Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

“I’m crashing cymbals, in outer space, for all the aliens to hear…”.

Last Saturday’s episode of Toyah At Home featured two archive performances: The glorious (and cosmic) Good Morning Universe, from the Four More From Toyah EP, and Toyah’s uplifting 1982 single, Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard).

Click below to watch/rewatch episode 17, with lots of fun from Toyah and Robert! Toyah revealed she is currently working on the reissue of The Blue Meaning, and about to become the Patron of the Derek Jarman Film Award. Episode 19 of Toyah At Home airs tomorrow at 11am at Toyah’s official You Tube channel, and Facebook.

The World Premiere of Heckle, starring Steve Guttenberg, Clark Gable III, Toyah Willcox, Nicholas Vince takes place on Saturday as part of FrightFest 2020. Click below for further info.

World Premiere – Joe Johnson, at the top of his stand-up comic game, decides to share a Halloween weekend away with a group of friends. They decide on the theme of a 1980s retro party, and jokingly suggest that if they get drunk, high, and behave badly enough, hopefully they’ll attract their own psycho killer. The joke is suddenly very much on them though, as in turn they reach their grisly demise at the hands of The Heckler, an uninvited guest out to turn their nostalgic horror movie fantasy into a terrifying reality, before delivering an unforgettable punchline…

Holiday of My Lifetime: BBC2: Wednesday 4th November: 1.45pm
Series 2, Episode 10. Len Goodman takes celebrities back in time to recreate their childhood holidays. Len takes singer, actress and presenter Toyah Willcox back to the Llangollen Canal in North Wales to reminisce about a wonderful narrow boat holiday she had back in 1968. (Photos © Toyah Willcox/BBC)

Look out for Toyah on Edition 1 of That Was Then… This Is Now! on Thursday 5th November , with The Fizz and Chesney Hawkes. Tickets available here. See the Toyah trailer below!

Frightfest goes virtual: Our pick of the UK film festival, which runs this week

Heckle – A 1980s-themed Halloween weekender attracts an unwelcome guest in a horror featuring Toyah Willcox and Steve Guttenberg.

• Continue reading at the Metro. (Photo of Toyah in Heckle © Voodoo Productions)

That Was Then… This Is Now! is a new and innovative Online Music Show. Featuring huge acts of the last sixty years with exclusive live studio performances filmed in the highest visual and audio quality and introduced by broadcasting legend Mike Read & Sky TV’s Hayley Palmer. This innovative show can be pre-ordered as a paid online stream.

Edition One, featuring performances from The Fizz, Toyah and Chesney Hawkes, premieres on Thursday 5th November at 7pm, purchase your ticket now for only £10! Tickets are on sale now here. Watch the official launch trailer below! Visit the official website.

A Brand New, Innovative Online Music Streaming Show

80s Artists Unite For Series Featuring Brand New Live Studio Performances and Exclusive Interviews

Show Will Provide Income for Heritage Artists Affected By Lockdown

Some of the biggest British popstars of the 80s will take part in a brand new online weekly series, featuring performances and interviews, with an innovative business model that helps touring artists affected by the current lack of live shows generate income.

That Was Then… This Is Now! will arrive next month in a pay per view format hosted online, allowing for artists to share equally in the revenue. For full details on the broadcast visit www.thisisnow.tv.

The series, consisting of 5 editions, will be broadcast live at 7pm on Thursday evenings (a nod to the classic Top Of The Pops timeslot), and deliver a modern twist on the quintessential living room comfort watch of popular music television that has been missing from screens for generations.

Each episode of the series will feature multi-artist line-ups consisting of brand new and exclusive live studio performances shot in the highest 5k resolution, with presenters Mike Read and Sky TV’s Hayley Palmer, as well as interviews.

That Was Then… This Is Now! was produced independently by Mike Stock, who is best known for his work in the incredible hit-making team Stock, Aitken and Waterman in the 80’s and 90’s. Alongside hosting the series, Mike Read joins Mike Stock in an executive role in the show’s creation. Having been a broadcaster since 1976, best known for being a DJ with BBC Radio 1, and television host for music chart series Top of the Pops, children’s show Saturday Superstore, and music panel game Pop Quiz.

The first series of the show will feature artists such as Paul Young, Kim & Marty Wilde, Toyah, Steve Harley, Chesney Hawkes, The Fizz and many more.

• Continue reading at Cardiff Times. Visit the official That Was Then… This Is Now! website.

Heckle. A stand up comedian encounters a seemingly insane heckler, who becomes his stalker. This is a heckle on a whole new level… Starring: Steve Guttenberg, Clark Gable III, Guy Combes, Madison Clare, Dani Dyer, Toyah Willcox. Director: Martyn Pick, Writer: Airell Anthony Hayles.

