Previously available, and definitely worth another look! Random Toyah songwords: Sphinx; Dreamscape; Lion of Symmetry; Symbiotic. Please click on each to view larger versions.
Also available: The complete songwords for Four More From Toyah, and The Changeling (+ Paradise Child). Plus the ‘From Sheep Farming To Anthem’ set: Computer; Elusive Stranger; Bird in Flight; Blue Meanings; Love Me; Obsolete; For You.
Florence & The Machine’s ‘Spectrum’ is on course to enter the UK Top 40 at number one this Sunday. If it does so it will be the band’s first. Florence’s image, and the imagery used in the accompanying promo video, is very Toyahesque (with a smidge of Kate Bush too).
The fifth monthly online live track has been added to Toyah’s official website. It’s ‘Demolition Men’, recorded live at Ropetackle Arts Centre in October 2011, on the ‘From Sheep Farming To Anthem’ tour.
Toyah’s official website will be offering visitors exclusive live tracks each month as Toyah’s summer festival/concert dates and The Changeling Resurrection II approach. At the beginning of each month an exclusive live track recorded from Toyah’s extensive 2011 tour dates will feature on the Gigs page.
The live tracks will be available to listen to for a limited time only with a new track replacing it each month. These live tracks are a taster for a special live album release planned for digital release in autumn/winter of 2012.
• Listen to ‘Demolition Men’, live at Ropetackle Arts Centre, here | View news on the previous live tracks here (these are no longer available).
It’s now confirmed that Toyah will be playing at the ‘Here and Now: The Very Best Of The 80’s’ show at Glasgow Green on Saturday 21st July.
The Biggest Party On The Green This Summer. Join Rick Astley, Belinda Carlisle, Paul Young, Toyah, The Real Thing, Curiosity Killed The Cat and Carol Decker (T’Pau) at Glasgow Green.
Here And Now brings the best of the ’80s artists together for a night of nostalgia, hit after hit at Glasgow Green.
From the first Here And Now in 2001 the shows have become a runaway success and have been attended by over one million people worldwide. The Here and Now tour is stopping off at Glasgow Green this summer.
Buy tickets here | View all of our H&N Glasgow Green news.
The film airs on TV at least once every couple of months, most recently on BBC4, STV, ITV4 and Sky Indie, it’s just about to be released on Region 1 Blu-ray, and it seems to be as popular now as it was when first released 33 years ago! Quadrophenia! Here are a few rare items related to the film that I’ve spotted over the years: An advert for the soundtrack album; Japanese promo poster for the film; Japanese movie program, a car bumper sticker; and the Quadrophenia poster magazine. View a larger version of these and the full poster mag.
Another retro Toyah interview, this one from ‘Zig Zag’ magazine in mid-1980. Alan Anger follows Toyah on the first few dates of the, now legendary, ‘Ieya Tour’. It’s a really interesting read: Last time I did a feature on Toyah was in March. It was based on an interview with Miss Willcox just as she and her band began to take off outside London. Since then, Toyah have been regular chart toppers of the alternative charts, her appearance in Derek Jarman’s film of ‘The Tempest’ has received much acclaim and the band have, by now, completed a UK tour to coincide with the release of the new album, “The Blue Meaning”. Click below to read. (Thanks again to Andi)
• British comedy legend Eric Sykes passed away on 4th July. There have, of course, been numerous tributes to him and his fantastic career over the last week. A number of these have also mentioned Toyah! Why? Well, Toyah and Eric shared the distinction of being two of the three voices on the opening credits of the phenomenon that was/is Teletubbies.
• BBC America: RIP Eric Sykes: Five Of His Best Moments: Teletubbies: The first voice you hear is that of flame-haired post-punker Toyah Willcox, the second is Eric Sykes. You might want to switch off after a bit, unless you’re really into pre-literate TV. Kinda relaxing though, isn’t it…
• Music-News.com yesterday mentioned Toyah in their Learn to play with Elbow and The Charlatans at BIMM Music Summer Schools article: Incidentally, can you guess the musical link between the Foo Fighters, Toyah Willcox, Alien Sex Fiend, Ke$ha, Gwar and the cast of Glee? Yes, they all covered the title track from Alice Cooper 1972 album School’s Out.
