The Nolans have made an emotional comeback to the stage, performing together for the first time since the death of their beloved sister Linda earlier this year. Denise, Maureen and Anne Nolan reunited at Sheffield’s City Hall on Saturday night for a one-off charity concert in aid of the Weston Park Cancer Charity.
The emotional event marked the trio’s first live performance together since 1978 — and their first without Linda, who died aged 65 in January after her long battle with secondary breast cancer that spread to her brain.
Denise, 73, said before the show that they had been “rehearsing to within an inch of their lives” in their hometown of Blackpool. “It’s not going to be like when we were in our twenties,” she said with a smile, “but vocally, we’re still strong.”
Taking to the stage, the sisters opened with their signature hit I’m in the Mood for Dancing, with Denise singing it live for the very first time since leaving the group in 1979. The crowd erupted in applause as they danced and sang along to the nostalgic classic.
They later delivered a heartfelt rendition of Tell Me It’s Not True, the song that earned the family group a Guinness World Record for appearing together in Blood Brothers. “Everything is difficult when someone goes,” Denise reflected. “But you get up there and think, you’re doing this for them – for Linda, for Bernie – and you want to make them proud.”
The special concert, dubbed Simply the Best, featured celebrity guests including Dr Ranj Singh, Layton Williams, Janette Manrara and Darren Day. The show was hosted by the cancer charity BB With Love, founded in memory of Bev Croke, who passed away from breast cancer in 2021.
Anne, who has battled cancer twice herself, added: “When we were asked to do it, we were absolutely thrilled because cancer has affected our family so much. It means the world to give back.”
The Nolan sisters’ moving reunion was both a tribute and a testament to their enduring sisterhood — a night filled with tears, love, and song.
