Wirral pop icon Pete Burns remembered in photo exhibit

Total Stranger, a new exhibition of photographs by Francesco Mellina, is open from this Saturday (September 21) until January 19 next year, at the Bridge Cottage Gallery on Park Road in Port Sunlight. 

The photographs capture the late 1970s and early 1980s Liverpool music and club scene, and Pete Burns and his band Dead or Alive are featured.

Eighties pop icon Pete Burns features in an exhibition of photographs on view at the Bridge Cottage Gallery in Port Sunlight from Saturday, September 21 until January 19, 2025 (Image: Francesco Mellina)

Eighties pop icon Pete Burns features in an exhibition of photographs on view at the Bridge Cottage Gallery in Port Sunlight from Saturday, September 21 until January 19, 2025 (Image: Francesco Mellina) Pete grew up in a house on Bath Street in Port Sunlight, before going on to become an international star. His father worked at the Unilever factory.

Pete was eager to escape to the bright lights of Liverpool over the water from Wirral, where his eye-catching fashion and personality quickly turned him into a local celebrity before rising to international fame as a singer, songwriter and television personality.

It 1978, Burns was working in Probe Records on Liverpool's Mathew Street when he was ‘discovered’ and found himself fronting his own band, Nightmares In Wax, who mutated into the more familiar Dead Or Alive.

He died in London, aged 57, following a sudden cardiac arrest on October 23, 2016.

People who paid tribute to him after his death included Boy George described Burns as "one of our great true eccentrics" and paid the costs for his funeral. 

Marc Almond described Burns as a "one off creation, a fabulous, fantastic, brilliant creature..."

Former MP George Galloway, who had appeared with him on Celebrity Big Brother said Burns was "a cross between Oscar Wilde and Dorothy Parker . . . you don't get more brilliant than that".

31 Bath Street in Port Sunlight was the childhood home of 1980s pop icon Pete Burns, who features in an exhibition of photographs on view at the Bridge Cottage Gallery in Port Sunlight from Saturday, September 21 until January 19, 2025 (Image: courtesy of Port Sunlight Village Trust) More than 40 photographs will be on display in the exhibit. It's title Total Stranger is taken from the Dead or Alive song of the same name.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Francesco Mellina took photographs of bands at the famous Eric’s Club in Liverpool, recording the various subcultures in club land during the pivotal post-punk era.

Eighties pop icon Pete Burns features in an exhibition of photographs on view at the Bridge Cottage Gallery in Port Sunlight from Saturday, September 21 until January 19, 2025 (Image: Francesco Mellina) During this time, Francesco developed a career as a nationally recognised rock photographer, and was a regular contributor to magazines such as The Face, NME, Melody Maker, Smash Hits, Sounds, iD magazine as well as various publications around the world.

Francesco also managed Dead or Alive, guiding them to number one chart success with hits such You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) and Brand New Lover.

Eighties pop icon Pete Burns features in an exhibition of photographs on view at the Bridge Cottage Gallery in Port Sunlight from Saturday, September 21 until January 19, 2025 (Image: Francesco Mellina) Francesco said: "I am very pleased to be presenting this exhibition of my photographs in Port Sunlight, many of which have never been on display.

"I think many people will be fascinated to see these early photos of Pete Burns and Dead or Alive, as they capture their youthfulness and give an interesting glimpse into an exciting time in Liverpool’s club scene.

"I became friends with Pete after he caught my eye at the legendary Eric’s Club on Mathew Street and I asked if I could photograph him.

"I think he would be delighted to see these photographs now on display in his native village."

The exhibition of photographs of '80s pop icon Pete Burns is on view at the Bridge Cottage Gallery in Port Sunlight from Saturday, September 21 until January 19, 2025 (Image: Paul Thompson) The photographs on display in Total Stranger give a glimpse of the early career of Pete Burns, whose father worked at the Unilever factory in Port Sunlight.

It is well known Pete was eager to escape to the bright lights of Liverpool over the water from Wirral, where his eye-catching fashion and personality quickly turned him into a local celebrity before rising to international fame as a singer, songwriter and television personality.

It is the first time these unique images celebrating Pete's life have been on public display. 

Eighties pop icon Pete Burns features in an exhibition of photographs on view at the Bridge Cottage Gallery in Port Sunlight from Saturday, September 21 until January 19, 2025 (Image: Francesco Mellina) Jean Milton, curator of the exhibition and director of Heritage at Port Sunlight Village Trust, said: "We are delighted to be working with Francesco Mellina and to celebrate the life and early career of Pete Burns through Francesco’s images.

"This exhibition will hopefully bring Pete to a whole new audience and inspire a new generation to be true to who they are and not be afraid to create their own path."

The exhibition will be open from Wednesday–Sunday, 10am–4pm, at 23 Park Road, Port Sunlight CH62 4UP. It is not ticketed.

For more on the exhibition, go to www.portsunlightvillage.com

Eighties pop icon Pete Burns and his band features in an exhibition of photographs on view at the Bridge Cottage Gallery in Port Sunlight from Saturday, September 21 until January 19, 2025 (Image: Francesco Mellina)