British Music Experience marks Live Aid 40

The 40th anniversary of Live Aid is being marked with a new exhibition at Liverpool’s British Music Experience.

The temporary display, opening on June 5, will showcase some of the personal archive of Sir Bob Geldof who co-organised the ground-breaking fundraiser on both sides of the Atlantic with fellow musician Midge Ure.

And music promoter Harvey Goldsmith, who was responsible for the Wembley Stadium concert, will also take part in a special ‘in conversation’ at the waterfront attraction next month about his role in the iconic event which raised up to £50 million on the day.

Over the past 40 years, the Band Aid Charitable Trust has raised an estimated £480m.

Along with the Wembley concert on July 13, 1985, a second star-studded event was staged in Philadelphia, hosted by Jack Nicholson. Phil Collins played at both benefits, jumping on Concorde after his Wembley set to then appear at the John F Kennedy Stadium the same evening.

Live Aid was planned as a “global jukebox” and a continued response from the music industry and fans to the famine in Ethiopia.

While 72,000 people packed into Wembley and 92,000 saw the Philadelphia concert, advances in technology meant Live Aid was broadcast to more than 150 countries and estimates of the global TV audience vary, the highest of which (1.9 billion) would have equated to around 40 percent of the world’s population at the time.

Items going on display at the BME include letters from Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, planning documents for Live Aid, the very first test pressing for Band Aid, Peter Blake’s stage-side sketches of Live 8 in July 2005, hand-written re-worked lyrics for Band Aid 20 and much more.

The British Red Cross has also loaned a collage by artist Julia Miranda and a letter by Dame Claire Bertschinger – the nurse who appeared in Michael Buerk’s first report for BBC News on the effects of the drought in Ethiopia which led to Band Aid and then to Live Aid.

Above and top: Unofficial and unseen images from photographer given exclusive access to this historic concert in 1985.

Goldsmith, who is chair of Trustees at the British Music Experience, says: “Forty years on, Live Aid remains a defining moment in music and humanitarian history.

“It was a bold, chaotic, and surprising endeavour that united the world for a cause greater than ourselves.

“The passion and unity we sparked in 1985 continues to inspire, reminding us of music’s power to drive change.

"Bob’s personal collection from that time gives us all a look behind the scenes and we are delighted to host this at the British Music Experience.”

Sir Bob Geldof adds: “As Live Aid turns 40, I look back at that day in 1985 when music became a global force for unity, bringing 1.9 billion people together to fight famine in Ethiopia.

“Our bid to change policy—pushing for debt relief and fairer aid—helped save millions of lives, proving that a song, a stage, and a shared purpose can tilt the world toward justice.”

Live Aid 40: Music, Power & Unity runs from June 5 to January 4, 2026 and is included in general admission to the attraction.

Harvey Goldsmith will be ‘in conversation’ at 7pm on June 11 and tickets are £8 HERE