SUPER-GROUP Frankie Goes To Hollywood went on a £100,000 rampage at the Montreux rock festival yesterday.
The wild boys of pop, making their stage return after a year in tax exile, were determined to come back with a bang, and chose Montreux for their most outrageous performance yet.
It began when they whipped the audience at the Swiss town's casino into a frenzy, and then smashed up the stage and their equipment. Thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused to instruments and the lavish set.
Swearing
As Paul Rutherford and the rest of the band left the venue, awearing and making violent gestures, they threatened newsmen waiting to question them about the mayhem which had shocked Festival organisers.
Then they caused a further sensation as they burst into a party hosted by rock band Queen on board a boat moored on nearby Lake Geneva.
Such was the violence on stage that BBC TV cut them off halfway through their second number as it was being relayed to audiences in Britain on Saturday night.
Asked why the band had behaved in such a way, group member Mark O’Toole replied: “We were fed up and wanted to have some fun."
Surprisingly, BBC director and producer Michael Hurll was not upset by the violent incident and said afterwards: “It was wonderful television."
Apart from the damage, estimated at £100.000, the Frankies went wild in the kitchen of the casino, smashing bottles, scaring women members of the staff and generally causing havoc.
When they reached the Queen party, they :
• Toured the craft foul-mouthing and threatening guests with violence.
• Hurled insults, smashed glasses and bottles of drink, and sprawled over the bar demanding “rock star” measures.
• Cavorted with naked women and made shocking suggestions to young girls from an exclusive finishing school.
Some guests in the celebrity-studded gathering left in disgust.
TV-AM presenter Anne Diamond, with boyfriend Mike Hollingsworth, appeared to leave shortly after their arrival.
Crazy
Frankie drummer Pedro Gill said: “I started it all by smashing up my drums. We didn’t plan to go crazy it just seemed to happen.”
“If anyone got in the way(?) that was their bad luck.”
The group later (…) £10.000 of damage to the (…) of the Hyatt Hotel, where they were staying.
Last night the manager(?) of the five star hotel (…) them for their unforgivable(?) behaviour.
Star saves toddler in alpine plunge
EXCLUSIVE by DAVID WIGG
ROCK STAR Brian May leapt from a steep mountain path yesterday to rescue his four-year-old daughter Louisa.
The Queen group guitarist, accompanied by his wife and their two children, had taken the mountain railway 6.000ft up the Swiss Alps above Montreux.
After leaving the tiny train the family continued the climb on foot.
Said Brian last night: “One minute Louisa was with us — then suddenly she disappeared over the edge.
"I just jumped and slithered after her. She landed in a deep patch of snow about 20 feet down the mountain side. I am convinced the snow saved her from injury."
After her terrifying experience Brian and his wife would not let Louisa out of their sight.
The couple even took her to a late night party organised by the group aboard a yacht.
Queen, attending the Montreaux Pop Festival, are about to launch themselves into a major European tour — and it could be their last one before taking a long break.
Worried
Guitarist John Deacon said: "Lead singer Freddie Mercury doesn't want to tour any more and he had to be talked into going on the road again."
Brian May added: "It is true the only person who had any doubts about doing this tour was Freddie. The reason for that is he is more and more worried about his voice.
"The more pressure there is on him the more likelihood there is of his voice giving out.
Freddie Mercury with Mark O'Toole of Frankie Goes to Hollywood (centre) and Belouis Some at the Queen Boat Party during the Golden Rose Festival in Montreux, Switzerland on May 11, 1986. (by Duncan Raban)
Mark William James O'Toole (born 6 January 1964, Liverpool, England) is the former bassist and a founding member of 1980s pop band,Frankie Goes to Hollywood.[1] His elder brother Gerald `Jed`O`Toole also was a member of FGTH, but soon left the band.
A musician from an early age, O'Toole co-wrote all of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's hits such as "Relax", "Two Tribes" and "The Power of Love".
Frankie Goes to Hollywood primarily enjoyed success in 1984, at one time occupying the top two places in the UK Singles Chart. The band split in 1987.[citation needed]
O'Toole currently lives in Hollywood, Florida, USA with his wife and son.
