Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

Following the news that Toyah will be a guest at the Derby Film Festival 2018 on Saturday 5th May – talking about her career in film and on screen – as part of Paracinema, the full programme of films and events has been announced, with Jubilee and The Tempest showing a number of times during the 10 day film fest.

Jubilee (15): UK, 1978: 106m. Dir: Derek Jarman
Saturday 5th May: 7pm, Tuesday 8th May: 12.10pm/8.35pm, Wednesday 9th May: 2.15pm/8.45pm

When Queen Elizabeth I (Jenny Runacre) asks her court alchemist John Dee (Richard O’Brien) to show her the future of England she is transported forward 400 years to 1978. She arrives to discover a post-apocalyptic society on the brink of collapse where girl gangs rove the streets indulging in casual murder, the police are openly fascistic, and public opinion is manipulated by all-powerful media moguls. Forty years on from its first release Derek Jarman’s Jubilee remains the quintessential punk film, a daring and unique vision, featuring many icons of the punk era including festival guest Toyah Willcox, Little Nell, Wayne Country, Jordan, Adam Ant and many more.

The Tempest (15): UK, 1979: 91m. Dir: Derek Jarman
Wednesday 9th May: 12pm/6pm, Thursday 10th May: 1.30pm/8.45pm

Jarman brings sumptuous visual style and a measure of the punk spirit that informed Jubilee to this cinematic version of the Shakespeare text. Festival guest Toyah Willcox plays Miranda, who has been banished to a desolate island with her father Prospero (Heathcote Williams) by Alonso, King of Naples (Peter Bull). Prospero’s plans for revenge are complicated when Miranda falls in love with the king’s son Ferdinand (David Meyer). If you discount the very loose sci-fi adaptation Forbidden Planet this was the big screen’s first version of the play.

• View the full programme at the Derby Film Festival website. Full info on/Book tickets for Toyah Willcox in Conversation.

There’s a great photo of Toyah included in The Argus’ “Nostalgia” feature by The Timeout Team, published yesterday by the East Sussex newspaper.

Nostalgia: Multi-million record selling music icons in concert

Some of the world’s biggest music stars have graced the stage in Sussex over the years.

Other stars featured in today’s Timeout include Toyah Willcox, who is pictured playing a gig in the city in 1991.

• Continue reading at The Argus. NB: The photo included in the feature is Toyah onstage in 1982 on The Changeling Tour.

Toyah is playing the Devizes Arts Festival in June. The festival has a duration of 18 days, running from 31st May – 17th June. Toyah’s gig takes place on Saturday 16th June at Devizes Corn Exchange.

Toyah & her Full Electric Band

Saturday 16th June: Corn Exchange: 8:00pm |
£20 Standing only

From punk princess to cult stage actress and high priestess of TV, Toyah Willcox is a uniquely gifted performer and an inextinguishable flame. Charismatic, outspoken and impossible to categorise, 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.

In this lively and energetic concert with her full live electric band you can expect to hear hit singles Good Morning Universe, Thunder In The Mountains and It’s A Mystery alongside classics Neon Womb, Danced and Ieya.

• Continue reading at the Devizes Arts Festival website.

Celebrity Fantasy Homes: Really: Wednesday 25th April: 9am/2pm
Celebrity Fantasy Homes: Really: Thursday 26th April: 6am
Toyah (Series 2, Episode 2). Celebrities hunt for a new home. Gaby Roslin helps the original punk-pop princess Toyah Willcox search for a second home, in Richmond upon Thames, with a budget of £650,000.

Trailblazers: Sky Arts: Thursday 26th April: 4pm
Trailblazers: Sky Arts: Friday 27th April: 11am
New Romantics. Toyah Willcox and Billy Bragg are among those examining the New Romantic movement, from The Human League and Adam Ant, to David Bowie and Ultravox. (Series 1, Episode 16)

Toyah’s penultimate blog before turning 60 is available to read at toyahwillcox.com. Toyah talks about her forthcoming birthday and the decade of her 50s: “Now I am gearing up for my 60th birthday! With the knowledge that the next decade can pass even faster I am grabbing the bull by the horns and getting ready for the ride of my life” – Click below to read.

