He’s a Timperley legend in his own right and known for his brilliant comic capers across the globe!
And now the magical world of Manchester icon Frank Sidebottom is making a welcome return to Trafford in the form of a special exhibition featuring a number of rare and famous artefacts.
The exhibition, in celebration to our iconic local hero with the giant papier-mâché head, kicks off this weekend at Trafford Council’s Local Studies and Archive Centre at the Waterside in Sale.
All watched over by a Little Frank puppet, it features a number of rare and famous items including Frank’s famous ‘Big Shorts football shirt’, his ‘Magical Timperley Tour’ jacket, several rare pieces of artwork from his Oink! Comic and special Frank Subbuteo figures.
There is everything on display in several glass cabinets to please the biggest Frank Sidebottom fan along with a video featuring the work of the man himself entitled ‘the Magical Timperley Tour’.
Frank was the work of creative Sale-born genius Chris Sievey who turned the quirky alter ego into a beloved cult phenomenon around the world. Chris, who passed away 15 years ago, was a much-talented artist, comedian, singer and musician. Sievey left his mark in music, media and print, and performed a number of albums and songs including Born In Timperley, Panic On The Streets Of Timperley, Anarchy In Timperley.
The Frank Sidebottom character first appeared in 1984 on an untitled EP by the Chris Sievey & the Freshies band and became an almost instant success with his fun and family-friendly humour.
Gary Maguire, who put together the exhibition, first met Chris Sievey 30 years ago at a comic and toy shop he was running in Manchester City Centre and the pair became friends from that point on. He said:
“Chris was a really interesting character and was huge on the Manchester music scene. He was such a talent – a great singer, musician, artist and comic. I’d never met anyone like him before.
“His Frank Sidebottom alter ego was inspiring and he was never far from the action in Manchester from 1984, when Frank first appeared on the scene, up to his death 15 years ago. I first started collecting memorabilia in the 1990s and am still continuing to do so.
“I guess the star items on the exhibition are Frank’s football shirt, which he wore throughout his career, the tour jacket and much of the artwork. These are rare, one-off pieces and I am delighted to be sharing them as part of the exhibition. Please feel free to come along and take a look – hopefully we can organise an even bigger exhibition in the future, as what is on display represents only a fraction of the body of work created by Chris.”
Frank, of course, is famous all around the world but Timperley always held an important place in his heart. His statue in the centre of the village is extremely popular and includes the message ‘As long as I gaze on Timperley sunset, I am in paradise.’
