Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

To Be Someone, starring Sam Gittins, Leslie Ash, Mark Wingett, Toyah Willcox, Trevor Laird, Gary Shail, Perry Benson and Laura McMonagle, and directed by Ray Burdis, is now available to own on DVD and digitally.

The co-owner of a popular Mods nightclub and with a successful scooter shop business on the side, life couldn’t be better for entrepreneur and British Mod, Danny.

That is until he’s introduced to the club’s secret financier, Mad Mike, an unhinged underworld mobster who is determined to coerce Danny into pulling off an illegal drugs run to The Isle of Wight in return for his shares in the club.

Seeing their friend at an all-time low, Danny’s friends step in with an ingenious plan – they will all go to The Isle of Wight’s annual Mod festival and use the thousands of Mod enthusiasts descending onto the island as a cover!

A feel-good tale of modern-day mods, music, and scooter culture from the producer of ‘The Krays’ and ‘Love, Honor and Obey’.

‘To Be Someone’ stars a number of the original cast of the iconic, cult mods n’ rockers film, ‘Quadrophenia’.

• Buy To Be Someone on DVD, or on digital download, at Amazon UK.

Leslie Ash and Toyah reunite with the cast of cult classic Quadrophenia in crime caper, To Be Someone. Jump on your scooter and watch it in select cinemas NOW.

NB. To Be Someone is the third film Toyah and Leslie Ash have made together: Quadrophenia (1979), Murder: Ultimate Grounds For Divorce (1984), To Be Someone (2021).

To Be Someone, starring Sam Gittins, Leslie Ash, Mark Wingett, Toyah Willcox, Trevor Laird, Gary Shail, Perry Benson and Laura McMonagle, and directed by Ray Burdis, hits select cinemas and movie theatres this Friday, 9th June. The film will be released on DVD and digitally a month later, on 9th August 2021.

• Watch the new trailer here, and browse Dreamscape’s To Be Someone news archive. Watch a promo, featuring Toyah and Leslie Ash, here. This isn’t a sequel to Quadrophenia but it does feature a number of the cast. Browse our huge Quadrophenia archive here.

Several cast members from Quadrophenia, including Toyah, are set to reunite in new film To Be Someone this summer. In selected cinemas 9th July. See the new trailer below.

The upcoming film, telling “a thrilling tale of mods, music and organised crime”, will see actors from the 1979 classic, which was a love letter to The Who, reunite on the big screen in a continuation of a celebration of British mod culture.

The trailer for the forthcoming To Be Someone film was recently made available.

A feel-good tale of modern-day mods, music, and scooter culture from the creator of The Krays, The Wee Man and Love, Honor and Obey and starring the original cast of the iconic, cult mods n’ rockers film, Quadrophenia.

The co-owner of a popular Mods nightclub and with a successful scooter shop business on the side, life couldn’t be better for entrepreneur and British Mod, Danny.

That is until he’s introduced to the club’s secret financier, Mad Mike, an unhinged underworld mobster who is determined to coerce Danny into pulling off an illegal drugs run to The Isle of Wight in return for his shares in the club.

Seeing their friend at an all-time low, Danny’s friends step in with an ingenious plan – they will all go to The Isle of Wight’s annual Mod festival and use the thousands of Mod enthusiasts descending onto the island as a cover!

• Watch the trailer at You Tube.

A great interview with Toyah on today’s Steve Wright In The Afternoon show on BBC Radio 2. This included plays of two previously unheard songs from Posh Pop.

Toyah talked about the recording process of Posh Pop, what inspired the album, and about loving being back on the road touring, playing festivals and gigs.

There were plays of I Want To Be Free, It’s A Mystery, Levitate, The Bride Will Return, and a short burst of Rhythm In My House at the close of the chat.

Steve enthused about Toyah having such a longtime career yet still releasing such quality music. He also mentioned Toyah’s legendary warehouse, Mayhem!

Toyah also talked about her latest film work, on, the just released, To Be Someone and, the to be released in October, The Ghosts Of Borley Rectory.

