Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

She’s got the moves, baby! He’s got the motion… Causing A Commotion! (© Toyah Willcox)

Toyah Willcox, the high priestess of punk, on her 40-year career

Toyah Willcox has forged a reputation as a talented actress, singer/songwriter, producer, storyteller, television presenter and author during a career that spans four decades.

Toyah has teamed up with Hazel O’Connor for a new show due in Yorkshire later this year.

Arguably one of the most prolific artists of her generation, her creativity remains undimmed. And now, in homage to post-punk and new wave music, the star has teamed up with Hazel O’Connor for a new show, aptly named Electric Ladies Of the Eighties, due in Yorkshire later this year, all things being well by then.

So where did the idea for the show come from? “This is something Hazel and I have been planning for 40 years. Ironically, we’d both been too busy doing other things so this is the first time we’ve ever actually toured together in this way, so we’re both very excited,” says Willcox.

“Hazel will be performing Breaking Glass and I’ll do Quadrophenia so there’s a lot of material that the audience will be very familiar with. We’ll be inviting everyone to join in and sing along with their favourite songs. It’s going to be one of those shows that is warm, welcoming with lots of great music and a real feel good factor.”

• Continue reading at The Yorkshire Post. See the full Electric Ladies Of The 80s tour dates.

Toyah reads Brum At The Seaside from 1994. Transferred to digital from cassette.

Toyah’s April 2020 blog is available to read at toyahwillcox.com.

Another repeat airing for Pointless Celebrities, with Toyah and Sonique, on BBC1 next weekend. (Photo © BBC)

Pointless Celebrities: BBC1: Saturday 11th April: 5.35pm
Music (Series 11, Episode 14). A special celebrity edition of the general knowledge quiz in which four teams try to come up with the answers that no-one else could think of. Presented by Alexander Armstrong and co-host Richard Osman. Featuring Glen Matlock, Slim Jim, Barbara Dickson, Ralph McTell, Keith Duffy, Brian McFadden, Sonique and Toyah Willcox.

Toyah participated in a live Let’s Rock TV Q&A yesterday, answering numerous questions, as part of the build up to the Let’s Rock – The Retro Festival concerts. Watch below.

The Planetary Invasion Mix of Step Into New World is available to download and stream. Click below for official links.

Music: Toyah Delivers Alien-Themed Bop ‘Step Into the New World’

Toyah Willcox has delivered a synth-heavy new mix of her track Step Into the New World. The iconic British pop-rocker leads us the dancefloor in the Planetary Invasion Mix – and when we say dancefloor, in quarantine, that’s probably our living room floor.

The track featured in 2019 British sci-fi film Invasion Planet Earth which starred Toyah alongside Simon Haycock and Lucy Drive. It was directed by Simon Cox – his first narrative feature since 1998’s indie horror Driven. As for the new mix, it is an absolute delight to see Toyah return with a bit of dystopian dance music – something that she shined with in her recently re-released 2008 album In the Court of the Crimson Queen.

Toyah released the excellent EP Four from Toyah in 2018. Listen to the new mix of Step Into the New World below.

• Continue reading at Culture Fix. Browse our Invasion Planet Earth posts.

Quadrophenia: Film 4 HD: Sunday 12th April: 1.05am
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.

Read Toyah’s moving tribute to Bill Rieflin.

Terrible news! Bill Rieflin of Nine Inch Nails, Swans, REM, Ministry, King Crimson, The Humans has died at the age of 59.

Toyah reads Brum and the Fire Engine from 1991. Transferred to digital from cassette.

Here are the rescheduled Electric Ladies Of The 80s tour dates – now taking place in September – due to all theatres and venues in the UK closing until further notice.

03 September: Edinburgh Queen’s Hall
04 September: Yarm The PAA
08 September: Southend Palace
09 September: Basingstoke The Anvil
10 September: Manchester RNCM
13 September: Swindon Wyvern Theatre
14 September: Milton Keynes Stables
15 September: Wimborne Tivoli Theatre
17 September: Holmfirth Picturedrome
22 September: Birmingham Town Hall
23 September: Guildford G Live
27 September: London Islington Assembly Hall
28 September: Buxton Opera House
29 September: Hull City Hall
30 September: Gateshead Sage

All tickets purchased for the original dates remain valid. Ticket holders have been asked NOT to contact venues or SEE Tickets. They will make contact with ticketholders in due course to explain the way forward.

Refunds are available if needed, but all theatres and venues around the country are asking the same – for the sake of supporting venues/theatres and their long term survival and financial security, they ask that ticketholders hold on to their tickets and not request a refund if possible, but understand if that’s not financially feasible.

• See Toyah’s video message on the Electric Ladies Of The 80s tour at Instagram.

The new compilation: Rare, Remixed and Revisited, released as part of the Toyah Solo box set, is now available as a digital download and to stream via Spotify.

