Tune into Toyah’s official Facebook at 11:00am on Sat 2nd May for a special live hour with Toyah & Chris Wong. There’ll be some announcements, a chance to ask questions plus content you’ve never seen before.
Some of our favourite Acapela memories
We cannot bring you new music at present but we thought we would share with you some of the bands and artists who have graced the Acapela stage in the last few years……
MEMORY N0.8 – Toyah
4 years ago Acapela had a crazy idea that we would be able to invite world famous musicians to perform at the venue to a live audience!
The first major artist we contacted was Toyah…would she and other major names be attracted to perform in an old converted welsh chapel, on the top of a hill, miles from anywhere …we were just not sure!
We remember that first Toyah concert with great fondness – the sell out crowd turned up early, with the queue waiting to get in to the venue going down the street! The atmosphere before Toyah came on stage was electric and when she eventually came on stage the crowd could still not believe it was actually her!
Of course the venue has gone on in the last 4 years to achieve major awards and attract many famous names.
We will always be grateful to Toyah for that first night – as it gave us the encouragement to build the schedule to include so many superb musicians and exciting new bands. Of course every year since, Toyah has graced the Acapela stage and has never failed to get the same reaction from the sell out crowds.
TOYAH WILLCOX – OFFICIALLY AN ACAPELA LEGEND!
• Continue reading at the Acapela Studio website.
Plundering the Dreamscape archives… Toyah in the excellent New Women in Rock book, published by Omnibus Press in 1982. Please click below to view a larger version.
Toyah was interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland’s The Friday Afternoon Show on, yes, Friday.
Golden Girls is set to come back on our screens next week, so we reminisce about this classic 80’s comedy with Rachel McCormack. As part of BBC Radio Scotland’s Make A Difference campaign, we hear what support is available to Scotland’s children and young people thanks to those at Young Scot.
Nicola chats with 80’s icon Toyah Willcox all about that infamous Top of the Pop performance and how she became the voice of childhood for millions of kids.
We know how tricky life is just now for some, perhaps none more so than those currently battling or living with cancer. One woman who understands more than most is STV’s Entertainment Reporter, Laura Boyd who has been living with leukaemia. She joins us to tell us about her new initiative – Beat It Choir. And Nicola brings you another in depth On The Record conversation, this week featuring Gary Clark on Mary’s Prayer.
• Listen to the show online at BBC Sounds for the next four weeks.
Fast approaching the 40th – yes 40th – Anniversary of the release of The Blue Meaning.
Quadrophenia – Our Generation: Sky Arts: Friday 8th May: 9pm
Quadrophenia – Our Generation: Sky Arts: Thursday 14th May: 11pm
Celebrity fans and cast members come together to shed light on the making of Quadrophenia and explore the legacy that the cult film has left behind, 40 years after its release.
Quadrophenia Reunited – 40 Years On: Sky Arts: Friday 8th May: 10pm
Quadrophenia Reunited – 40 Years On: Sky Arts: Friday 15th May: 0.00am
Lauren Laverne hosts a one-off special bringing the stars of Quadrophenia together. Featuring reminiscing, interviews, a table-read of the script and plenty of other surprises.
Absolutely hilarious and completely inspired. Click to watch. (© Toyah Willcox)
This is what Birmingham’s celebrities are doing at home during the coronavirus lockdown
Lady Leshurr, Jamelia, Richie Anderson and Toyah Willcox are among the list of Birmingham celebrities using social media to entertain the public during the coronavirus pandemic.
Many of us may be struggling with boredom, home-schooling and working during self-isolation – but we are not alone. Birmingham’s celebrities are finding it tough too.
Punk icon Toyah Willcox, 61, has been busy dancing in her kitchen with husband Robert Fripp.
The performances have had thousands of fans tuning in each week. Dance routines that so far that have included the tango and the twist, can be seen every Sunday on the star’s Twitter page.
The singer and actress has also updated her website with ten top tips filled with ideas of how to spend your time during lockdown.
Some of the star’s creative ways of looking after yourself in quarantine include checking your posture, avoiding sweets, and cooking.
• Continue reading at the Birmingham Mail/Live.
The Lee Mack Show: BBC Radio 4 Extra:
Saturday 2nd May: 10pm
Toyah Willcox. Series 1, episode 6. Comedy sketches and music, with regulars Angela McHale and Steve Brown and guest Toyah Willcox. First aired in 2005.
