• Thunder Valley Rocks: Is a new TV programme based around new and upcoming bands. We will be filming a pilot for a new 9 episode series in November/December of this year and the subsequent episodes will begin filming early next year. Each episode, presented by Toyah Willcox will also feature celebrity music guests who give some insight into their past success and talk about what they are doing now – Continue reading…
• Toyah @ Twitter: “Simon Darlow & I are recording EXTREMIS outro song. We cant stop crying it is so powerful” – Visit Twitter…
• Straight: VIFF 2015: Aaaaaaaah! provides many delicious moments: The conceit in this much-buzzed-about U.K. effort might be a little slight—nonverbal humans behave like apes, thus commenting on the thin veneer of civilization, yada yada—but writer-director-star Steve Oram (Sightseers) provides so many delicious moments of passing Dadaism that it all works beautifully. A fully game cast sure helps, ’80s new wave crumpet Toyah Willcox among them. (Her hubby, Robert Fripp, supplies the soundtrack.) – Continue reading…
• Proud, Loud & Electric: There’s a quadruple of “Electric” gigs over the next four nights for Toyah – Playing two dates at Stonehaven Town Hall (18/19th September) and one at Dundee’s Gardyne Theatre (20th September). The first of the four is tonight, Toyah plays at Stockton Arts Centre. Click below for more info on that.
BBC asks viewers to share their musical memorabilia to tell ‘The People’s History of Pop’
Do you treasure a ticket stub from David Bowie at Aylesbury Friars? Is there a glow-stick from an illegal rave in your attic? Does your teenage diary list every band you ever saw in painstaking detail?
Now the BBC is asking viewers to share their most cherished musical possessions to help tell The People’s History of Pop through a unique crowdsourcing appeal. An online archive is being created for a new BBC4 series which will tell the story of British rock & pop music from the 1950s to the noughties – but without the traditional narrative from chin-stroking “experts”.
Craig Astley uploaded a picture of himself, then aged 4, with his first pop idol, the punk singer Toyah after a concert in Newcastle. “Sixteen years later and I received a phone call from Toyah herself if I would be interested in running her website,” writes Astley, who now manages the singer’s archive. “Pop dreams can come true.”
Eighties pop icon Toyah Willcox will play Stonehaven Town Hall this Friday and Saturday night with the singer eager to look around the town.
The former punk princess – whose biggest hit was ‘It’s A Mystery’ spoke to the Mearns Leader this week about playing Stonehaven, looking forward to fish and chips and what fans can expect.
Toyah said: “I’m really looking forward to the show as we’ve never been to Stonehaven and it is great to have the chance to go there. As it is on the coast I’m looking forward to getting to know the town and I love history so I’d love to walk around the museum.”
The event is being organised by music shop owner Chris Stirk with tickets still available for both shows. Toyah’s two gigs follows her successful appearance recently at the Rewind festival in Perth with the singer adding that she’ll have all the hits and maybe a few surprises for those attending.
She said: “I think fans are going to really enjoy the show as it is fun and it is really about them. I’ll have all the hits, the singles from the 80s and singles that have charted on iTunes in the last couple of years. It will be a fun and able show, where we’ll look to put in a few other songs.”
There’s a great overview of the recent Live In The Park 2015 at Aylesbury Showcase, including a selection of Toyah related links and clips. Click below to visit the page.
Eighties star Toyah brings the house down at New Mills Art Theatre
In a coup for the New Mills Festival 1980s’ icon Toyah Willcox played a greatest hits concert at New Mills Art Theatre on Saturday evening to an almost sell out crowd.
Drawing on her considerable back catalogue Toyah soon had the crowd rocking as she played hit after hit taking us back to those heady days of the eighties. Opening with Good Morning Universeit was clear Toyah’s voice was as strong as ever, the hair and makeup might have gone but the songs were as powerful as ever and she had the audience in the palm of her hand.
Thunder In The Mountains, I Want To Be Free and Brave New World were all rapturously received as were cover versions of Echo Beach and fellow eighties star Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell.
