Phil Spalding has a new “Bass Evening with…” show taking place on Wednesday 5th March at The Regent Hotel, Doncaster. Further info and book tickets by clicking below.
“Join me for an evening of punchy basslines, behind-the-scenes secrets from my colourful career and tips on how to record your bass parts in one take… no drop-ins and no edits!”
Actress and post-punk legend Toyah Willcox has been confirmed to star in Steve Oram‘s directorial debut, Aaaaaaaah!
We first told you about the film a few weeks ago, after hearing it discussed in hushed tones for some time, but the news of Toyah’s casting came to us twice over yesterday evening – first via Oram himself at Julian Barratt’s live show, then via Toyah’s web-master as the news was revealed on her official website.
Typically oddball, the film will contain no spoken dialogue, with the cast – Oram, Tom Meeten, Julian Barratt, Tony Way, Waen Shepherd, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Hannah Hoeskra and now, Toyah Willcox, will communicate like monkeys.
• Continue reading at The Velvet Onion.
Toyah has been confirmed as playing at Rewind North: The 80s Festival, on Sunday 31st August.
The full line-up for the festival was announced yesterday and tickets go on sale tomorrow. Other bands playing include Heaven 17, Mike & The Mechanics, Holly Johnson, Nick Heyward, Nik Kershaw, The Beat and numerous others.
• View further info and book tickets at the Rewind Festival website. View Toyah’s dedicated page here.
Toyah is currently working on three film projects; 3 Sides Of The Coin, Kaleidoscope Man and Aaaaaaaah! – View more details on all three at The Official Toyah Willcox Website.
Toyah was interviewed on the Andy Potter Show on BBC Radio Derby yesterday, ahead of her Acoustic, Up Close & Personal gig in Buxton next month.
The interview, which runs for seven minutes, is available to listen to online at the BBC Derby website here. View Toyah’s full confirmed Acoustic, Up Close & Personal tour dates here.
Toyah has recorded a two-song acoustic session for a future edition of Vintage Live Sessions. This will air on Vintage TV.
Classic 1981 singles ‘Thunder In The Mountains’ and ‘I Want To Be Free’ were performed. The programme will also feature The Struts, Nik Kerhsaw and Judie Tzuke.
Toyah is accompanied by Chris Wong and Colin Hinds who will be the line-up seen on Toyah’s 2014 Acoustic, Up Close & Personal concert dates.
News Source: Official Toyah (Photo © Roger Goodgroves)
Sounds Of The 80s: BBC Radio 2: Saturday 15th February: 10.00pm
Toyah joins Sara, recalling her success in the 80s. Plus there is a classic 12″ single, three tracks from a vintage eighties album and a look back at the Top 5 this week in 1981.
Toyah Willcox has been confirmed as this year’s headlining act at Crick Boat Show 2014.
Fresh from her positively received diving on ITV1’s Splash, household name, pop icon, TV presenter and stage and screen actress (Calamity Jane, Cabaret Peter Pan, Jubilee, Quadrophenia) Toyah comes to Crick Boat Show this May to perform her Acoustic, Up Close & Personal set. Toyah will be the final act on Saturday, after a day of Crick favourites and talented local musicians.
If you’ve yet to book your tickets to Crick Boat Show 2014, you can do so by clicking here or by calling 01283 742970.
• Continue reading at www.crickboatshow.com.
This looks incredible. Kaleidoscope Man by Director Simon Cox. Take a look and maybe lend your support. Find full details on this exciting new film project at Indiegogo.
Help us complete the most AMBITIOUS, most EXCITING, most ENJOYABLE UK Indie sci-fi movie Ever… Meet some of our cast: Lucy Drive as Mandy Dunn, Toyah Willcox as Clare Dove, Raine McCormack as Freddie Dunn, Ben Shockley as Billy McCoy.
The Corn is Green: True Entertainment: Sunday 2nd February: 6.00am
Academy Award winner Katharine Hepburn stars as a schoolteacher determined to help the people of a turn-of-the-century Welsh mining town. With Ian Saynor, Bill Fraser, Patricia Hayes, Anna Massey, Artro Morris, Dorothea Phillips, Toyah Willcox, Huw Richards, Bryn Fon, Dyfan Roberts and Robin John. Directed by: George Cukor (1979).
