Toucan Tango, a New Brighton-based duo (Luce and Scott), design gig posters for a living. They do other stuff too, including the wonderful Sup cafe opposite New Brighton station (just FYI), but custom-made, limited edition screen printing is their speciality.
Here, their world of gig posters, is explored through a beautifully curated exhibition of screen-printed posters from bands you’ve heard of and bands you haven’t.
There’s an outstandingly lovely poster, designed by Tommy Davidson Hawley, for Smashing Pumpkins in Manchester in 2024. I didn’t go, but
I remember the poster. Four colours, perfect depth, so specific to this gig, but massively appropriate for the band. A bee, a rose, and a melancholic green. It’s beautiful screen print, and beautiful design. I remember thinking that when I saw it on promo the first time, but here, in the gallery, it took on a whole new life.
I am as guilty as anyone for highlighting rather than embracing the links between different art worlds, but sometimes you need to just accept you’re wrong and push for better cohesion and representation of visual art in music, and music in visual art.
Onomatoposter is a brilliant way to celebrate these posters, and elevate them beyond hoardings, but at the same time, makes you double take at those hoardings packed with posters for a few weeks afterwards. I left with a new-found appreciation for this world of promotional design, and I will be spending more time appreciating poster displays on roadsides as a result.
There’s more news from Future Yard later in the paper too, as they gear up for a new chapter, and need to your help to do it.
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Onomatoposter is open at Future Yard until 22nd March 2026
Words, Kathryn Wainwright