Of course what most of us remember Toyah for is the massive hit It’s A Mystery and when she played it she brought the house down (almost literally as plaster fell from the ceiling) and got a standing ovation. Coming back for the inevitable encore of Danced, Toyah thanked what was a very appreciative audience and in the words of Rebel Yell left them wanting More, More, More!
Toyah plays, and officially opens, the New Mills Festival 2015 tonight, with an Acoustic, Up Close & Personal show at the New Mills Art Theatre.
Setting this year’s New Mills Festival off with an enormous bang, and following on from last year’s hugely successful fundraiser, this year sees the colourful, dynamic and unique Toyah Willcox and her band take to the stage at New Mills Art Theatre on Saturday 12 Sept 2015. Toyah will be belting out all her old hits including the iconic hit singles – It’s A Mystery, I Want To Be Free and Thunder In The Mountains, as well as newer material, in her famous high-energy style.
A limited edition of 50 fine art screen prints of the poster (on the left) for this event will be on sale at the Art Theatre tonight, and afterwards if any are left, online from sindesign.co.uk.
New Mills Community Festival is a 2-week annual celebration of community and cultural spirit through a diverse range of activities from talks and walks to concerts, gigs, exhibitions and an impressive lantern procession.
New Mills is situated on the borders of North West Derbyshire and Cheshire, is part of the Derbyshire Peak District and traces its history back to the 13th century. The town is set in an area of spectacular natural beauty and is a popular destination for walkers of all abilities. There are guided walks as part of the festival and even a Fungi Foray! It’s easily accessible by train or bus and boasts two train stations. Services run direct from Sheffield or Manchester in less than an hour.
• Visit Toyah’s page at the New Mills Festivalwebsite. Stay updated via the festival’s Twitter page. Browse all of our New Mills Festival 2015news.
Toyah is on the cover of Sturminster Newton’s The Exchange brochure for Autumn/Winter 2015, which is published/launched today. She plays an Acoustic, Up Close & Personal date at The Exchange on Thursday 15th October. Click below for further details.
A short feature on the production of the promotional poster for Aaaaaaaah! by The Private Press.
A 6 colour screen printed poster for a brilliant new film called ‘Aaaaaaaah!, written and directed by Steve Oram, including a cast of Julian Barratt, Toyah Wilcox, Julian Rhind Tutt and Holli Dempsey. The poster prints onto Fenner Paper’s Bright Red Colorset 270gsm and the zip prints a shiny metallic silver.
The posters were printed to coincide with the film’s premiere in Leicester Square as part of Frightfest 2015. More information on the film can be found at both the Rook Films and Lincoln Studios sites.
Punk artist Toyah Willcox hails Derby rock hotspot as one of the best in the country
Punk pioneer Toyah Willcox is back in Derby tomorrow night – at a rock hotspot she hails as one of the best venues in the country! Toyah will be performing at The Flowerpot on her “‘Proud, Loud and Electric” tour.
“My American band, The Humans, played The Flowerpot at least six year ago, it was one of the best gigs we’ve done! I love it there!” Toyah exclaims, when asked about Derby.
Fans who decide to attend the show can expect a truly unique performance.
“I always make sure that the band and I gear the music to the venue. We always look around and judge the audience then tailor our set to what they want so it’s different every night. Some nights they want a heavy set and sometimes they want to hear laid-back music. The Flowerpot is a really intimate venue with a low ceiling so it’s going to be a real rock ‘n’ roll show.
“I wanted to call the tour a name that allowed us to cherry-pick from a retrospective of 36 years of music. Because it’s so small, it’s going to get pretty hot in there so we’ll be playing a lot of music from the punk days.”
Steve Oram’s entertaining drama imagines a world populated by vile beasts who look like humans but behave like apes
The directorial debut of Sightseers star Steve Oram is a singular item of monkey business that imagines a world populated by vile beasts who look like humans, but think, act and converse like apes. Shot for peanuts (or bananas) around decidedly trusting souls’ flats, the result often resembles an actors’ body-language workshop run amok, but between the territory-marking and leg-humping – funny on some primal level – a narrative and wounded psychology does evolve.
