Latest news with #WelcometothePleasuredome
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Review: Holly Johnson at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Backed by a tight band, including keyboardist and backing vocalist Daisy May Khan – at 21, quite possibly the youngest person in the room – and led by a guitarist in David D'Andrade who clearly saw himself as part of the spectacle (never has the slicking back of hair looked more performative), Johnson gave us what was in effect an extended Rewind Festival set; a run-through of the hits and the best-of-the-rest tunes from his band days and his solo career – stretching from the mid-1980s to the start of the 1990s – concentrating, inevitably, on that fierce hot moment in 1984 – a moment that stretched out through the whole year – when Frankie Goes to Hollywood were the biggest band in the country. (The band's debut single Relax remains the sixth-best-selling UK single of all time, despite the fact that it was banned on Radio 1. Or more likely because of it.) Johnson came dressed for the party, in black leather jacket and black leather kilt which showed off his knobbly knees. Inevitably at one point he threatened to lift it up to show what was underneath. Read more: But then Johnson's personality has always been an endearing mixture of the sweet and the salty. This evening he reminded us of a story he has told before; that of his first visit to Glasgow when he 'shagged a postman'. Loucheness was always part of the appeal. Nostalgia doesn't really do surprise and so there were no real departures in the set list. It stuck pretty rigidly to the Frankie era and Johnson's early solo records, though there was the odd Frankie deep cut, like Happy Hi!, the B side of Welcome to the Pleasuredome which probably should have been left there. And it's fair to say that, ultimately, Johnson's songbook is a relatively slim one. There were a few longueurs between the sugar high of his more familiar songs. It's also true that the accompanying visuals were pretty basic, pretty budget, and at times frankly rather twee. Maybe only the half-naked musclemen dancing along on the screen to Relax seemed of a piece with the music. But in the end this show had two big advantages. The first was Johnson's voice. Back in 2019 Trevor Horn – Frankie Goes to Hollywood's producer and Johnson's bete noire – played the same venue with a crack cadre of session musicians and singers, singing some of the same songs. But when they did essay Frankie classics what was clearly, painfully, missing was the texture of Johnson's voice and his explosive vocalisations (that throaty 'huuh' at the, ahem, climax of Relax). Because, the truth is, Johnson was as essential to those Frankie records as the Fairlight sampler. And, it has to be said, the big tunes played tonight – Pleasuredome, Relax, Two Tribes – are frankly indestructible; epic confections of pop, full of sex and horror and the perfume of youth. They remain so all these years on. The evening inevitably ended with a performance of The Power of Love, Frankie's shot at a Christmas number one (seen off by Band Aid's Do They Know it's Christmas) and Johnson's favourite song. Certainly his best shot at posterity. 'We always say it's not for Christmas, it's for life,' Johnson, now wearing a crown and a sparkly jacket, reminded us. Time for the glitterball and a few minutes revelling in the sweet sadness of time passing. In the end we are our memories. As Holly says, make love your goal.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Voice Is Still Great': ‘80s Icon, 65, Dazzles Crowd With Timeless Voice
'Voice Is Still Great': '80s Icon, 65, Dazzles Crowd With Timeless Voice originally appeared on Parade. Holly Johnson, the campy, over-the-top lead singer of the iconic 1980s pop band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, has still got it. The 65-year-old showman put his unmistakable vocals on full display during a recent performance at London's Royal Albert Hall, leaving fans in awe of his timeless voice. And judging by Johnson's on-stage attire, the singer hasn't lost his flair for drama a video shared to social media, Johnson can be seen taking the stage in an oversized, sparkling black coat paired with a black leather crown. As he belts out the band's 1984 hit The Power of Love from their Welcome to the Pleasuredome album, it's clear his distinctive, rich baritone still hits all the right notes. Johnson has never sounded better—and Frankie Goes to Hollywood fans took note. Compliments came in fast. One fan wrote, 'He's still got that voice—strong as ever,' while another shared, 'Love his voice!' Yet another wrote, "It's good how his voice is Still Great."Fans also had something to say about Johnson's dramatic attire. One wrote, 'Love the coat,' while another summed up the performance perfectly: 'Only a few singers in 2025 sing like they did in the '80s—Mick Hucknall (Simply Red), Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode), and Jim Kerr (Simple Minds).' Alexa, play The Best of the '80s playlist, please. 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 'Voice Is Still Great': '80s Icon, 65, Dazzles Crowd With Timeless Voice first appeared on Parade on Jun 10, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Perth Now
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Holly Johnson 'felt there was homophobia involved' in Relax banning
Holly Johnson "felt there was homophobia" involved after the BBC temporarily banned 'Relax'. The Frankie Goes to Hollywood frontman believes it was "a bit of a storm in a teacup" when the then-BBC Radio 1 DJ Mike Read branded the lyrics of the gay anthem as scandalous. The corporation then banned the song from playing on the radio and TV for a few weeks in early 1984, before eventually lifting the censorship as the track rose to number one on the UK Singles Chart, where it stayed for five weeks. Holly, 65, told The i newspaper: "I felt there was homophobia involved, and they let their imaginations run wild with themselves thinking, because I'm gay, 'It's all about gay sex, and we can't have that.' "There's no reference to gay sex, really, in the record." Holly believes the situation was totally overblown by the BBC. The music star said: "I thought it was a bit of a storm in a teacup." 'Relax' was a massive hit, and the band - formed of Holly, Paul Rutherford, Mark O'Toole, Brian Nash and Peter Gill - continued their success with the release of 'Two Tribes' later in 1984. The track spent nine weeks at number one in the UK Singles Chart, and the group's feet "didn't touch the ground" with the constant touring and TV interview appearances. But looking back at that time, Holly thinks there was "no consideration" for the boys' "physical and mental health". The star - who quit Frankie Goes to Hollywood in 1987 - admitted: "There was no consideration for our physical and mental health. "It was just, 'Get those boys over there. Sell, sell, sell.'" Frankie Goes to Hollywood reunited and sang their 1984 song 'Welcome to the Pleasuredome' at the opening ceremony of the Eurovision Song Contest in their hometown of Liverpool in 2023 - but Holly has cast doubt on whether there will be a full get-together in the future. He said: "I entertained the idea for a while after, but it seems to have gone away now."
