Ryan Molloy

Ryan Molloy (born 21 November 1972) is a British singer, songwriter and actor, who replaced Holly Johnson as the lead singer in Frankie Goes to Hollywood. He has also been successful in musical theatre, appearing in a number of hit musicals in the UK.

Originally from North Shields in Tyneside, he attended Monkseaton High School. He left high school at the age of 16 in 1992. Molloy later moved to London to train as an actor. He attended The Poor School; and later also trained at the University of California, Los Angeles and New York.

He began his musical career in the late 1990s, singing with a number of bands, including Ultra, supporting Jamiroquai and The Lighthouse Family.

He appeared in a number of dramatic roles, including London productions of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice and Macbeth. In 2004 he gained a chorus role in the controversial production of Jerry Springer – The Opera. Molloy was a member of the original cast at the National Theatre, and went on to play the parts of the transvestite Tremont and the Angel Gabriel, for which he gained an Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also starred in the West End hit Taboo, playing Steve Strange alongside Boy George and Lyn Paul.

Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Frankie Goes to Hollywood (FGTH), formed in 1980, were a Liverpool based band popular in the mid-1980s. The group was fronted by Holly Johnson (vocals), with Paul Rutherford (vocals, keyboards), Peter Gill (drums, percussion), Mark O'Toole (bass guitar), and Brian Nash (guitar).

The group's 1983 debut single "Relax" was banned by the BBC in 1984 while at number six in the charts and subsequently topped the UK singles chart for five consecutive weeks, going on to enjoy prolonged chart success throughout that year and ultimately becoming the seventh best-selling UK single of all time. It also won the 1985 Brit Award for Best British Single. After the follow-up success of "Two Tribes" and "The Power of Love," the group became only the second act in the history of the UK charts to reach number one with their first three singles; the first being fellow Liverpudlians Gerry & the Pacemakers. This record remained unbeaten until the Spice Girls achieved a six-single streak in 1996-1997. In 1985, Frankie Goes to Hollywood won the Brit Award for Best British Newcomer, and the band also received Grammy Award and MTV Video Music Award nominations for Best New Artist.

Two Tribes

"Two Tribes" is the second single by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, released in the UK by ZTT Records on 4 June 1984. The song was later included on the album Welcome to the Pleasuredome. Presenting a nihilistic, gleeful lyric expressing enthusiasm for a nuclear war, it juxtaposes a relentless pounding bass line and guitar riff inspired by American funk and R&B pop with influences of Russian classical music, in an opulent arrangement produced by Trevor Horn. The recording makes extensive use of samples of the British Protect and Survive public information films on how to survive a nuclear attack.

Supported by a striking advertising campaign depicting the band as members of the Red Army and a wide range of remixes, the single was a phenomenal success in the UK, immediately entering at the number one position on 10 June 1984 and staying at the top of the UK Singles Chart for nine consecutive weeks, during which time the group's previous single "Relax" climbed back up the charts to number two. It was the longest running number-one single in the UK of the 1980s. It has sold 1.58 million copies in the UK as of November 2012. Songwriters Johnson, Gill and O'Toole received the 1984 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. In 2015 the song was voted by the British public as the nation's 14th favourite 1980s number one in a poll for ITV.

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Wembley Arena

Wembley Arena /ˈwɛmbli/ (originally the Empire Pool and known through sponsorship as The SSE Arena, Wembley) is an indoor arena located in Wembley, London, England.

History

It was built for the 1934 British Empire Games, by Arthur Elvin, and originally housed a swimming pool, as reflected by its former name, Empire Pool. The pool itself was last used for the 1948 Summer Olympics. The building is used for music, comedy and family entertainment and for sport.

The venue was renovated, along with Wembley Stadium, as part of the early-21st-century regeneration of the Wembley area. The arena refurbishment cost £35m and the new arena opened to the public on 2 April 2006, with a concert by the English electronic-music band Depeche Mode.

With 12,500 seats, it is London's second-largest indoor arena after The O2.

In September 2013, it was announced that AEG Facilities had signed a 15-year contract to operate the arena.

The building was renamed The SSE Arena on 1 June 2014 after SSE plc bought the naming rights to the venue for 10 years.