• Masters Of Horror: Arrow Video FrightFest announces bumper line-up for its October 2020 Digital Edition: Two more Brit entries with powerful punchlines are Heckle, which stars Steve Guttenberg, Toyah Willcox, Nicholas Vince and Dani Dyer, and The World We Knew, where gangsters battle demons in a Neo Film Noir with a dark, existentialist twist – Continue reading…

• Britflicks: Arrow Video FrightFest 2nd Digital Edition, Feature Film Line-Up, Ticket Links, Images & Some Bloody Great Trailers!: We’re in strange times right now and whilst we can’t do all things we want to, we can still watch films and enjoy a little escapism – Heckle (World Premiere) Friday 23 October – Zavvi Discovery Screen​. 12:00. Director: Martyn Pick. With: Steve Guttenberg, Clark Gable III, Toyah Willcox, Nicholas Vince, Dani Dyer. UK 2020. 81 mins – Continue reading…

• Screen Daily: UK’s Frightfest boosts 2020 line-up following shift online: These include UK feature Heckle, directed by Martyn Pick and starring Steve Guttenberg, in which a stand-up comic hosts an 80s-themed Halloween party that attracts a psycho slasher – Continue reading….

• Zavvi: Top Five Films To See At Arrow Video’s October FrightFest 2020: Heckle – We only really need to say two words to tell you why this is a FrightFest must see. And those two words of course are ‘Steve Guttenberg’. The Three Men And A Baby and Police Academy actor stars in this new horror which will surely deliver an unforgettable punchline, following a stand-up comedian as he is stalked by a heckler. Receiving its world premiere on the Zavvi Discovery Screen, this is one not to miss! – Continue reading…

Retail joy as National Album Day makes biggest impact yet

National Album Day’s 2020 edition has been celebrated as the most successful yet, with the BPI’s Geoff Taylor leading the celebrations.

Taylor said the team behind the event has “taken it to the next level” as National Album Day releases claimed three places in the albums Top 20 and contributed to a 24% lift in sales for Saturday, October 10.

National Album Day ambassador, Toyah Willcox, said: “It has been a huge privilege to be a NAD ambassador this year. Celebrating the music of the ’80s, a decade that is loved by generation after generation. The art in making an entire album is a journey the artist wants to take the audience on, personally I have treated all my albums as an audio journey. This year’s re-releases encouraged music lovers to buy timeless music. I like to think NAD has also encouraged new up-coming artists to think about making full albums as their right of expression, thus keeping the high street retailers stocked and trading in decades to come. It has been a really lovely experience in a crazy year!”

• Continue reading at Music Week.

National Album Day Organisers Hail Impact Of 2020 Event

The third edition of National Album Day, held last Saturday, 10th October, has been hailed the most successful yet by industry figures and by its joint organisers, the BPI and The Entertainment Retailers Association, with the impact reflected in the Official Vinyl Charts, the Official Album Charts and sales overall as well as across media and socials.

Presented in association with broadcast partner BBC Sounds and audio partner Bowers & Wilkins, National Album Day celebrates our love of the album, the continuing importance of the format, and the personal stories artists can share through the artform. This year the day paid tribute to the musically rich decade of the 1980s, supported by a host of artist ambassadors and album platforms such as Tim’s Twitter Listening Parties and Classic Album Sundays.

• Continue reading at bpi.co.uk.

National Album Day: 80s theme helps boost sales of classic albums

Several popular titles were reissued to coincide with this year’s 80s-themed National Album Day.

This year’s National Album Day resulted in a boost in album sales last week, new figures have revealed.

The UK-wide event – a celebration of the album format organised by The BPI and the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) – took place on Saturday, October 10 and was themed around the 1980s.

The BPI reports that of all the albums released to coincide with National Album Day, 25,000 copies were sold on vinyl, contributing to a total of just under 112,000 vinyl albums sold that week – a week-on-week uplift of 9.2%.

The Saturday of National Album Day itself (Oct. 10) saw vinyl sales rise by 24% on the previous Saturday (and 19% year-on-year), while the Friday – the day the albums were largely all released – saw a 44% year-on-year spike.

One of this year’s National Album Day ambassadors, Toyah Willcox said: “This year’s re-releases encouraged music lovers to buy timeless music. I like to think NAD has also encouraged new up-coming artists to think about making full albums as their right of expression, thus keeping the high street retailers stocked and trading in decades to come.”

• Continue reading at Official Charts.

Introducing personalised artworks handcrafted by Toyah – especially for you, a friend, partner, family member or the diehard Toyah fan in your life. Order a Personalised Artwork by Toyah or a Personalised Aphorism by Robert Fripp by clicking below.

Toyah Willcox & Robert Fripp present the ultimate personalised gift idea especially for their fans.

Toyah will create a piece of artwork for you including a hand-written snippet from your favourite Toyah song. Robert will hand-write an Aphorism from a set list of his own favourites, and will also include a piece of handmade art to accompany his words. Both of these unique items will be signed and can be personalised.

Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch presents the Prog Rock Mating Dance.

More of your social, emotional and music tuning predicaments are addressed with care and attention by the deeply unqualified Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp.