(This show includes Toyah performing a stonkingly good version of Sweet Child O’ Mine).
Celebrity Ghost Stories: Lifetime: Sunday 10th May: 9pm
Celebrity Ghost Stories: Lifetime: Monday 11th May: 0.00am
Sue Cook reveals a spooky encounter with a UFO, Toyah Willcox recalls her experience with an apparition, and Alex Fearns discusses a sinister sound he once caught on tape.
One word! Tango!! Watch Toyah and Robert by clicking below. (© Toyah Willcox)
Short, but great, interview with Toyah from STV in 1985. This is Scotland Today when it went all soft furnishings and sofas in the mid-80s! Toyah talks Minx, the Soul Passing Through Soul video, America For Beginners, School’s Out and more, with Paul Coia and Haig Gordon.
Updated! Toyah Releases 2020 – Just added information and images for the latest new Toyah release, the forthcoming Desire white vinyl album, released on 24th April. Click below to visit the Toyah Releases 2020 page. See also our Releases news archive.
For anyone who doesn’t have a Facebook account (and I know a lot of people who don’t, and don’t want one), you can check out Toyah’s posts via her official website rather than at the source.
King Crimson: 2020 Tour Postponed, but Robert Fripp and Wife Toyah Willcox Are Keeping Active with Amazing Social Media Posts
Over the weekend, King Crimson announced that its planned 2020 tour has been postponed until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic and its hold on things at the moment.
… Despite the rough news regarding King Crimson and any upcoming live concert plans, Robert Fripp has been keeping busy lately with a series of social media posts that must be seen to be believed.
Holed up in his palatial English estate overlooking a scenic lake, Fripp and his wife, singer/entertainer Toyah Willcox, have recently shared some videos that … well, if you’d ever hoped to see a prog rock legend dress up in a bee costume and frolic around the backyard during lockdown, it’s your lucky day.
• Continue reading at Rock Cellar.
Robert Fripp in a bee suit and black stockings? Signs of the apocalypse for sure!
There are little lights in this darkness that shine through and make, for a brief moment, the invisible zombie apocalypse seem a bit less horrifying.
One of these for me has been Robert Fripp and his wife Toyah cracking themselves (and the internet) up on her twitter channel. Watch them as they play DIY Dancing with the Stars in their kitchen and flit about as pollinating bees in their back garden.
And yes, that is Robert Fripp, he of the impeccable 3-piece suits and dour resting face, in a full-on bee costume and sheer black stockings. Nice gams, Bob!
• Continue reading at Boing Boing. (Screenshot/Photo © Toyah Willcox)
A diary entry from Robert Fripp at his official website, which includes a selection of great screenshots from the video clip Toyah recently posted on her social media: Happy #lockdown Easter Sunday.
Or as Robert calls it; Twisting Persons for Easter Sunday Lockdown Lunch…
The entry also includes Robert replying to fan comments and questions posted at “The Wasps’ Nest of Facebook”. Fascinating reading!
• Continue reading at DGM Live. (Screenshot/Photo © Robert Fripp)
Demonstrating how to have more fun than you could ever have imagined, at home, in the kitchen, on Easter Sunday! Click below to watch. (© Toyah Willcox)
Catching up with Toyah’s official social media, which is bursting with content! From news on the great new mix of Step Into The New World to clapping gratitude for the NHS. Plus eating well, staying healthy, easter bees (“we’re just buzzing”), tripping the light fantastic for a lockdown lunch and much more! Follow Toyah at the official Instagram and Twitter. (Photos © Toyah Willcox)
Toyah and Robert read The Girl With The Unicorn – aka La Fille à la Licorne – by Dominic Toller. The short story is about hope and self-belief and all funds go to the mental welfare charity Young Minds.
Dominic said: “I wrote the original as a one-off birthday gift to my friend’s daughter – she loved unicorns; the character in the story is based upon her, her dog and her ‘teddy’. But the subtext is also about my own belief in the power of having hope, and how important this is for all of us in dealing with the stresses of our lives. Everyone has mental health and so mental health welfare has relevance to everyone.” (Source: theisleofthanetnews)
Click below to watch/listen at Robert’s website, DGM Live.
Information links for The Girl With The Unicorn: Original narrated animation | Original online advert | Original Facebook ‘preview’ of book
Rare photos of Toyah at ICA, London in 1980. Larger versions here. © Mark Kieve