• Listen to the show/interview at BBC Sounds. Toyah appears approximately 2hrs 30m into the show. (Photos © Toyah Willcox)

Leslie Ash, Toyah and Isle of Wight in new film To Be Someone

Sam Gittins leads a cast, including Leslie Ash and Toyah Willcox, in what’s being billed as a ‘lighthearted adventure movie set in the world of Mods’.

The Isle of Wight has a key role in the film that is released in cinemas today (Friday, July 9).

To Be Someone reunites some of the stars of the cult 1979 movie Quadrophenia, for the first time in over four decades.

Directed by Ray Burdis, it centres on young entrepreneur Danny (Sam Gittins), who co-owns a nightclub and scooter shop.

When he meets the secret financier – a crazy gangster – an illegal drugs run to the Isle of Wight is offered as a swap for shares.

The Island’s annual popular scooter festival, which sees thousands of enthusiasts descend over the August bank holiday weekend, seems to be the perfect cover.

• Continue reading at the Isle Of Wight County Press. To Be Someone opened at select cinemas yesterday.

Info from Saturday’s second Toyah At Home, which aired at Toyah’s official You Tube channel.

• Good Morning Universe: was the song of the morning, with Toyah explaining how it got its title. Joel Bogen wrote the music and as soon as Toyah heard the joyous track she wanted to call it Good Morning Universe.

• Good Morning Universe: Toyah performed a live version of the title song from Toyah’s third EP, and ninth single, released in November 1981. I’ve always loved this song, and all the others on the Four More From Toyah EP.

• Shirley Manson: Toyah mentioned the Garbage lead singer’s recent comments about Toyah being one of her early influences.

• Early Influences: Toyah talked about her own early influences, Dusty Springfield and Sandie Shaw in the 1960s, as well as Curved Air, Grace Slick, Roxy Music, Alice Cooper, Lou Reed and David Bowie in the 70s.

• Movies: To Be Someone will hopefully be showing later this year, with press and publicity happening soon. Toyah also mentioned Give Them Wings.

• Take The Leap!: Jolyon Dixon, the guitarist from Friday Forever and Toyah’s Take The Leap! band asked Toyah if she would be interested in a Leap! anniversary tour.

• Steve Strange: Toyah talked about the Visage frontman back in the days of her Mayhem warehouse and the Blitz Club and the last time she met him, at the V&A Club To Catwalk exhibition in 2013.

• Favourite Venues/Tours: Toyah reminisced about playing (the legendary) Glasgow Apollo. Her favourite venue is Wembley Arena, and she loves playing in churches because of their great acoustics. Toyah loved all of The Humans tours, and also the recent Thunder In The Highlands tour.

• Computer: Will this ever be played live? There are plans for some of the Safari album songs to be played live during Toyah At Home to coincide with the Cherry Red release of Toyah’s Safari back catalogue.

• Ophelia’s Shadow: Some of the songs are too studio layered to perform live but Lords Of The Never Known and Brilliant Day will be (Toyah mentioned the late Keith Tippett).

• Prostitute: Toyah talked about the possibility of the album being performed live as an art project with visuals. She also talked about performing the album during the FrippFripp tour in 1988, and about the legacy of the album and its meanings now as the world changes and evolves.

• Toyah also chatted about which song took the longest to write (Slow Descent by The Humans was mentioned), and the show ended with live footage of She’s Fast by The Humans from Trading Boundaries in East Sussex.

Toyah guested on Tammy Gooding’s show on BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester on Tuesday afternoon.

Chatting about Hazel O’Connor, touring, Electric Ladies, future releases for 2020, making movies (including, soon to released, To Be Someone which has many of the Quadrophenia cast in but is “not Quadrophenia Two“), Kate Bush and more.

“We smuggled Kate Bush in to Pershore!”
Pershore’s punk rock legend Toyah Willcox catches up with our Tammy Gooding, talking the joys of living a secret life in Worcestershire and the moments that made her music what it is.

• Toyah’s interview has been made available as a seperate clip at the BBC website. Listen here.

