Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

Perth’s bid to be the UK’s City of Culture is being backed by pop star Toyah Willcox

The ‘80’s hit-maker believes the Fair City is in rude health to challenge for the prestigious honour, and that the annual staging of the Rewind Scotland festival at Scone Palace can only boost the locality’s case.

The Birmingham-born singer and actresss regularly visits the area and was a popular draw at Perth Concert Hall when the musical Vampires Rock enjoyed sold-out stints at the venue in 2009 and 2010.

“It doesn’t surprise me that Perth is bidding to become the UK City of Culture,” Ms Willcox said. “I think Perth deserves that recognition as much as any other city.”

“I think cities that preserve their own culture and look after it, and are in touch with their own history, as well as supporting the local population, deserve to be City of Culture. I think it’s a very good thing to have happen and I wish Perth the best of luck.”

• Continue reading at The Courier.

A new interview with Toyah – one of the best for quite a while – has been published by the Write Wyatt blog.

Getting up close and personal with Toyah

Regular readers of this blog won’t be surprised that this scribe is an avid viewer of BBC 4’s Top of the Pops re-runs, a point I soon confess to my latest interviewee, Toyah Willcox.

“Oh, God bless those!”

The more recently re-aired shows take me back to my early teens, at a time when this highly-recognisable West Midlands raised actress and singer was enjoying a string of hits, not least the distinctive It’s a Mystery, Thunder in the Mountains and I Want To Be Free.

Admittedly, you’ve always had to wade through a lot of rubbish on Top of the Pops, recent examples ranging from Captain Beaky and Joe Dolce to The Snowmen and Starsound. But it also makes me realise how many great characters there were in music at the time. ‘Old bloke with rose-tinted nostalgic specs’ alert, but the charts today just don’t seem to have that same level of OTT theatricality. This was after all an era when the disparate likes of Adam Ant, Buster Bloodvessel, Clare Grogan, Hazel O’Connor, John Lydon, Lee John, Siouxsie Sioux and Ms Willcox herself were beamed into our front rooms on Thursday nights. Just where are the characters now?

“It was phenomenal back then. There were big characters out there. We all had to perform live and came up performing live. There were very few contrived acts. A very different time. We also all wrote, and I think it’s really important to write your own material. It was almost a dirty word to do somebody else’s song.

“I had to be coerced into doing Echo Beach (1987). That was a hit for me, but I felt a sense of shame at the time. Now I absolutely love performing it. Back then it was really important that the songs were your voice.”

• Continue reading at Write Wyatt.

Local musicians have been auditioning to play at the Dartford Festival and the response has been so good two further heats have been added

Four bands are set to appear on the main stage at Central Park over Saturday, July 16 and Sunday, July 17. Now more chances to audition have been opened, at the Bull & Vic on Thursday, June 23 and Thursday, June 30. The Community Stage will also return, with local dance and drama groups showcasing their work over both days.

Heavyweight Ska legends and 1980s pop band Bad Manners will headline this year’s festival. They will join Punk princess Toyah Willcox for the free extravaganza.

• Continue reading at Kent Online.

• Live 2016: Tours, festivals, gigs, PAs – All the details and ticket links for Toyah’s upcoming confirmed dates at toyahwillcox.com…

• Let’s Rock Leeds 2016: Watch Toyah at yesterday’s pop festival at You Tube…

• The Wright Stuff: Toyah recalls meeting Muhammad Ali – Watch at Twitter…

• Newark Advertiser: Invites sent out for a royal celebration: The RAFA event is sponsored by Wellowfest, which takes place in Wellow on July 15-17 and features Sir Bob Geldof, Jim Davidson and Toyah Willcox – Continue reading…

• Spin: The Forthcoming ‘Quadrophenia’ Sequel Sounds Like a Wild Ride: A sequel to the 1979 film Quadrophenia, inspired by the Who’s 1973 album of the same name, will reportedly start filming in London this summer. The news comes a cool 37 years after the original movie, but it’s been brewing so long that a potential sequel was already being referred to as “long-awaited” back in 2013 – Continue reading…

• Dangerous Minds: Cute Couple Alert: King Crimson’s Robert Fripp & Toyah Willcox on ‘All Star Mr & Mrs’ – Continue reading…

• Daily Echo: Win tickets to Let’s Rock Southampton – Continue Reading…

Cockney Rebel and Toyah Willcox headlining Secret World wildlife charity’s first ever music festival

Secret World, Somerset’s favourite wildlife rescue charity, will be singing and dancing with the best later this year.

Legendary rocker Steve Harley is heading to Somerset to headline a festival with a difference.

On September 10, Steve and his band Cockney Rebel will be getting the crowds a-jumping at Music in the Meadow, the first- ever music festival to be held at Secret World Wildlife Rescue.

