BOLTON'S Badly Drawn Boy was among the stars who gathered for the prestigious launch of a trendy new exhibition.

The singer-songwriter, real name Damon Gough, was spotted by Gossip drinking bottles of Stella Artois and enjoying the company of his girlfriend and mates at the opening of the Peter Saville Show at the Urbis museum, Manchester.

The graphic designer was behind some of the best sleeve designs in British pop history, including numerous singles and albums for New Order, Pulp, Peter Gabriel, Roxy Music, Wham! and Suede.

Badly Drawn Boy, whose hits include Silent Sigh which featured in the Hugh Grant film About a Boy, was wearing his legendary woolly hat, on this occasion a red number, a modish green coat and trainers as he mingled in the foyer of the city centre museum.

Other well-known faces included Peter Hook, bass player with New Order, Happy Monday's dancer Bez and backing singer Rowetta and television presenter Tony Wilson.

In his speech, Wilson seemed to suggest that the Mondays' frontman Shaun Ryder and New Order vocalist Bernard Sumner were also in the building, but Gossip failed to spot them.

The launch was a posh do with guests being greeted by a string quartet interpreting such classics as New Order's Bizarre Love Triangle and then plied with free drinks and canapies.

Manchester-born Saville is described as one of the most influential graphic designers of our time and the exhibition is well worth a visit. It features the early sketches and finished articles of sleeves for records such as Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Part, New Order's Blue Monday, the biggest selling 12-inch of its era, and Peter Gabriel's So.

It runs until April 18. Admission is £5 and £3.50 for concessions.