BAND MEMORABILIA EXHIBIT A WORLD FIRST - www.sligoweekender.ie
Church Street Gallery is set to launch the world’s first Westlife exhibition
today, Tuesday, August 3, in conjunction with a local Sligo music collector. One
of the world’s leading collectors of music memorabilia, artefacts and ephemera,
Gavin Walsh’s exhibition goes on display for the first time to the general
public in the newly opened Church Street Gallery from tonight.
The exclusive collection will consist of historical archival material relating
to the band right from the start to the present day. The entire display will be
set-in a ‘time-line’ allowing the viewer to start from the present day and work
right back to the humble beginnings of the pop-group that has achieved so much.
In addition to the time-line the organisers were also anxious to point out the
phenomenal success of the band overseas and their conquering of the four corners
of the planet.
Hence the exhibit features items from 40 different countries, from Canada to
Chile, Sweden to South Africa and Japan to New Zealand.
The exhibit will feature genuine promotional material for both record releases
and performances. It will also focus heavily on the periodical covers that the
band have graced and dominated in their five-year reign at the top of the hit
parade.
Walsh who does not collect either poster poseur shots, signed items or
presentation discs says “the collection is a genuine matter-of-fact historical
appreciation of how three Sligo lads could have done so incredibly well”.
One of the rarer pieces on show will be an item before the band modified their
name, viz, the book “Westside (Introducing the new Boyzone)” -along with the
accompanying three page letter- that both Louis Walsh & Ronan Keating (then a
co-manager) flogged to RCA in the hope of securing a record deal six months
before Westlife hit the top of the hit parade.
The 75 page book itself is a true look-back in time as it features periodical
cuttings from the original Sligo I.O.U. line-up.
It will be the first time the collection will be made available for viewing to
the public. Earlier this year Westlife themselves got a private viewing of it in
Belfast. And says Gavin with a smile “if the public reaction is as good as the
band’s was then it should be an entertaining visit !”.
“Westlife: the Collection” opens at Church Street Gallery on Tuesday, August 3
and continues until September 11.