A bumper update to In The Fairground: Andrew York’s Arternative Universe today, with 18 recently created Toyah artworks added to the website. All the details and direct links can be found on the Updates page. Don’t forget that earlier this month a Toyah 2014 Calendar Andrew put together, full of great Toyah imagery, was also added.
Toyah will be guesting on an upcoming edition of Sounds Of The 80s on BBC Radio 2. The programme, hosted by Sara Cox, airs each Saturday night at 10pm.
You can watch Sounds of the 80s on the Red Button from 10:20pm-11:20pm on Saturday night. You can access this by pressing the Red Button on your TV remote from any BBC television channel.
• Keep an eye on the Radio 2 website for further info and confirmation of when Toyah will be appearing. The programme will also be available post-broadcast at BBC iPlayer. (News Source: Breaking Through)
A new video interview with Toyah, by Red Carpet News TV, from Monday’s MediaSKIN event in London, has just been uploaded to ‘You Tube’. Click below to watch. (Thanks to Paul Lomas)
• There’s also a short article, including a namecheck for Toyah, about the MediaSKIN event at Just Celebrity Magazine: MediaSKIN bringing a little of LA to London.
More new CRIMSON QUEEN/GREATEST HITS… LIVE! dates have been confirmed over the last week, bringing the total gigs to 15.
LIVE IN CONCERT WITH FULL TOYAH BAND
21 FEB: HOLMFIRTH / PICTUREDROME
22 FEB: NUNEATON / QUEEN’S HALL
22 MAR: BURY ST. EDMUNDS / THE APEX
28 MAR: WIMBORNE / TIVOLI THEATRE
29 MAR: LONDON / JAZZ CAFÉ
5 APR: HASTINGS / ST. MARY IN THE CASTLE
19 APR: CLITHEROE / THE GRAND
26 APR: WAKEFIELD / WAREHOUSE 23
2 MAY: LIVERPOOL / ERIC’s
3 MAY: LOWESTOFT / AQUARIUM
10 MAY: BLYTH / PHOENIX THEATRE
6 JUN: CLACTON / CLIFF THEATRE
14 JUN: ISLE OF MAN / CENTENERARY CENTRE
21 JUN: KENT / ASTOR COMMUNITY THEATRE
7 SEP: DEVON / BUDLEIGH SALTERTON HALL
The Crimson Queen dates will run throughout 2014 as an extended series of gigs rather than in a single-month tour.
• View more details on the Crimson Queen… dates and links to book tickets here. View all of Toyah’s confirmed live dates for 2014 at The Official Gigs page. Browse all of our Toyah Live 2014 news here.
Dreamchild, Toyah’s 1994 album, will be released digitally for the first time in May of this year. There will also be digital EP releases for the album’s singles Now and Then and Out Of The Blue. These mark the 20th anniversary of the album’s original release, and will include some previously unreleased mixes and versions.
You can listen to the, also previously unreleased, ‘Anthemic Ambient’ mix of Out Of The Blue at The Official Toyah Willcox Discography by clicking on Dreamscape’s Dreamchild “advert” below. (News Source: Breaking Through)
The Humans’ forthcoming, and much-anticipated, seven-song third album is provisionally scheduled to be released in April of 2014.
One of the new songs is called Bedhead. There will be preview clips coming soon to toyahwillcox.com and thehumansofficial.com.
• The Humans are playing live dates in Seattle in April. Further US dates are expected to be announced, with UK concerts a possibility also. More info here. Stay updated on The Humans at the Sugar Rush fansite. (News Source: Breaking Through)
The latest Breaking Through, Toyah’s Official Newsletter, was mailed out to subscribers at the weekend. As always it was packed with Toyah news.
This included updates on Toyah’s live dates for 2014, Vintage TV, BBC Radio 2’s Sound Of The Eighties, The Tempest @ BFI, 3 Sides Of The Coin, Dun Punkin, One Voice at Rotherham, Rock Choir at Birmingham, The Humans and Dreamchild.
• Subscribe: For full info on all of the above, and to receive future issues of the newsletter, sign up to ‘Breaking Through: The Official Toyah Mailing List’ here.
