25 years on since Making your mind up won the Eurovision Song Contest and launched the band's international career, they can still get a crowd pumping. After a performance at GAY in London to commemorate their 25th anniversary, Cheryl, Mike and Shelley spoke to Esctoday.com
Esctoday: 25 years on � tell us about winning Eurovision.
Cheryl: It was amazing! I lost Eurovision. I lost in 1978 with Co-co. That was pretty rotten, let me tell you! Especially because we were tipped to win, though at that time, all British acts were tipped to win. We always seemed to come first or second, or somewhere in the top five. We came eleventh, which was a bit depressing.
Esctoday: You lost to Israel. Can you remember the name of the song?
Cheryl: Abinibi Nobinibi? (Group laughs) Ed. – it was A ba ni bi
Esctoday: Skipping forward to 1981. How did it feel to win the contest? Were you expecting it?
Cheryl: No. Mike Nolan was expecting it, until we got to Dublin and heard the other songs and his bottle went. But for me, as I�d lost so badly before, I was just in it to have lots of fun � and Dublin is the best place to have fun, they really know how to party in Ireland! So we just had the best time. The fact that we won was just the icing on the Eurovision cake!
Esctoday: What does Eurovision mean to you guys?
Cheryl: I don�t think you can take it as seriously any more, not in the UK anyway. Not until they reorganise it. It�s too big now. There are too many countries in it that don�t understand that it�s meant to be fun and not taken too seriously. For us, in the UK, I think it�s a night when you can dress in silly clothes, have your mates round, drink loads of wine, laugh at Terry Wogan�s comments and try not to be too despondent when we don�t win, because we never do any more!
Esctoday: Will you be watching it this year?
Cheryl: Probably!
