Singer Jay Aston has revealed that armed officers accompanied her as she bought her tights ahead of the high-security show in Dublin. The silhouetted pop stars remained armed with guns and there were fears they might be targeted at the pageant that took place at the height of The Troubles.
The competition was held in Dublin after Irishman Johnny Logan won in 1980 with what is another year.
This raised fears of violent anti-British demonstrations and attacks from the paramilitary group.
Bucks Fizz was to stay in a hotel separate from the other contestants, with constant armed guards. They traveled separately to RDS Stadium for rehearsals and the main show.
Jay, 61, revealed after her current band The Fizz — which also includes original Bucks Fizz members Cheryl Baker and Mike Nolan — announced that they will be hosting a late 40th anniversary party at London’s Indigo on March 31, as part of a nationwide tour.
The singer explained: “We had a direct threat from the IRA. We should have had a special branch that would take us everywhere.”
“We had a group of very tall and very broad gentlemen accompanying us everywhere. They even followed me when I went to put on my pretty Polly tights, because I knew I needed a pair on stage.”
“We were in a little corner shop across from where the Eurovision show is and two or three of them had to come with me. It’s amazing how things have changed.”
She added, “The thing was, Mike was Irish and maybe that helped.”
Her colleague Cheryl, 68, added: “We were put in a separate hotel with armed guards outside our rooms.
“They went everywhere with us, even in our coach. We had outside lanes so we could run through red lights on the wrong side of the road.
“We thought it was fun at the time, and we didn’t really think about why they were treating us that way – because the IRA might finish us off.”
Cheryl continued, “One time Mike and I ran away from our guards to go shopping. We were really upset when we got back to the hotel.”
The Fizz released a new album – Everything Under The Sun – last September and have been a hit when they perform. The 1981 Eurovision winner Make Your Mind Up is etched into pop history.
Jay, who has recovered from oral cancer, ran for the Brexit party in 2019. She lives in Surrey with husband, guitarist Dave Colquhoun, 53, and their daughter Josie, 20.
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