Toyah has played dozens (and dozens) of gigs in 2015, one of the most prolific live years of her career – Acoustic, Up Close & Personal; Proud, Loud & Electric; The Humans’ Telling Strange Tales; as well as numerous festivals (New Mills, Cottingham, Bewdley, Lowdham, Soundstock, Cropredy, Glastonbudget…). There are still a handful + of forthcoming Acoustic and Electric gigs over the next few weeks. Click below for details.
Thanks to Brian Marsh, Official Toyah, Chesney Hawkes, Paul/P A C Photography, Damon King, Angus Turner, Ian Davis, Mark Evans and Rewind Scotland for sharing these great live photos through 2015.
2015 was/is the 30th anniversary of the release of two, starkly different, Toyah albums: The big-budget, major label, studio album Minx, which Dreamscape celebrated/posted about sporadically this year; and the, final 80s release on indie label Safari, compilation album Mayhem (“A Special Collector’s Edition Album Of Rare and Archive Recordings”).
Mayhem was also released on expanded CD in 2005 and digitally in 2013. Somewhat ironically in this 30th anniversary year the “multi-media” warehouse which the album was named after, “Mayhem” in Battersea, London began to be demolished. Visit the album page at The Official Toyah Discography, and download the album/buy the CD by clicking on the Mayhem feature from Issue 17 of Dreamscape’s Toyah Fanzine.
Pop and 80s icon Toyah Willcox was at Bridgwater College last night (Sunday, October 25, 2015) to perform at The McMillan Theatre.
The gig proved a unique opportunity for people to experience Toyah up close and personal.
The evening included Toyah performing an acoustic set of her hit singles and classic songs, alongside recalling stories from her colourful 35-year career.
Even Bridgwater Press photographer Jeff Searle could not resist from going along and grabbing a picture with Toyah.
• Continue reading at Bridgwater Press.
Neil McCormick’s Needle Time: Vintage TV: Tuesday 3rd November: 10.30pm
Toyah Willcox. Prolific artist and actor, who enjoyed hits with ‘It’s a Mystery’, ‘Thunder in the Mountains’ and ‘I Want to be Free’, shares the story behind her remarkable career – Running Time: 60 minutes. Vintage TV is available on Sky 369, Freeview 242, Virgin 343 and Freesat 505.
In October 1983, Toyah’s album Love is The Law was released. It was issued on CD in 2005 and made available digitally for the first time ever in 2013 – thanks to toyahwillcox.com – to mark its 30th anniversary. The release was accompanied by a new digital booklet. You can now view/download the booklet at The Official Toyah website. Click on the original 1983 Japanese Love Is The Law press advert – colourised by Dreamscape – below to visit the album page.
• Browse Dreamscape’s recent Love Is The Law archive of posts here. View the related post at Instagram. The album is available to buy at iTunes and Amazon.
Toyah with Caroline Munro, of James Bond and Hammer Horror films fame, at Saturday’s Viva Blackpool event. (Photo © Lindsay Peebles | Thanks also to Damon King)
Besides a bevy of Bond girl beauties, cast members from classic British movie Quadrophenia will be lining up to meet fans at Blackpool’s Viva cabaret venue tomorrow. In the ‘biggest cast reunion’ to date, the likes of Toyah, John Altman – perhaps now best known as EastEnders’ Nasty Nick Cotton, and Gary Shail will be chatting about the days gone by.
The 1979 British film, loosely based on the 1973 rock opera of the same name by The Who, made stars of a whole generation of young actors who went on to great things, with Phil Daniels and Ray Winstone leading the way.
Gary Shail, who played Spider, helped get together the Mods and Rockers crowd attending the charity Our Disappearing Planet’s first Charity Autograph Convention at the Blackpool night spot – which will also play host to a bevy of Bond girls, plus stars of the silver and small screens.
“We don’t get together too often, although we see each other as separate events, but this is probably the biggest grouping for a long time,” he said. “And a lot of people are coming who have never done a Quadrophenia reunion, so it should be really good.”
• Continue reading at The Blackpool Gazette.
Autograph hunters head to Blackpool for a star studded convention
Bond girls, a former Miss World who famously dated George Best, and the ‘Stupid Boy’ from Dad’ Army are just some of the celebrities taking part in the inaugural Charity Autograph Convention in Blackpool.