*SPOILERS* Okay, this is officially being kept under wraps currently and I don’t want to be a spoilsport, but as there have been set reports in at least half a dozen UK tabloids over the past few days I thought it made sense to include something…

Leslie Ash, 59, goes back in time on set of Quadrophenia sequel as she sports vintage houndstooth dress alongside co-star Toyah Willcox, 61

The stars of Quadrophenia celebrated the 40th anniversary of the cult classic last month at Coventry’s Comic Con. And now Leslie Ash, 59, was spotted on set of To Be Someone, a follow-up based on the original, in Stevenage earlier this week alongside her co-star Toyah Willcox, 61, who were both clad in threads inspired-by yesteryear. Men Behaving Badly star Leslie, who played Steph in the 1979 drama, slipped into a monochrome houndstooth mini dress and wrapped up in a padded black jacket in between takes.

Following Leslie’s lead, Toyah, who played Monkey in the original, looked chic in a maroon floral midi dress, which she teamed with a pink pointed pump. The eighties singer, who is set to play Bunny in the new installment, continued her retro-inspired appearance with a pair of cat-eye black shades and worked her shoulder-length hair into a sleek style.

Also filming on set was Mark Wingett, who played Dave in the original, while surprisingly Dr Alex George was seen on set, clad in his sixties-inspired wardrobe.

• Continue reading at the Daily Mail.

• Official Toyah: Toyah To be Honoured On The Birmingham Walk Of Stars: Toyah Willcox and Don Maclean are to be honoured with a star on Birmingham’s Walk of Stars in Broad Street. The pair will be awarded their stars during a special show hosted by Walk of Stars’ chairman Jasper Carrott at the Birmingham Rep from 2.30pm on Sunday 11 December (Photo © Official Toyah) – Continue reading…

• The Edinburgh Reporter: Paul Young chats to the Edinburgh Reporter about 80s Invasion Tour: Due to overwhelming public demand after this year’s hugely successful run, the ‘80’s Invasion’ tour is back in 2017 with four iconic artists from the decade performing on the same bill. The new line-up features Paul Young – one of the most popular solo artists from the era, legendary pop punk princess Toyah, Liverpool’s finest guitar duo China Crisis and for the first time performing in the UK in over 25 years, flying in especially from the USA the gorgeous Martika! – Continue reading…

• Live 2016: Toyah @ Twitter: “SpikesSASBand sounded awesome in rehearsals yesterday” – Continue reading…

• Star Magazine: Leslie Ash returning to Quadrophenia ‘follow-up’ – report: Quadrophenia star Leslie Ash is reportedly returning to star in a ‘follow-up’ to the mods and rockers movie classic – Earlier this year it was revealed that To Be Someone, a new film featuring Quadrophenia stars Phil Daniels and Toyah Willcox, would begin filming in 2016 – Continue reading…

The official promotional images/posters for three forthcoming films Toyah has roles in have recently been made available: #SwipeRight, Extremis, Lies We Tell. As well as these Toyah will also feature in Kaleidoscope Man, Hound and To Be Someone.

• #SwipeRight is a psychological thriller film based on a internet dating app. Do you really know who you let into your life when you swipe right? Toyah will have a cameo in this new British horror film directed by Jane Sanger and produced by Lumino Films.

• Toyah acts in a cameo in the British thriller Extremis, written and directed by Steve Stone. The film poster for this was released for this recently whilst a release date is to be confirmed. Toyah also performs the new, original song Our Hearts Still Beat (Willcox / Darlow) for the film’s end titles.

• Toyah appears as the wife of Harvey Keitel in the forthcoming 2016 film release Lies We Tell, directed by Mitu Misra. The film poster has just also been released for the Bradford Film Associates International production which stars Gabriel Byrne and Emily Atack.

News/Info Source: Official Toyah / Breaking Through – Official Newsletter.

The modern mods: Cast of Quadrophenia reunite for a NEW film 37 years on that will pick up where the classic original left off, with Jimmy riding his scooter off a cliff

• Quadrophenia, made in 1979, was based on real events in Brighton in 1964
• Phil Daniels played Jimmy, a mod, caught up in tribal violence with rockers
• The film ends with Jimmy apparently riding a Vespa off a clifftop
• But Peter Meadows’ book To Be Someone picks up the action later
• Jimmy has survived and the novel follows him through to the 1990s
• Toyah Willcox says her character, Monkey, has become a swinging cougar

Phil Daniels, Toyah Willcox and several other actors who appeared in the cult film Quadrophenia are due to reprise their roles in a sequel 37 years later, based on the book To Be Someone. Daniels, now 57, Willcox, 58, and two of the other members of the original cast, Mark Wingett, 55, and Trevor Laird, 58, are said to be keen to take part in the film, which will be directed by Ray Burdis, who directed gangster film The Wee Man.