Visitors have been flocking to events at Secret World for many years, but it’s usually for a chance to get close to wildlife. Now the much-loved charity in East Huntspill, near Highbridge, is holding a one-day music festival, which will also feature Inspirational punk rocker Toyah Willcox. Other acts have yet to be announced.

• Continue reading at Somerset Live.

Toyah Willcox and Steve Harley to play at Music in The Meadow festival

Legendary rocker Steve Harley and punk rocker Toyah Willcox are set to headline a new music festival near Burnham-On-Sea this September.

Tickets go on sale on Wednesday 8th June, priced at £20 each.

Keith Weston, event organiser, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “We’ve been bursting to announce this event and we are so excited to now tell everyone that we have these brilliant musicians confirmed for our first ever music festival!”

“Music in the Meadow will be in aid of Secret World and will support our work to rescue, rehabilitate and release injured and orphaned wildlife”.

• Continue reading at Burnham-On-Sea.com.

This lively, entertaining and revealing show comes in the form of Toyah performing an unplugged set of her well-loved hits and classic songs, alongside recalling stories from her colourful, 35 year career.

Guitarists Chris Wong and Colin Hinds accompany Toyah on melodic acoustic versions of the hits It’s A Mystery and I Want To Be Free through to Sensational.

Toyah adds: “It’s a lovely show with colourful and amusing stories – you’ll definitely hear some truthful anecdotes from the late 70s and 80s. More importantly the music has real space to breathe.”

• Continue reading at The Blackpool Gazette.

Toyah’s Top Of The Pops performance of Good Morning Universe from the Four More From Toyah EP, originally broadcast on Thursday 26th November 1981, is currently available to watch online at the BBC TOTP website. The programme rcently re-aired on BBC Four. Browse all of Dreamscape’s recent Top of The Pops posts here and click below to watch the programme.

Toyah Willcox gives us the lowdown on Rewind Festival

We caught up with the punk princess to talk all things 80s music and Rewind

In 2014 she topped the iTunes Rock chart with her American band The Humans, and this year will see more music releases and touring – including a stop off at Rewind Festival South in Henley.

This year will see her fifth performance at the mega music weekender. But what is it that keeps bringing her back to Rewind?

Toyah said: “This is what I do, it simply is what I do. I do all sorts of festivals including Glastonbury and all of that, but the one thing about Rewind is that it’s just designed brilliantly.

“The audience love it and it’s just such good fun. There are a ridiculous amount of artists and the production standards are out of this world.

“I do still get nervous in the festival environment, but I have a job to do. I remember performing and turning around to give the band a wink and seeing us on this huge massive video wall – it’s such high quality.”

• Continue reading at Get Reading.

The official promotional images/posters for three forthcoming films Toyah has roles in have recently been made available: #SwipeRight, Extremis, Lies We Tell. As well as these Toyah will also feature in Kaleidoscope Man, Hound and To Be Someone.

• #SwipeRight is a psychological thriller film based on a internet dating app. Do you really know who you let into your life when you swipe right? Toyah will have a cameo in this new British horror film directed by Jane Sanger and produced by Lumino Films.

• Toyah acts in a cameo in the British thriller Extremis, written and directed by Steve Stone. The film poster for this was released for this recently whilst a release date is to be confirmed. Toyah also performs the new, original song Our Hearts Still Beat (Willcox / Darlow) for the film’s end titles.

• Toyah appears as the wife of Harvey Keitel in the forthcoming 2016 film release Lies We Tell, directed by Mitu Misra. The film poster has just also been released for the Bradford Film Associates International production which stars Gabriel Byrne and Emily Atack.

News/Info Source: Official Toyah / Breaking Through – Official Newsletter.

Songs from In The Court Of The Crimson Queen and Anthem will be included in the new musical Crime & Punishment. Toyah revealed further info on this in her most recent blog:

“Even though it hasn’t been officially announced yet I think it is safe to confirm that Simon Darlow and myself are over the moon that many of the songs from IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON QUEEN are about to be used in a theatre production of Dostoevsky’s CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, a steam punk version/rock musical of the novel which opens on the 30th August at the Scoop Theatre in London. It will run until the 25th Sept.

It is a free event, it is an open-air amphitheatre by the River Thames, but it will be on a first come, first served basis. It is going to be busy. They expect 40,000 people will see it as the event has been full to capacity in the past. It is part of the London Festival’s Russian Season.

Simon and I are writing three new songs for the piece. The writer/director Phil Willmott is also using some songs off ANTHEM.”

• Further info at toyahwillcox.com and freeopenairtheatre.org.

Toyah Willcox on Botox, plastic surgery and why she has one of the happiest marriages in showbiz

The punk icon has just celebrated her 30th wedding anniversary and is happier than ever

Punk icon Toyah Willcox has just as much attitude now as she did when she burst on to the music scene in the 1980s.

