The band broke out after winning Eurovision. Four decades on a key member is leaving (Picture: Getty/TV Times)
Over a month after The Fizz singer Mike Nolan confirmed he was leaving the group for ‘personal reasons’, fans are still imploring him to stay on.
The iconic band, formerly known as Bucks Fizz, rose to fame after winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Making Your Mind Up.
Four decades later, the on-and-off music group has seen huge change. In recent years three of the original band members – Cheryl Baker, Jay Aston and Mike -reunited under a rebrand, much to the delight of the band’s devoted fanbase.
But in May this year, Mike, 69, announced he was leaving The Fizz behind by the end of 2024 due to ‘personal reasons’ on Michael Ball’s Radio 2 show.
‘I have decided to go, to leave. I’ve been thinking about it for a long, long time, and I just thought, this is the time to do it,’ he said at the time.
After the devastating update, the musical trio are now set to appear at their final-ever O2 show at the Indigo, Party Like It’s 1981. In a video shared to fans after their last rehearsal, Cheryl and Jay addressed Mike’s imminent exit.
The trio are all original band members of Bucks Fizz, now The Fizz (Picture: Redferns)
‘I’ve really, really enjoyed it. I thought I was very good today.’ Mike said to the other two.
Cherly laughed, replying: ‘Did you enjoy it enough to stay?’ to which Mike quipped: ‘Well I haven’t gone yet, of course I’m staying.’
The jokes prompted fans to urge the singer to change his mind in the comments.
‘Love you Mike please don’t leave,’ Shaz McKeown wrote. ‘Please stay [I] beg you Mike,’ Sylvia Williams added.
And Chrissy Finch echoed: ‘You three work so good together. Please don’t leave Mike.’ ‘Yes please stay Mike don’t leave,’ Tracey Lane shared.
Mike announced his shock exit in May due to ‘personal reasons’ (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
After the Indigo, The Fizz will play at Live in the Park at Plymouth, and head to three different Butlins across the UK in September.
Mike later added on Good Morning Britain that the ‘travel’ was also a big factor for his dpearture. Cheryl and Jay said that although it wouldn’t ‘be the same’ they had plans to ‘replace’ Mike in due course.
Although the band is changing yet again, Cheryl, 70, has held onto all the good memories over the years, including their Eurovision victory.
In an interview with Metro.co.uk in 2023 to mark the song contest’s arrival in Liverpool, Cheryl opened up about that fateful night.
‘I remember absolutely everything – every emotion, all the highs and all the lows of Eurovision,’ she said.
‘Well, there weren’t many lows. In fact, there weren’t any lows. But I remember everything.
The three have an enduring friendship (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
‘It was the most phenomenal night of my life, and it changed my life completely. I wouldn’t be talking to you now if I hadn’t won Eurovision in 1981.’
Cheryl left the original Bucks Fizz in 1994 and only reunited with her current bandmates a decade later. Meanwhile, Jay, 63, departed the band in 1985 and in the past few years has had tongue cancer which required intensive surgery.
According to Cheryl, their battles over the years have only made their friendship stronger.
She explained: ‘It’s been a lot of trauma, a lot of stuff going on in Bucks Fizz’s history. It’s held the three of us together, and we are mates. It’s great we’re still gigging. 80s music is still huge. It’s wonderful.’
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