Frankie Goes to Hollywood will reunite to play the Big Eurovision Welcome show in Liverpool next month following the group's original split 36 years ago.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE ANNOUNCEMENT🚨
— BBC The One Show (@BBCTheOneShow) April 24, 2023
It's what we’ve been waiting for… @AJOdudu has #Eurovision2023 news! For the first time in 36 years, Frankie Goes To Hollywood will reunite 🤩#TheOneShow 👉 https://t.co/GdKwGTPXMc pic.twitter.com/VppIrlNGKV
The Liverpool-formed band, which began in the 1980s and enjoyed the hits Relax, Two Tribes, and The Power of Love, will be appearing on Sunday 7 May outside St George's Hall in the city.
Other artists with a connection to Liverpool who will be performing on the night include Atomic Kitten, The Real Thing, and The Lightning Seeds.
Conchita Wurst, the 2014 Eurovision winner from Austria, and Ukrainian winner Jamala, who competed in 2016, will also take part in the concert hosted by presenter AJ Odudu.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood split in 1987 but reformed with original members Paul Rutherford, Peter 'Ped' Gill and Mark O'Toole in 2004 to perform at a concert at Wembley Arena, which raised money for youth charity The Prince's Trust.
The build-up to the gig saw the band holding open auditions in London for a new vocalist to replace Holly Johnson. Ryan Malloy was chosen for the gig.
Around two decades ago, Frankie Goes to Hollywood took part in a VH1 show called Bands Reunited that saw Brian 'Nasher' Nash, Gill, and Rutherford among the members tracked down.
When asked to perform at a concert during the original recording, Johnson told his bandmates off-camera he did not want to take part.
Since their split, the Grammy-nominated band has released a number of compilation albums.
The first Eurovision semi-final, with Irish entry Wild Youth among the hopefuls, is on Tuesday 9 May, followed by the second semi-final on Thursday 11 May. The grand final live show airs from 8pm on Saturday 13 May.
Source: Press Association