Other celebs attending including former Miss World (1977) Mary Stavin, pop star Toyah Willcox, Game of Thrones actors Ian Whyte and the ‘Stupid Boy’ from Dad’s Army, Ian Lavender.
• Continue reading at ITV News.
Eeeek!! This is amazing – ZACHT VOOR HAAR >> An astonishing #flashbackfriday to 1977. A rarely seen and seldom spotted shampoo advert modelling shot by a young Toyah. This advert was printed in Dutch magazines and the tag line translates as Soft for you. (Thanks to The Official Toyah Instagram)
• There’s no gimmicks! The above has brought this to mind – From 20 years later…
Steve Oram on AAAAAAAAH!, monkey business and Battenberg
We talk to Steve Oram about his mad monkey movie Aaaaaaaah!
You’ve not seen anything quite like Steve Oram’s dark comedy Aaaaaaaah! Set in a dystopian world where everyone behaves like apes (complete with grunting, there’s no dialogue), it’s a viciously funny and totally odd piece of work that’s been building excellent word of mouth since its debut at FrightFest.
The film has been going round a few festivals, how have you found the reaction so far?
We’ve had various screenings all around the country, we had a little tour with Picturehouse Cinemas, so we’ve been going round with them and it’s been brilliant. We’ve been doing Q & As at most of these places and I’ve been blown away by the response, it seems people like no-dialogue films these days! FrightFest was a really good start for us, it was amazing. It really seems to be growing, which is great. We had a really good screening at Mayhem in Nottingham on Sunday, which went really well. Really great crowd there, very pleased.
Did you have actors in mind?
I did, I wrote most of the parts for the actors that ended up playing them. They’re gathered from the comedy world and most of them are good friends of mine, Tom Meeten who plays my beta male in it and Julian [Barratt] and Noel [Fielding] and Julian Rhind-Tutt, Holly Dempsey, they’re all really good friends, but Toyah [Willcox] was the one I didn’t know. I just sent her a script because I was a huge fan of her in Jubilee and Quadrophenia, her early work I think is just incredible. And she loved it and fit right in with all my mental friends! Which was really great, a really happy coincidence.
• Continue reading at SciFiNow.
Actor & Comedian Steve Oram In Leeds to Hold Special Late Night Screening of His Debut Film, Aaaaaaaah!
Comedian, actor & writer Steve Oram is bringing his new debut feature film to the Hyde Park Picture House this Saturday, where it will show at a special late night screening, alongside a Q&A with the director. The film, entitled AAAAAAAAH! , is a hilarious, anarchic and touching look at the human condition, and stars many of Oram’s comedy contemporaries including Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding, Alice Lowe and Julian Rhind-Tutt.
Aaaaaaaah! plus live Q&A with director Steve Oram is at the Hyde Park Picture House on Saturday 24th October at 11pm.
• Continue reading at North Leeds Life.
As has been posted about a fair bit recently… Toyah’s three quite different and, more than quite, brilliant albums: Desire – originally released in 1987, Prostitute – originally released in 1988, and Ophelia’s Shadow – originally released in 1991, were made available digitally, for the first time, earlier this month. There’s been a lot of related promotion…
Desire: Read Toyah’s Letter, first published in Tellurian One (Spring 1987); View info on Tenterhooks, Echo Beach (Acoustic) and Desirable; Visit the album page at toyahwillcox.com; Read a full transcript of Chris Limb’s 1987 interview with Toyah; Listen to the album at Spotify; Buy at Amazon or iTunes; Browse Dreamscape’s Desire news…
Prostitute: Read Toyah’s Letter (Summer 1988); Visit the album page at toyahwillcox.com; Read a reflection by Craig Astley; Listen to the album at Spotify; Buy at Amazon or iTunes; Browse Dreamscape’s Prostitute news…
Ophelia’s Shadow: Read Toyah’s Letter (Summer 1990); Visit the album page at toyahwillcox.com; Listen to the album at Spotify; Buy at Amazon or iTunes; Browse Dreamscape’s Ophelia’s Shadow news…
Explore Toyah’s Instagram for rarities related to all three albums (Thanks to Breaking Through).
The 28th Bewdley Festival has been described as a great success by its organisers.
