Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

• A great rare shot of Toyah, from the ‘Good Morning Universe’ European Tour, 1981, from photo website Magnolia Box. (Thanks to Lärwi)

• Alban Arena: Toyah Willcox Back At The Alban Arena!: A short article on Hormonal Housewives.

• From My Mental Library: A book review blog post that mentions that Toyah is namechecked in Jack Sheffield’s 2011 book ‘Please Sir’: A new year at Ragley-On-The-Forest school… It’s 1981, the time of Adam and the Ants, Rubik’s Cube, the Sony Walkman and the Falklands War, as head teacher Jack Sheffield returns to Ragley-on-the-Forest School for another rollercoaster year. “Rubik’s cube was selling like there was no tomorrow, girls modelled their looks on Toyah Willcox, a few daring young men began to wear black eyeliner, and the Falklands War was on the horizon.” More info on the book at Amazon.

• Digital Spy: Someone at the DS forum has started a ridiculous (if this does happen I’ll apologise for that ;)) rumour that Toyah is joining the EE cast… as an Australian! Barmy!!

Over the last couple of days we’ve been running a “Favourite Songs” from the ’Love Is The Law’ and ‘Desire’ albums poll at Dreamscape’s Facebook Group. A bit of fun and hardly definitive but an interesting current gauge of what some fans think of the songs on these great albums. Some chose two songs and others opted for related songs not on the albums, I’ve included these in the totals.

LOVE IS THE LAW: Broken Diamonds – 8, I Explode – 10, Rebel Of Love – 2, Rebel Run – 1, Martian Cowboy – 6 , Dreamscape – 5, Time Is Ours – 8, Love Is The Law – 4, Remember – 2, The Vow – 2, (To The Mountains High – 1, Haunted – 1, Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard) – 1)

DESIRE: Echo Beach – 1, Moonlight Dancing – 5, Revive The World – 4, The View – 4, Moon Migration – 2, Love’s Unkind – 2, Dear Diary – 0, Deadly As A Woman – 3, Goodbye Baby – 1. When A Woman Cries – 5, Desire – 3, (Re-Entry Into Dance – 5, Sun-Up – 2, Plenty – 1)

Toyah is mentioned as being a guest, in the line-up for the new series of RTÉ Two’s Wagon’s Den, in an article by the RTÉ Press Centre.

Katherine Lynch’s hit comedy showbiz news show Wagon’s Den returns to RTE Two on Thursday January 10th with its usual thunderous cacophony of female wit and opinion on all the celebrity news issues of the week.
 
Amongst those appearing alongside Katherine Lynch’s anchor Sheila Chic character are wingman Brian Dowling plus model Sarah Morrisey, ‘Gossip Girl’ Siobhan O’Connor, Anthea Turner, ‘Doctor’ Gillian McKeith, Toyah Willcox and Model-turned-Super Injunction Poster Girl Natasha Giggs.

• Continue reading at the RTÉ Press Centre.

The official trailer for The Power Of Three, the film Toyah made a couple of years ago, is available to watch at You Tube. Toyah plays one of the lead characters in the film, which will be released on DVD at some point soon. View larger versions of the screen caps here.

There’s so much happens in Toyahland each year it’s virtually impossible to whittle down the releases, events, appearances etc. to just ten, but somehow we manage it anyway.

Here are Dreamscape’s 10 most interesting Toyah happenings of 2012 (as I say every year, I’m sure yours will be different).

1. The Changeling Resurrection and The Changeling Resurrection II: Two UK tours, 17 dates in total, celebrating the 30th anniversary of Toyah’s incredible 1982 album ‘The Changeling’.

2. King’s Heath Walk of Fame: Toyah became the first inductee in July, received her star/plaque from ELP’s Bev Bevan and played a homecoming gig, her first ever, in King’s Heath, at the Hare & Hounds.

3. I Believe In Father Christmas: Marking the 30th anniversary of the song Toyah recorded for Pop Goes Christmas, and released as a single, Toyah’s 26th in the UK, in December.

4. Twenty Four From Toyah: Toyah’s Christmas gift to fans, a digital album of 24 rare live recordings from various gigs and tours spanning 1993 to 2012.

5. Toyah Live 2012: Let’s Rock The Moor, Decades Festival, Mylor Sessions, Birmingham Pride, Blackpool Pride, Manchester Pride, Newcastle Pride, Audley End, Here & Now Glasgow, Lytham Proms.

