Episode 3 of Blink, featuring Toyah & Cheryl Baker, is now available via Channel 4’s On Demand. Two 80s pop legends, Cheryl Baker and Toyah Willcox, try audio and visual music challenges.
Toyah played an Acoustic, Up Close & Personal date at The Exchange, Sturminster Newton on Thursday. The venue is auctioning a huge, signed, banner from the gig… (Photo © Official Toyah)
College News: 80s cult pop star Toyah is coming to Bridgwater
Pop and 80s icon, Toyah Willcox will be performing a lively unplugged storytellers style gig at Bridgwater College’s The McMillan Theatre later this month.
This gig on Sunday, October 25, 2015, at 7.30pm will be a unique chance to experience Toyah up close and personal.COLLEGE NEWS: 80s cult pop star Toyah is coming to Bridgwater
The evening will include Toyah performing an acoustic set of her loved hit singles and classic songs, alongside recalling stories from her colourful 35-year career. Tickets cost just £18 and are available from www.mcmillantheatre.com or the Box Office in person or by phone, 01278-556677.
• Continue reading at Bridgwater Press.
In his directorial debut, Sightseers star Steve Oram delivers a remarkable film that satirises human behaviour with apeshit craziness.
Set in a superficially recognisable South London of semi-detached houses, football pitches and fashionable clothing boutiques, Aaaaaaaah! nevertheless offers an alternate reality that entirely eschews dialogue for primal grunts and gesticulations, with civilisation repeatedly shown to be a thin veneer over simian wildness.
Aaaaaaaah! features some dark and comically extreme sequences, but it’s not too aloof in its arthouse outlook. Plotwise, it’s essentially Romeo and Juliet.
• Continue reading at Chortle. Catch up on all of our Aaaaaaaah! news here.
The world of VOD is sometimes seen as the bargain bin of film but new services like Frightfest Presents and its new ape drama might be about to change all that
British comedy stalwart Steve Oram’s directorial debut Aaaaaaaah! sees a host of famous faces (Toyah Willcox included) occupy a world in which human beings act like apes, their social graces eradicated and all known language replaced by a series of unintelligible grunts. So far, so kooky, but from the opening moments of the film – in which Oram’s character weepily urinates over a photo of his ex-wife – Aaaaaaaah! reveals itself as something much more tender than its offbeat premise might imply.
• Continue reading at The Guardian.
A popular Shipley Gate venue is hosting the auditions for a new rock music-based show. Thunder Valley Rocks is a nine-episode television show, filmed in a “live” format, and presented by Toyah Willcox.
Each episode features five live, unsigned rock bands, with celebrity guests appraising the bands’ performances and offering tips and advice from their own experiences.
The premise behind the show is that rock bands receive minimal exposure on national television compared to solo artists and pop music. In the final episode, the guests will choose a band between them, who will be offered a chance to play at a top UK music festival in 2016.
The pilot show will be screened on November 14. The celebrity guests will be taken from a range of different eras, and include musicians such as Roy Wood, Suzi Quatro, Kofi Baker, Rex Brown, Rick Wakeman, Ginger Fish, Martin Turner, Mark Brzezicki and more.
• Continue reading at Belper News.
Secret Diary Of A Call Girl: Sony TV: Wednesday 21st October: 10.35pm
Secret Diary Of A Call Girl: Sony TV: Thursday 22nd October: 1.40am
Series One. Episode Eight. After falling out with her agent, Belle meets two women who run a company called Diamond International who invite her into their books. Starring: Billie Piper, Toyah Willcox, Aleksandar Mikic, Jamie Sives, Aislinn Sands and Scarlette O’Harlette. (Also airing on Sony TV + 1)
Quadrophenia, still awesome and legendary some 36 years after first being released, is showing at the Pawsons Arms, Croydon in South London this Friday – Seminal rock and roll infused portrait of ’60s British youth culture – More details by clicking below.
Watch Live With… Toyah at the Vintage TV website right now!!
Live With… Toyah is repeated tonight on Vintage TV at 10.30pm. A great six-song acoustic set from Toyah – with songs from Sheep Farming in Barnet, Anthem, The Changeling and Velvet Lined Shell – plus chat and reminisces inbetween the songs.
1. Thunder In The Mountains, 2. Danced, 3. Little Tears Of Love, 4. It’s A Mystery, 5. Dawn Chorus, 6. I Want To Be Free – Go Live With… Toyah at The Official Toyah Instagram.
Live With… Toyah: Vintage TV: Monday 12th October: 10.30pm
New! The high priestess of punk, who has been a prolific singer, musician and actor for three decades, takes to the stage. We’re launching a brand new show where it’s all about the music! From Sister Sledge and Glenn Tilbrook to Hazel O’Connor and Eddi Reader, we’ve invited musical icons to perform up to six tracks from their repertoire. Filmed in an intimate studio setting. ‘Live With’ gives you all the entertainment of live gig, without having to leave your living room! Vintage TV is available on Sky 369, Freeview 242, Virgin 343 and Freesat 505.
The Aaaaaaaah! T-Shirt, first revealed by Toyah and Steve Oram at the Birmingham screening of the film at the beginning of October, is now available to buy online from Last Exit To Nowhere.
The vibrant red shirt, with the Aaaaaaaah! image on the front and logo on the reverse, comes in various sizes (small to xxl) and is priced £20 plus postage.
Aaaaaaaah! – Regular T-shirt
Inspired by Aaaaaaaah! (2015)
We’ve been working with Rook Films on a T-shirt for Steve Oram’s (co-writer and star of Sightseers) subversive comedy and directorial debut, Aaaaaaaah! A six colour design, hand screen printed on a regular fit, 100% cotton red t-shirt.