Six new ACOUSTIC, UP CLOSE & PERSONAL Toyah dates have recently been confirmed, bringing the total shows, so far, to eight.
ACOUSTIC SET WITH CHRIS WONG & COLIN HINDS
19 FEB: BUXTON / PAVILION ARTS
22 FEB: LOWTHER / PAVILLION
24 MAY: NORTHAMPTON / CRICK BOAT SHOW
22 JUN: BISHOP’S CLEEVE TITHE BARN
25 JUL: SETTLE, N YORKSHIRE / VICTORIA HALL
2 SEP: NORWICH / MADDERMARKET THEATRE
3 OCT: SHOREHAM / ROPETACKLE ARTS
10 OCT: NR FLETHCING, E SUSSEX / TRADING BOUNDARIES
• View more details on the Acoustic… dates and links to book tickets here. View all of Toyah’s confirmed live dates for 2014 at The Official Gigs page.
• MediaSKIN: A photo of Toyah at the MediaSKIN NTA Gifting Lounge event yesterday at The Penthouse, London. (Thanks to Nathan Blake)
• The Blockheads: The single, Boys Will Be Boys, is now on sale. Toyah appears in the promo video – The single is available at iTunes…
• Rock Paper Photo: A selection of great live Toyah photos from the early 80s, by Martin O’Neill – View here…
• Random Photo: Toyah, “backstage in 2005”. Not sure where but a nice photo anyway – View here…
• Dreamscape @ Facebook: I think this current FB membership, the second or possibly third attempt for Dreamscape, is the longest we’ve lasted at the social network. Pay us a visit and if you can be bothered give us a “like” while you’re there. It’s mainly retro Toyah photos and fan art posts so lots of great visuals to browse through…
• 35 Years?: A few people have remarked that the above “35th year in music!” statement is incorrect. Toyah has, of course, been performing live and playing gigs since 1977 but 2014 is the 35th anniversary of her first record deal and the release of the first Toyah recordings…
Slow Music was formed in 2005 as a way to create live ambient/textural/environmental music in a live context. Rieflin describes how, “openness and stillness become a part of the musical vocabulary, as well as density and activity. It can be both beautiful and surprisingly intense. And, being improvisational in nature, you never know what will happen next, which makes it all the more exciting.” Innovators to the core, Slow Music has no website, no band photos, nor commercially available music. The best way to listen is to show up. It’ll be worth it.
Featuring: Bill Rieflin keyboards & percussion (Bill has played drums w/ R.E.M., Swans, and is a member of the newly reformed King Crimson); Robert Fripp guitar, guitar-like things, soundscapes (Robert’s guitaring is legendary, and is a founder of King Crimson): Peter Buck guitar and things (Peter’s guitaring in R.E.M. is singular; he’ll probably play some of these shows with a butter knife); Matt Chamberlain drums and drum-like things (Matt has played with almost everyone in the world, such as Pearl Jam, Edie Brickell, Critters Buggin, SNL house band; look him up – it’s impressive); Fred Chalenor upright bass (Fred is at home with both Hughscore & Hans Eisler).
The Humans making their first ever west coast performances!
The Humans are: Toyah Willcox – voice, voice loops; Chris Wong – bass, and occasional guitar; Bill Rieflin – bass, and loopy percussion stuff.
Toyah – a hugely successful English pop singer, film & stage actress, and writer – formed The Humans in 2007 after being invited by the Estonian ambassador to tour Estonia and to perform for the president. With both a strong pop sensibility and playful experimental streak, this creative formation marked a radical departure for Toyah. Eschewing the conventional rock band line-up, the core of The Humans focuses on her voice flanked by two bass players. Although the records & live shows include a wider range of instrumentation, Humans music centers around singing and bass. Their third CD, to be released later this year, is the most catchy and danceable record yet.
Monday April 14, Tuesday April 15: 7.30pm. Tickets: $25 advance // $30 day of.
• Continue reading at The Triple Door.
Just uploaded to Dreamscape’s You Tube channel, a short interview with Toyah from BBC Breakfast Time on the day that ‘Echo Beach’ was released as a single in 1987. Click on the caps below to watch and view larger versions of the screen caps here.