6. Toyah on Vintage TV: A variety of appearances on the music channel for Toyah in 2012: My Vintage, Pat Sharp’s Top Ten, The Janice Long Review Show and Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo.

7. Sleeping Beauty: Almost 100 performances at The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury alongside Gareth Gates, with numerous positive reviews. Definitely one of Toyah’s biggest, and longest running, pantomimes!

8. Toyah in Doctor Who (almost!): Toyah contributes to Behind The Sofa, a charity book of DW related memories. Toyah guests on four BBC America DW documentary specials. More Than 30 Years In The TARDIS is announced for DVD release.

9. Cover Star: More magazine covers for Toyah in 2012: Lifestyle and National Trust.

10. Sensational: The opening song on Toyah’s 2008 album ‘In The Court Of The Crimson Queen’ is the soundtrack to a new Weight Watchers televsion as campaign in commercials starring Patsy Kensit.

(Main photo & photo 1 © PAC Photography, photo 4 © Ray Sears)

The Unofficial Toyah Calendar 2013 is now available to download. A brilliant 12-month Toyahfest! There are also links to view Tony’s other Toyah calendars some of which haven’t been available previously. Click below to get yours. (Thanks again to Tony Webb)

Minder: ITV4: Thursday 17th January: 6.00pm
Minder: ITV4: Fri 18th Jan: 1.55am/8.35am/12.35pm
All Mod Cons. Arthur decides to sell Terry’s flat without his permission. Meanwhile, Terry gets a job minding at a local club and ends up getting into more trouble than he had planned for when he realises the club’s manager is on the fiddle. Starring: George Cole, Dennis Waterman, Toyah Willcox, Simon Cadell, James Ottaway, and Tony Osaba. (Series 2, Episode 8, 1980). Also showing on ITV4 +1.

First Toyah on TV of 2013, and it’s another airing for the legendary Quadrophenia!

Quadrophenia: ITV4: Wed 23rd Jan: 10pm
Quadrophenia: ITV4: Tue 29th Jan: 11pm
The Who wrote and produced this energetic story of a young man disillusioned with his life in 1960s London. Phil Daniels excels as the alienated anti-hero Jimmy Cooper. Director: Franc Roddam. Starring: Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Toyah Willcox, Philip Davis, Mark Wingett, Sting, and Ray Winstone.

• View all of Dreamscape’s recent Quadrophenia news updates here. Difficult to believe this movie was shot almost 35 years ago now.

Keep an eye on Channel 4 News. Toyah tweeted yesterday that she was being interviewed this morning for the programme: “C4 news filming me in dressing room at 9am. How punk changed the role of women! ”

Channel 4 News airs in the UK at 7pm Monday to Saturday and 6.30pm on Sundays.

Another new review for Sleeping Beauty, now into its final 10 days at The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury. High praise for the production, and Toyah, by the British Theatre Guide.

As soon as ‘Bring Me Sunshine’ sweeps across the auditorium spreading its melodic happiness during the overture, the audience knows they’re in for a good time. Last year’s Cinderella at the Marlowe Theatre was a resounding success, but somehow Evolution Productions has managed to top it with this year’s festive treat Sleeping Beauty.

Not only does the production boast an excellent Comic and Dame, it has one of the finest Villains in Pantoland in the form of Toyah Willcox’s Carabosse. An experienced pantomime performer, Willcox knows how to work an audience and ensure she gets the boos her character so desires. Her involvement in the schoolroom scene works well as she tries to think up ways to prick the Princess and a mysterious birthday card efficiently lures Beauty to her fate.

• Continue reading at the British Theatre Guide. Read more Sleeping Beauty reviews here.

Falkirk Set To Rock As 80s Superstars Head To Football Stadium

Falkirk Football Club has announced the first in a series of concerts set to rock the town over a summer weekend.
 
‘Rock The Stadium’, which will take place the weekend of June 22 2013, will this week release tickets for the Here And Now 80s extravaganza featuring big name stars Five Star, Altered Images, The Real Thing, Toyah, T’Pau, Paul Young, Curiosity Killed the Cat and Midge Ure.

There are seating and standing tickets available as the football stadium will be transformed into a concert venue. The event will take place on Saturday June 22 with tickets prices starting from £35 available at www.ticketline.co.uk or by calling 0844 888 9991, tickets are also be available from the club shop.