She may be just 5ft tall, but the singer and actress makes up for her lack of inches in decibels.

Toyah, 58, and husband, King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp, 70, have just celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary, and she roars laughing as she reveals why this showbiz marriage is one that works .

• Continue reading at the Mirror.

The treasured venue formerly known as The Tute by locals – The Layton – presents the princess of punk and rock Toyah Willcox in October.

Toyah Willcox remains one of Britain’s best known names, an award winning rock legend as well as actress and composer.

If you want to steal a march on the more intimate resort gig (October 8, tickets £18) Toyah recently announced plans to play Preston’s Charter on Friday June 24. She’s also playing The Muni, Colne, in October. And that’s not forgetting a preview of new material at Glastonbury to come.

• Continue reading at The Blackpool Gazette.

Toyah is performing at Glastonbury Festival 2016, which takes place between 22nd and 26th June – Toyah’s set is part of the PRS stage, which isn’t open to the general festivalgoer… Toyah tweeted a photo from rehearsals with Simon Darlow earlier this month. More details on this year’s Glastonbury by clicking below.

Quadrophenia: Sky Select HD: Thursday 23rd June: 10pm
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. (Sky Select HD is on Sky Channel 312)

Read Toyah’s action-packed June 2016 blog at toyahwillcox.com.

The Wright Stuff: Channel 5: Mon 6th June: 9.15am
Lively magazine show in which Matthew Wright and guests discuss the topical issues of the day. With panellists Dominic Holland and Yasmine AB, plus guest Toyah Willcox. (Also airing on Channel 5 +1, Channel 5 +24 and will be available on Demand 5 after airing)

As well as what’s already posted below there has been a lot of online press reports about the “Quadrophenia Sequel”. Here are links to a few: (Photo © TSIPhotography.co.uk)

SPIN: The Forthcoming ‘Quadrophenia’ Sequel Sounds Like a Wild Ride – Read …
What Culture: Attention Mods: Quadrophenia Is Getting A Belated Sequel – Read …
Vulture: Dust Off Your Finest Scooter, Because a Quadrophenia Sequel Is Coming – Read …
Hot Press: The Who’s Quadrophenia To Get Sequel – Read …
Access All Areas: Toyah Willcox and Phil Daniels on board for Quadrophenia sequel – Read …
Film Junk: Quadrophenia Sequel in the Works – Read …

Steve Oram’s deeply British feature debut is the kind of mesmerizing cult oddity whose fan base will be limited but passionate.

It may be filmed in the Academy ratio, but Steve Oram’s low-budget feature debut “Aaaaaaaah!” could hardly be considered a nod to classic Hollywood. Rather, the 4:3 frame indicates something more primal, evoking the so-called “video nasties” (a wave of mostly cheap horror films banned on VHS in the U.K. in the 1980s, following a wave of moral panic over the perceived degeneration in values these films would cause when made available for home viewing). “Aaaaaaaah!” is set in exactly the kind of world Mary Whitehouse feared, and functions as a kind of loving Swiftian satire on the more brutish aspects of modern life. Though it’s at once too subtle and too extreme to attract a broad audience, those who get something out of gross-out humor, silent film and British comedy will treasure “Aaaaaaaah!” as a rare cult gem.

• Continue reading at Variety.

Fans of 1980s music are in for a real treat this summer when the Rewind Scotland festival returns for its sixth consecutive year.

The event is taking place once again at Scone Palace in Perthshire from Friday, July 22, to Sunday, July 24. And this year’s musical feast features a fantastic line-up of the best 1980s acts.

They include former punk princess Toyah Willcox.

She’ll be taking to the stage on Sunday, July 24, and is excited about performing for fans of all ages.

“I’m really looking forward to this year’s Rewind Festival – I was there last year and have performed many times over the years. It is one of the highlights of my summer. I love performing all my songs and love to hear the audience singing along. I’ll be trying to fit in as many as I can!”

• Continue reading at the Motherwell Times. Tickets are available now at www.rewindfestival.com.

Toyah’s 1985 single Don’t Fall in Love (I Said), from her debut solo album Minx, is included on the latest “100 Hits” 5CD compilation Pure 80s.

The much loved 100 Hits range is back in a brand new sleek slim digipak housing 5 discs of your favourite songs of the 80s to enjoy featuring incredible tracks from the finest pop artists such as Wham!, Cyndi Lauper, Adam Ant and many more in this timeless collection.

Don’t Fall in Love (I Said) is song 14 on CD5. The collection is also available digitally from iTunes, Amazon.

• Further info here. Win all five of the latest “100 Hits” CDs at Classic Pop.