Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

Friday Flashback was a great day of 70s music yesterday at Clumber Park, Worksop in Nottinghamshire. It’s Day Two today and a whole roster of 80s pop legends will play.

The Human League, Marc Almond, Jason Donovan, Five Star, Toyah, Soul II Soul – Hosted by The Doctor, of Dr & The Medics.

What better way is there to spend a long summer evening than listening to your favourite performers in the picturesque location of Clumber Park? For 70’s and 80’s enthusiasts this is must but the atmosphere caters for everyone and by using our many years of experience, we ensure that Flashback keeps getting better and better!

Flashback is a picnic event to which you can bring along your own food and drink, so either sit back and relax or dance the away whilst listening to our fabulous artists. This year you can really make a weekend of it with our fabulous new twist 70’s v 80’s.

Pre-sales have now finished, however general admission tickets are available on the gate each day priced at £45 per person.

• Stay updated via the Flashback Festival Twitter. Browse all of our Flashback 2015 news.

Aaaaaaaah! will have its Los Angeles premiere at SpectreFest 2015 on 19th October.

SpectreVision Unveils Lineup For 3rd Annual Genre Film Festival

SpectreFest 2015, the third horror film festival from SpectreVision, will open with the horror comedy Cooties which stars SpectreVision’s Elijah Wood and close with Avishai Sivan’s Tikkun which won top honors this summer at the Jerusalem Film Festival. In fact, it won Best Actor, Best Israeli Feature, Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography. Attendees to SpectreFest will also see the Los Angeles premiere of Michael Madsen’s The Visit, which is shot documentary-style but tells the fantastical story of how the government deals with mankind’s first contact with aliens.

• Continue reading at Deadline. Visit SpectreFest at Twitter. 

Flashback Festival: Toyah Willcox, Boney M and The Human League among acts at Clumber Park

A star from the 1980s with a career spanning more than 30 years has promised she will be singing all of her fan-favourite songs at this weekend’s Flashback Festival.

Toyah Willcox, 57, is one of the performers at the festival at Clumber Park, on Saturday.

The two-day event, which starts on Friday, will feature a host of artists from the 1970s and 1980s for the sixth retro music festival.

Rock and pop singer Toyah said: “I have played the festival five or six times before and it is one of the prettiest venues I have performed at. I would like to shoot a music video there.”

Toyah put her band together in 1977 and went on to have 13 top 40 singles, recorded 20 albums, and has toured live across the world. She said over the years her audience has grown and now she plays to bigger crowds than when she did in the 1980s.

• Continue reading at the Newark Advertiser. Further info @ toyahwillcox.com.

• Mearns Leader: Toyah to serve Stonehaven well: Eighties pop icon Toyah Willcox is the latest chart star to play in Stonehaven in a long list that includes Simple Minds and The Human League. The former punk princess – whose biggest hit was It’s A Mystery – is to take the stage at Stonehaven Town Hall on September, Friday 18 and Saturday 19 – Continue reading…

• Through The Magic Door: Festival Fun at Cropredy 2015: For example this year a few of the highlights were The Proclaimers, Toyah Willcox, and some of the new ones we enjoyed were Ahab and Katzenjammer – Continue reading…

• We Are Folk: Toyah setting the stage on fire at Cropredy – Continue reading…

• Newark Advertiser: Are you heading to Clumber Park for the Flashback Festival? – Continue reading…

• Daily Mail: Talkin’ about his generation: Phil Daniels relives his iconic role in Quadrophenia as he’s reunited with the Mod scooter he rode in the film… over 30 years later: The film also starred other emerging British talent, such as, Ray Winstone, Toyah Wilcox, Lesley Ash and Philip Davis – as well as Sting. But while the iconic film is ingrained in a whole generation’s collective mind, its star can barely recall filming it. ‘All I can remember about the film is working really hard. We shot it all in six weeks and we did the end first,’ Phil confessed – Continue reading…

• Paul Nicholson @ Twitter: Toyah and the boys at Eastbourne Bandstand last week – Continue reading…

• Fused: Cropredy Festival > Review: An interesting overview of last week’s festival, with some equally interesting photos, and even a few lines on Toyah: “Toyah Willcox. The latter named must surely keep an aging portrait in her attic and delivered an energetic punk-pop set with spasmodically operatic vocals which she reckoned have “5 years left” – Continue reading…

Punk princess rocks town hall for two nights steady

Eighties pop icon Toyah Willcox is to perform in a North-east town, playing two gigs in two nights. The former punk princess is to take the stage at Stonehaven Town Hall on September 18 and 19.

