Excellent photos of Toyah from last Thursday’s Acoustic, Up Close & Personal gig at Sub 89, Reading. Included in Set One were Thunder In The Mountains, Neon Womb, Sensational and Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard). and in Set two were Come, Danced and Ieya. View larger versions of these photos, and more, at the Live 2015 page at Dreamscape’s Gallery. (Thanks to Ian | Photos © Ian Davis)
Just received some great HQ photos from Thursday’s Acoustic, Up Close & Personal gig at Sub 89, Reading. Here’s a preview. I’ll be adding the photos to the Gallery asap. Tonight Toyah plays Cardiff Globe. (Thanks to Ian | Photo © Ian Davis)
A slightly strange, but interesting, article about Steve Strange: The day I met Steve Strange – after he invited me to his birthday party, has been published by the Mirror. The article includes a selection of photos of Steve, including this one of Toyah and Steve at the British Rock & Pop Awards in 1982. (NB. The post title isn’t a quote by Toyah, they just include a photo of her!)
Exactly 34 years ago today, Valentine’s Day 1981, Four From Toyah entered the UK Singles Chart. Toyah’s sixth single and second EP eventually peaked at number four and spent 14 weeks on the chart. The rest, as they say, is history…
There have been a number of radio interviews with Toyah over the last few weeks. Some have been converted to text articles over at The Toyah Willcox Interview Archive, with more to follow. Click below to read the transcripts.
Steve Strange, lead singer of 1980s pop band Visage, has died aged 55 following a heart attack, his record label says. The Welsh New Romantic icon – best known for the hit Fade To Grey – died in hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Ex-Visage bandmates Midge Ure and Rusty Egan said they were “devastated” to hear of his “untimely passing”, adding: “Steve was a major face of the 80s.”
In this archive footage from 1980, Toyah Willcox interviewed Strange, from Newbridge, Caerphilly, about his band and clubs.
• Continue reading/watch the clip at BBC News Wales.
Toyah onstage last night at Sub 89, Reading. Tonight the Acoustic, Up Close & Personal tour plays the Cheese & Grain in Frome, Somerset. View a larger version of this photo, and more, at the new Live 2015 page at Dreamscape’s Gallery. (Thanks to Angus | Photo © Angus Turner)
As previously mentioned there’s a new t-shirt for the 2015 live dates. Toyah tweeted a brilliant photo of Robert Fripp modelling it today… “Superstar super fan xxx“
Toyah has paid a touching tribute to New Romantic/BLITZ club pioneer Steve Strange who died yesterday aged 55. “My darling steve strange…….never fade to grey. Just shine bright in the heavens xxx”. Below is a photo of Steve and Toyah taken last Summer. (Photo Credit: V&A)
This year Toyah has so far played two Acoustic, Up Close & Personal dates, in Beccles and Wolverhampton. This evening she performs at Sub 89, Reading. There are plenty more dates over the forthcoming months, although two, Selby and Cumbria, have already sold out:
ACOUSTIC SET WITH CHRIS WONG & COLIN HINDS
12 FEB: SUB 89 | READING
13 FEB: CHEESE & GRAIN | FROME, SOMERSET
14 FEB: GLOBE | CARDIFF
26 MAR: THE MUSICIAN | LEICESTER
1 MAY: HAVERHILL ARTS CENTRE | SUFFOLK
2 MAY: SOUNDSTOCK FESTIVAL | CHELMSFORD
9 MAY: TOWN HALL | SELBY **SOLD OUT**
15 MAY: WATERSIDE ARTS CENTRE | SALE
30 MAY: CORN EXCHANGE | HERTFORD
5 JUN: BABBACOMBE THEATRE | TORQUAY
6 JUN: CARNGLAZE CAVERNS | CORNWALL
12 JUN: OAKENGATES THEATRE | TELFORD
19 JUN: LOWDHAM VILLAGE HALL | NOTTINGHAM
27 JUN: LOWER HOLKER VILLAGE HALL | CUMBRIA **SOLD OUT**
10 JUL: NANTWICH CIVIC HALL | EAST CHESHIRE
16 OCT: BEWDLEY FESTIVAL | BEWDLEY
22 OCT: THE BRINDLEY | RUNCORN
6 NOV: PETERBOROUGH | THE CRESSET
21 NOV: HAILSHAM PAVILLION | EAST SUSSEX
Toyah also plays at the London Palladium on 28th June, performing acoustically with Chris Wong, as part of John Shuttleworth & Friends charity concert. The Acoustic, Up Close & Personal dates run throughout 2015 as an extended series of gigs rather than in a single-month tour.
