The Fizz overcome cancer blow to hit the road again
Former Bucks Fizz stars Cheryl Baker, Jay Aston and Mike Nolan – now The Fizz – tell LUCY MAPSTONE about the emotional impact of Jay’s cancer battle, and why there is much more to the band than skirt-ripping routines and fuzzy pop
IT’S fair to say The Fizz – the group comprised of former Bucks Fizz stars Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston – have had a difficult 18 months.
For a band with such a chequered history (a near-fatal coach crash, numerous line-up changes, in-fighting and even a legal conflict over the band’s name with original member Bobby G, are just a handful of their more difficult moments), what the trio have dealt with most recently has undoubtedly been one of their most challenging battles yet.
When Jay, 58, was diagnosed with mouth cancer in June last year which led to her undergoing a gruelling operation where a large portion of her tongue was removed and replaced with part of her leg, nobody knew if she would ever sing again.
Full of determination, however, she got herself straight into the recording studio to sing her parts on their Christmas album, as well as the forthcoming new record.
“When Jay was diagnosed, we literally just had to throw her in the studio,” Cheryl explains.
“We had no time to think about what was going on because we had to get all of Jay’s vocals down before she had the operation, because nobody knew what was going to happen after.
“So she went in first of all and did all of her bits, all the harmonies that she could do and everything, and then Mike and I went in afterwards.”
The group worked simultaneously on their first Christmas album – the Mike Stock-produced Christmas With The Fizz, released quietly last year – and their upcoming fourth LP Smoke & Mirrors, which will drop this year.
“The Christmas album and the one that’s coming up, which we’ve actually now been recording for over 18 months because of my situation... they are both very emotional for me every time I hear them,” Jay admits.
“They take me straight back to the point where I wasn’t entirely sure I was going to see Christmas. They are quite poignant for me.”
For Cheryl and Mike, both 65, there is a one song that particularly resonates.
“There’s a song Jay recorded the day she was told her condition had developed into cancer,” Cheryl says.
“It was so moving, and when Jay was singing it, she started crying, and we were all in the studio crying watching her. It was the most emotional thing, and she did the most fantastic job of it.
“It’s a great song and I’m really looking forward to hearing the response from fans. Every time I hear it, it reminds me of that day.”
Jay is now fully immersed in the band’s workload again as they prepare to release their new album and go out on tour next year.
“I went back to work relatively quickly, after about three months, but it was tough,” Jay says.
“I mean, I’ve lost nearly 40% of my tongue and it was replaced by a bit of my leg, so it’s a bit like having a brick in your mouth when you’re trying to talk and sing.
“I’ve had to learn how to sing again. It hasn’t affected my voice, it’s just how it comes out and the pronunciation of things.
“Also my energy levels are very low, so I have days where I feel very, very tired, and other days I’m kind of better. But I would say I’ve not recovered yet because I just don’t have the energy I used to have on a daily basis. There is progress, it’s just quite slow.”
The trio will sing and perform as usual on their Up Close and
I think we’re at our best when people can see us live, rather than the distant memory of Eurovision Jay Aston
Personal Tour, but they will also entertain the audience with video footage and a Q&A session about their career as a chart-topping group, which will give Jay the chance to relax a bit more than usual on stage.
“To do a dozen or 15 or so twohour concerts at that level, I’m not up to that yet, so even though this was suggested before my illness, I’m very pleased it’s not going to be as taxing!” Jay admits.
Having spent so many years together as a band – whether in the original Eurovision Song Contestwinning line-up of 1981 along with Bobby G, or the many other iterations the group has experienced under a myriad of monikers, including The Original Bucks Fizz – Mike insists that working together is as enjoyable as ever.
“The shows are a dream, you go out there and perform and it’s great fun,” he says, reflecting on performing their biggest hits Making Your Mind Up and The Land Of Make Believe years later.
“The travelling to gigs is the hardest part, but it is more enjoyable than it used to be.”
With a cheeky laugh, he adds: “Plus, being in a band where the other two really adore you is lovely!”
As Cheryl and Jay roll their eyes good-naturedly, Cheryl recalls the earlier days in the group, when things were far less harmonious.
“Bobby G and I used to fight like cat and dog,” she says of her relationship with her former colleague, who continues to tour under the Bucks Fizz name with his wife and two other singers.
She continues: “We’re a lot older now and not necessarily wiser, but we work better together. There are arguments, but they are very few and far between.”
Looking ahead to the future, Jay wants to make it clear that there is more to the group than just skirtripping routines and “fuzzy pop”, and that they still have what it takes to be a viable pop outfit nearly 40 years after rising to fame.
“There’s actually a lot more depth to us as a band,” she insists.
“And when people come to see the shows, people who have been convinced to come by somebody else, we always end up converting them to being a Fizz fan!’
“I think we’re at our best when people can see us live, rather than the distant memory of Eurovision, where we’re portrayed as a one-trick pony.
“There’s an awful lot more to us.”
The Fizz kick off their Up Close and Personal Tour on March 13 Smoke & Mirrors will be released in 2020. See thefizzofficial.com