{"id":118472,"date":"2025-05-21T01:04:10","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T01:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/118472\/"},"modified":"2025-05-21T01:04:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T01:04:10","slug":"homecoming-for-liverpool-icon-years-after-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/118472\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Homecoming for Liverpool icon’ years after death"},"content":{"rendered":"

The performer died from cardiac arrest at the age of 57\"AnotherAnother of the photos on display at the upcoming Total Stranger exhibition(Image: Francesco Mellina)<\/p>\n

A \u201crare glimpse\u201d into the formative years of one of the region\u2019s iconic performers is coming to the city. A new exhibition focusing on the unseen photographers of Port Sunlight\u2019s Pete Burns<\/a> is launching a Caf\u00e9 Tabac on Bold Street.<\/p>\n

The showcase features black and white images by rock photographer Francesco Mellina, capturing the raw energy of Liverpool\u2019s late ’70s and early ’80s music scene<\/a> – and the rise of the bold and unconventional frontman of Dead or Alive.<\/p>\n

Mellina, a key figure in the scene himself, met Burns at the legendary Eric\u2019s club on Mathew Street.<\/a> The two quickly became friends, leading to a series of spontaneous photo shoots that documented Pete\u2019s fearless style and magnetic presence.<\/p>\n

In 1981, as the band evolved from Nightmares in Wax to Dead or Alive, Pete asked Mellina to manage them. Mellina played a vital role in their development, arranging TV appearances, launching their first label, and building momentum that led to their 1985 global hit \u201cYou Spin Me Round (Like a Record)\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"OneOne of the photos of Pete Burns on display at the upcoming Total Stranger exhibition(Image: Francesco Mellina)<\/p>\n

Next month’s exhibition presents a curated selection of 16 framed prints from Mellina\u2019s archive of over 2,000 negatives, tracing Pete\u2019s transformation from underground icon to international star.<\/p>\n

Mellina\u2019s choice of venue to display the works is a personal one also – a creative hub for over 50 years, Caf\u00e9 Tabac has long been a meeting place for Liverpool\u2019s artistic community.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cBringing this collection of images of Pete to Caf\u00e9 Tabac truly feels like a homecoming. In the 1980s, Tabac was at the heart of Liverpool\u2019s cultural life.<\/p>\n

\u201cPete, his wife Lynne, and I spent countless hours there, eating, talking, and catching up with other bands – all under the watchful eye of Rita Lawrence, who ran the caf\u00e9. Rita didn\u2019t suffer fools, and she was never afraid to ask someone to leave if they stretched one cup of tea too far.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PetePete Burns of Dead or Alive performs on stage at Hit Factory Live: Christmas Cracker at 02 Arena on December 21, 2012 in London.(Image: Redferns via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Pete died in London following a sudden cardiac arrest back in 2016, at the age of 57.<\/p>\n

Total Stranger: The Unseen Photographs of Pete Burns and Dead or Alive 1978\u20131983 opens on Saturday, June 7 and runs until December. Entry is free, with viewing available during caf\u00e9 opening hours.<\/p>\n

Rita Lawrence\u2019s great nephew, Oliver Clarke, added: \u201cTabac has always been a gathering place for Liverpool\u2019s creative community – including many like Pete who went on to achieve international fame.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrancesco has been a friend of the caf\u00e9 for as long as I can remember, and his portraits beautifully capture Pete\u2019s evolution and his enduring legacy in our city\u2019s incredible musical story. We\u2019re honoured and delighted to host this important exhibition.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The performer died from cardiac arrest at the age of 57Another of the photos on display at the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":118473,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[35652,748,393,4884,14721,179,8838,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-118472","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-bold-street","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-lgbtqia","13":"tag-liverpool","14":"tag-nostalgia","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114543137072541716","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118472\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}