Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

Pop Punk Princess Toyah Willcox Joins Jack Up The 80s Line Up

One of the most iconic artists of the decade, a regular on Top of the Pops and star of countless TV shows, charismatic Toyah Willcox is set to join hit makers T’Pau and Leo Sayer at Jack Up The 80s next August.

From punk princess to cult stage actress, Toyah is a uniquely gifted performer and an inextinguishable flame.

She is one of Britain’s iconic household names, an award-winning rock legend as well as a much-loved stage/screen actress and music composer.

In a career spanning over 35 years she has amassed 13 Top 40 singles, recorded 24 albums and toured live across the world.

• Continue reading at Island Echo. Browse all of Toyah’s upcoming 2025 live dates at toyahwillcox.com.

Now That’s What I Call A Musical is currently playing the Edinburgh Playhouse – a wonderful venue in Scotland’s capital city that Toyah has played a number of times over the past 40+ years: Including The Changeling Tour (1982), Best Of The 80s Tour (2004), Vampires Rock (2009) and 80s Invasion Tour (2017) – with Toyah in a guest role.

• See social media posts from Toyah about the show here and here. (Image © Toyah Willcox)

Toyah also played Rewind Dubai at the weekend (Saturday 22nd February). See a related post here, and a preview of an interview with Toyah talking Rewind Dubai here.

Toyah’s version of Cabaret was played on Sunday evening’s Dancing On Ice, accompanying Michaela Strachan and her skating partner Mark as they performed their routine on the ice. There are countless recordings of, the iconic, Cabaret to choose from, so the fact that Toyah’s was chosen is a big compliment to her version, and it sounded great!

Way Back When! 1981: NOW 80s: Sunday 2nd March: 6am
60 minutes of lesser heard hits from 1981. Including The Pretenders, Spandau Ballet, George Harrison, Toyah & The Pointer Sisters.

• Saturday Song: Race Through Space (Live in Islington) – Watch… • Toyah & Robert (+ Fripp & Eno): UpBeat Moments – Watch… • Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch – One Way Or Another – Watch…

Press for Toyah & Robert’s new Sunday Lunch. This week covering Blondie. (Image © Toyah Willcox)

• Guitar.Com: Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox are up to their usual antics, this time covering Blondie’s One Way Or Another: Willcox dons a binbag, flashy sunglasses and a cheeky side of sex-appeal to embody Blondie’s Debbie Harry – Continue…

• Classic Rock/Louder: Watch Toyah Willcox run her fingers seductively through Robert Fripp’s hair as they perform Blondie’s One Way Or Another: Warning: Includes bonus footage – Continue…

• Brooklyn Vegan: Watch Toyah & Robert Fripp cover Blondie’s “One Way Or Another” – Continue…

• Brave Words: Watch Robert Fripp & Toyah Perform Blondie Classic “One Way Or Another” In New Sunday Lunch Video – Continue…

• DGM Live: Toyah & Robert’s Weekend – Continue…

Carol Decker’s 30 Rock Chicks!: NOW 80s: Thursday 27th February: 2pm
T’Pau’s Carol Decker brings a bit of Heart and Soul to a countdown of ’80s ladies who like to rock! With Joan Jett, Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks and Pat Benatar. (as well as Toyah via the Thunder In The Mountains video).

A new interview with Toyah, by Liam Rudden for Must See Theatre, which is also a great “Toyah in Edinburgh” history feature!

Interview: Toyah Willcox returns to Edinburgh Playhouse! Now that’s what I call an Eighties’ icon…

“I’m not going to tell you,” laughs Toyah Willcox, her face beaming, “because it’s a big impact moment that works really, really well…”

It’s 25 years since I first interviewed the effervescent Eighties’ punk princess, and more than I care to remember since I first listened to her music. Tracks like Ieya, Danced and It’s A Mystery were a huge part of my youth, along with the songs of the Pet Shop Boys and hits of Meatloaf, all of which is fitting as today, via Zoom, we are talking Now That’s What I Call A Musical, the 80’s jukebox musical in which the Birmingham-born singer makes a special, one week only, guest appearance during its Edinburgh run.

No stranger to the Scottish capital’s stages, Now That’s What I Call A Musical brings Toyah back to The Playhouse, a venue she has appeared in concert many times; her Changeling Tour stopped off there in 1982 then she returned, revisiting her early hits in 2004’s Best of the 80’s Tour and again for 2017 with the 80’s Invasion Tour. And it wasn’t just her pop persona, however, that brought Toyah to 3,039 capacity theatre, in 2009 she appeared as the Queen of The Night there, in Steve Steinman’s Vampires Rock, a show she describes as “a lot of fun”.

• Continue reading at Must See Theatre. See also The Edinburgh Reporter. Buy Now That’s What I Call A Musical at Edinburgh Playhouse tickets here.

• Saturday Song: Angels & Demons (Live 1981) – Watch… • Toyah & Robert: UpBeat Moments – Watch… • Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch – Rock Me Like A Hurricane – Watch… (Image © Toyah Willcox)

Toyah presents two new limited edition official t-shirts that are available to order now. Featuring illustrations that celebrate Toyah’s Minx and Blue Meaning eras. Watch Toyah “modelling” both t-shirts at Facebook and Instagram.

