New book from Vika and Linda – No Bull

Vika and Linda Bull have been singing together their whole lives: in church with their mother; as iconic members of The Black Sorrows; on their own 1994 double-platinum debut, Vika and Linda, and on number-one albums by Paul Kelly, Kasey Chambers and John Farnham. Their seven studio albums traverse rock, country, gospel, reggae, R&B, soul and blues, as well as their rich Tongan heritage. They’ve played gigs for Nelson Mandela and the King of Tonga as well as 100,000 fans at the AFL Grand Final; been nominated for five ARIA Awards; were inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame in 2019; and received the medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2022.

After decades in which they were mostly known for backing up major Australian artists, they hit 2020 with a bang when their career anthology, ‘Akilotoa, topped Australian charts – the first by an Australian female duo to do so. It was quickly followed up by another chart-topper: Sunday (The Gospel According To Iso), their album recorded during the lockdowns of 2020. And in 2021, with the release of the first Vika and Linda original album in 19 years – aptly titled The Wait – they have well and truly taken centre stage.

While most music careers stalled during the pandemic, Vika and Linda Bull soared with two chart-topping albums as they became beacons of warmth in uncertain times. For three decades they were best known as backing singers and collaborators to some of Australia’s biggest artists, but it was when the world turned upside down that everyone realised just how much they loved the exquisite harmonies of these hard-working, easy-talking, all-singing sisters.

With charming honesty and infectious humour, Vika and Linda recount the highs and lows, twists and turns they’ve navigated on the long road to centre stage, from growing up as dark-skinned girls in 1970s Doncaster to confronting their personal demons and stepping into the spotlight as their unabashed selves. No Bull is a riot of a show and a tonic for our times.

Available at bookstores and online: Booktopia, Amazon AU, Affirm Press