Mike Nolan quits

 

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/27744...rovision-group/

 

MUSIC fans were left reeling today after The Fizz announced the departure of Mike Nolan after 43 years.

 

The group, which won Eurovision in 1981 as Bucks Fizz, confirmed the news on social media platform X after Mike, 69, dropped the bombshell live on BBC Radio 2.

 

He told host Michael Ball: "I'm going to be leaving, it's for personal reasons. I have decided to go, to leave.

 

"I've been thinking about it for a long long, long time and I just thought: 'this is the time to do it."

 

Afterwards, alongside a smiley picture of Cheryl Baker, Mike and Jay Aston at BBC studios, the group wrote: "We can confirm, following the Michael Ball show, that Mike will be leaving the group at the end of the year.

 

"Cheryl & Jay will be continuing as 'The Fizz' & a statement from Mike, will follow in the coming days. Thank you for your understanding."

 

When one person commented "maybe time call it a day", the two remaining members shot back: "Absolutely not."

 

Others were more sympathetic.

 

One person said: "Sorry to hear this, hope he is alright and looking forward to his retirement x."

 

Another wrote: "Very sad that he’s leaving but I’m sure we wish him all the best."

 

A third said: "It has been a long long run. I am sad though I completely understand. Sending lots of love (since 1981)."

 

In 1981, Cheryl, Mike, Jay and Bobby G topped the charts with Eurovision classic Making Your Mind Up and followed it with a string of hits including The Land Of Make Believe.

 

They have sold more than 15 million records worldwide, and had three number one singles.

 

Tragedy struck in 1984 when the group were involved in a near-fatal bus crash that left all the members seriously injured.

 

Cheryl broke her spine in three places, Jay also had back injuries, and Mike fell into a coma and almost died while having an operation to save his life.

 

The incident left him with impaired vision and epilepsy, prompting Cheryl to set up the charity HeadFirst, providing services for people and families rebuilding their lives after brain injuries.

 

While technically always a functioning band, in-house disputes meant a near-constant line-up change.

 

Cheryl, Mike and Shelley Preston - who replaced Jay in 1985 - reformed the group under The Fizz in 2004, due to a legal dispute.

 

Jay replaced Shelley in 2009 and The Fizz continue to perform and release albums, with their most recent release - Smoke & Mirrors - reaching number 29 in the UK album chart.

 

Like many acts in the Eighties, huge hits did not necessarily mean big bucks.

 

Cheryl, 70, told us last year: “We were given five per cent of a 90 per cent of the sales, because they took off ten per cent for breakages and giveaways to radio stations and record firms.

 

“That five per cent was split four ways, so we got less than a penny for every record we sold.

 

“I had enough to buy a semi- detached in Eltham, South East ­London, but I didn’t care. I’m not into material things.

 

“Money gets me by, money pays for things, but that’s all.”

 

Jay also criticised the group's poor record deal in an interview with This Is Money.

 

She said: "Our first year's income was about £7,000 each despite having scored a couple of multi-million selling singles (we had a terrible record deal), and we walked away with just £1,600 each after doing our first tour."

 

Cheryl did splash out on a small house for her parents, in Essex, as well as a 32ft Fairline Phantom boat, for £15,000, which she kept in ­Brighton Marina.

 

She said: “I loved it but that was a dripping tap as far as money was concerned so I sold it.”

 

Cheryl has had a long TV career too.

 

She went on to present a cookery show, Eggs And Baker in 1988, and front hit kids’ show Record Breakers for 11 years, quitting Bucks Fizz in 1993, when her twins were born.

 

LEGAL FIGHT

 

In 2004, with an Eighties revival sweeping the nation, Cheryl reunited with former bandmates Jay and Mike to perform as The Original Bucks Fizz, sparking a legal wrangle over the name.

 

Bobby won the case, meaning the trio could no longer use the name — nor even say they were “formerly of Bucks Fizz” — and they adopted The Fizz instead.