• Above: Blog link image to mark the release of Desire for Record Store Day 2018 this month.

A special line up is on the cards for this year’s Weyfest in Farnham.

The all-star SAS Band features some of the world’s greatest rock artists.

The band (a.k.a. Spike’s All Stars), founded by musician and musical director Spike Edney, will be performing on Sunday August 19 at the event in Tilford. Musicians include Paul Young, Madeline Bell, Toyah Willcox, Chris Thompson and special guest Roger Taylor of Queen.

Since their debut in 1994, the SAS Band has performed at concerts and events around the world, including The Prince’s Trust “Party in the Park” and the Mandela 46664 concerts in Cape Town, Hyde Park, London and Radio City Music Hall, New York.

Other acts include headliners 10CC who will perform on Saturday August 18. Songstress Judy Tzuke is also appearing the same night.

• Continue reading at Eagle Radio. Visit the Weyfest Festival website. NB: Toyah has played with The SAS Band many times but she isn’t officially confirmed for this festival appearance at the moment.

The Chase: Celebrity Special: Be3
Saturday 14th April: 0.00am
(Series 6, Episode 2). Bradley Walsh presents as celebrity contestants Toyah Willcox, John Barnes, Germaine Greer and Audley Harrison pit their wits against ruthless quiz genius the Chaser in the hope of winning a potential charity prize pot worth thousands of pounds. They must work as a team and play strategically to answer general knowledge questions against the clock.

Who’s Doing The Dishes?: TV3: Sunday 22nd April: 7.30am
Who’s Doing The Dishes?: 3e: Wednesday 25th April: 11,50am
Toyah Willcox. (Series 1, Episode 8). Singer and actress Toyah Willcox hosts a dinner party for four guests who will win a cash prize if they can guess her identity from a selection of cryptic culinary clues. Will it remain a mystery who the celebrity host is? Brian McFadden presents the dining challenge.

Just two weeks until Toyah’s 1987 album Desire is released on limited edition translucent red vinyl as a Record Store Day exclusive, on Saturday 21st April.

The LP will be available exclusively in independent record stores only on Record Store Day but will be available beyond this day until stocks are all sold. This new edition is mastered from the original master tapes.

Exclusive to RSD2018, this numbered 30th anniversary edition of Toyah’s Desire pressed on heavyweight red Translucent vinyl was her first album for the EG label, and features her hit single cover version of Echo Beach as well as a cover of Donna Summer’s Love’s Unkind. Produced by Mike Hedges (Tears For Fears, The Cure) the album features Robert Fripp (who co-wrote the title track) and Ronnie Wood. The inner sleeve features the lyrics. This is limited to 1000 units worldwide.

• In the meantime revisit Dreamscape’s celebration of Desire by clicking below… (Thanks to toyahwillcox.com and recordstoreday.co.uk for the above info)

Bury Pride 2018: Town celebrates equality and diversity

Rainbow flags flew proudly across the town centre as the march towards equality continued at Bury Pride.

Hundreds of people turned out at the town hall draped in the familiar colours to celebrate diversity event during its second year.

The day began with the seventh Walking Rainbow parade through the streets before guests were treated to an array of musical performances and speeches, including from singer and actress Toyah Willcox, who headlined the show.

The outdoor stage also hosted The Manchester Gay and Lesbian Chorus, Divas in Denial, fire eaters and Utopia UK, who were all compèred by Miss Sal Ford.

And LGBT groups and other organisations set up stalls and chatted to people about the day.

Bury Pride was launched last year with the aim of bringing people out on to the streets to celebrate equality and diversity.

• Continue reading – see more photos, and watch a short clip of Toyah performing today – at Bury Times.

