Photos of The Humans onstage, on the final US ‘Sugar Rush’ date, at the Highline Ballroom, NYC earlier this week. Please click on each for a larger version. These photos, and more, have has also been added to the 2010 – gallery page. (Thanks to Alec Kelly for these great NYC photos)
A great new interview with Bill Rieflin from NPR Music’s ‘The Record’.
Talking Shop With Bill Rieflin, Journeyman Musician
This is a songs-oriented record, but the instrumentation is unusual. Explain why you decided to be a singer and two basses (augmented by other things, including Robert Fripp’s guitar).
The fact is, I didn’t decide anything. It was all Toyah’s doing. For some reason, out of the blue, she asked if I wanted to play bass with a new project. After recovering from the sheer confoundment and confusion, I said, “OK.” I had no idea why she would want a drummer to play bass. The concept of voice and two bassists as the musical core of the group is solely hers. Being that it’s her vision, I can’t exactly tell you the “why” except to say that, as a singer, I’m told, it’s much nicer to sing without having to fight over guitars and drums eating up all the frequencies they eat up. From this basic trio grows further augmentation and adornment. As the producer, I will usually fill in where I see fit, adding musical highlights and emphases. Plus, it gives me an opportunity to show off. Robert joined us on this record as a continuation of touring we did together last year, so this was a natural step.
• Read the full interview with Bill at the ‘NPR Music’ website, here.
The Humans Deliver Music As Their Own Art Form at Highline Ballroom
… Around the second to last song of the set, Toyah exclaimed, “It’s getting close to the end of my set and I don’t want it to end!” I’m sure they could have played for longer, but all good things come to an end, and when the band walked off the stage the applause didn’t stop. “More!” a crowd member yelled. The Humans hopped back up on the stage and played their rendition of “These Boots are Made for Walkin’” to unquestionable approval, before humbly bowing and grinning, then ducking back into the green room for good.
• Read the full review at the ‘Best New Bands’ website, here | Photo © Kelly Knapp.
After 32 years as a singer, Toyah Willcox plays her first-ever show in New York City. Ms. Willcox’s personal set list for the evening (provided by An Official), transcribed…
The physical Sugar Rush CD album will be available to buy from all dates of the band’s Sugar Rush UK Tour and to buy online from the Burning Shed www.burningshed.com webstore. Those buying the UK/Worldwide physical edition of the album (for the tour dates or from Burning Shed) will find a code inside the album which allows access to download three live tracks for free, all recorded at Scala London in February 2010.
The digital edition of the album will also be released worldwide (excluding USA/Canada) via iTunes, Amazon MP3, Play.com and all major digital music vendors from Sunday 2 October 2011. The (non-US/CAN) digital edition features the full 13-track studio album with an additional two live bonus tracks from the Scala London concert in addition to an exclusive Digital Artwork Booklet.
• Digital Edition Bonus Tracks (ROW Digital releases only, not US/Canada)
Available from iTunes / Amazon MP3 / Play,com / 7digital
14. Sugar Rush (Live at Scala London) [Digital Bonus Track]
15. Noise In Your Head (Live at Scala London) [Digital Bonus Track]
• THE HUMANS / LIVE AT SCALA LONDON EP
Free to download when buying physical CD (code inside CD)
1. Labyrinth (Live at Scala London)
2. Is It Wrong (Live at Scala London)
3. Put A Woman On The Moon (Live at Scala London)
Toyah onstage and post show after The Humans’ NYC gig at the Highline Ballroom last night. The photo below right has also been added to the 2010 – gallery page. Steve Riley, pictured with Toyah, said of the gig: What an amazing night, the sound was incredible, Toyah looked fantastic and her voice was better than ever. The Sugar Rush album is brilliant and seeing the Humans live is even better, I highly recomend both. Truly a night to remember. (Thanks to Steve for the great photo)
The Humans have been omnipresent at the ‘Time Out New York’ website over the last few days:
Live Preview: The Humans + Adrian Belew and Tony Levin: Associates of King Crimson’s Robert Fripp hold court in NYC.
Things To Do: Tuesday’s Must See Concerts: The Humans at Highline Ballroom: A veritable supergroup, the Humans are fronted by new-wave cult singer Toyah Willcox, and feature Bill Rieflin of the recently-disbanded R.E.M. However, it’s the guitar work of Robert Fripp – Willcox’s husband – that makes the greatest impression on the group’s new album Sugar Rush.
Music/Nightlife: The Humans + Kid Savant: Though the Humans are fronted by English new-wave cult singer Toyah Willcox and feature stellar work from two instrumentalists, bassist Chris Wong and multi-instrumentalist Bill Rieflin (who plays drums in R.E.M. but mostly sticks to bass here), the sound of King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp – Willcox’s husband, as it happens – is unmistakable on the group’s new sophomore album, Sugar Rush. Will Fripp make a cameo here? Don’t hold your breath, but don’t stay away on his account, either.
