Port Sunlight exhibition ‘vindicates’ Dead Or Alive frontman Pete Burns
Video report by ITV Granada Reports’ Merseyside correspondent Andy Bonner
An exhibition of unseen photographs of '80s icon Pete Burns is being held in the picturesque village he left because he felt he "didn’t fit in".
The singer had a tumultuous childhood growing up in Port Sunlight, Wirral, before being hired by a record shop in Liverpool because of his "outlandish appearance".
Photographer Francesco Mellina met Burns at the legendary Eric’s club on Mathew Street and asked if he could take his picture.
Mellina became manager of Burns’ new band Dead or Alive, securing them a record deal and a number one hit, You Spin Me Round.
He thinks Burns would have been thrilled about the exhibition.
He said, “I think he would somehow feel vindicated for who he was and what he stood for.
“Everyone likes to feel appreciated and liked. I would imagine he would feel exactly the same."
Eric’s became a breeding ground for talent with the likes of Echo and the Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and China Crisis all achieving success.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Francesco Mellina took photographs of bands at the club, recording the various subcultures in clubland during the pivotal post-punk era.
He developed a career as a nationally recognised rock photographer, and was a regular contributor to magazines such as The Face, NME, Melody Maker and Smash Hits.
The exhibition’s title Total Stranger is taken from the Dead or Alive song of the same name.
Over 40 photographs are on display at Bridge Cottage Gallery.
They give a glimpse of the early career of Pete Burns, whose father worked at the nearby Unilever factory.
Brian Pilkington from the Port Sunlight Village Trust said, “It’s quite well documented that Pete didn’t like living here. In fact he struggled and felt he didn’t fit in.
“Hopefully today times have changed and people can express themselves and be who they are.
“This is our chance to celebrate him and the mark that he left on culture and the world."
Photographer Francesco Mellina shares his favourite photographs of Pete Burns.
Burns' eye-catching fashion and personality quickly turned him into a local celebrity before rising to international fame as a singer, songwriter and television personality.
A number of appearances on reality TV, best illustrated by his time as a housemate in Celebrity Big Brother in 2006, brought him a whole new generation of fans.
He died in 2016, aged 57, after having a cardiac arrest. Visitors will be able to visit the exhibition until 19 January 2025.
Donations for entry will support the Port Sunlight Village Trust’s work to preserve and promote the historic village.