Eurovision Song Contest winner Mike Nolan has said he is “sad” to say goodbye to The Fizz after a final concert which had its moments of stress.
The 69-year-old played his last gig with original Bucks Fizz members Cheryl Baker and Jay Aston, who formed the spin-off group, on Wednesday after more than 40 years on stage.
Bucks Fizz, made up of Nolan, Baker, Aston and Bobby G, won Eurovision for the UK in Dublin in 1981 with the song Making Your Mind Up, famed for its dance routine which saw the skirts of the two female members ripped off to reveal shorter skirts beneath.
They went on to have three number one singles and one top 10 album in the UK.
After the concert at The Stag in Sevenoaks, Nolan told the PA news agency: “It was stressful – not horrible stressful, just a bit of a worry, because we wanted it all to be good.
“And our drummer had an accident, and he couldn’t do the gig. He’s been with us for the past five, six, seven years, and a drummer… came in to take his place, and the guy was absolutely brilliant.”
He said the band usually start their shows with a medley of 1980s covers, but decided to only perform Bucks Fizz numbers for his last appearance.
Nolan added: “We did a couple of songs we hadn’t done for years, we couldn’t remember the lyrics for some of them and it just all fell into place.
“It was just unbelievable, there was screams and everything like that. It’s good we had our ears in because we wouldn’t be able to keep in tune.
“It was a great way to for it to end for me. I was sad, but very, very happy as well, it was brilliant.”
The Dublin-born singer said he will be appearing in a Dick Whittington pantomime in Essex in December, but has no other plans for his time after the pop group.
He added: “I am going to miss it, but I’m also not sorry.
“When we had that time off in lockdown, all of a sudden – and it wasn’t just me – the whole world came to a standstill, and it was really weird.
“I was doing a lot of walking around and we were off for a long, long time, and when we went back, I didn’t want to go back, I just didn’t want to go back.”
He said he then told the band he had “had enough. I can’t cope with another year”, adding: “Cheryl was the most upset with it. Jay understood, Cheryl now understands, but I think she’s more upset than Jay was, because Cheryl and I are very, very close friends since the group were formed, we’ve got a great relationship.
“I’ve got a nice relationship with Jay, but it’s different with Cheryl.”
Nolan said the impact of a 1984 accident in which Bucks Fizz’s coach was struck by a lorry, leaving all four members injured, was part of his decision to quit as he was forced to travel by train to many gigs.
He said the accident meant he “lost 50% of my vision, and that’s why I couldn’t get my (driving) licence back”.
“And losing your licence is like you’re finished, it’s like you lose your independence, that’s what it is, a big thing is you lose your independence,” he added.
“I have to wait for a cab, make sure the train turns up, trains have been cancelled, and I hated it.”
Nolan refused to rule out returning to the group if they were wanted for a Eurovision-related event or other major gigs.
He said: “I haven’t just walked away, they know, if I’m needed for something specific where they don’t want the new line-up, they’ll phone up and ask me, and I can either say yes or no.”
He has been replaced in The Fizz by Matthew Pateman, the former lead singer of 1990s boy band Bad Boys Inc, and Nikk Mager of Phixx, who appeared on ITV talent show Popstars: The Rivals.
