Writers: Nicola Dempsey and Rosie Dempsey
Early in their show, Sweet Release, comedy duo Flo & Joan (sisters Nicola and Rosie Dempsey) break into their fabulous song I Drank Too Much, a hilarious narrative of an evening of escalating disaster. Texting your boss to tell her she’s useless isn’t the half of it. Performances on YouTube in 2016 show all the elements in place: the witty lyrics, the musicality and above all, the spiky, comic relationship between sisters Joan (Rosie), the extrovert singer, and Flo (Nicola), the self-effacing pianist with the put-downs.
To see their 2022 full-length sell-out touring show is to witness how far they have evolved. Flo continues to deadpan on keyboard, undercutting Rosie’s ebullience, while Rosie herself has become a mesmerising performer. She now dances to a whole range of rock, pop and country and western, variously channelling Dolly Parton and Abba. She now performs with a whole percussion section at her disposal, showing off the sisters’ true musicality. Sweet Release, at its best, is a sophisticated comedy show which retains something of the intimacy of the sisters’ original performances. The Dempsey sisters cut their teeth watching Victoria Wood and her influence shows in their ear for the comic potential of the day-to-day. They owe something to other distinguished comic forebears, from Fascinating Aida to Flanders and Swann, who like Flo & Joan, knew the value of a bit of bad language. In the much-loved linguistically twisty Carol, about a cracker-packer, there is even an echo of Gilbert and Sullivan’s fantastical patter songs.
But Flo & Joan have a genuine USP in their ability to marshall their relationship as sisters. They share jokes about their knick-knack-collecting mother and then bicker amiably, sulk and squabble. They say being Flo and Joan is work and that off-duty as Nicola and Rosie they’re often silent. But do we believe them? It’s hard to think this irrepressible duo aren’t always bouncing around ideas.
The show is a feast of memorable songs, including their lock-down I’m Going to Get a Fridge. There’s a great one about using dating apps and another in which they list the qualities of their friends they particularly hate (one with a ‘degree from Mumsnet’; someone who’s joined Soho House and another ‘who still uses Facebook’). Nothing’s Going to Stop You if You’ve Got Rich Parents is fun, but seems aimed at a student fringe audience. Indeed there is still something fringe-y about some aspects of the show. Perhaps that’s part of their appeal in an intimate venue. But in performing for a larger audience, they could afford to handle the schtick between the songs more smoothly and rethink the improvised interaction with the audience which can be a bit hit-and-miss. Plus that unfunny song about ageing rock stars really ought to go.
But Flo & Joan are undoubtedly the real thing. It will be great to watch their evolution when they hit their thirties.
Reviewed on 6 March 2022, then on tour
