for two and a half months. In the pre-streaming era, only four artists had simultaneous #1 & #2 singles in the UK; The Beatles, John Lennon, Madonna and Frankie Goes To Hollywood.

Frankie were also only the second ever band to have their first three singles go to number one - the first being fellow Liverpudlians Gerry & The Pacemakers in the 60s, and the third was the Spice Girls in 90s.

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The announcement comes as Joel Dommett has just been announced as co-host with AJ Odudu for The National Lottery’s Big Eurovision Welcome with other Liverpool acts announced this week including:

  • The Lightning Seeds
  • Atomic Kitten
  • The Real Thing
  • Ricky Tomlinson
  • Shirley Ballas
  • The Vivienne

Eurovision legend Conchita Wurst and Ukrainian 2016 Eurovision winner Jamala will also be performing in front of the near 30,000 crowd in the heart of Liverpool. The last few thousand free tickets will be available from 12pm today on the Big Eurovision Welcome website.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood in 1986. Singer Holly Johnson is seated by the piano, and behind him are (left to right) bassist Mark O’Toole, drummer Peter Gill, guitarist Brian Nash and singer Paul Rutherford. Frankie Goes To Hollywood in 1986. Singer Holly Johnson is seated by the piano, and behind him are (left to right) bassist Mark O’Toole, drummer Peter Gill, guitarist Brian Nash and singer Paul Rutherford.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood in 1986. Singer Holly Johnson is seated by the piano, and behind him are (left to right) bassist Mark O’Toole, drummer Peter Gill, guitarist Brian Nash and singer Paul Rutherford. | Getty Images

The free tickets serve as a thank you to the National Lottery players for the £330m they have contributed to over 3,600 music and cultural projects in Liverpool alone. Highlights of The National Lottery’s Big Eurovision Welcome will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Monday, May 8 as part of a special programme, ‘Eurovision Welcomes The World’.

The Eurovision Grand Final takes place at Liverpool M&S Bank Arena on May 13.

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