Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

Toyah and Robert invite you to their Halloween Party… (Caps from a video that is © Toyah Willcox)

Happy Halloween. More of your social, emotional and music tuning predicaments are addressed with care and attention by the deeply unqualified Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp.

It’s Halloween! The perfect day for a spooky Toyah playlist (albeit a short one!). I’m not much of a horror fan, can’t even watch a scary movie without the light on, but being brave to compile this tuneful frightfest… Six from Toyah, from the spine tingling to the truly electrifying! Listen to the playlist at Spotify. (Thanks Craig!)

The Packt: From the 1982 album The Changeling. “The doors blow open. You’ve arrived!” Scary and Epic! #Majestic

She: From the 1980 album The Blue Meaning. The opening of this track is as “gothic” as Toyah ever sounded. An incredible song that builds and builds… “Alleluia!” #Cataclysmic

Voodoo Doll: A b-side from 1983 which, on the surface, sounds like a fairly straightforward pop song. “Eyes alight, I am the night…“. Maybe not so straightforward! #Supernatural

Creepy Room: Another from The Changeling. “They’re sending me to the creepy room, for some chemically induced fear“. Enough said! #Ominous

Victims Of The Riddle (Vivisection): The b-side of Toyah’s 1979 debut single. The subject matter of this track is bizarre in itself (experimenting on sentient animals is highly controversial), but the high-pitch squeals make it all the more uncomfortable to listen to. Producer, Steve James recently revealed they were achieved by Toyah sucking on helium (which would also be utilised during 1980 recording sessions). #Spinechilling

Angels and Demons: From the 1981 EP, Four From Toyah. “Angels and demons, omens and requiems, peers and sightseers, merchants with souvenirs“. Toyah said of the song, “This one’s about growing up, and everything you’re told not to believe in“. #Mysterious

Great Lives: BBC Radio 4 Extra: Thursday 12th November: 6.30pm
Great Lives: BBC Radio 4 Extra: Friday 13th November: 0.30am
Great Lives: BBC Radio 4 Extra: Saturday 14th November: 7.30am/5.30pm
Great Lives: BBC Radio 4 Extra: Sunday 15th November: 5.30am
Toyah Willcox on Katharine Hepburn. (Series 37, Episode 9). Singer Toyah Willcox chooses the actress and Hollywood legend, Katherine Hepburn. With Matthew Parris. From 2015.

Dubbed an ‘oddity’ and ‘box office poison’, she liked to goad the press and public with her eccentric behaviour and unconventional love life. Her career in Hollywood spanned six decades, during which she starred alongside other Hollywood greats, including James Stewart, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart and Spencer Tracy.

The four time Oscar award winning actress Katharine Hepburn is this week’s Great Life. She is championed by singer and actress Toyah Willcox – who met and worked with her. The expert is Dr Mark Glancy – Reader in Film History, at Queen Mary, University of London. The presenter is Matthew Parris. Producer: Perminder Khatkar. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.

Some of the biggest pop stars of the ’80s will take part in a brand new online weekly series with an innovative business model that helps touring artists affected by the current lack of live shows to generate income.

That Was Then… This Is Now! will arrive next month in a pay per view format hosted online, allowing for artists to share equally in the revenue. For full details on the broadcast visit www.thisisnow.tv.

The series, consisting of five editions, will be broadcast live at 7pm on Thursday evenings, a nod to the classic Top Of The Pops timeslot.

It aims to provide a modern twist on the quintessential living room comfort watch of popular music television that has been missing from screens for generations.

Each episode of the series will feature multi-artist line-ups… The first series of the show will feature artists such as Paul Young, Kim & Marty Wilde, Toyah, Steve Harley, Chesney Hawkes, The Fizz and many more.

That Was Then… This Is Now! will be broadcast online via pay-per-view live streaming service TicketCo.TV. Its full HD quality and crystal-clear sound can be enjoyed by viewers on any device.

• Further info/book a ticket at This Is Now. View a print article, featuring Toyah, by the Knaresborough Post. Browse our That Was Then… This Is Now! news archive.

Fangs for the memory! Are you in Ipswich Regent Vampires Rock photos in Days Gone By?

Do you love putting on a ghostly or ghoulish costume to watch Vampires Rock at the Ipswich Regent?