THE HUMANS ANNOUNCE WORLDWIDE RELEASE OF SUGAR RUSH ALBUM
THE HUMANS – Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin, Chris Wong – release their second full length album SUGAR RUSH on 27 Sept in USA/Canada on The End Records and in the rest of the world on 2 October 2011 on Toyah’s own Vertical Species label. The 13-track album has already received critical acclaim, with a 4-star review proclaiming it “a hybrid of haunting and sweet, this album intrigues from start to finish”.
• Sugar Rush is available now in USA/Canada on physical CD and digital download.
• Sugar Rush is available to rest of world on physical CD from www.burningshed.com, at gigs on UK tour and digitally from 2 October.
Read the full news article at The Humans Official website, here or Toyah’s Official website, here.
The Humans have made that record we might have gotten if Tori Amos and Trent Reznor had ever come together for a full album in the late-nineties. Maybe a bit dated, slightly disjointed for sure, but nonetheless a fun listen. Sugar Rush is the group’s second release, and it is a big one. This record sound like it could have escaped from the John Cale archives.
With the attitude of Tori Amos’ best work (but not the raw emotion), Toyah’s voice lays over these compositions that sound almost like Trent Reznor on The Fragile. The result is a record that feels slightly out of time, and comes with the necessary incongruities that come from such a melding.
• Read the full review at the ‘Earbuddy’ website, here.
Catch The Humans at Highline Ballroom Tonight
The Humans are something of a supergroup, being composed of Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin (R.E.M.), and Chris Wong (and yes, that is Robert Fripp on the left in the photo, who contributed guitar on the record). Toyah formed the experimental rock group in 2007 after being invited to tour Estonia by the Estonian Ambassador, and now they are in the midst of their first US tour in support of their sophomore album Sugar Rush. Their music has been described as “European experimental meets West Coast American grunge with overarching avant-garde and filmic qualities,” due to their composition of Toyah’s powerful voice backed by two bassists. Their performance at Highline Ballroom tonight is for sure one worth checking out.
The Humans play the fourth, and final, date of the US ‘Sugar Rush’ tour tonight at the Highline Ballroom in NYC.
The US dates have went incredibly well: Toyah has tweeted along the way: “Portland awesome, this band really rocks. Sooo looking 4ward to more“, “The Humans at Highline Ballroom NY…..critic’s choice for best show on 27th sept” and “On route 84 to Philadelphia. Shows really good, audiences really get the concept“.
To Alec, who has travelled a long way to see The Humans and Toyah, and to Jimi, who has waited a long time to see Toyah play live in New York… Have a great time tonight!!
The Humans played the first US live gig of the ‘Sugar Rush’ tour last night at Portland’s Empire Dine & Dance.
Toyah has been tweeting this week during rehearsals and the dress run, including her feelings on the first time she has ever played live in the US: “This is it! My first ever USA performance! I’m actually shaking!“.
Follow Toyah at Twitter to stay updated on The Humans’ American adventures.
View a photo from this week’s rehearsals, at Toyah’s Official Facebook, here. The Humans second US date is tonight at Church of Boston, Boston MA.
• More US press coverage for The Humans, from ‘Boston Herald/The Edge’: Gigs: Music for your weekend. View here.
The Humans (featuring Toyah Willcox) with The Army of Broken Toys at Church of Boston tomorrow night!
There’s so much about Toyah Ann Willcox I never knew. I was familiar with this wild-haired, exotically dressed creature from another planet that was pretty much the norm in the 1980s, though her voice set her apart. I remember her album, The Changeling, released in 1982. It was dark, gothic and sensuous, and a staple of my musical diet at the time. But I had no idea that she was also deeply immersed in an acting career – stage plays, film and television – since the mid ‘70s. She worked with Derek Jarman on his punk film Jubilee and The Tempest, and in 1979’s Quadrophenia. She appeared with Katharine Hepburn in the made-for-television movie The Corn is Green, and in many live theatrical roles. At the same time, she fronted a few bands before embarking on a solo music career in 1985.
• View the full article at ‘The Boston Survival Guide’ website, here.
THE HUMANS KICK OFF FIRST US TOUR & RELEASE NEW ALBUM
The Humans kick off their first ever American East Coast live dates with the Sugar Rush Tour, starting at Portland’s Empire Dine & Dance on Saturday 24 September. The tour continues to Boston, Philadelphia and New York City. The live outing sees Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin and Chris Wong, with guest Igor Zarbzan, present material from the new album Sugar Rush. Keep checking Toyah’s official twitter feed for reports from the Sugar Rush US Tour.
