New Brighton’s latest mural pays homage to legendary local artists Aidan Hughes and Malcolm Bennett, the Co-Creators of 80s noir-inspired pulp magazine, BRUTE!. Adam Bresnen, a local mural artist, painted the mural just off Waterloo Road, in the alley behind Victoria Road.
The bright, eye-catching piece of art is in the style of BRUTE! magazine, an amusing and rebellious print magazine that became famous in the 1980s. Aidan Hughes and Malcolm Bennett, two artists from Wirral, came up with the idea for BRUTE! Both of them went on to do great things in their careers.
Aidan Hughes, currently residing in Prague, is responsible for creating the majority of the album covers for the industrial band KMFDM. His other work has included large outdoor murals and a wide variety of advertisements, including pieces for the Bank of Scotland and Guinness. Malcolm Bennett sadly passed away in 2015, but this latest mural in New Brighton will immortalize both of them.
Daniel Davies and Rockpoint Leisure, who have regenerated the Victoria Road area with minimal assistance from Wirral Council, commissioned the mural. Artist Adam Bresnen, known as Brezaux, has been responsible for many of the New Brighton murals and ones at Woodside. In a historic moment, Aidan Hughes returned home for the first time in many years to see the mural and add the finishing touches.
Aidan said:
“This is the first time I’ve returned to New Brighton in 10 years and it’s really inspiring to see the great work Dan Davies and Rockpoint Leisure has done to regenerate the area. It’s a real hub of creative talent and a thriving community. To see the mural of BRUTE! dedicated to Malcolm and I was incredible and Adam has done a fine job. Malcolm would have loved it too.”
In an act of ‘passing the paintbrush’ rather than the baton, Aidan adding the finishing touches to Adam’s mural of him is a significant gesture that bridges the gap between two generations of artists. Whereas Aidan left New Brighton to seek out opportunities elsewhere, Adam has had plenty of commercial art jobs thanks to the creative vision of the likes of Dan Davies and Rockpoint Leisure.
Aidan summarised:
“I have been living and working in Prague for some time now and it’s been an emotional pilgrimage back home. A lot has changed, but definitely for the better. Back in the day, any creative talents like Malcolm and I had to move away in order to find opportunities but it’s great to see that artists like Adam can thrive here now. It was a great visit and I’ll definitely be back again soon.”
You can find more about Brute by visiting the website.
