Avril A: Housewife Superstar

By day, Avril Eventhal was a housewife in North Manchester's Orthodox Jewish community. By night, she was the fabulous Avril A, a larger than life cabaret performer who became a legend in Manchester’s gay scene in the 1980s and 90s. Avril found a loyal audience in gay venues across the country and was adored for her outrageous live shows, Hi-NRG records and eccentric home movies. She celebrated her unconventional style, finding joy and space for creative reinvention with the queer community. 

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Avril died in 2017, leaving behind a massive archive of material documenting every aspect of her career in songwriting and performance. The images below are a selection from the archive which includes posters, gig flyers, studio mastertapes, live footage, promo videos, press coverage, photos, lyrics, fan mail and Avril's correspondence. Check out Avril's YouTube channel to view footage of her live shows and highlights of her eccentric filmmaking career.  

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I've been cataloguing and researching this material over the past few years and am now working on various projects to bring Avril's extraordinary career to a wider public. The short film below is a teaser for a planned longer form documentary. 

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If you knew Avril - saw her perform, worked with her in the studio, shared a stage with her - please get in touch. I'd love to hear from you!