Eurovision: Liverpool’s trendsetting musical icons

From The Beatles’ sharp suits to Atomic Kitten’s Noughties trends, we pay homage to the city’s most fashionable singers and bands. By Prudence Wade.

The Beatles are arguably Liverpool’s most famous musical export (PA)

The Eurovision Song Contest is almost upon us, and the week-long competition will be held in Liverpool.

Home to the Beatles and Cilla Black, the Scouse city has a rich musical history.

Music and fashion often go hand in hand – and Eurovision will certainly deliver this. Onstage we’ll likely see all manner of sartorial statements, ranging from the glamorous to the slightly ridiculous.

Perhaps contestants will take inspiration from some of Liverpool’s most fashionable musical icons for their costumes…

The Beatles

No list of Scouse musicians would be complete without The Beatles. The band’s music was influential beyond compare, and John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were trendsetters in their own right.

Each era of their music had a dedicated aesthetic – from the sharp suits of the early Sixties, to the psychedelic fashion of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Cilla Black

With her cropped red hair and dedication to Mod-style mini dresses, Cilla Black – who burst onto the scene with songs Anyone Who Had A Heart and You’re My World – was a Sixties trendsetter.

She was unafraid to buck convention – such as wearing a red velvet minidress to marry in 1969.

While less of a trendsetter in the decades that followed, Black remained stylish – wearing gowns on the red carpet, showing a commitment to sharp tailoring – and donning a shirt and tailcoat with no trousers on the runway in 2008.

Elvis Costello

Part of being a fashion icon is having a defining look, and that’s something Elvis Costello has honed to perfection.

The Watching The Detectives singer wasn’t born in Liverpool, but has been claimed by the city after living there for a few years as a teenager. Costello is known to be a keen supporter of Liverpool FC.

Costello first debuted his signature look of oversized glasses on the cover of his debut album – 1977’s My Aim Is True – and that has continued throughout his career, often paired with a fedora.

Mel C

As Sporty Spice, Melanie Chisholm – better known as Mel C – wasn’t originally seen as the fashionable one of the girl group. However, her commitment to sportswear was particularly prescient, long before the athleisurewear trend hit the mainstream.

Nowadays, Chisholm is bang on trend by combining sportswear into her everyday outfits, while mixing things up with more grown-up accents of tailoring and more glam looks.

Atomic Kitten

With low-rise trousers, crop tops, butterfly motifs and blue sunglasses, Atomic Kitten’s fashion was the epitome of Noughties fashion – regardless of what combination of Kerry Katona, Liz McClarnon, Jenny Frost and Natasha Hamilton were in the line-up.

The band’s fashion ticked almost every 2000s style box you can imagine – with chunky highlights in their hair, cargo pants, mini skirts, trailing scarf belts, flat caps, corset tops and more. And with the resurgence of Y2K fashion, you can now see trends Atomic Kitten championed all over Instagram and TikTok.

Rebecca Ferguson

Propelled to fame on the 2010 series of The X Factor, Liverpudlian soul singer Rebecca Ferguson will play a role in this year’s Eurovision.

She will perform alongside Rita Ora in the semi-final at Liverpool ACC.

In terms of fashion, Ferguson is a lover of extremely glamorous gowns – often with sparkles and standout detailing like capes.

Her love of dramatic gowns was shown last year when she got married to Jonny Hughes in a sparkly, princess-style gown complete with a tiara and long veil.