After Dinner Speakers: Holly Johnson, Francis Alan, Marie Helvin

Holly Johnson cites his influences as Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Andy Warhol, who he met whilst on tour in 1985 and as befits a Liverpool lad, The Beatles. Interested in art and music from a very early age having written his first song in 1965, Holly went on to front the seismically successful Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Signed to ZTT records by Trevor Horn in 1983, Frankie had three consecutive debut number 1s, a feat only previously achieved by Gerry and The Pacemakers. The Frankies first single, Relax, was banned on obscenity grounds by the BBC, action that always guarantees commercial success for an artist. Since those heady days, Holly has made film appearances and returned to painting, his first love. A true 80s icon, Holly Johnson remains as entertaining as he is controversial.