The cult show has visited Ipswich many times over the years – and today we’re looking back at some of the amazing costumes worn by members of the audience.

The concert series is masterminded by Steve Steinman, alias Baron von Rockula. Laced with pyrotechnics, it pays a spectacular tribute to Meat Loaf, AC/DC, Guns ‘n Roses, and more.

It’s all very light hearted, and the perfect way to celebrate Halloween. There have been various different twists to the show over the years, and Toyah Willcox took part in 2009.

Steve Steinman is due to bring his Meat Loaf tribute show, Anything For Love, to the Regent in November next year.

• Continue reading at the Ipswich Star. (NB. Toyah also starred in Vampires Rock, as the Devil Queen, through most of 2008 – Browse lots of news on those tours at our news archive)

Film London Jarman Award announces new Patrons in run up to 2020 Award

Film London has announced eight Patrons of the Film London Jarman Award, honouring and showcasing artist moving image practice, with one month to go until the 2020 virtual Award Winner announcement. Spanning actors, artists, screenwriters and musicians, the Patrons’ work and support will be vital in the development and success of the Award.

The Film London Jarman Award Patrons are: John Akomfrah, Terence Davies, Rupert Everett, Dexter Fletcher, Hetain Patel, Tony Peake, Tilda Swinton, Toyah Willcox.

The Patrons’ expertise, industry knowledge and connection to Derek Jarman in either a professional or a personal capacity will help to introduce artist filmmaking to a wider audience. They will promote and sustain the legacy of Jarman, whose inventiveness and bold ambition is seen in the work of artists practising today and those shortlisted for the Award.

• Continue reading at Film London. (Photo Collage by Film London)

RF: Bobby Willcox was invited to rock out with Toyah and Simon Darlow for their new album. So, sprayed some burning guitar over a remorseless stomper that got the guitarist bouncing…

RF: There have been some online simperings of approval for the slippers worn by Bobby Willcox at yesterday’s session for Toyah & Simon Darlow’s new album. Regrettably, for one keen to suck up all appreciative comments even and especially where underserved, these colourful accessories for any session player’s calceamental turnout were provided by Studio Darlow, in a manner simply understood by anyone who has entered a Japanese home.

• Continue reading at DGM Live. (Photo © Toyah Willcox/Robert Fripp/DGM Live)

A great new interview with Toyah, just published by Punktuation. Also includes a shorter interview with Steve James discussing the recording of Sheep Farming in Barnet.

Punktuation chats to the high priestess of punk, Toyah Willcox, about the reissue of her debut album, Sheep Farming In Barnet and her extraordinary career

Toyah is quite simply a force of nature. She is a musician and songwriter, she’s a very successful actress, and she’s a producer and storyteller. She’s had eight top 40 hit singles, released 23 albums, written two books and appeared in over 40 stage plays and ten feature films including Derek Jarman’s Jubilee and Franc Roddam’s Quadrophenia.

Now 62 years old there’s also no sign that Toyah plans to slow down anytime soon. However, the events of 2020 have forced her, like the rest of us, to readjust to the ‘new reality’.

“Yes, it’s been an extraordinary time, hasn’t it? I don’t think I’ve spent so much time at home as I have this year, ” Toyah says over the phone from her English countryside home that she shares with her husband of over 30 years, guitarist Robert Fripp.

“It’s taken a bit of time to get used to. Here we are at the end of October and Robert and I are just finding our stride. We both believe if we can get through this we can get through anything. The reality for us is that we will have to be in quarantine for a while longer as Robert is now 74 – we have to be careful,” Toyah confides.

• Continue reading at Punktuation.

“I knock the phone from the table, and the room starts purring, smash the contents from a drawer, and a photo starts twirling…”

Last Saturday’s episode of Toyah At Home featured two more live archive performances: The 1987 single, from the Desire album, Echo Beach – also a single for Martha & The Muffins in 1980 – and the truly amazing Angel & Me, from the 1982 album, The Changeling.

Click below to watch/rewatch episode 19, with a guest appearance by Robert Fripp, and Toyah reminiscing about playing Calamity Jane, currently revisiting albums including The Blue Meaning, not being part of the Band Aid single in 1984, and more. Episode 20 of Toyah At Home airs this Saturday at 11am at Toyah’s official You Tube channel, and Facebook.