• Earlier Toyah tweeted: “On my way to BURY PRIDE….the band are on at 5pm to close the day with TOYAH HITS and fun, fun, fun!” (Photo © Nigel Taggart/Bury Times)

Toyah is playing a selection of festivals this Summer, including Mello, Wychwood, Here and Now and Let’s Rock Shrewsbury, among others. More info at toyahwillcox.com.

On Friday 18 May 2018 – Toyah’s actual 60th Birthday – a new digital EP will be released on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon. Four From Toyah | Birthday Edition includes four new and previously unreleased songs written by Toyah and Simon Darlow, their first release since 2011. The EP begins with the rousing lead track Telepathic Lover which you can hear an exclusive preview of here.

Two tracks heard in the Crime & Punishment production at London’s Scoop Theatre also feature, Who Let The Beast Out and Fire Escape. The EP is rounded off with the stirring, beautiful Our Hearts Still Beat, written specially for the end titles of the film In Extremis. There are currently no plans to make a CD/vinyl of this particular release available.

• Subscribe: For full info on the above, and more Toyah news, sign up to Breaking Through. The EP was also given a special Instagram announcement today.

Just announced officially online – Four Gigs From #Toyah60 on sale now!

And with an extra special posting at Instagram too – Celebrating 40 years of music in her 60th year.

Toyah will perform 4 special gigs this autumn with her full band, in Manchester, Bristol, Wolverhampton and London.

Expect classics, hits & surprises. Tickets on sale now and available from TicketWeb and Stargreen.

26 Oct | Manchester Ruby Lounge
1 Nov | Bristol Fleece
2 Nov | Wolverhampton Slade Rooms
4 Nov | Islington o2 Academy

The year 2018 includes several momentous milestones for Toyah. This includes her 60th birthday and the 40th anniversary of her music career as Toyah recorded her first studio demos in 1978. These special concerts –with her full electric band– will be a celebratory retrospective including hit singles, album classics and fan favourites.

Toyah’s 1987 album Desire will be issued as a new limited edition translucent red vinyl LP on 21 April for Record Store Day 2018.

• Browse all of Toyah’s upcoming confirmed dates at her official Gig Diary at toyahwillcox.com.

Over the past 40 years Toyah has provided the world with numerous “Iconic Images” (good name for a fanzine, that!) but has there ever been imagery as mesmerising as that which Toyah adopted for Thunder In The Mountains in 1981? The book ‘Pop Styles’ seemed to think so even back in 1984…

Pop Styles, by Ted Polhemus & Lynn Procter (1984) An A-Z Guide To The World Where Fashion Meets Rock’N’Roll

Crazy Colour: Perhaps the most important pendulum swing in the history of pop styles is that between nature and artifice. One of the best ways to join the against-nature school of thought is to dye your hair a bright colour or better still a whole collection of colours which nature never intended to appear on the head of a human being. Historical examples are few, however, as the technology has only been widely available a short time. Only impermanent vegetable dyes were available before the seventies and it was punks who first combined an anti-natural attitude with the new chemicals. Special credit therefore goes to Wee Willie Harris who caused a furore in the fifties when he dyed his hair so pink it dripped down his collar in the rain, Roy Wood who fronted Wizzard behind a mass of multicoloured locks and of course David Bowie. Ultimately, however, the first prize must go to post-punk Toyah Willcox who with dyes and hair spray has resculpted her head into a homage to artifice which even the most daring of science fiction films have failed to equal.

• Toyah’s Offical website/social media spaces will be counting down to Toyah’s Birthday with Forty From Toyah – 40 classic images spanning Toyah’s amazing career.

Toyah guested on BBC Radio Four’s In The Psychiatrist’s Chair in September 1992. A fascinating interview with Dr Anthony Clare. Certainly one of the most honest and interesting of the many Toyah has given over the last 40 years. This originally aired on 9th September 1992 and runs for approximately 40 minutes. Click below to listen or download.

Check out the Dreamscape Press Archive. Classic Toyah interviews, reviews, features, articles and clippings – A huge virtual library with press from 1979 through to 2014.

