A life threatening illness was not enough to hold back a reformed south east London band from their big gig after 20 years away.

Big at 6 picked up a decent local following and regularly gigged around the capital – including Woolwich’s Tramshed – before calling it a day in the early 90s to focus on family and careers.

The six south east London friends reformed after a 20 year break in 2013 and landed a dream gig supporting one of the 80s most popular duos, Go West, at The Orchard Theatre in Dartford on November 20.

Then disaster struck.

Singer Nick Fogg, 56, suffered an unexpected iliac aneurysm, a potentially fatal bursting of an artery in the hip.

Drummer and backing vocalist Paul Symonds, 49, said: “We had been practicing on the Saturday when Nick complained about having ‘trapped wind’. Our approach to Nick has always been harsh as he’s a known worrier so we gave him a handful of Rennie and told him to get on with it.

“It was only when we got the call from Hospital on the Monday evening we realised how serious it actually was. Being part of the band the second time around has made us all realise just how precious life is.”

After being rushed to the emergency room, Nick needed two four-hour operations and a lengthy stay in hospital.

So desperate was the band to make the big gig, dad-of-two Nick was said to have practised singing their songs during surgery under local anaesthetic while the other guys rehearsed without him for a while with Paul on vocal duty and are now nearly ready to go.

Marketing firm MD Paul, from Sidcup, said: “We have all been very good friends since the late 80s, however reforming last year really bought us all much closer.

“We’ve relished the opportunity we’ve had to do this all over again.

“Being part of a band makes you feel special as most of our lives are surrounded by decisions we have to take on our own. It’s nice to be part of something collective.”

Big at 6 support Go West at The Orchard Theatre in Dartford on November 20. Tickets cost £25. Go to orchardtheatre.co.uk or call 01322 220000.