On a cool spring evening at Café Tabac, an intimate event hosted by The Liverpool Post showing rarely seen photographs of the iconic ‘Dead or Alive’ Pete Burns took place, featuring images of the star taken by Francesco Mellina before his rise to fame.
Tabac, located at the top of Bold street in Liverpool city centre, has had its doors open to the creatives and wider public of the city since 1974, and is run by the infamous Rita Lawrence, known for her colourful collection of hats and charisma.
It’s no surprise then that this was one of Pete Burns’ and friends stomping grounds – with Melissa recalling in The Post her own memories of their gossiping, the ‘smell of cigarettes and patchouli in the air’.
At the event which took place on the 14th of April, Francesco spoke about his move to the city of music: “I knew even at aged 16 I wanted to live in Liverpool – mostly because of the Beatles.”
Discussing what Pete Burns was like during this time, Melissa said: “He didn’t have a reputation as being easy to get along with” was “very direct” and “didn’t suffer fools”.
Speaking of his friendship with Pete Burns, Francesco said: “One of the most important things between my relationship with Pete, friendship and everything was I think he trusted me, and so that made it a lot easier. I think he realised that I wasn’t, well, I don’t criticise people, I don’t judge people by the way they look, I just want to see the human being.”
As discussed by those who knew him, Pete was unforgettable and continues to hold a special place in people’s hearts and memories of the post-punk scene in the 80s.