• Click below to order the t-shirts. (Images from a video that is © Toyah Willcox)

Toyah Willcox set for Edinburgh shows with Now That’s What I Call A Musical – ‘the songs connect in an instant’

The Spotify generation will never know just how big the ‘Now That’s What I Call Music’ brand was back in the 1980s.

Compilation albums were nothing new – K-Tel mastered the genre a decade earlier – but they became multi-platinum selling albums which took the best of the charts and delivered the perfect package of hits to millions of turntables and CD players.

Pretty much every single iconic single of the 80s can be found on the albums, so the only surprise it has taken this long to use that as the basis of a musical. Written by comedian Pippa Evans and choreographed by Strictly judge, Craig Revel Horwood, Now That’s I Call A Musical celebrates the decade of pop that still resonates to this day.

• Continue reading at Fife Today. Buy Now That’s What I Call A Musical at Edinburgh Playhouse tickets here.

Toyah unboxes two new picture discs. Both are released on 21st March. Watch at Facebook or Instagram.

• Pre-order the new Sheep Farming In Barnet and The Blue Meaning limited edition Picture Disc vinyl LPs at Cherry Red Records. (Image from a video that is © Toyah Willcox)

A reminder – Toyah presents Steve… A Strange Life, airing on BBC Radio Wales this evening at 6.30pm, and also BBC iPlayer.

Two Lovers Meet: An original short story written & read by Toyah Willcox

“I have always loved short stories, they can inhabit any world from suburbia to the fantastic. When time is short and long distances need to be travelled, the short story has taken me to places I willingly want to go to. So whether you have five minutes to spare, or you want to escape for a while…join me and my love of the unpredictable. Welcome to Toyah’s Wonderful World of Weird….”

• Listen at Toyah’s official You Tube and Soundcloud. (Images © Toyah Willcox)

Two brand new Official Toyah T-shirts are available as part of a new 2025 Limited Edition Collection. Throughout the year toyahwillcox.com will launch four sets of t-shirts – plus a special design for Christmas.

Up first to order is Set One, featuring illustrations that celebrate the Minx and Blue Meaning eras. Available only until 30 April 2025.

• Further info, and pre-order the first two-set of t-shirts, here.

Video Killed The Radio Star: Sky Arts: Wednesday 26th February: 5am
Toyah Willcox. (Series 7, Episode 6). An insight into the making of videos by Toyah Willcox, whose hits included It’s A Mystery, Thunder in the Mountains and I Want To Be Free.

Toyah guested on BBC Radio Scotland’s Afternoons show yesterday, presented by Michelle McManus.

Toyah Willcox on NOW That’s What I Call a Musical!
Toyah Willcox joins Michelle to talk about her role in NOW That’s What I Call a Musical! and her career in music, acting and TV presenting spanning 40 years.

• Listen to the show at BBC Sounds for the next four weeks.

A Musical History: BBC Two: Sunday 23rd February: 00.40am
Series 1, Episode 3. Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood Mac are the great survivors of British and American rock music. For more than 50 years they’ve overcome break-ups and breakdowns to become one of the most successful bands of all time, selling over 100 million records worldwide, with their 1977 smash Rumours accounting for nearly half of those sales. Here, fan Edith Bowman provides a narrative overview, alongside fellow celebrity admirers who all pay tribute to the band. Contributors include KT Tunstall, Travis’ frontman Fran Healy, Toyah Willcox, Sian Pattenden and Emma Dabiri.

Toyah Willcox song to feature in new Salisbury play

A new play will premiere at Salisbury’s Guildhall, featuring a song recorded by Toyah Willcox.

The singer, songwriter and television presenter has recorded Blue Pearl for the courtroom drama, Blue Pearl vs The Ten Mega-Corps, written by Mike Doherty and Mark Thomas.

The music was created by playwright and musician Mike, who approached Toyah during lockdown. Toyah has donated her vocal recording to be played exclusively during the performance of Blue Pearl vs Ten Mega-Corps during the prosecution evidence.

Mike said: “Of course we are thrilled that Toyah Willcox generously agreed to perform the vocals for us. It brings even more excitement to the play.”

Mike explained the story: “A prosecution barrister, concerned for her young twins, takes on 10 global corporations for poisoning the planet.”

• Continue reading at Salisbury Journal. Also reported by Yahoo! News.

• Saturday Song: Jungles Of Jupiter – Watch… • Toyah & Robert: UpBeat Moments – Watch… • Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch – Radar Love – Watch… (Image © Toyah Willcox)

Guy Garvey – From The Vaults: Sky Arts: Thursday 20th February: 4pm
1981. Series 3, episode 4. The Elbow frontman introduces clips from the TV archives from 1981, featuring performances by New Order, Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, Adam and the Ants, Kirsty MacColl, Kim Wilde and Toyah. Also featured are Elvis Costello & the Attractions, Madness, the Belle Stars, Dave Edmunds with the Stray Cats, and Secret Affair, and there are interviews with the Human League’s Philip Oakey, and Simon Le Bon and John Taylor from Duran Duran.

Last weekend’s Saturday Song from Toyah – channelling her inner James Bond – was a really rare (well, I’d never saw it anyway!) 1981 performance of, the Anthem track, Jungles Of Jupiter on Italian music show, Popcorn. Watch by clicking on the screenshot.