• Read the full news article at The Humans Official website, here or Toyah’s Official website, here.
More American press coverage for The Humans.
Face the Music: Humans, Space, Nirvana: the best of all worlds: There is a lot of music on tap this week – from Brown Bird to The Humans.
The Humans are a three-piece experimental rock band made up of Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin and Chris Wong. The group came to be in 2007, and dig this: The Humans consist of a voice and two bass players. That’s it, though you may hear some programmed drum beats or guest guitar during the live show.
Here’s a quick anatomy lesson: Willcox is an English singer and actress who’s released 22 studio albums, written two books, and has appeared in 40 stage plays and 10 feature films. Translation: She’s a legend. Rieflin is a multi-instrumentalist whose most recent gig was as drummer for R.E.M. He’s also worked with Robyn Hitchcock, Swans, Ministry and Nine Inch Nails, just to name a few bands. Wong is a professional guitarist, bassist, arranger, orchestrator, composer and musical director. Dare I call The Humans a supergroup? If the shoe fits
The Humans. 9 p.m. Saturday. Empire Dine and Dance, 575 Congress St., Portland. $8, $10. Ages 21 and older. portlandempire.com
US music journalist, writer and huge Toyah supporter, Jimi Lalumia interviewed Toyah last week ahead of The Humans’ US shows.
Jimi was instrumental in getting ‘Thunder In The Mountains’ and ‘Rebel Run’ played, in light rotation, on MTV back in the early 80s. He told Toyah about this and she said she was completely unaware of it. MTV’s Acquisition’s Manager at the time, Roberta Kruger, loved the videos and there was even talk of Toyah being interviewed for the music station. A missed opportunity but the video plays did help to build what became The North American Toyah Fanclub.
Toyah revealed that the band had been set to play The Academy Of Music on 14th Street in downtown NYC around the time of ‘The Changeling’ being released in 1982, but unfortunately this didn’t happen.
Jimi and Toyah also talked about Safari Records, Wayne/Jayne County, Miles Copeland and that ‘Fallen’ could be a hit in Manhattan’s “big gay dance clubs”.
Toyah feels ‘Sugar Rush’ is more accessible than ‘We Are The Humans’ and is looking forward to playing the US dates. She also said she would love to return for a Toyah proper gig, if only in NYC.
• Thanks to Jimi Lalumia | Visit The Humans’ Official website, here, for details on all the dates of the ‘Sugar Rush’ tour.
A great review, from ‘Everything But Urban’, of ‘Sugar Rush’, the forthcoming second album by The Humans.
Review: The Humans – Sugar Rush
The Humans’ new 13-track album, Sugar Rush, is experimental, edgy in the simplest of ways, and nothing you can ready yourself for. It’s the musical equivalent of a drive through a part of town you’ve never seen, and just when you think you’ve got the area figured out, you pass a sign welcoming you to the nearby town with restaurants of a different vibe, and even the sky looks a bit different. But don’t consider driving back now, because you’re on a one-way and the scenery stays intriguing.
• Read the full review at the ‘Everything But Urban’ website, here.
Below Right: The new official promo flyer/poster for The Humans ‘Sugar Rush’ UK tour dates. This also confirms that the album of the same name will be released digitally on 2nd October. Click below to view a larger version of the flyer/poster at The Humans official website.
Three more dates for the forthcoming transatlantic tour by The Humans were announced yesterday, in Portland, Sheffield and Glasgow.
Portland is now the first American date, on Saturday 24th September at Empire Dine and Dance, and Glasgow is the final date, on Tuesday 11th October at, groovy, King Tuts.
THE HUMANS sugar rush tour 2011: Full Dates:
Saturday 24th September: Empire Dine & Dance: Portland, USA
Sunday 25th September: Church of Boston: Boston, MA, USA
Monday 26th September: The World Café: Philadelphia, PA, USA
Tuesday 27th September: Highline Ballroom: New York, NY, USA
Tuesday 4th October: Ruby Lounge: Manchester, UK
Wednesday 5th October: Clwb Ifor Bach: Cardiff, UK
Thursday 6th October: Bush Hall: London, UK
Saturday 8th October: Flowerpot: Derby, UK
Sunday 9th October: The Public: West Bromwich, UK
Monday 10th October: Corporation: Sheffield, UK
Tuesday 11th October: King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut: Glasgow, UK
For full ticket links visit www.thehumansofficial.com
The Humans are an innovative, three-piece contemporary rock band comprised of Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin, and Chris Wong. The group, a brainchild of Toyah Willcox, brings together three lifetimes of musical experience, experimentation and craftsmanship.
Pop diva and actress Toyah Willcox has had an extraordinary career in the British music scene, moving between post- ’77 English punk opportunism, the new wave underground, pop stardom, mature experimentalism and post-pop music and theater….