• View more details on the Acoustic… dates and links to book tickets here. View all of Toyah’s confirmed live dates for 2015 at The Official Gigs page.
Mysterious girl: Make a date with pop icon Toyah
As part of the ’80s post-punk New Wave scene, Toyah Willcox had considerable chart success with hits such as It’s A Mystery, I Want To Be Free and Brave New World and starred in movies such as Jubilee and Quadrophenia before turning to television and musical theatre.
Lisa Evans spoke to iconic colourful character before her Up Close And Personal tour comes to Frome’s Cheese and Grain on Friday, February 13.
“I’ve never performed in Frome before so I’m really excited to visit,” said Toyah. “I’ve heard it’s a brilliant venue and a stunning place I love coming to new places so this will be a treat.”
Her current show is a unique chance to experience Toyah up close and personal. A lively unplugged/storytellers style gig, it will include Toyah performing an acoustic set of her loved hit singles and classic songs, alongside recalling stories from her colourful, 35 year career with projections onto a big screen showing clips of films and videos that she has appeared in as she discusses the many famous people she has worked with and the anecdotes with the audience.
“I’ve always loved music and have always felt inspired to do it – it feels like it’s in my genes.”
• Continue reading at the Somerset Guardian. Also available at the Frome Standard: Toyah Willcox gets Up Close And Personal at Frome’s Cheese and Grain.
This Saturday we will be welcoming English singer & actress Toyah Willcox for a very special Cardiff performance, followed by a free live screening of Wales’ 6 Nations match against Scotland on Sunday afternoon. And then on Monday teenage rising-star and X-Factor sensation Bailey McConnell will be performing live.
• Continue reading at The Globe.
Head over to The Official Toyah Facebook page for the latest opportunity to “Ask Toyah” a question.
From FB: New questions invited for Toyah to answer directly in video messages for www.toyahwillcox.com. Post your questions in the comments on this post. All “when are you playing live in my town” won’t be answered! There is also a signed copy of The Acoustic Album (2014 re-press) up for grabs for the most original question or question which Toyah likes the most from this batch! Ready, steady ASK!
Living With The Dead: Pick: Tuesday 24th February: 10.05pm
Toyah Willcox (Celeb Special). Singer Toyah Willcox invites the Living with the Dead experts to her hometown nearby Pershore Abbey to exorcise paranormal activity connected to 15th-century criminal monks. Also airing on Pick +1.
As mentioned, Toyah guested on Eleri Sions show on BBC Radio Wales yesterday afternoon.
Toyah’s interview begins at approximately 2 hours 15 minutes into the programme. She talked about her tours for 2015, The Humans, Valentines Day, King Crimson, appearing on Top Of The Pops in the 80s, imagery, current female singers, and more. There was also a play of It’s A Mystery from The Acoustic Album.
• The interview runs for around 15 minutes and can be listened to, for the next 29 days at, BBC iPlayer.
Another radio interview with Toyah today. She is guesting on Eleri Sions show on BBC Radio Wales this afternoon.
Eleri chats to Toyah Willcox ahead of her brand new tour and has her mind read live on air by a master magician.
• The programme can be listened to live at the BBC Radio Wales website, or after it airs at BBC iPlayer.
As mentioned, Toyah was interviewed on The Afternoon Show with Claire Cavanagh on BBC Radio Bristol yesterday.
