WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Bardo

If Bardo could have been “One Step Further”, they still wouldn’t have won Eurovision in 1982

Bardo was the pop duo formed of real-life couple Sally Ann Triplett (b.1962) and Stephen Fischer (b.1961) who represented the UK at the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest. Triplett is one of only four singers in fact who has represented the country on more than one occasion at the annual event. Sally Ann was part of the girl group Prima Donna who entered the show only two years earlier with their song, “Love Enough For Two”, which came third that year. Having been a children’s TV present, Triplett had always wanted to sing and dance and got the chance in 1980 when she joined Prima Donna, which also featured comedienne Kate Robbins.

After “Love Enough For Two” bombed in the charts, the group disbanded but Sally Ann got another chance in 1982 with her then boyfriend Stephen Fischer who sang Simon Jeffries’ composition, “One Step Further” at the contest held in the UK, following their win in 1981 with “Making Your Mind up”. The host country were one of the favourites, the song being produced by Andy Hill, who also produced most of Bucks Fizz’s hits and would later work with the mighty Celine Dion on her seven week chart topper “Think Twice”. In the end, hopes were dashed as “One Step Further” ended up coming seventh although the single performed well in the charts, peaking at No.2, the highest any UK Eurovision entry would achieve until Gina G‘s “Ooh Ahh Just A Little Bit” in 1996.

Bardo didn’t leave it there as they returned in the Summer of 1982 with “Talking Out Of Line”. But this and the follow up, “Hang On To Your Heart”, both flopped and missed the charts completely. Bardo called it a day in 1983 although they continued to perform for the remainder of the decade. Sally Ann and Stephen started a family in 1990 but the couple separated in the 90’s with Fischer pursuing a career as a musician, working with the likes of Bob Geldof and Boy George. Sally Ann would return to the stage and has appeared in scores of hit West End productions from Mamma Mia to Sweeny Todd, as Roxie Hart in Chicago and Betty Rizzo in Grease. A “Best Of Bardo” was released in 2013, three years after the couple reunited on stage, wearing their original costumes(!) to perform “One Step Further” for the first time in nearly thirty years!