They’ve proven not to be everyone’s cup of tea after receiving Twitter threats over their Nationwide adverts.
But singing sisters Flo and Joan appear to be brushing off the negativity after flying to Toronto to record what they’ve called their ‘difficult second album’.
And with it the comedy duo will be looking to follow up the success of one of their songs – Have A Cup of Tea – where they suggest everyone forgets about an imminent apocalypse and put the kettle on instead.
The duo, whose real names are Nicola (left) and Rosie Dempsey (right) are both single from south London
The pair have become a big hit on the comedy circuit, and appeared at the Brickyard Comedy club in Bethnal Green, east London
It’s perhaps somewhat fitting after Flo and Joan, who are both single and were raised by their piano teacher mother, were bombarded with abuse by online trolls after their appearance in a building society’s TV ad campaign.
Nationwide were forced to call in police after the abuse got so bad, with one telling them: ‘So who’s chipping in to get these two singing sisters from the Nationwide advert brutally murdered?’
But the pair, whose real names are Nicola and Rosie Dempsey, have been a hit on the comedy circuit since their The 2016 Song went viral last year.
Nicola (left) and Rosie got their musical talents from their mother who was a piano teacher
The tune, a comic take on a review of the year, notched up 40million views on Facebook and shot them to fame.
The sisters told the Evening Standard they came up with their stage name before their first gig.
Nicola said: ‘We thought Nicola and Rosie sounded boring and the Dempsey Sisters sounded like a vaudeville act.
‘So we chose the name of our nan and her sister.’
Flo and Joan in the Nationwide advert for which they have been bombarded with abuse
They have followed up their success with The 2016 Song called Have a Cup of Tea, telling people to put the kettle on, that features the lyrics: “Have a cup of tea when you’re feeling blue/have a cup of tea when Prince Harry didn’t choose you.”
They grew up in Cosham, Portsmouth, and were raised by their mum, who is a piano teacher. They also both graduated from Cardiff University.
Nicola, of Kennington, south London, then wanted to do a comedy course at a training centre in Toronto, Canada, and her sister went with her.
In their spare time they started posting musical clips online, and they were soon attracting millions of views. Last summer they moved back to the UK, and appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Nationwide got in contact after that and asked them to be part of their advertising campaign.
But they said success has come at a price.
Rosie, of Lewisham, south east London, told the Evening Standard: ‘I hate the internet. It can really mess with your head.
Flo and Joan are in Toronto, Canada, where they say they are recording their ‘difficult second album’
Nicola tucks into doughnuts for breakfast during the pair’s trip to the Canadian city
‘It’s fair enough when people don’t like something. I don’t like everything but I don’t announce it publicly.
Nicola said: ‘It’s a whole world of despair, it drains you. It’s an ordeal.’
The duo are currently out of the country, after flying to Toronto to record what they say is their ‘difficult second album’ they have called ‘The Kindness of Stranglers.
They released their debut album ‘Victory Flaps’ last year, which included a live recording of The 2016 Song.
In an Instagram post earlier this week they told fans: ‘We’re in Toronto. We ate poutine and doughnuts for breakfast.
‘Tonight we’re recording our live album. The end.
One fan replied: ‘Good luck girls. I think your fantastic.’
Nationwide bosses say they are now working with the Metropolitan Police as well as industry bosses to tackle the ‘worrying trend’ of ‘keyboard hate.’
Other abuse the sisters faced included: ‘I don’t condone violence of any kind. But it’d benefit us all if the women off the Nationwide advert were left on an uninhabited island far, far away. For the rest of their lives.’
Some of the abuse the sisters have received on Twitter after their TV adverts aired
Another added: ‘Hypothetically – If #floandjoan (the two singing witches from the Nationwide advert) were to suddenly go missing in mysterious circumstances, there’d actually be 60 million suspects.’
Nationwide said in a statement: ‘Social media has provided a great instant barometer of reaction – good and bad.
‘The huge amount of likes and shares have been great.
‘But then there are others who have chosen to post the most vile, abusive and misogynistic comments about the duo.
It is not just our Flo & Joan adverts that generate these comments, it is also our adverts that feature people of different colours, backgrounds and perceived sexuality, which attract the most criticism.
‘That’s why it is important to call out those persistent offenders who put out vile comments on a regular basis and who should really know better.
‘It’s one thing not to like an advert, another to threaten to kill the stars of it. Abuse is abuse and that’s never OK in our book.’