• Continue reading at the Daily Mail.

Production to Begin on Sequel to the Who’s ‘Quadrophenia’ Film

This summer, production will begin on To Be Someone, a sequel to the 1979 film adaptation of the Who‘s rock opera Quadrophenia. The movie, which will be directed by Ray Burdis, is expected to be released next year.

NME reports that the plot is based on a 2011 novel of the same name by Peter Meadows that was inspired by the characters in the movie. Phil Daniels and Toyah Willcox are reprising their roles as Jimmy and Monkey, and sees where they are at in their lives decades removed from the mods vs. rockers battles of the mid-’60s.

• Continue reading at Ultimate Classic Rock.

British mod movie Quadrophenia sequel is being made – 37 years after the original

A sequel to the iconic British mod movie Quadrophenia is being made – 37 years after the original.

The new film will star many of the same cast members as the 1979 cult hit – singer Toyah Willcox, 58, Mark Wingett, 55, Phil Daniels, 57 and Trevor Laird, 58, and will start filming in London this summer.

The era-defining 1979 film adaptation of The Who’s rock opera, which also starred Leslie Ash, 56, Sting, 64, and Ray Winstone, 59, documented the infamous clashes between rival gangs of mods on their scooters and rockers on motorbikes terrorising seaside resort Brighton with violent fighting.

The follow-up is set in the present-day and based on the book To Be Someone, by Peter Meadows, which was inspired by the original movie – and will be directed by Ray Burdis, who made The Wee Man and The Krays, with his company Archangel productions.

• Continue reading at The Mirror.

Over the years – almost 25 years now!! – I’ve occasionally posted here about cover versions of Toyah songs, and here’s the latest… Now some may think this is a little outlandish but there’s no denying this is someone who knows their Toyah songs and the importance of an eye-catching image! A riot of colour for Four From 1981!

Homes Under The Hammer’s Dion Dublin says ‘I’m out of a job’ as ’80s music legend co-hosts show

Cue the music of the 1980s and the Toyah puns as the BBC show steps back in time

It’s no mystery that BBC’s Homes Under the Hammer is one of the most popular property programmes on TV – it’s been on for 20 years and has been celebrating this landmark anniversary by inviting celebrity fans onto the show to co-host a visit to an auction property.

Presenter and retired professional footballer Dion Dublin’s invited guest to a three-bed, semi-detached house on the outskirts of Birmingham was 1980s pop legend Toyah Wilcox, who was born less than 20 minutes away from the property in Rubery that went to auction with a guide price of £49,000.

Dion was over-excited, not because he managed to find a way to weave a football gag or reference into the show, but because he was joined by someone he really admires. He said: “You are not going to want to miss this! Sit tight, tea and toast on the lap, and you’re going to love it. You can call her a pop icon, you can call her a punk icon, but I’m just going to call her – I’m so excited – a music icon.”

• Continue reading at Wales Online. See also The Sun.

Incredibly sad that hedgehogs are on the Endangered Red List :(

Toyah has a hedgehog doodle up for auction in aid of Hope for Hedgehogs. Take a look at Hope for hedgehogs. See Toyah’s video on this at Facebook.

#hogdoodle is a collection of hedgehog doodles drawn by well known authors, illustrators, comedians, musicians and celebrities.

Each #hogdoodle is in itself a bespoke one off piece of art created by someone amazing.

#Hogdoodle aims to raise vital funds to support Hope for hedgehogs in their work looking after sick and injured hedgehogs and rehabilitating them back into the wild.

Hedgehogs are on the ‘red list’ as an animal vulnerable to extinction and the reason why so much devotion is given to helping these beautiful creatures. Hope for hedgehogs also aim to promote educational information about our impact upon the hedgehogs natural habitat and how we can support them in the wild.