The event is being organised by music shop owner Chris Stirk. He said: “These revival gigs usually turn out to be great nights out with the acts giving their all and the crowd bopping along. “Toyah is a uniquely gifted performer. She is charismatic, outspoken and one of Britain’s iconic household names. She is an award- winning rock legend, as well as a much-loved actress and music composer and we are delighted she is the latest big act to come to Stonehaven.”

Chris was keen to add any money made from the concerts goes into community projects , and at the end of the year any surplus funds go to a local charity. Toyah had hit singles It’s A Mystery, I Want to Be Free, Brave New World and Be Proud, Be Loud (Be Heard). Tickets are available from Ma Simpson’s music shop in Stonehaven.

• News Source: Aberdeen Evening Express. Buy tickets here.

Jubilee will play at the BFI London On Film 2015 season next month. “London’s stories brought to life through a century of extraordinary filmmaking.”

Jubilee (UK, 1978) + Punk Can Take It (UK, 1979)
Queen Elizabeth I and her occult aide Dr John Dee time travel to a dystopian London in Derek Jarman’s homage to punk.

Monday 28 September: 20:30 – NFT2 | Tuesday 29 September: 18:00 – NFT3 | Thursday 01 October: 18:15 – NFT2

Directed by Derek Jarman. With Jenny Runacre, Nell Campbell, Toyah Willcox (106 min, Digital). Jarman re-imagines London’s punk years as a future dystopia where big business rules and marauding killers dominate the streets. Queen Elizabeth I and her occult aide Dr John Dee, who time-travel using esoteric magic, give witness to the shocking depravity, while abrasive punk rock numbers are delivered by Jayne County and Adam Ant alongside a Brian Eno score.

• Continue reading/further info at the BFI website.

Worksop: Flashback Festival is set to go this weekend at Clumber Park

Now into its sixth year, the Flashback Festival returns to Clumber Park in Worksop this weekend with a celebration of the best of the 70s and 80s.

The weekend kicks-off tonight (Friday) with the best of the 70s, headlined by disco legends Sister Sledge. The line-up also consists of Boney M, The Real Thing, Hot Chocolate and Odyssey.

The following day sees the return of all things 80, headlined by Sheffield band The Human League. The line-up also includes Soft Cell frontman Marc Almond, Jason Donovan, 5 Star and Toyah.

• Continue reading at the Worksop Guardian.

It’s no mystery: Toyah will take to stage for two Stonehaven Town Hall gigs

Toyah Willcox is the latest chart star to play one of the north-east’s most popular music venues.

The former punk princess is to take the stage at Stonehaven Town Hall on September 18 and 19.

The gigs follow her successful recent appearance at Scone’s Rewind festival alongside other greats from the 1980s – including Bananarama, Jimmy Somerville, Kim Wilde and Nik Kershaw.

The event is being organised by music shop owner Chris Stirk, who has also booked ska band Bad Manners, led by Buster Bloodvessel, for October and Scottish hard rock group Nazareth for next April. She has already brought rockers Big Country to the town hall and was also responsible for a highly-acclaimed version of the musical Hairspray being put on there, with auditions about to start for a stage version of the hit movie Fame.

Chris, who also organises the popular open-air charity music festival Party in the Park, said: “These revival gigs usually turn out to be great nights out, with the acts giving their all and the crowd bopping along.”

• Continue reading at The Dundee Courier.

The lovely Toyah Willcox has blogged briefly about her role in “The Afternoon of the Living Dead” for Doctors. This makes me very happy. Go and take a peek at Toyah’s Blog.

• Continue reading at Scriptuality.

There’s a repeat airing of Toyah’s Electric Ladies on Vintage TV at the end of the month. Toyah wrote and presented the 60-minute programme, which was first shown in March.

