One last dance for Nolans

SURELY this isn’t “one last time” for The Nolans, I ask Maureen about the announcement that she and her sisters, Coleen, Bernie and Linda, aren’t going to be In The Mood For Dancing after a visit to York and Newcastle in February.

“Well, we’re calling it our farewell tour… and Sinatra had about 40 farewells, but that is the plan for us this time,” she responds.

The four had a sell-out reunion tour in 2009 which Maureen confirms led to the quartet deciding to go out on the road again next year.

“Wherever we went, people said, ‘You’re going to do another one surely?’ and the public kept up this demand. But it just fell into place this year and we said yes,” Maureen says.

So, do the sisters have regular business meetings to plan their careers?

“Not really, we’re never that organised.

Bernie lives in Weybridge now and Coleen lives in Cheshire and Linda and I live in Blackpool. So Linda and I do tend to mull things over more. It’s kinda, someone mentions it and then it’s in our heads and we phone each other up and that goes on and on and then our manage Neil (Howarth) says, ‘Stop messing about, do you want to do it or not?’ Then he comes up with a proper plan,” she laughs.

In 2009, Coleen was the driving force after getting emotional during a one-song reunion of the sisters to sing 1979 hit I’m In The Mood For Dancing. This time, all four have backed the farewell dates particularly after Bernie and Maureen continued to meet enthusiastic fans during tours of Blood Brothers and Mum’s the Word.

It’s hard to see 58-year-old Maureen – who has appeared in every Nolans line-up from the age of nine until 2005 – Linda, 53, Bernie, 52, and Coleen, 47, ending the goodbyes if next year goes well.

“We’re definitely going to have a zimmer frame tour if we go again. We’ll be coming down to the stage on a Stannah stairlift. I don’t know how much jigging around you can do with halfnaked boys? There’s only one answer to that… lots hopefully,” she jokes.

This time The Nolans do get a chance to say farewell to Newcastle City Hall, which has signed up the singing sisters this time having failed to clinch a deal in 2009 and then seeing the nearby MetroRadio Arena grab a sell-out night.

“I’ve had some good times at the City Hall. We were horrified last time because I don’t think a Newcastle date was even put in the tour. We were shocked because my sister Anne’s ex-husband is from Newcastle, Bernie’s husband is from Stockton and my husband works for Chubby Brown. So, we had so many friends in the North-East. We’re pleased to play the City Hall this time because Tyneside always has great audiences,” Maureen says.

THE sad side of being a Nolan means having to deal with a family rift that surfaced during the 2009 tour as older sisters Anne and Denise expressed disappointment about not being included.

“It has been sorted out and they know that we are touring again. Anne seems to be fine with it. She’s got two beautiful grandsons now and she’s happy in her life. I think Denise is happy, not about not being included but about the fact she never expected to be in the first place. Denise had left the act before we had our hits. Denise does get upset for Anne, but it’s fine and we are talking again.

“It was a horrendous time because we were so close, and I was particularly close to my two older sisters,” says Maureen.

Asked about family get-togethers, she says: “It’s still a little bit dicey regarding Linda and Coleen, they are not really speaking (to Anne and Denise) yet, but Bernadette and I are talking to them. We’ve been getting together for family occasions and Linda was at the wedding of Anne’s daughter – Coleen was working – and we all had a fantastic and civilised time. Things like christenings have also gone well, but our traditional Blackpool Christmas meals are difficult now because we are all over the place in terms of work and home,” she adds.

MAUREEN feels last year’s book, The Nolans: Survivors (Our Story) dealt with the divorce, bankruptcy, violence, breast cancer and family feud which almost pulled the family apart completely.

“People now know we are just normal people who make mistakes and do things wrong and argue sometimes and fall out… like every other family in the world,” she says.

“Once, when we argued I used to feel a responsibility (to The Nolans squeaky-clean image) but as you get older you’re not as bothered about what people think. You have to have that confidence that you are nice, I think.

But we were portrayed as sweet Irish-Catholic girls, so it was difficult to live up to that… and live it down,” Maureen adds.

She won’t hear a bad word about In The Mood For Dancing.

“The audience are just waiting for it every time we perform.”

So, you’re going to be “dancing” until you die, I ask.

“Absolutely, we wouldn’t dare do anything else.”

• The Nolans UK Farewell Tour: February 16, York Barbican.

Tickets: £39/£36 February 20, Newcastle City Hall. £38/£35 Online: ticketline.co.uk