Bewdley Festival brought its traditional mix of local talent, regional celebrities and national and international stars of stage, screen and concert halls, all packed into an eventful ten days and all delivered entirely by volunteers. The event, which ran from Friday, October 9, to Sunday, October 18, is much anticipated by lovers of music, comedy, drama and the arts in Wyre Forest.
Other performances across the 10-day festival included Toyah Willcox, Lesley Smith, Andrew Downes, Dr Phil Hammond and Max Keen.
• Continue reading at The Kidderminster Shuttle. Browse our Bewdley Festival 2015 news.
Today is Toyah’s first day on the set of Lies We Tell, filming in, a rainy, Leeds.
To be released in 2016, Lies We Tell has been filming since the beginning of September around West Yorkshire in the UK. It stars Gabriel Byrne, Harvey Keitel. Sibylla Deen, Mark Addy, Reece Ritchie, Omi Puri and Emily Atack. It is written and directed by Mitu Misra and the Executive Producer is Santosh Sivan.
• View the full cast and crew at the film’s imdb entry. Follow Lies We Tell at Twitter. Browse lots of info on the film at Byrneholics.
Doctors: BBC1: Tuesday 10th November: 1.45pm
Afternoon of the Living Dead. By Paul Campbell. Featuring Toyah in a guest role. Full synopsis available soon… View a photo at Toyah’s Instagram. Keep your eyes on the BBC One/Doctors website for an interview with Toyah soon.
There’s a trio of Acoustic, Up Close & Personal dates for Toyah over the next few days; in Runcorn (22nd October at The Brindley). Oswaldtwistle (23rd October at Hyndburn Arts Centre) and Bridgwater (25th October at The McMillan Theatre), as well as an appearance at the Celebrity Autograph Convention, Viva Blackpool, with other cast members from Quadrophenia (24th October). Full details on all of these, and more, at toyahwillcox.com.
A rare photo of Toyah from 1983. I’m not sure where this, circa The Vow, shot originates from but it was obviously taken at the same time as the photo session these two, previously available, photos are from. Click below to view a larger version.
Desire, Toyah’s second solo album, originally released in 1987 was issued digitally at the beginning of October.
As well as a new digital booklet to accompany the release a plethora of Desire-related extras have been made available by toyahwillcox.com to complement the album.
TENTERHOOKS | AN AUDIO SLEEVENOTE To accompany the recent digital release of Toyah’s 1987 album Desire comes an exclusive audio sleevenote. (Concept: Craig Astley | Execution: Chris Limb | Based on an original Toyah interview conducted and recorded by Chris Limb in London, 1987).
ECHO BEACH [ACOUSTIC] A previously unreleased and unavailable acoustic take on Echo Beach. Recorded live in 2014.
DESIRABLE EP compiling Echo Beach & Moonlight Dancing B-Sides in new sonically refreshed transfers. Tracklist: 1. Echo Beach (Surf Mix); 2. Plenty; 3. Sun Up; 4. Re-Entry Into Dance.
• Click on each of the covers below to download/stream the Desire goodies. (Thanks to Breaking Through)
Aaaaaaaah! is available to download now, from all the usual online digital stores. Comedy set in a primate-like society, a roaming alpha male comes into a town, along with his beta friend, where he finds a feud happening in the local community. He decides to challenge the dominant male there in a bid to take over the tribe and restore order to the area. Click below to buy or rent, in SD or HD, from Amazon.
Browse the full collection of BBC Radio 4’s Great Lives, including the, recently aired, final episode of Series 37 with Toyah paying tribute to the incredible Katharine Hepburn. Many of the episodes are still available to listen to online via iPlayer, and some are downloadable as podcasts.
2015 has been, yet another, packed year of Toyah gigs, and there are still plenty left over the next few weeks.
Half a dozen Acoustic, Up Close & Personal: The Brindley, Runcorn; Hyndburn Arts Centre, Lancashire; The McMillan Theatre, Bridgwater; The Cresset, Peterborough; Goole Junction, Goole and The Pavilion, Hailsham.
As well as a trio of Proud, Loud & Electric gigs: The Picturedome, Holmfirth; The Fleece, Bristol and The Garage, London.
• Check out the Official Toyah Gigs page for full details and ticket links.