The full Electric Ladies playlist: Chaka Khan (I Feel For You); Debbie Harry/Blondie (Atomic); Cher (If I Could Turn Back Time); Celine Dion (My Heart Will Go On); Bjork (Human Behaviour); Annie Lennox/Eurythmics (Love Is A Stranger); Grace Jones (Pull Up To The Bumper); Janet Jackson (That’s The Way Love Goes); Wendy James/Transvision Vamp (Baby I Don’t Care); Whitney Houston (I Wanna Dance With Somebody).

Toyah’s Electric Ladies: Vintage TV: Monday 31st August: 1pm
The princess of punk shines the light on those iconic female artists through the years who have inspired and made their own mark.

As the bells from St Mary the Virgin rang out at 4pm on Thursday so too, on a sloping swathe of Oxfordshire farmland half-a-mile away, did a fiddle, an acoustic guitar and a mandolin. The sky was filled with threatening white-cum-greyish clouds and a mild drizzle descended but Fairport Convention were already in full flow.

The bass heavy, Eighties, jazz-funk of Level 42 was not up my particular alley. And neither, did I think feel, would be a revival of Toyah’s hits from the same era. But the sassy blonde pixie-warrior-princess delivered a breathless show which even included some pogoing. “Here I am, 57 years-old and I’m still singing the punk stuff,” she gasped between numbers. And singing it pretty well, too.

• Continue reading at the Swindon Advertiser.

Toyah guested on Kat Orman’s show on ‘BBC Radio Oxford’ yesterday. The interview is available to listen to at BBC iPlayer, and will be for the next month.

Toyah Willcox and the Wallingford superhome: Kat meets Mike Bicknell from Wallingford. Ten years ago Mike, who was a keen runner, almost lost his leg in a road accident. Plus Kat finds out about a house in Wallingford that has qualified for “Superhome” status and talks to one of the headlines acts from this weekend’s Fairport’s Cropredy Convention Toyah Willcox.

• Toyah’s interview, which took place backstage at Cropredy on Saturday, begins at approximately 46m 30s into the programme and runs for around 9 minutes (plus a play of I Want To Be Free). Toyah talks about her early life and school days, rebellious teenage years, what influenced her imagery: “I wanted to be completely different, almost genderless“, visiting Oxford, Aaaaaaaah!, and her set at Cropredy.

Punk princess of the 1980s, Toyah Willcox, is one of the star names appearing in this year’s Trowbridge Arts Festival taking place in October.

Actress, pop icon and TV presenter Toyah will bring the festival to a starry close in an Up Close and Personal performance at Trowbridge Civic Centre on Sunday November 1.

Festival director Andrew Bryant said: “We are absolutely delighted Toyah has agreed to close this year’s festival.

“She is a legendary and much-loved performer and has followed a fascinating career path. She is a name we have been keen to add to the festival for a long time. After last year’s sell-out performance by Hazel O’Connor we would advise people to purchase tickets as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

“This will be a very special night for Trowbridge.”

• Continue reading at the Gazette & Herald.

Toyah was “Artist Of The Day” at the Cottingham Folk Festival website yesterday.

• Fairport’s Cropredy Convention: View a selection of photos from Saturday’s concert here…

• Fairport’s Cropredy Convention: Watch Toyah perform ‘Jungles of Jupiter’ at the festival here… (Thanks to Kevin Tucker)

• Oxford Mail: Anthem sung by 17,000 helps to bring top festival to a finish: After two days of rain and cloud, revellers were rewarded with blue skies and sunshine for the final day, which also featured sets by singer-songwriter Paul Carrack and 80s punk icon Toyah Willcox – Continue reading…

• Aaaaaaaah!: Special Screening + Q&A: Steve Oram’s insane debut film begins a residency at Picturehouse Central with this exclusive screening + Q&A with special guests (Fri 4th Sep) – Continue reading…

• Eastbourne Herald: Super Saturday draws a record crowd to Airbourne: Friday proved popular too and many stayed into the evening to watch De’Vide on the Airbourne Live stage, sponsored by TJ’s Nightclub, or to see Toyah at the Bandstand, which proved to be a sell out success – Continue reading…