The album includes previously unreleased songs, a number of demos, remixes and re-recordings (Revisited) and features 16 tracks:

1. Tears For Ellie (Demo), 2. God Ceases To Dream (Remix), 3. Poland (One Day On Earth) (Demo), 4. Now I’m Running (Remix), 5. It’s a Mystery (Whispered Elixir Mix), 6. Lust For Love (Demo), 7. Angel (Demo), 8. Rebel Run (Revisited), 9. Good Morning Universe (Revisited), 10. Be Proud, Be Loud (Be Heard) (Revisited), 11. Desire (Revisited), 12. Obsolete (Revisited), 13. Danced (Revisited), 14. We Are (Revisited), 15. Angel & Me (Revisited), 16. Believe In You (Demo)

As previously posted, Desire, Take The Leap! and Velvet Lined Shell are also now available in standalone digital Deluxe Editions – all featuring bonus songs. These albums are also available to stream via Spotify (click the links above for official links to streaming and more).

Following the release of five of Toyah’s solo albums on amazing colour/clear vinyl on Friday, is the news that the classic 1987 album Desire is to be released/reissued on 180 gram white vinyl next month (24th April 2020).

The album is released by Demon Records.

Featuring the original artwork, along with an inner sleeve (as with the Record Store Day Red Vinyl release of Desire in 2018) which will include the album’s lyrics and Toyah photographs. Click below for more info or to pre-order.

“Desire” was Toyah’s first album for the EG label, and features her hit single cover version of “Echo Beach” as well as a cover of Donna Summer’s “Love’s Unkind”.

Produced by Mike Hedges, the album features Robert Fripp (who co-wrote the title track) and Ronnie Wood. The LP is pressed on 180 gram white vinyl and the inner sleeve features the lyrics.

There’s just a month until the Electric Ladies Of The 80s tour, with Toyah and Hazel O’Connor joint-headlining 15 gigs, begins at The Anvil, Basingstoke.

At the time of writing, four of the dates – Swindon Wyvern Theatre, Milton Keynes The Stables, Wimborne Tivoli Theatre, and Southend Palace Theatre have Sold Out. With three others – Birmingham Town Hall, Gateshead Sage, Edinburgh The Queen’s Hall – only having a last few tickets remaining.

Post Punk and New Wave artists Toyah and Hazel O’Connor join forces to bring you their exciting new tour, Electric Ladies of the 80s.

Toyah is one of the most recognisable faces in UK pop culture, clocking up an impressive 10 hit singles and 8 hit albums including the gold selling Anthem and her 2019 chart success, In The Court of the Crimson Queen. Also an acclaimed actress, Toyah his performed on film and stages the world over including a role in the legendary Who film, Quadrophenia.

Hazel O’Connor set the benchmark high with her starring role in the legendary British film Breaking Glass for which she won the Variety Club Award and it’s accompanying soundtrack which saw her nominated for a BAFTA. Ever the prolific artist, Hazel continues to make new music and tour the world with her strong ethical message and recently released her acclaimed new album Hallelujah Moments.

Performing alongside their full electric band, each artist will perform their own set alongside some duets and surprises. This hit packed retro fest will include such classics as Thunder In The Mountains, Eight Day, It’s A Mystery, Will You, I Want To Be Free, D-Days and many more.

Toyah Solo also entered The Official Charts Independent Albums Top 50 at number 10.

Toyah Solo entered The Official Charts Album Sales Top 100 at number 34.

Missed this at the time! Earlier this month Toyah Solo charted on The Official UK Album Chart midweek Top 100 at number 51.

This follows In The Court Of The Crimson Queen charting on the Official Album Top 100 countdown last April. See screenshots of those charts here.

Toyah is playing numerous festivals through the Summer of 2020, including Middlewich Fab (Folk & Boat) Festival on Saturday 20th June, along with China Crisis and Electro 80s.

The Middlewich Folk and Boat Festival takes place in June in Middlewich, Cheshire, England. The festival builds on the town’s industrial heritage in which canal boats were used to move coal and other raw materials in the town for the production of salt, and then move the salt out of town, either for use directly, or as a raw material in the manufacture of chemicals such as chlorine and soda ash.

The Middlewich Folk and Boat festival is now firmly established on the folk circuit and it is estimated that 30,000 people visit the town during the festival weekend, along with 400 boats.

• Click below for further info/tickets at the festival website.

Toyah and Hazel O’Connor are interviewed in the latest issue of The Beat magazine, ahead of their upcoming joint Electric Ladies Of The 80s UK Tour.

Moving On From The Era: Toyah and Hazel – electric ladies of the 80s

On the eve of their first UK tour together for many years, we caught up with two true survivors of the punk era – Toyah Willcox and Hazel O’Connor.

• The Beat is available in selected newsagents or by suscription at their website. (Thanks to Min)