AVRIL A

By day, Avril Eventhal was a Jewish housewife in the suburbs of North Manchester; by night she was the fabulous Avril A, a larger than life cabaret singer who grew to be a legend in Manchester’s gay scene in the 1980s and 90s. She found a devoted audience in gay venues across the country and was beloved for her outrageous live shows and Hi-NRG hits.

​

When Avril died in 2017 she left behind a massive archive of material documenting every aspect of her songwriting and performance career. The images below give you a sense of what's in the archive - posters, gig flyers, mastertapes, videos of gigs, press coverage, photos, lyrics, fan mail and correspondence. I'm now cataloguing and researching this material and am exploring ways to bring the archive and Avril's career to a wider public.

​

You can see Avril in action by visiting her YouTube channel which has footage of her live shows and music videos. She also made a few very eccentric films which were shown in clubs and bars in Manchester at the time. The only surviving one I know of is the full-length Maiseys Left Leg, online here. If you have info on other films she made I'd love to hear from you.

​

I'm trying to piece together the story of Avril's career and am looking to make contact with people who knew Avril. Did you see her perform? Worked with her in the studio? Shared a stage together? If you're willing to share your memories of her I would love to hear from you. Please get in touch.