Toyah’s interview begins approximately 42 minutes into the programme. She began by recounting the story of how her Mother and Father first met in Weston-Super-Mare. Toyah also discussed her Acoustic, Up Close & Personal tour, the origins of her name, a future trip to Japan with the King Crimson tour, reality TV in general and the recent series of Celebrity Big Brother, using full cans of hairspray in the 80s, her diet, cookery programmes, unfulfilled ambitions, and more.
There was also a play of Good Morning Universe from The Acoustic Album.
• The interview runs for around 15 minutes and can be listened to, for the next 27 days at, BBC iPlayer. Browse the full schedule of forthcoming Acoustic, Up Close & Personal tour dates.
Toyah is guesting on The Afternoon Show with Claire Cavanagh on BBC Radio Bristol (also airing on BBC Radio Somerset) today at 2.40pm. The show begins at 2pm and can be listened to live at the BBC Radio Bristol website or at BBC iPlayer after it airs.
Toyah will be talking about the forthcoming Acoustic, Up Close & Personal gigs in Frome and Cardiff, taking place later this week.
A new page Toyah Live 2015 has just been added to Dreamscape’s Gallery. Following on from a busy live 12 months for Toyah last year – see Toyah Live 2014 – it looks like this will be another. Hopefully the new page will be added to over the coming months. There are already photos from the first two Acoustic, Up Close & Personal gigs (thanks Angus & Paul), including this great shot from Bilston on Thursday. (Thanks to Paul | Photo © P A C Photography)
• View more of Dreamscape’s Gallery pages – Almost 40 years of Toyah’s career in photos – Browse the full Acoustic… UK Tour schedule. The next dates are at Sub 89, Reading on Thursday, Cheese & Grain, Somerset on Friday and Cardiff Globe on Saturday.
Toyah is interviewed today at Monocle Radio, www.monocle.com, in a music magazine special of The Stack.
A music magazine special with Tony Herrington, the Editor-In-Chief of underground music magazine The Wire and music journalist and author Andrew Mueller. Also Toyah Willcox shares her experience as one of the 80s most featured musicians on the front cover of magazines.
The Stack – Essential listening for anyone who cares about what they read – and how they read it. The Stack is Monocle’s take on the world of print, focusing on everything from the glossiest fashion title to the grittiest newspaper.
• Listen to the programme, which runs for just under 35 minutes, at Monocle Radio. A podcast of the programme will also be available.
Toyah hosting The Personality Test, the radio quiz that’s all about her, airs again later this month on BBC Radio 4 Extra.
The 30 minute radio show, originally broadcast on BBC Radio Four in 2007 and again in 2009, with guests including Sue Perkins and Robin Ince, will be available at BBC iPlayer post-broadcast.
The Personality Test: BBC Radio 4 Extra: Thursday 18th February: 9am/6pm
The Personality Test: BBC Radio 4 Extra: Friday 19th February: 1am
Toyah Willcox chairs the comedy quiz in which all the questions are about the guest host. Panellists are Sue Perkins, Caroline Quinlan, Robin Ince and Will Smith.
The first series of The Older Woman, the six-part radio drama which was originally broadcast in 1993, has been airing again on BBC Radio 4 Extra over the past few weeks.
Toyah plays Elsa, alongside Martun Clunes and Zoë Wanamaker as Roy and Jane. Episodes 5 and 6 air this week and next.
The Older Woman: BBC Radio 4 Extra
Wed 11th Feb: 7am/5.30pm | Thu 12th Feb: 5.30am
Episode 5 of 6. In a rare moment, Miss Callaghan apologises to her ex, lovestruck pupil Roy. Stars Zoe Wanamaker, Martin Clunes and Toyah Willcox. From February 1993.
The Older Woman: BBC R4 Extra: Wed 18th Feb: 7am/5.30pm | Thu 19th Feb: 5.30am
Episode 6 of 6. A letter and phone calls lift the lid on Jane’s chaotic love life. Stars Zoe Wanamaker, Martin Clunes and Toyah Willcox. From February 1993.
• Listen to episodes 1 – 4, which are currently available at BBC iPlayer. Episode 1 has less than a week left though!