The trailer for How to Talk to Girls at Parties – Elle Fanning rocks out and Nicole Kidman channels Toyah Willcox in the first trailer for John Cameron Mitchell’s movie. (Source: The Skinny)

How to Talk to Girls at Parties also reunites Mitchell with Rabbit Hole star Kidman, who looks from the trailer to give a wild performance as a punk guru who’s part Toyah Willcox, part Vivienne Westwood. How to Talk to Girls at Parties is released 11 May by StudioCanal.

Toyah plays the Wychwood Festival, being held at Cheltenham Racecourse over three days, at the beginning of June.

She will be appearing on the Main Stage on day two of the festival, on Saturday 2nd June, for a live PA.

Wychwood Festival returns to Cheltenham racecourse for its 14th annual year from the 1st to the 3rd of June, 2018.

The UK’s favourite family festival takes place within the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside, with over 100 acts performing across four stages, plus music, dance and arts workshops, a circus school and a programme of talks, debates and comedy for all ages.

With optional idyllic camping and something to satisfy all appetites, there’s no wonder Wychwood has been nominated as ‘Best Family Festival’ each year at the UK Festival awards.

From punk princess to cult stage actress to high priestess of TV, Toyah Willcox is a uniquely gifted performer and an inextinguishable flame. Charismatic, outspoken and impossible to categorise, 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 40 years Toyah has amassed thirteen top 40 singles, recorded twenty-four albums, written two books, appeared in over forty stage plays, acted in twenty feature films and presented hundreds of television programmes.

2018 sees a major year of celebration for Toyah as she celebrates her 60th birthday and 40th anniversary of her music career. Her 1987 album Desire (featuring guest playing from Robert Fripp and Ronnie Wood) will be issued as a new limited edition translucent red vinyl LP on 21 April for Record Store Day 2018.

• Continue reading at the Wychwood Festival website. Further info at Toyah’s Gig Diary at toyahwillcox.com.

Midlands Spotlight – Derby Film Festival 2018

The Derby Film Festival is back for its fifth edition taking place from 4th – 13th May 2018 and local audiences can expect another successful array of previews, classic films from the archive and a weekend dedicated to genres beyond the mainstream.

DFF are scouring the globe to find the best in world cinema as well as bringing some special guests to talk about their experiences in the film industry. As ever they’ll be home to the Five Lamps 24 hour film challenge 24/5, the contest to make a 3 minute film in 24 hours.

Over the opening weekend of Derby Film Festival, they also launch Paracinema Weekend, a long weekend dedicated to films and genres outside the mainstream. Events at Paracinema include an on-stage conversation with actress Toyah Willcox and a screening of Nosferatu in the grand surroundings of Derby Cathedral.

• Continue reading at Midlands Movies. Further info on Derby Film Festival and the Paracinema Festival 2018 here.

I’ve voted for my Top 10 singles today in The Official Toyah Website’s Toyah60 Poll. The ultimate Toyah Chart will be revealed as part of Toyah’s 60th Birthday celebrations next month. Seriously difficult to choose 10 from so many great songs but my Top 10 is: 1. Bird In Flight, 2.Ghost Light, 3. Jungles Of Jupiter, 4. Run Wild, Run Free, 5. Elusive Stranger, 6. Brave New World, 7. Symbiotic, 8. Time Is Ours. 9. Moonlight Dancing, 10. Love Me – Vote for yours by clicking below.

• Bubbling Under: Waiting, For You, Snow Covers The Kiss, Computer, Falling To Earth, Tears For Elie, Dreamscape, Pop Star, Danced, Visions, Dawn Chorus, Freedom, When A Woman Cries, Don’t Fall in Love (I Said), Angel In You, Race Through Space… etc… etc.

VOTE for your Top 10 Toyah Songs in the Toyah60 Poll. The Official Toyah Website are creating the ultimate Toyah Chart to be revealed as part of Toyah’s 60th Birthday celebrations. Voting closes 23:59, Sunday 6th May 2018. Click below to visit the official website to cast your vote.