If you're not yet a fan of the Topp Twins, you might be about to
become one. Jools and Lynda Topp, the yodeling, country-singing
comedians from New Zealand are packing their cowboy hats and
twinsets as we speak and will arrive in the UK later this month.
The documentary feature film The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls will
screen at cinemas and the twins will also perform live at a limited
number of gigs. Check out the list of dates and further info
below.
The documentary tells the twins' extraordinary personal story
and offers a revealing look into their lives. Using their natural
gift for humour along with honesty and wisdom the twins share their
journey, from coming out to a recent brush with breast cancer.
Blending archive footage with current interviews The Topp Twins:
Untouchable Girls follows the native New Zealanders from their
childhood on a dairy farm to the Territorial Army where they became
the Vera Lynns of their battalion. They came of age in the early
80s performing on the streets of Auckland during the heady days of
the political protest marches and quickly joined the forefront of
progressive social change campaigning for a Nuclear-Free New
Zealand, Maori Land Rights, a halt to the 1981 Springbok Tour and
Homosexual Law Reform. A decade later Lynda came close to winning
the mayoral elections in Auckland and the twins were firmly
established into Kiwi culture with their own primetime TV show; Do
Not Adjust Your Twinset.
The film has scooped numerous audience awards at film festivals
from Australia to America, including the Cadillac People's Choice
Award for Best Documentary at Toronto International Film Festival,
beating Michael Moore. This is the first opportunity for UK cinema
audiences to catch the film and each screening will be followed
with a Q&A from Jools and Lynda plus a short acoustic set.
The live gigs will see the twins re-invent themselves on stage;
changing character, musical style and gender with ease. Armed with
guitar, mouth-harp and spoons they deliver original songs, audience
participation, comedy and burlesque innuendo in a fast-paced and
hilarious entertainment experience.
The Topp Twins, with their ability to relate to all kinds of
people, have morphed from radical activists into national
treasures, crossing from the fringes to the mainstream and these
live performances and the cinema tour dates offer a rare
opportunity to catch them in the UK.
We'll be bringing you an interview with the twins later this
month too, so keep an eye out!
Cinema tour dates:
Wednesday 15 February at 8:15pm - Filmhouse,
Edinburgh.
Box Office: 0131 228 2688
www.filmhousecinema.com/showing/the-topp-twins-untouchable-girls
Saturday 18 February at 6:20pm - Gate, Notting Hill
London.
Box Office: 0871 902 5731
www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Gate_Picturehouse
Monday 20 February at 6:30pm - Clapham Picturehouse,
London.
Box Office: 0871 902 5727
www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Clapham_Picturehouse
Monday 20 February at 8:15pm - Cinema City,
Norwich (Q&A via Skype).
Box Office: 0871 902 5724
www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Cinema_City
Friday 30 March - Sunday 1 April - Phoenix Square,
Leicester (screening from 35mm).
Box Office: 0116 2422800
www.phoenix.org.uk
The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls will be available on DVD and
iTunes in the UK from Tuesday 28
February.
Live gig tour dates:
Thursday 16 February at 7pm - The Bongo Club, 37 Holyrood Road,
Edinburgh EH8 8BA.
Advance tickets: £15 +booking fee www.ticketweb.co.uk. Door price:
£20
Friday 17 February at 7pm - The Union Chapel, Compton Avenue,
London, N1 2XD.
Advance tickets: £20 +booking fee www.ticketweb.co.uk. Door price:
£25
Sunday 19 February at 7.30pm - Komedia, 44 - 47 Gardner Street,
Brighton, BN1 1UN.
Advance tickets: £15 +booking fee - www.komedia.co.uk/brighton.
Door price: tbc
The UK cinema tour is supported by Breast Cancer Care.