• Lärwi’s been busy with her new All Toyah ‘You Tube’ channel. Already added are ‘Nine to Five’ by Maneaters, Sheep Farming In Barnet, Bird in Flight/Tribal Look, The Blue Meaning and all the songs from the 1981 singles It’s A Mystery and I Want To Be Free!
…on King’s Heath’s Walk of Fame
Singer and actress Toyah Willcox is to be honoured as the first star on King’s Heath’s very own Walk of Fame on York Road on Monday 16 July at 11.30 a.m. Interviewed recently on Radio WM, Toyah said “My DNA is firmly rooted in King’s Heath. Not only was I born on Grove Road, my grandfather, a construction developer, built most of the buildings there. And then my father took over the business that was then known as Willcox-Lang”. Later in the evening Toyah will play a special intimate homecoming show at the Hare & Hounds with tickets priced £15 available at www.hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk
Toyah’s induction is the latest stage in an ambitious plan to create a Walk of Fame to rival that of Hollywood. Starting last month with the unveiling of the first Musical Heritage Plate to commemorate the Ritz Ballroom, it has continued with the erection of a specially commissioned Guitar and Microphone Floral Display as part of Kings Heath’s 2012 Britain in Bloom entry. And now Toyah is to be honoured in the first pavement plaque.
• Continue reading at King’s Heath Floral Trail.
• On This Day: It feels like only yesterday but four years ago today the artwork for Toyah’s most recent studio album ‘In The Court Of The Crimson Queen’ was revealed by toyahwillcox.com. Toyah has recently said that she will be working again with Simon Darlow on a new solo album.
• Lytham Proms: Pat Sharp To Kickstart Lytham Proms!!! Toyah plays this festival which takes place between 3rd – 5th August 2012.
• Brian Aris took some incredible photos of Toyah in the early to mid 1980s. One of those shots is available to buy as a signed print.
• A recent screenshot of Toyah is included at the Track 2 website, in their “head & shoulders” section.
• Apparently there have been rumours that this year’s ‘Rock & Bike Festival’ isn’t going ahead! The official festival website says: The show is going ahead, don’t listen to those rumours!! Gates open Midday on Thursday. Toyah comperes on Saturday and guests on a couple of songs with The Sweet too!
Another Toyah article from the 80s. This one is from ‘New Chartbusters’ magazine, published in late 1980: Toyah Willcox is a very talented young lady who has achieved a much deserved reputation in both the theatre, and in such movies as Derek Jarman’s ‘Jubilee’ and ‘The Tempest’ as well as having just finished appearing in ‘Sugar and Spice’ at The Royal Court Theatre, London. Click below to read. (Thanks to Andi)
I’d always thought the photo below right, from the ‘From Sheep Farming To Anthem’ 2011 tour at Leicester Square Theatre in London, reminded me of another photo. It wasn’t until Andi recently sent me the above ‘New Chartbusters’ article that I realised which one… Toyah 1980 & 2011! Click to zoom. (Thanks to Andi & Damon King)
This fanzine, the first issue of ‘Shout!’ from 1981, recently listed on eBay appears to include two rare photos of Toyah. Difficult to tell with the smaller one but I can’t remember ever seeing the main photo. Toyah is interviewed about the break up of the band and the ATV docu!
Wayne’s Asylum Toyah Special on ‘Switch Radio’ this Friday evening…
There’s now just one week until Toyah is inducted into the King’s Heath Walk of Fame, and plays the homecoming gig at the Hare & Hounds in the town. Toyah tweeted today: “Only a week till Hare & Hound Walk OF Fame gig! I’m actually really nervous BUT V excited“.