• Trip Advisor: Toyah @ Eastbourne: A few fan “reviews” of Toyah’s bandstand gig were even posted at TA – Continue reading…

• Hartlepool Mail: Stars of mod film Quadrophenia set to ride into Hartlepool: “Phil Daniels said he wanted to come but unfortunately he is away filming in Eastern Europe on the day. We are still waiting to hear on Leslie Ash and Toyah Willcox.” – Continue reading…

• Scriptuality: Bad Samaritan: “Mrs Tembe has an encounter with someone whose importance she doesn’t realise, while Howard tries to get involved in a clinical matter. Al has to deal with a patient who he suspects might be a stalker.” And, yes, that’s Toyah Willcox (the one in the camouflage, not the one in the suit or the one with the poppy). And there is just a tiny weeny bit of weirdness in this one. – Continue reading…

• Proper Music: Cropredy 2015: This feature brings together the main releases, back catalogue, bestsellers plus Fairport & Friends releases from the majority of artists appearing at the 2015 Cropedy Festival (where products are available). As usual, we’re also there manning the CD Tent so this feature offers a great chance for Festival-goers to purchase any of the albums that you didn’t or weren’t able to purchase at the event… or if you weren’t there then it’s a great way to catch up on the buzz of the best sellers – Continue reading…

Great trio of gigs: Thursday 13 August at London Hippodrome; Friday 14 August at Eastbourne Bandstand; Saturday 15 August at the legendary Fairport Cropredy Convention – Visit Toyah’s Official Instagram by clicking below.

Give or take a day or so :) After posting the link to Melissa Mailer-Yates’ feature the other day, I received a couple of messages with some very kind comments about this website over the weekend.

Although it is always nice to receive feedback  I have never been a glory seeker type so I don’t particularly enjoy “praise” – This site isn’t my life, it’s essentially a hobby of mine that takes up a small part of my life (most updates are completed in an hour or so every few days, got it down to a fine-ish art lol) – and has always been about Toyah’s crazy-busy career (not her personal life, which any self respecting fan would understand any artist is entitled to) –  I have zero interest in self promotion, especially reflected from someone else’s career and achievements… And on that self indulgent note, I’d like to welcome any new visitors to the site, as we rollercoast through our 16th year online, and invite you to take a browse. Thanks to Toyah having such a vast and eclectic 40 year career, there is a huge archive to explore…

Take a look at Downloads, Press Archive, Features, News Archive and Gallery…

A smidge of previously unseen Toyah, filmed in April 2015, at You Tube.

• Worksop Guardian: Stellar line-up of 70s and 80s stars for the Flashback Festival: Fans of music from the 70s and 80s will be in for a treat with some of the greatest artists and bands from that era at Clumber Park’s Flashback Festival next weekend.

The weekend will kick-off Friday, August 21 with the best of the 70s. The line-up consists of Boney M, The Real Thing, Hot Chocolate, Odyssey and disco legends Sister Sledge. The following day sees the return of all things 80, headlined by Sheffield band The Human League. The line-up also includes Soft Cell frontman Marc Almond, Jason Donovan, 5 Star, and Toyah and Flashbacks – Continue reading…

• Matlock Mercury: Top acts flock to Flashback: Clumber Park will see a 70s v 80s weekend of concerts later this month to mark the sixth anniversary of the popular retro music concert The Flashback Festival. Fans of music from those two decades will be in for a treat with some of the greatest artists and bands from that era in action.

Saturday sees the return of all things 80s. Enthusiasts of this era will be flocking to Clumber Park from all over the UK. The Human League are set to headline the festival. Joining The Human League will be Marc Almond, Jason Donovan, 5 Star, Toyah and Flashback’s favourite compere, The Doctor of Doctor & The Medics… – Continue reading…

Revisit our 2012 interview feature with Melissa Mailer-Yates and marvel at her wonderful “Brave New World” art – Which is still available as a print here.. Please click below to read.

Haven’t did this for a while. Maybe some of them just got lost on the interweb, but it’s good to see interest in Toyah is truly global.  The last 500 people to visit Dreamscape came from…