Nolans: They were big in Japan, you know

The coming back of bands you thought broken before belief continues: now here comes The Nolans. Again.

ContactMusic sees this as important:

British pop group THE NOLANS have reunited for the first time in more than 25 years - with plans for a comeback tour later this year (09).

The first time in 25 years? But they were on Brookside, weren't they?

It turns out that when ContactMusic says "25 years", it actually means, erm, four:

The singing sisters began their career in 1974 as a five-piece - Anne, Denise, Maureen, Linda and Bernie, with younger sibling Coleen joining in 1980.
Denise was first to quit the band, leaving in 1978, followed by Linda in 1983. Coleen and Bernie left in the 1990s, while Maureen and Anne, together with Anne's daughter Amy and unrelated singer Julia Duckworth, carried on the group until they disbanded in 2005.

ContactMusic tries to suggest that the fact they've barely had a chance to drop their stage outfits round the dry cleaners isn't that important:

But now four of the original group are back - Coleen, 44, Bernie, 48, Linda, 50, and Maureen, 55 - to play a string of U.K. dates to mark the 30th anniversary [of I'm In The Mood For Dancing].

But you just said that Coleen wasn't an original member.

But they were big in Japan.

And let's never forget that they did this:



Yes, that's the Nolans doing Panic on Tonight With Jonathan Ross.