When Joanne Rosenthal was a child, family gatherings were enlivened by her eccentric Auntie Avril, who made tantalising references to her stage career but never elaborated. It was only after her aunt's death that Rosenthal discovered the full extent of her double life: by day, Avril Eventhal was a housewife in north Manchester's Orthodox Jewish community; by night, she was Avril A, a star of the city's gay clubs.
Avril A made fabulously low-rent hi-NRG records with titles like Hard Up for a Man and Man Power, now collected on a new compilation, Housewife Superstar. Her chaotic live performances were locally renowned, despite her limitations as a vocalist. 'This small round-faced woman with ruddy cheeks, spinning and twirling around wearing a costume that looked like it had been run up on a home sewing machine,' recalls Glenn Routledge, who booked her to perform at the Haçienda.
She had attempted a conventional music career but found her audience in the gay scene. 'She didn't know it was a gay club, but her cab driver told her, you know, 'it's a gay night, you'd better watch out'. She didn't care,' says Rosenthal. 'And I think that night she realised 'these are my people'.'
Fans adored her. At one gig in Blackpool, a fan chased her round the stage with a bottle of poppers. Her nephew remembers her advice: 'Quit school, join a band, get on the road, never look back – you won't regret it.'
