Bardo (band)

Bardo was a male/female pop music duo (Sally Ann Triplett and Stephen Fischer) formed to represent the United Kingdom in the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "One Step Further".

Overview

Triplett, a children's TV presenter (Crackerjack), was previously a member of the UK's 1980 Eurovision act Prima Donna. Triplett is one of only four singers to have represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest twice; the others being Ronnie Carroll, Cliff Richard and Cheryl Baker of Bucks Fizz.^[1] Fischer was a singer and actor.

On the day of the contest, Bardo were rated favourites to win by Ladbrokes bookmakers and were also rated highly by Terry Wogan.^[2] On the night, Bardo's performance was criticized for nerves and for placing more emphasis on the dance routines than the singing. "One Step Further" (written by Simon Jefferies) came seventh in the competition, below expectations.^[3] The single however performed much better in the UK Singles Chart by reaching #2.^[4]

Bardo were managed by Nichola Martin, the woman responsible for 1981 Eurovision victors Bucks Fizz, and produced by the same producer, Andy Hill.^[5] Signed to Epic Records, plans were in place to continue Bardo's career, but subsequent singles, "Talking Out of Line" (written by Andy Hill and Nichola Martin) and "Hang On to Your Heart" (written by Ian Maidman) failed to chart. An album was planned but shelved due to the low sales of the singles.^[6]

Triplett and Fischer had by this time become romantically linked and continued to stay together after the dissolution of Bardo.^[7] They also continued to perform together under a different name and spent some time in France.^[8] In 1990, Triplett gave birth to their son. They split up some years later. Triplett has since become a successful theatre actress and performer, most notably in the musicals Anything Goes (alongside John Barrowman) and Guys and Dolls.^[9] Fischer also continues to perform in the music business, mainly on stage and has performed as a pianist and vocalist with the Penguin Cafe Orchestra.^[10][11]

Triplett and Fischer reunited to perform One Step Further on stage in London in 2010, wearing their original costumes, in order to raise money for charity as part of the West End Eurovision night. In 2013 a download-album was released on iTunes called The Best of Bardo. This featured the duo's six A and B-sides as well as a number of newly created remixes.^[12]

Discography

Singles:

• March 1982 – "One Step Further" (Epic)
• June 1982 – "Talking Out of Line" (Epic)
• January 1983 – "Hang On to Your Heart" (Epic)

Album:

• January 2013 - The Best of Bardo

References