 

Cheryl said: “It’s sad because we won Eurovision and we had that ­terrible crash which almost killed Mike so we had so much history in a short space of time.

 

"We should all have the right to use the name.

 

“Bobby doesn’t gig so it’s like he is saying, ‘I don’t want to play with this ball any more but you can’t have it’. ”

 

Cheryl said the loss of the name cost them a host of gigs, meaning she turned to a business owner pal for work.

 

She added: “Even if I’m broke I don’t worry about money.

 

“If I look at the bank account and there’s nothing coming in for a while, I’ll find something to do."

Just announced on The Fizz official socials that two new members are joining following Mike's exit.

Matthew Pateman (Bad Boys Inc/Let Loose) and Nikk (Phixx)

https://x.com/thefizzcmj/status/1841835365201575978

Edited October 3, 2024Oct 3 by Mark.

That's hilarious

Aren't they like 2 decades too young for that group!? :lol:

I thought Matthew Pateman was now the lead singer of Let Loose? Or is he now fronting both?

 

I can't really see how these two fit into the band, their mood lighting pouty photos hardly scream Bucks Fizz.

Edited October 3, 2024Oct 3 by gooddelta

Thought you were talking about people confusing them for indie band FIZZ

Matthew must be in his 50's now so I'm thinking they prob aren't going to stand out like a sore thumb visually too much, and the core sound of Bucks Fizz was always Cheryl's harmonies - she just didn't get single lead tracks very often - Mike and Jay only got one each, too, Bobby got most of 'em and he's been recording-free for 35-years now, and didn't have to - but presumably he made his cash from owning the name and touring and couldnt bring himself to share again. Plus, can't be too many 60-something available former boyband stars with decent voices on anyone's shortlist :lol: Donny Osmond? Think we'd be looking at singers from Racey and the like otherwise, and they still tour so why would they give that up...

 

Good luck to 'em though, it's what's they record more than touring that matters more to me, and they still drop good pop singles. I did see them 3 times back in the 80's and 90's, after Jay had left and local girl Shelley from Wareham joined, but I havent seen Jay yet, so I def would go and see them to tick off the original line-up the same way I did for Fleetwood Mac's 70's line-up piece by piece in various combinations, until they managed to do one final complete line-up tour before disintegrating again. :o :cry: Not the same league oc, but the principle applies :lol:

 

 

 

 

So from what I have read - for my sins I follow The Fizz on Facebook :blush: - Matthew (who is 53) will continue to front Let Loose (with Rob and Lee) whilst also being on an 80s tribute band (hilariously called Wham!Duran) whilst also being a member of The Fizz.

 

I guess 80s festivals that The Fizz are at may then get bookings for Wham!Duran and 90s Festivals will avoid scheduling clashes. Whatever, the guy is going to be busy. But I do think with his age and the silver hair that he will probably fit in with Cheryl and Jay okay. Jay is "only" in her 60s and looks a great deal younger.

 

Nikk is just 40 years old and to me does look faaaaarrr to young to be in the band.

 

I'll reserve judgement for now on whether I'm really okay with this. I have loved Bucks Fizz since Land of Make Believe and have had to put up with many different changes over the years. Cheryl, Jay and Mike used to sell themselves on having three orginal members, but now they're down to just two and have employed new guys they are not much more than a step away from what Bobby G's Bucks Fizz were.

 

The main plus I see here is that Matthew and Nikk will have their own fans who is now come along to The Fizz gigs.

 

Well this is all well and good but when the hell is Everything Under The Sun going to be added to streaming sites so I can finally give it a listen? It's been two years now!

You can listen to Everything Under The Sun on YouTube music.

I just googled it and it let me play it with only two ads throughout the whole album which I could skip after 5 seconds.

 

Set your expectations low though. It's better than Smoke and Mirrors but lacks the 80s Bucks Fizz sound that was recreated for The F-Z of Pop.