‘Flexipop!’ was brilliant! If it wasn’t for the early ’80s magazine we might never have heard Sphinx or For You… Here’s an interview with Toyah (including a photo with the infamous bunny ears!) from one of the magazine’s final issues in late 1982: Seven days with pop star, bunny lover and trainee accountant TOYAH. Click below to read. View all of our recent retro Toyah press articles & interviews here. (Thanks again to Andi)
• View a 2010 Guardian article on ‘Flexipop!’. Visit Dark Neon for more from the FP! archives.
Andrew York has restored some previously posted photos, including creating a full Toyah image from the 1980 Smirnoff advert. Great work as always by Andrew. View all of our recent Andrew-related news posts. Please click on each preview below to view larger versions.
• Bongorama: It’s Slade: 1999 BBC1 documentary on Slade. Just uploaded to ‘You Tube’ in five parts. Includes Toyah reminiscing about being a fan in the 70s.
• Vintage TV: Everyone here at Vintage TV is delighted to learn that one of our favourite presenters, Toyah Willcox, is being honoured by her home town of King’s Heath with the first-ever star on their Walk of Fame. Huge congratulations Toyah!
• Toyah on TV: Two upcoming tv appearances to look forward to: The Janice Long Review Show will air on a Sunday evening, late July or August on ‘Vintage TV’. Pointless Celebrities was recorded a few months ago and will air on a Saturday evening on ‘BBC1’. More precise info on both when known.
• Toyah @ Twitter: Toyah tweeted from the ‘Rock & Bike Fest’ yesterday: “Having fab day @ Rock n’ Bike Fest. having fun with security….teasing them big time“, and today: “Wild n’ fantastic day at Rock n’ Bike Fest. Got to sing with The Sweet, then shaved a ladies head for charity! how often does that happen!”
Our five most recent specials have been added to Dreamscape | Features: The Stevie Bray Interview; Melissa Mailer-Yates Q&A; Toyah: Thru A Photographer’s Eye; The Changeling Resurrection 2012: Live Review have joined dozens of other Toyah features, created over the last 13 years, at Toyah.Net!
The cover for the forthcoming Region A/1 Blu-ray release of Derek Jarman’s The Tempest has been made available. The Blu-ray edition, remastered by Kino International, will be released on 7th August.
The photo used, of Toyah as Miranda, is the same iconic shot used on the Region 1 DVD release from the early 2000s. A different photo is used on the Region 2 release. There’s no word on when, or if, there will be a European Blu-ray release of The Tempest.
SYNOPSIS: Shot on location at the ancient and ghostly Stoneleigh Abbey, The Tempest tells the story of Prospero the magician, who lives with his nubile daughter on an enchanted island and punishes his enemies when they are shipwrecked there. It’s a study of sexual and political power in the guise of a fairy tale. Jarman presents Shakespeare’s intricate comedy of magic and revenge in a form that is at once faithful to the spirit of the play and an original and dazzling spectacle mixing Hollywood pastiche, high camp, and gothic horror. His film recalls the innocent homoeroticism of Pasolini’s versions of classics, while its lush sense of decor and color is worthy of Minnelli. Remastered in HD and available for the first time on Blu-ray!
BONUS FEATURES: Three short films by Derek Jarman: ”A Journey To Avebury”, ”Garden Of Luxor” and ”Art Of Mirrors”, trailers and more.
“Full of magic and surprises…the most truly spectacular British film in years.” – The London Times
Celebrating Toyah’s induction as the very first star on the King’s Heath Walk of Fame comes a very special, intimate homecoming gig in the Hare & Hounds. This one-off concert with Toyah’s full band is a true celebration of Toyah’s roots in her hometown on the day her star is unveiled on the King’s Heath Walk of Fame.
Touring to great acclaim for the past 18 months Toyah has been revisiting material not performed for thirty years.
• Continue reading at Live Brum | View all of our King’s Heath Walk Of Fame news.
Three more photos of Toyah from the archives (and the 80s!!). 1. The final date of the ‘Good Morning Universe’ European Tour 1981 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane; 2. A rare shot of Toyah during ‘The Changeling Tour’ 1982; 3. A serene looking Toyah during the hectic days of Trafford Tanzi at the Mermaid Theatre, 1983. Click on each to zoom. (Thanks to Andi & Lärwi)
The Wayne’s Asylum Toyah Special, which aired last night on ‘Switch Radio’, is now available in full at Mix Cloud.
The 75-minute Toyahfest can be listened to online or downloaded. Toyah talks her career, the King’s Heath Walk Of Fame, future plans and much more.
Listen to the full interview, plus all 15 songs played, here! (Thanks again to Wayne)
Toyah makes her third consecutive appearance at the Rock & Bike Fest today. In 2010 she was part of the headlining Vampires Rock show, while last year she compered and also guest performed with Stone. This year she is again compering and will also play a couple of songs with The Sweet. Here are a few memories from the last three years at the ‘Rock & Bike Fest’. Click below for full details on this year’s festival.
Toyah will be interviewed on ‘BBC WM’ at around 8.30am on Monday. Pete Morgan @ Breakfast airs at this time, so presumably the interview will be part of this show.
Toyah will receive her star at her induction to the the “Walk Of Fame” York Road, King’s Heath at 11.30am. It will be presented by Bev Bevan, followed by a celebratory lunch in Kings Heath. The Homecoming gig at the Hare and Hounds takes place on Monday evening. Doors open at 7.30pm. (Thanks to Colette Timothy)
Thanks to Wayne Evans for a fantastic Toyah Special. A great interview and so good to hear all those legendary Toyah songs on the radio! The full playlist was: Elusive Stranger; Ieya; Angel & Me; Blue Meanings; Street Creature; Brave New World; Victims Of The Riddle; Race Through Space; Danced; It’s A Mystery; Jungles Of Jupiter; We Are; I Want To Be Free; Latex Messiah (Viva La Rebel In You); These Boots Are Made For Walkin’.