Befriending Toyah Willcox
The Mrs Barbara Nice & Friends Podcast

SUMMARY
Ahead of her remastered Album Launch “Sheep Farming in Barnet”, Toyah Willcox stops by to chat to Barbara about the importance of the audience, the differing priorities of a band and befriending people on stage.

SHOW NOTES
Mrs Barbara Nice chats to Toyah Willcox about the re-release of her album “Sheep Farming in Barnet” on Cherry Red Records

They become fast, firm friends as they discuss the coincidence in their locations, interacting with individual audience members amid big gigs. the importance of the audience to a performer and somehow, wild swimming in the Avon

• Continue reading/Listen to the interview here.

“Remove the thorn from the lion’s paw, hear my words, pain no more…”

Last Saturday’s episode of Toyah At Home , a National Album Day 2020 special, featured two archive performances: The iconic Brave New World, from The Changeling, and Toyah’s 1981 single, I Want To Be Free, from Anthem.

Click below to watch/rewatch episode 17, with lots of album chat from Toyah as well as memories about the “first album cover and back cover” (Sheep Farming In Barnet), and She from The Blue Meaning – “Steve Bray’s drums… Charlie Francis on Bass!”. Episode 18 of Toyah At Home airs tomorrow at 11am at Toyah’s official You Tube channel, and Facebook.

Paul Young, Kim Wilde, Toyah, Steve Harley and Chesney Hawkes back from the 80s for new show ‘That Was Then… This Is Now!’

Some of the biggest British popstars of the 80s will take part in a brand new online weekly series, featuring performances and interviews, with an innovative business model that helps touring artists affected by the current lack of live shows generate income.

That Was Then… This Is Now! will arrive next month in a pay per view format hosted online, allowing for artists to share equally in the revenue.

The series will be broadcast live at 7pm on Thursday evenings (a nod to the classic Top Of The Pops timeslot), and deliver a modern twist on the quintessential living room comfort watch of popular music television that has been missing from screens for generations.

• Continue reading at the Wakefield Express. See also msn.com/entertainment.

Online music TV show launched to help 1980s stars ‘ignored’ during pandemic

Pop songwriter Mike Stock has launched an online music TV show to give some of the biggest stars of the 1980s financial help during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 68-year-old, who penned many of the decade’s enduring hits as one third of Stock Aitken Waterman, said he hoped the series would help artists who had been “largely ignored” in recent years.

That Was Then… This Is Now! will feature live performances and interviews from touring artists who have lost their livelihoods due to current restrictions on performance and travel.

The five-part series was shot in 5k resolution at a studio in Worthing, West Sussex, and will air online weekly. The first series will feature artists including Paul Young, Kim and Marty Wilde, Toyah, Steve Harley, Chesney Hawkes, The Fizz and more.

• Continue reading at The Gazette. See also Yahoo News.

Bands from 1980s and 90s stream hits to make up for lost live earnings

Worthing, England (Reuters) – Pop acts from the 1980s and 1990s including Right Said Fred, Paul Young and Toyah, whose income from live performances has slumped during the coronavirus pandemic, are recording their hits for a new pay-per-view series being streamed online.

Chesney Hawkes, Kim Wilde and Steve Harley are also among those performing in five planned shows in the “That Was Then … This is Now!” series hosted by streaming service TicketCo TV.

• Continue reading at Reuters. See also the Daily Mail.

Tales Of The Unexpected: Sky Arts: Thursday 22nd October: 1pm
Tales Of The Unexpected: Sky Arts: Friday 23rd October: 4am/9am
Tales Of The Unexpected: Sky Arts: Sunday 25th October: 9am
Blue Marigold. Series 5, Episode 1. Dropped by her agency for her diva-like behaviour, supermodel Marigold’s mental health deteriorates. Years later, she plots a comeback. Director: Giles Foster. Starring: Toyah Willcox, Ralph Bates, Sharon Duce, Helen Fraser, Billy Hamon, Edward Jewesbury.

BBC’s warning is a bit of a Brum do for pop star Toyah

Singer Toyah Willcox, who had a hit in the Eighties with It’s A Mystery, is baffled as to why the BBC slapped a warning on episodes of Brum, the harmless BBC children’s show she narrated.

A notice on iPlayer repeats told viewers the series may reflect out-of-date ‘language and attitudes of the Nineties’.

The flame-haired singer tells me: ‘I can’t think why they did that. Was it because of the Birmingham accent? Is it sexist in some way? I’m sure we never impersonated a black person.’ Toyah adds: ‘I always refused to do anything if it was offensive. Brum was written by Anne Wood who made Teletubbies and she was on top of all that sort of thing.’

The BBC says the notice was added in ‘error’ and has been removed from Brum episodes. Perhaps it is the BBC, with its determination to censor TV classics, that is out of touch with today’s audiences?

• Continue reading at the Daily Mail. (Photo © Clark Enwell/BackGrid)