• Continue reading at Rock The Stadium. View a larger version of the flyer here. (Pleae note that Toyah hasn’t been officially confirmed for this concert as yet!)

• Read a full transcript of the Musical Milestones Toyah special at The Toyah Willcox Interview Archive. This aired on ‘Marlow FM’ on Christmas Eve. (Thanks to Lärwi)

• Doctor Who: The Legacy Collection: More namechecks for Toyah in various reviews of this new DVD box set, including DVD Active, Horrorview, Telly Tech Blog, There are a few others but I won’t link to those. Needless to say that even in 2013 some DW fans are still po-faced and humourless. It must be the exhaustion of updating their news blogs!

• Twenty Four From Toyah: There are just a couple of weeks left to listen to the full 24 live Toyah songs: All of the tracks plus the Soundcloud page will expire on the 24th January!

• Crawley Happy Times: Laugh Out Loud at The Hawth: The Hormonal Housewives are back on Friday 22 March at 7.30pm. Following their hugely successful 2012 tour, the girls return, plus this time Toyah Willcox takes on a leading role

• Acupuncture Awareness: Toyah Willcox on coping with insomnia using acupuncture: A new five-minute video clip of Toyah discussing acupuncture has just been uploaded to ‘You Tube’. The first ever Acupuncture Awareness Week launches on Monday 27 February 2012 and will attempt to dispel the many myths still surrounding acupuncture.

• Nigel Kiely’s Blog: Rhythm Is A Chancer: But it’s Toyah’s album that stands out most in my mind. For there was a song on it called Elecution lessons that gave me and my brothers hours of endless entertainment…

Dreamscape’s annual ‘Top 10 Toyah’ is being compiled as I type (okay, it’s not as it would be impossible to be posting this update and doing that simultaneously but you get the idea ;)). Check back soon for what we thought were the ten biggest Toyah events of the last year…

The Marlowe Theatre have been posting amusing and interesting facts related to their panto, Sleeping Beauty, including: The dramatic costume worn by Carabosse (Toyah) is made from 16 metres (52ft) of fabric and took more than 50 hours to make. (Photo © The Marlowe Theatre)

A fantastic unofficial Toyah calendar for 2013 has been created by Tony Webb, featuring some of Toyah’s most recent imagery. Tony, who previously published a Toyah calendar back in 2008, will make the new 12-month Toyahfest available via a link at Dreamscape’s Facebook Group later this week. (Thanks again to Tony)

Toyah’s brief appearance, from early December, on ITV1’s Lorraine is still available to watch online at the ITV website.

More than half a million people have been checking out our Little Black Dress Diet – and there are just two days to go until our finale on Thursday! Today it’s all about last-minute tips, and to get us in the Christmas mood, Jane Wake has enlisted the help of panto stars Gareth Gates and Toyah Willcox to show us some great simple arm exercises.

Toyah’s first blog of the year is now available to read at toyahwillcox.com. Toyah talks Sleeping Beauty, ‘Sensational’ (there could be a full video made), touring plans for 2013 (Hormonal Housewives and the Toyah band) and pays tribute to Alfie Fripp.

• Indie London: Hormonal Housewives: A second national tour of Hormonal Housewives will visit New Wimbledon Theatre on April 19, 2013. With previous Hormonal Housewives including Margi Clark and Carol Smillie, 2013’s ladies will be led by British pop icon Toyah Willcox and writer Julie Coombe, with further casting to be announced.

• Official Blog: Toyah talks Hormonal Housewives in her latest missive: “I am getting ready to tour Hormonal Housewives, dealing with the  press for 67 dates, all in different towns.”

• Asda: Win! One of 25 pairs of tickets to watch Hormonal Housewives at a venue near you. (you may have to enable cookies first before entering the competition). There’s another link to this at Competition Hunter.

• Facebook: Visit the Hormonal Housewives Facebook page.

Toyah tours the UK from the beginning of March to the end of May in Hormonal Housewives. The full dates, over 70 in total, are available at the show’s website and the Official Gigs page at toyahwillcox.com. There has already been online press reports on the tour, including the Lancaster Guardian, This is Total Essex and the Brighouse Echo.

The All-Star Request issue (January 6 – 19 1983) of Smash Hits magazine was published 30 years ago today. This included ‘Ieya’ by Toyah and many other songword favourites. The complete issue has just been uploaded to the Smash Hits Archive.

‘Sensational’ is currently playing on numerous UK television and radio channels…