Anne Nolan: "I think I can speak for myself and my sisters when I say that nothing would ever surpass that."

In the summer of 1983, The Nolans were ready to show a different side of themselves. Best known for the infectious disco-pop of 'I'm In The Mood For Dancing', the sisters had built a career on bright harmonies, coordinated outfits and an image that was as sweet as their biggest hit. With 'Dressed To Kill,' they were ready to heat things up.

The single, released in July that year, gave the group a sleeker, mature look, trading some of their familiar sweetness for leather and lace. It reached No.4 on the UK Singles Chart, but its chart run was soon overshadowed by controversy over promotional giveaways. Now, 43 years later, the song is being re-released - and Anne Nolan is delighted that it has another chance to find its audience.

"For 'Dressed To Kill', they put us in leather...and lace...our make-up and hair were done differently. It was a different song to what we'd been singing, and it was a new image. It was really fun," she recalls.  

The transformation was a welcome change for a group whose public image had long been carefully managed. "The image we had on stage or TV wasn't the same image we had when we were off stage. We were just like every other girl our age."

But 'Dressed To Kill' would become known for something other than its new look. At a time when chart compilers were tightening the rules around promotional gifts, shops giving away photographs alongside records attracted scrutiny. The single was removed from the UK chart amid allegations of chart rigging, despite having reached No.4 during a 19-week run.

"We didn't know much about all of that," Anne says. "Shops gave away photographs and such to encourage people to buy the record. They did it with our song, and they made an example of us, really.

"Our song was in the charts, and it was our highest entry. It was great at the time, but when they took it out, by the time they put it back in, it was in the 70s. It was too late to get it back up."

Four decades on, there is little bitterness in her voice. Instead, Anne seems pleased that a song whose chart story was cut short can have a second life. "It's so amazing," she says. "Just for people to hear it. Not many had the chance back in the day - because it was pulled."

And the timing, she reckons, couldn't be better. With Halloween having coincided, the title practically sells itself. "Because it's called 'Dressed To Kill', and since everyone is dressing up for Halloween, it's a good time to bring it out," she laughs.

"Everyone has so many different ideas about music. There are so many different types of music out now. Anything goes."

That willingness to embrace a different image didn't happen overnight. By the time The Nolans were making their television debut in 1974, the sisters had already spent years performing together as a family act. Their appearance on It's Cliff Richard! opened the door to further television work, including a stint as resident guest performers.

"It was all we ever knew," Anne says. "When we started TV, we relied on the people in the studio. They'd been doing it for a long time, so they knew what to do with us." The television work brought exposure, but also helped establish the image the sisters would eventually have to fight against. With over a decade between Anne and her youngest sister, one singular theme wasn't always going to work.

"I was in my early 20s, and Coleen was almost 15 years younger than me. They would put us in the same outfits, but what was good for her wasn't good for me," Anne explains. Eventually, the sisters learned how to push back.

"We started saying no and taking things into our own hands. We were grateful in the beginning because people were doing what they thought was best for us. But because of the costumes, we had this sweet image to uphold. We weren't nasty people, we were normal sisters. Ir was a hard reputation to live up to."

Having grown up performing in working men's clubs, the sisters were hardly sheltered from the world beyond their television image. They knew how to handle themselves, and crucially, they had one another. "It got to the point where we thought, 'We're just going to be ourselves.' If one of us got too big for their boots, the rest of us would let them know."

That sisterly honestly helped keep things in perspective, even when the opportunities coming their way were extraordinary. In 1975, while performing at a theatre restaurant in Drury Lane, London, the group caught the attention of Frank Sinatra's producers. They sent recordings to the singer, who chose The Nolans to support him on the European leg of his tour.

For a young family group, it was the kind of break most performers could only dream of. "Our first show was in the Palais des Congrès in Paris," Anne recalls. "As we were going down the corridor, we could hear Sinatra talking. It was so exciting. Denise had planned what she was going to say to him, but she couldn't get a word out!

"We did some amazing things in our career, but I think I can speak for myself and my sisters when I say that nothing would ever surpass that."

It wasn't the only time The Nolans found themselves competing on an international stage. In 1981, the group won the Grand Prix at the Tokyo Music Festival with 'Sexy Music', beating a field that included Jermaine Jackson. Anne wasn't part of that particular performance, but the achievement remains a source of pride.

They were up against a Jackson - that level of competition," she says. "I wasn't part of it, but I love listening to it. They won the festival, which was massive. That is so special to me."

Looking back, it's clear that Anne's fondest memories aren't confined to chart positions or industry accolades. The Nolan's career brought its share of frustrations, from the image imposed on them to the controversy surrounding one of their most promising singles. But it also gave the sisters opportunities they could scarcely have imagined when they began performing together.

And then there's the song that has followed them everywhere. 'I'm In The Mood For Dancing' remains The Nolans' defining hit, a disco anthem that has outlived the era that produced it. For Anne, it's appeal is particularly apparent in an unlikely setting: the primary school where she now works.

"That song will always be special,'" she says. "I have a little job in a primary school, and the kids will come up to me and ask, 'Were you famous? Were you a singer? Then they'll ask me to sing that song.

"It's the most ridiculous song - wherever we go, people remember it. They remember 'I'm In The Mood For Dancing' more than they remember The Nolans!"

• 'Dressed To Kill' is out now.