The Film London Jarman Award at a glance

A world-renowned annual prize for artists’ moving image in the UK, established in 2008 | Inspired by visionary artist filmmaker Derek Jarman | Artists are nominated by art and film world experts across the UK each year | A jury of industry leaders select 6 artists for the shortlist | Works by the shortlisted artists are toured to key cultural venues across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland | £10,000 prize money

Film London Jarman Award Patrons
Spanning actors, artists, screenwriters and musicians, the Patrons’ work and support are vital in the development and success of the Award. The Film London Jarman Award Patrons are John Akomfrah, Terence Davies, Rupert Everett, Dexter Fletcher, Hetain Patel, Tony Peake, Tilda Swinton and Toyah Willcox.

The Patrons’ expertise, industry knowledge and connection to Derek Jarman in either a professional or a personal capacity help to introduce artist filmmaking to a wider audience. Together they help promote and sustain the legacy of Jarman, whose inventiveness and bold ambition is seen in the work of artists practising today and those shortlisted for the Award.

“I consider myself extremely lucky to have worked with Derek Jarman, not only on the movies Jubilee and The Tempest, but also to have been present in his personal life. To have seen first-hand his creative processes and above all to learn from him what it is to live by the rule ‘no compromise’. This is the Jarman that inspires me so much today, not only a great visionary, artist, writer and collector of ideas, but a man who saw beyond class, gender, even intellect, into the very important stories of each individual’s soul.” – Toyah Willcox, singer, writer and actor

• Continue reading at Film London. (Photo © Toyah Willcox)

That Was Then… This Is Now!: This Is Now: Thursday 5th November: 7pm
Edition 1. Featuring performances from The Fizz, Toyah and Chesney Hawkes. Premiering on Thursday 5th November at 7pm, purchase your ticket now for only £10! That Was Then… This Is Now! is a new and innovative Online Streamed Music Show. Featuring huge acts of the last sixty years with exclusive live studio performances filmed in the highest visual and audio quality and introduced by broadcasting legend Mike Read & Sky TV’s Hayley Palmer.

Good Morning Universe! Catch Toyah in a live filmed performance for the new online TV series That Was Then… This Is Now! on Thursday 5th November at 7pm. Also in this series launch episode are Chesney Hawkes & The Fizz. Get your tickets by clicking below.

Nerdly: Frightfest 2020: ‘Heckle’ Review: Shot in neon-lit hues, reminiscent of Italian giallo (in particular the work of Dario Argento); with a killer in a clown mask and red rain mac that looks and feel like a total homage to 1976’s proto-slasher Alice, Sweet Alice; Heckle is a superb diatribe on perils of fame, personality and neurosis, and a warning to never, ever, meet your heroes! – Continue reading…

• Starburst: Heckle [FrightFest October 2020]: While Heckle won’t win any awards, it’s a fun distraction if you can overlook the shortcomings – Continue reading…

• Movie Ramblings: Arrow Video FrightFest October 2020: ‘Heckle’ Review: Heckle is something of a strange brew – in essence it is a straight-up slasher movie (heck, we even get a mask-wearing killer), but it also has plenty to say about the cult of celebrity, even mental health. But Heckle is certainly worth a watch and is likely to keep most genre fans reasonably happy – Continue reading…

• Eye For Film: Heckle Review: Screening as pat of Frightfest’s October 2020 selection, this is a spirited little film which, despite its dark subject matter, has obviously been made with love. Though not exactly polished, it has an innate exuberance that will encourage viewers to tick with it. That said, for all its roughness, this is an enjoyable little romp which will no doubt win itself some fans – Continue reading…

Indie Mac User: Review: Heckle ‘A Slow Burn Turns Slasher’ (FrightFest 2020): Written by Airell Anthony Hayles and directed by Martyn Pick, this slow-burn thriller turned slasher is well penned and conducted. The atmosphere is well captured in each of the scenes throughout the movie. Where it really shines is the dreary, dark, and dreadful outside of the desolate house and how many of the characters in the film meet their fate within it. The kills are very well orchestrated, and the aftermath of the kills are quite unique – Continue reading…