• Visit Hope for hedgehogs, here, to see Toyah’s and all the other hedgehog drawings & doodles.

“It’s a worldwide phenomenon!” Toyah reveals that talks have begun to make Toyah and Robert’s Sunday Lunch: The Movie a reality

Who’s ready for Toyah and Robert Fripp’s Sunday Lunch on the ‘silver screen’?

Toyah has revealed that discussions have begun on making a movie of the hugely popular YouTube series Sunday Lunch she hosts with her partner, Robert Fripp.

The series, which sees the former punk heroine and King Crimson’s leader cover songs from their kitchen in Pershore, Worcestershire, started life during lockdown, and has grown into a “phenomenon”, according to the singer. There are currently 147 videos filed under the Sunday Lunch banner.

Toyah made the revelation while speaking to eonmusic’s Eamon O’Neill ahead of her performance at Rewind South in Henley-on-Thames in August.

On how the YouTube series has taken off, Toyah says, “Sunday Lunch came about because we posted one clip, 28 seconds, something like 19th of April 2020, and we had 100,000 replies within five minutes from people who were just desperate, absolutely desperate. They were on their own. They were in lockdown. They didn’t know when they’d be able to leave their apartments, and we, Robert and I realised that this was at that particular time, a very lonely and frightened world. So we decided to keep posting, and it grew from there.

• Continue reading at Classic Rock/Louder. See also: Ultimate Classic Rock, Loudwire, Brave Words, Metal Sucks.

• Toyah At Home: I Believe In Father Christmas – Watch… • Robert At Home: Episode 19 – Watch… • Toyah & Robert: Upbeat Moments Of The Week! – Watch… • Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch – Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree – Watch…

Press for Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch – This week covering Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree – Originally recorded in 1958 and currently in the UK Top 10 right now! (Image © Toyah Willcox)

• NME: Toyah and Robert Fripp cover festive classic ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree’: The couple tackle a holiday classic for the latest in their long string of cover videos – Continue…

• Classic Rock/Louder: Can someone please go check that Toyah and Robert Fripp are ok, because honestly, we worry sometimes: Toyah and Robert are at it again, “it” in this instance, involving the use of whipped cream – Continue…

• Brooklyn Vegan: Watch Toyah & Robert Fripp cover “Rockin Around The Christmas Tree” – Continue…

• Far Out: Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp share punk cover of ‘Rockin Around The Christmas Tree’ – Continue…

• Brave Words: Robert Fripp & Toyah Perform “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” In New Kitchen Video – Continue…

• Ultimate Guitar: Watch: Robert Fripp and Toyah Cover ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ in Time for the Holidays: With whipped cream aplenty – Continue…

• Guitar World: Robert Fripp and Toyah get in the festive spirit with this oh-so-ridiculous cover of Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree: The King Crimson man injects some powerchords into the Christmas classic, while Toyah pours shaving cream on his head – Continue…

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

A four star review of the Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! reissue, by Classic Pop magazine. The CD+DVD and colour vinyl is released on Friday 13th May, and can be pre-ordered here.

One of the most tantalising of promised releases in the ongoing Toyah reissue campaign. Cherry Red have thankfully done what fans hoped in overhauling the band’s 1980 live album. A word-of-mouth phenomenon that eventually went silver, the concert from famed Wolverhampton 600-capacity Club Lafayette has added its three missing songs including the electrifying, She.

While Toyah Willcox was soon to brilliantly distil her energy into a poppier world, her band’s original chaos is captured fantastically in an anarchic performance, brought further to life on five tracks filmed on the accompanying bonus DVD, notably a feral Insects.

The DVD also includes the long overdue official release of the ITV documentary Toyah from the same year, which shadowed the singer. For someone who was yet to have a chart hit, it was a commendably prescient programme, though the young Toyah was so magnetic that she was gold dust for anyone curious enough to tune in.

The doc works as cultural history, too, with footage of Toyah’s Battersea home showing it was possible for struggling musicians to turn a London warehouse into a thriving artistic community on the cheap 40 years ago. What could have been dingy chaos crackles with magnetism, both on audio and visual.

• Classic Pop, Issue 75 May/June 2022, is on sale now! (Thanks to Minna)