• Live 2015: Another trio of gigs – Toyah plays an Acoustic, Up Close & Personal date tonight at Vauxhall Tavern, London and tomorrow a Proud, Loud & Electric gig at The Flowerpot, Derby. On Saturday she is the opening music artist of the New Mills Festival 2015.
• Mansfield Chad: See Toyah in full flow at The Flowerpot: Iconic performer Toyah Willcox will be joined by her full band for a gig at The Flowerpot in Derby on Friday, September 11. The popular singer and actor is currently touring with her show, entitled Proud, Loud and Electric – Continue reading…
• Aaaaaaaah!: Another screening at Picture House Central, tomorrow night – View details…
• Get Ready To Rock: Gig review: Cropredy – Oxfordshire, 13-15 August 2015: Last year the festival had a proggy feel to it which I think really worked well but this year I think the attempt to mix in an 80′s pop feel hasn’t really paid off. The Proclaimers, Level 42 and Toyah actually played very good sets; for the folkies they were a bit leftfield – Toyah came out to huge applause and reeled off a set that included ‘It’s A Mystery’ alongside some great covers like ‘Rebel Yell’ and ‘Echo Beach’ – Continue reading…
Toyah Willcox and Madness tribute band to hit Flowerpot stage
Rock star Toyah Willcox is taking to the stage at The Flowerpot in Derby on Friday night.
Willcox, whose music career spans over 30 years, is performing at the King Street music venue with her electric band as part of her Proud, Loud & Electric tour. The singer-songwriter has brought in 13 top 40 singles including I Want To Be Free and Thunder In The Mountains, recording 29 albums during her career and touring worldwide.
Spokesman for the event, Alan Woolley, said: “From punk princess to cult stage actress and high priestess of TV, Toyah Willcox is a gifted performer and an inextinguishable flame.
“Charismatic, outspoken and impossible to categorise, she is one of Britain’s iconic household names – an award-winning rock legend as well as a much-loved stage and screen actress and music composer.”
Toyah is the cover star of the new issue of Boyz Magazine (10th September 2015). There is also an interview with her inside – Read it online by clicking below.
Onion Talking: Steve Oram Opens Wide & Says AAAAAAAAH!
With AAAAAAAAH!, are you trying to say something significant about modern society, or is the construct simply an idea that you liked?
It’s just something I found funny; I didn’t set out to make something that was a satire or a commentary. I just really enjoyed creating an intricate world, and creating the interactions and the characters – making them do silly, extreme things.
You’ve worked with many of the cast members multiple times before, but how did you decide on which new faces to bring on board, like Toyah and Julian Rhind-Tutt?
With Toyah, I loved her work in Jubilee and Quadrophenia – I’ve been a massive fan of hers for years. I was trying to cast a lady in her 50s who wouldn’t mind having to do embarrassing sex scenes and have blancmange thrown at her face. There’s not that many of them! I didn’t know her before, but I sent her the script and she loved it.
• Read the full interview at The Velvet Onion. Browse all of our Steve Oram news.
• Artsbeat: Toyah To Open New Mills Festival: Opening this year’s New Mills Festival with a bang, is the colourful, dynamic and unique Toyah Willcox who will be taking to the stage with her band at New Mills Art Theatre on September 12. At New Mills Toyah will be belting out her old hits including the iconic singles It’s A Mystery, I Want To Be Free and Thunder In The Mountains, as well as newer material, in her famous high-energy style – Continue reading…
• Buxton Advertiser: Organisers promise “something for everyone” at New Mills festival: The annual New Mills Festival returns this Friday and organisers say it will be “bigger and better than ever”. This year’s programme’s theme of toys and games seeks to aim the festival’s programme at a younger audience but the presence of acts such as Toyah Willcox will ensure the festival has something for everyone – Continue reading…
• Thunder Valley Rocks: Is a new TV programme based around new and upcoming bands. We will be filming a pilot for a new 9 episode series in November/December of this year and the subsequent episodes will begin filming early next year. Each episode, presented by Toyah Willcox will also feature celebrity music guests who give some insight into their past success and talk about what they are doing now – Continue reading…