A few news snippets gleaned from the interview: Toyah also revealed there are four new songs already written and she will be getting together with Simon Darlow to work on a new album. There will also be a new image for the Autumn ‘Changeling Resurrection II’ tour, and the third Humans album will be recorded in Seattle in September. The 60-date tour for next year, mentioned by Toyah in a press interview last week is a “Rock with Laughter” comedy tour, with Toyah providing the music.
Look out for a full transcript of the interview at ‘The Toyah Willcox Interview Archive’ soon.
Rebel Run, Victims Of The Riddle, Blue Meanings, Elusive Stranger, Latex Messiah (Viva La Rebel In You) and Little Tears Of Love have all been confirmed for the setlist(s) at this Monday’s Hare & Hounds gig.
The latter five won’t feature on the Autumn ‘Changeling Resurrection II’ tour and are being performed exclusively on Monday evening as part of the special 2-set retrospective gig. (News Source: Official Toyah Facebook)
Just an hour to go until the Wayne’s Asylum Toyah Special airs on Switch Radio. 15 Toyah classics plus an exclusive interview with the Homecoming Queen prior to being the first ‘King’s Heath Walk Of Fame’ inductee on Monday! Listen online live by clicking below…
PREVIEW: Toyah Willcox – Walk of Fame presentation & concert @ Hare & Hounds, July 16th
Musician, songwriter, actress and author, Toyah Willcox is one of Birmingham’s best known contemporaries.
And on Monday July 16th, Toyah will be the first person celebrated on King Heath’s Walk of Fame, with her memorial star being presented on York Road – before a one off concert at the Hare & Hounds.
Born in Kings Heath, growing up in the family house on Grove Road, Toyah Willcox is a self confessed enemy of convention. Reportedly suffering bullying at school, due to her limp (from a spine defect at birth) and lisp, Toyah turned the tables one day, when she ‘got into class, picked up chair and threw it at the main bully.’
After school, Toyah worked to pay her way through drama school; where a chance referral saw her as ‘Sue’ – in Tony Bicat’s short play ‘Glitter’. From there Toyah was picked for a place at the National Theatre, where she met Derek Jarman – first appearing as ‘Mad’ in his seminal punk film, ‘Jubilee’.
• Continue reading at Birmingham Review.
Someone has, just today, uploaded the full HQ Rock In The City Toyah Special, from 1981, to You Tube. A 30-minute programme filmed at Toyah’s Ulster Hall, Belfast gig: Setlist: Race Through Space, Angels & Demons, It’s A Mystery, Indecision, Danced, It’s A Mystery (again), plus an interview with Toyah! Click below to watch. View larger versions of the caps here.
NB: Screen caps not taken from the YT upload. These are my originals first posted years ago!
• Had some lovely feedback on the recent Classic Toyah photos and articles I’ve been adding. As someone said: “it’s good to mix the old with the new”. Toyah has such a rich and vast career history so delving into it is a good idea (I think!). There are more press & photos to come, including larger versions of the photos to the right. (Thanks to Andi Westhorpe for making so many Toyah goodies available | Thanks also to Andrew York)
• Toyah and Robert were filmed all day yesterday for a BBC documentary on the tradition of marriage. Mr Fripp even agreed to be interviewed for the docu!! (News Source: Official Toyah Twitter)
• On a personal note: I’d just like to say a huge congratulations to Toyah on her induction into the King’s Heath Walk Of Fame. I grew up reading interviews with Toyah talking about her early life and teenage years in King’s Heath. How exciting for her to be honoured by her hometown. I’m sure Monday will be a great day and a proud moment for Toyah!
The Wayne’s Asylum Toyah Special airs this evening on Switch Radio.
As well as Wayne’s exclusive interview there will also be 15 Toyah songs, hit singles and album tracks, played through the show, so this really isn’t to be missed!
A great way to kick off the build-up to Monday’s ‘King’s Heath Walk Of Fame’ induction and the Hare & Hounds gig. Listen online from 7pm.
The winning songs in the ‘Walk Of Fame’ setlist vote, both of which will be played at next Monday’s Hare & Hounds gig, are Blue Meanings and Elusive Stranger.
From VICTIMS OF THE RIDDLE to LATEX MESSIAH via BRAVE NEW WORLD… this gig promises to be a very special night for Toyah fans. An unmissable concert with classic album tracks, singles, b-sides & rarely performed tracks. Tickets are available here.
IT’S NO MYSTERY
Toyah Willcox will be going back to her roots with a full band performance at the Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath on Monday (7.30pm). The Walk of Fame concert will include two sets spanning Toyah’s punk beginnings…
• Continue reading at the Birmingham Mail.
Yet another rare retro Toyah interview. This one is from ‘Rock Star News’ in 1980 and it’s vaguely bizarre. Definitely “of its time” but still an interesting read. Toyah talks ‘The Blue Meaning’, death dreams, her teenage years and more. Click below to read. View all of our recent retro Toyah press articles & interviews here. (Thanks again to Andi)
It’s the most exciting date on the Fylde calendar! Cuffe & Taylor present the Lytham Proms Festival Weekend from Friday 3rd – Sunday 5th August.
Friday is the ultimate pop party with Here and Now – The Very Best of the 80s. DJ Pat Sharp will kick off an incredible line up of acts including Rick Astley, The Real Thing, Belinda Carlisle, Toyah, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Bananarama and T’Pau.
• Continue reading at Radio Wave 96.5fm | View more Lytham Proms news.