Maigret: ITV Encore: Sunday 25th October: 2.05pm
Maigret and the Hotel Majestic. Crime series featuring Georges Simenon’s celebrated Parisian detective. Maigret is called to the scene when a beautiful woman is found dead in the basement of the Hotel Majestic with a gun in her handbag. The Chief Inspector’s investigations initially centre around the staff at the hotel – until he discovers that the woman’s husband booked a trip to Rome that he never made. Starring: Michael Gambon, Geoffrey Hutchings, Michael Shannon, Toyah Willcox (1993). Also airing on ITV Encore HD and Plus 1.
A reminder that there’s another chance to hear the four-part audio drama Peter Pan, with Toyah in the lead role and also starring Ron Moody, June Whitfield and Roy Hudd, all this week on BBC Radio 4 Extra.
There are four airings of each of the episodes. Full details here. This was originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1995 so these latest could be considered the 20th Anniversary repeats. (Thanks to Anthony for the ‘Radio Times’ clipping below)
A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of J. M. Barrie’s tale of childhood adventure starring Toyah Willcox as Peter Pan and Ron Moody as Captain Hook. These audio editions, especially dramatised for BBC Radio, are of timeless stories that have enchanted generations of readers both young and old – See Peter Pan at The Official Toyah Instagram.
Today Toyah retweeted Ultimate Classic Rock’s tweet about the 46th anniversary of the release of In The Court Of The Crimson King. Read an article on the album at Ultimate Classic Rock.
Celebrity Antiques Road Trip: Yesterday: Friday 23rd October: 6.30am
DJ Tony Blackburn and punk rocker Toyah Willcox take to the road, scouring the shops of York and Pickering in the hope of finding some poptastic period pieces to flog at auction.
The 28th Bewdley Festival – 9th to 18th October 2015 (Toyah plays on the 16th)
Sugar and Spice, written by Nigel Williams and directed by Bill Alexander, opened at the Royal Court Theatre, in Sloan Square, London, 35 years ago today. Starring Toyah Willcox, Caroline Quentin and Gwyneth Strong. Toyah played Sharon, her third stage role – following Tales From The Vienna Woods (Emma, 1977) and American Days (Tallulah, 1979).
• Read an NME interview with Toyah, discussing Sugar and Spice (while she was still appearing in it in 1980), and see the production’s poster at Royal Court Posters. (Thanks to The Official Toyah Instagram)
More great news! Prostitute is currently in the Top 100 Alternative Chart at iTunes.
Desire has already charted earlier this week in the iTunes Rock Top 100, as well as at Amazon.
• Click for Desire, Prostitute and Ophelia’s Shadow at Amazon.
It’s that time of year again when lovers of music, comedy, drama and the arts descend on Wyre Forest for the annual Bewdley Festival.
This year marks the 28th anniversary of Bewdley Festival which will bring 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 festival kicks off on Friday (October 9) with British music legend, Leo Sayer’s sold out performance as part of a series of rare and much-anticipated shows. Visiting from Australia, Grammy award-winning Leo comes to Bewdley with his Restless Years Tour.
Other performances sold out this year include a performance by Toyah Willcox, a return visit from Lesley Smith as Nell Gwynne, the final of three performances of the Ballad of St Kenelm, AD 821 by renowned composer Andrew Downes, comedy with Dr Phil Hammond and an annual lecture from Max Keen.
• Continue reading at the Evesham Journal. Toyah’s Acoustic… concert, on Friday 16th October, has Sold Out (see photo above and at the festival website). Check if there is another date near you at the Official Gigs page at toyahwillcox.com.
Lets Rock the 80’s reveal line up for Cookham, Exeter, Leeds & Southampton
Let’s Rock The 80’s have revealed the line up for four of their seven events for 2016, The Human League will headline both Exeter and Cookham, with Billy Ocean headlining Leeds and Holly Johnson at Southampton. Full line up:
Let’s Rock The Moor (Cookham): The Human League, Jason Donovan, Belinda Carlisle, Jimmy Somerville, Sinitta, Hue & Cry, Aswad, Black Box, Chesney Hawkes, Katrina, Cutting Crew, and Johnny Hates Jazz
Let’s Rock Exeter: The Human League, Rick Astley, Kim Wilde, Tiffany, Roland Gift, Heaven 17, Alexander O’Neal, T’Pau, The Beat, Cheryl, Mike & Jay Formerly Of Bucks Fizz, Odyssey, and Dr & The Medics
Let’s Rock Leeds: Billy Ocean, Jason Donovan, Soul Ii Soul, Jimmy Somerville, Toyah, Chesney Hawkes, Modern Romance, China Crisis, Cutting Crew, Johnny Hates Jazz, Katrina, and Owen Paul
Let’s Rock Southampton: Holly Johnson, Rick Astley, Jason Donovan, Tiffany, Soul Ii Soul, Roland Gift, Big Country, The Selecter, Cheryl, Mike & Jay Formerly Of Bucks Fizz, Toyah, Dr & The Medics, and Sonia
Details for the Birmingham, Bristol and London line up will be released on 1st November.
• Continue reading at Festivals For All.
Toyah’s October blog is now available at The Official Toyah Willcox website. Toyah talks the Desire/Prostitute/Ophelia’s Shadow digital releases, ice cream & chocolate in Stonehaven, King Crimson on tour, new song for the film Extremis “Our Hearts Still Beat”, Aaaaaaaah!, Live With… Toyah, and remembering her Mother.