• The Kim Newman Website: FrightFest review – Heckle: For a horror film with a comedy theme and a comic attack, Heckle goes into some dark places – The cast is gossip-column friendly – with bits for Dani Dyer, Toyah Willcox (who does a song) and Nicholas Burman-Vince – Continue reading…

• SciFi Now: Heckle – Interview With Airell Anthony Hayles: Heckle writer Airell Anthony Hayles tells us about his love for Eighties cinema and getting Steve Guttenberg over to the dark side – Directed by Martyn Pick and written by Airell Anthony Hayles, Heckle stars Guy Combes as Joe and Steve Guttenberg as foul-mouthed Nineties comedian Ray Kelly, alongside Dani Dyer and Toyah Willcox. We spoke to Airell about the Eighties, horror and stand-up shows – Continue reading…

• The People’s Movies: Frightfest 2020 Interview – Martyn Pick & Airell Anthony Hayles (Heckle) Ever wanted to see Steve Guttenburg like never before? Then Heckle is the film for you – and we chatted with the film’s director and writer to find out its inception and how they got such an icon to star in the film. Playing as part of this year’s FrightFest, Heckle is the horror-comedy that sees our favourite charmer from Short Circuit, Police Academy, and Three Men and a Baby go a little rogue, shall we say, but there’s more to discover with this indie stand-out – Continue reading…

• The People’s Movies: Heckle Interview – Martyn Pick & Airell Anthony Hayles (Frightfest 2020 October) – Continue watching…

• Horror Channel: Interview with Steve Guttenberg, star of Heckle: Steve Guttenberg is one of Hollywood’s best loved actors and is known for playing characters you want to be with. But in Heckle, showing at FrightFest, Steve is showing his darker side – Continue reading…

• Clout Communications: FrightFest October Digital 2020 Film Stills – Continue reading…

Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch is by the water this week.

Who Won Wot? 1980 – 1989: NOW 80s: Sunday 25th October: 9am
From Smash Hits “Most Unwanted Person of 1980” to the Brits “Best Group” of 1989 – Mark Goodier’s 10 hour marathon of 80s award winners lasts nearly as long as the Oscars. (The first artist played from 1981 is Toyah, with the Thunder In The Mountains video. Mark said: “We begin 1981 with a 4ft 11 pop star who had the biggest hair of the entire decade, here’s the Most Fanciable (as voted by Smash Hits magazine readers) Toyah Willcox with Thunder In The Mountains“). Click on the screen caps to zoom.

More of your social, emotional and music tuning predicaments are addressed with care and attention by the deeply unqualified Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp. Premieres today at 6pm.

Pointless Celebrities: Challenge: Thursday 5th November: 6pm
Music. A special celebrity music edition of the general knowledge quiz in which four teams try to come up with the answers that no-one else could think of. Presented by Alexander Armstrong and co-host Richard Osman. Featuring Fish and Barbara Dickson, Nick Heyward and Toyah Willcox, Heather Small and Mari Wilson, and Jessica Taylor and Kelli Young. (Photo © BBC)

All of our 2020 news, so far, has just been added to the News Archive  >> The archive dates back to the start of Dreamscape, which was created during 1999, as the old millennium was coming to an end, and launched in March 2000 at the dawn of the new one!

We are fast approaching 21 years online and during that time the website has been a constant source of Toyah news, releases, interviews, press, appearances, television, radio, films and much more…

Covering numerous eras from those years: Velvet Lined Shell, In The Court Of The Crimson Queen, Toyah & The Humans, From Sheep Farming To Anthem Tour 2011, Calamity Jane, Toyah Solo, I’m A Celebrity and many more.

Our News Archive also has many posts from the classic years of Toyah’s career (1976 – 1999). There’s a lot more news to come… 2020 has brought many great Toyah releases and next year it’s set to continue with the Safari back catalogue being reissued in deluxe formats, as well as many live dates.

• Take a trip to the Toyah past! Browse 21 years and thousands of news posts by clicking here!

Now available, personalised artworks hand-drawn by Toyah, with your favourite Toyah lyric and an autograph, on high quality paper, and ready for mounting and/or framing. A great gift for a friend, relative or even yourself! Watch Toyah’s info video at Instagram, and click below for more details or to order your personalised gift from Toyah or Robert Fripp.