There’s lots happening to make this a really special event for Toyah and the fans attending: Paul from PAC Photography will be taking photos of everyone at the gig (see news post below); there’s also still time to vote for your favourite song to be included in the set list(s) too.
This Friday Wayne’s Asylum on ‘Switch Radio’ will be a Toyah Special, and includes an interview with the Homecoming Queen herself! More info on that here.
• View all of our Walk of Fame/Hare & Hounds news.
To help celebrate Toyah’s unique one-off Walk Of Fame Show at The Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath, Birmingham on Monday 16 July, Paul at PAC Photography will be taking photos of everyone that attends.
These will be made into a very special mosaic which will be presented to Toyah. It will be a wonderful momento of what promises to be a very special night. Please try to arrive as close to door opening time as possible (19.30) and be a part of this wonderful evening.
Amazing, and rare, photos of Toyah from one of the band’s European gigs (most probably the Theatre Le Palace, Paris) on the ‘Good Morning Universe’ 18-date tour in December 1981. Click below to view larger versions. (Thanks again to Andi)
Rare photos of Toyah live at Torrington in 1987. This was a charity concert where Toyah performed songs from her, recently released, ‘Desire’ album and Cabaret, with Robert Fripp on guitar. Please click below to view larger versions. (Thanks to Andi)
A rare three-page interview with Toyah, plus a review of The Tempest upon receiving its first video release, from a 1982 issue of ‘Video Times’ magazine: Multi-talented singer and actress Toyah talks video, pop, films, cosmetics and big business with John Kercher. Click below to read. (Thanks to Andi for this great article)
The full, rarely seen, four-page Smirnoff advertising feature from ‘Company’ magazine in 1980.
To a gifted jewellery designer, we dedicate the Mint Gem. To a rising star, who played Miranda in The Tempest, we present the Stormy Weather cocktail…
Toyah Willcox: Star of Derek Jarman’s The Tempest, subject of an ITV documentary, founder of her own band and leading lady in a new Royal Court play, is the phenomenon of 1980. Can she continue to succeed as both a rock singer and serious actress? ‘I have the energy, so of course I can’. Of the future, the fiery redhead says quite simply: ‘I’d like to be an astronaut.’ – Dress, Bruce Oldfield; jewellery, Butler & Wilson.
NB: Valerie Robertson, also included in this feature, was the designer of the famous gold & black bangle Toyah wore in numerous photos in the early 80s. Gill Smith, also in the feature, is wearing Toyah’s famous bronze bangles!
• Click below to view a larger version of the feauture. (A huge thanks to Andi for this rarity)
• The 8 – 21 July 1982 issue of Smash Hits has been added to Like Punk Never Happened. No major Toyah content but there is a Bitz! news article on the release of the Maneaters’ ‘Nine to Five’ 7″ single (something Toyah or Adam Ant weren’t very happy about at the time).
• A couple of interesting tv related Toyah tweets this week: “Meeting head of Vintage TV 2 discuss poss series.” and “I’ve had the most bizarre tv offer of my life. If it happens it will make headlines!“.
• Lärwi, of ‘The Toyah Willcox Interview Archive’, has started a new You Tube channel dedicated to All Toyah, and following on from the recent ‘Radio Chorley’ addition to the Archive, Lärwi has also added the full transcript of the ‘BBC Radio Leicester’ Tony Wadsworth Show interview.
• The SAS Band (Spike’s All Star) have launched a re-designed website. Toyah has guested with the band in concert a number of times and is included on the “Artists” page.
• Return later today for some Toyah goodies: I’ll be adding the four-page Smirnoff feature from 1980, a couple more rare Toyah photos plus another very rare interview, this one from 1982!
A rare photo of Toyah from 1980! Plus a great shot from 1983 when she was starring in Trafford Tanzi at the Mermaid Theatre, London, and at the same time recording the ‘Love Is The Law’ album. Please click on each to zoom. View another picture from the 1980 photo session. These are the only two I know of from it! (Thanks to Michael Tyler & Andi)
