The Wright Stuff: Channel 5: Thu 29th May: 9.15am
Lively magazine show in which Matthew Wright and guests discuss the topical issues of the day. Singer, actress and I’m a Celebrity contestant Toyah Willcox, one of the speakers at SohoCreate next week, is in the studio with the lowdown on this new three-day festival. (Also airing on Channel 5 +1 and will be available on Demand 5 after airing)
It’s another of those exceptionally busy Bank Holiday weekends for Toyah, with three festival concerts. Last night there was a full-band gig at Lechlade Music Festival 2014, which is taking place at Riverside Park, Lechlade-On-Thames, Gloucestershire. Over 70 bands are playing through until Sunday.
Tonight Toyah’s Acoustic, Up Close & Personal tour headlines Crick Boat Show, another three-day festival, in Northampton. 25,000 people are expected over the weekend at the annual boat show.
On Sunday Toyah plays another full-band gig at Plymouth Volksfest 2014 in Devon. Also playing at this festival, which has six stages (including a dance village and cabaret tent), are Razorlight, The Feeling, Heaven 17 and The Boomtwon Rats. Toyah is scheduled to be onstage between 6.30 -7.30pm on Sunday evening.
A new Toyah article, choosing her six favourite albums, is published in today’s Express.
David Bowie, Lou Reed and Muse: Rock singer and actress Toyah Willcox’s six best albums
Toyah Willcox, 56, is the singer and actress who had hits in the 1980s with It’s A Mystery, I Want To Be Free and Thunder In The Mountains and appeared in the films Quadrophenia and Jubilee. She is touring throughout the year with The Humans and will be speaking at the new SohoCreate festival in London, June 4-6. Visit sohocreate.co.uk
DAVID BOWIE: Ziggy Stardust (EMI)
Bowie took the creative bull by the horns and steered a generation through problematic times. He went back to his rock ’n’ roll roots with this and it’s a gem. I saw him live and knew that I could only carry on living if I was a singer, writer and actress.
LOU REED: Transformer (Sony)
Bowie produced this. Reed could be off the wall but this honed and anchored him. I saw him in about 1978 and his transvestite lover was with him on stage so it was thrilling and different. It laughed in the eye of conservatism.
• Continue reading at the Express.
• The Herald: Revving up for Volksfest: There’s also Heaven 17, New Wave diva Toyah Willcox and Liverpool soul set The Real Thing. Joey The Lips, 3 Daft Monkeys, the Cooling Pearls, Hillhead and The Karabelas complete the main stage line-up – Continue reading…
• Northampton Chronicle: Pop icon Toyah to top Crick Boat Show festival: Pop icon, TV presenter and actress, Toyah Willcox, will headline the Crick Boat Show & Waterways Festival which takes place this weekend – Continue reading…
• The Herald: Heaven 17 among the Plymouth Volksfest treats: Sharing the bill with Boomtown Rats, Toyah Willcox and the Real Thing will be Heaven 17, the techno pop trio who shot to prominence with debut album Penthouse and Pavement in the early 80s – Continue reading…
• Analogue Boy In A Digital World: 50 Years Of Top Of The Pops: And now, it’s all about the one name female singers (But not Madonna or Beyonce) for a bit ……Toyah, the voice of The Teletubbies – Continue reading…
• Music Mafia: Sci-fi icon Jane Badler releases debut single Losing You: “Losing You” is a dark 80s, cabaret-style, synth-pop release reminiscent of Hazel O’Connor or Toyah in their heyday – Continue reading…
• Toyah attended the Ivor Novello Awards today, where her seat was on the top table next to Simon Darlow, Chairman of BASCA, who was giving a speech! (Info Source: Official Toyah Facebook)
• The annual music event was held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane, central London
• Contact Music: Toyah Willcox – seen at the Ivor Novello Awards 2014 in London, United Kingdom – (Gallery includes three photos of Toyah) – View here…
• Holy Moly: Ivor Novello Awards Red Carpet Arrivals. Starring Barbara Windsor, Olly Murs and Toyah: It’s the music awards ceremony that no one quite understands but acknowledges its quite important. The 2014 Ivor Novello Awards have been and gone. Having them in the daytime seems strange. It means most of the nominees are pissed before it’s even got dark – Continue reading…
• Getty Images: Also have three photos of Toyah at the event (different to Contact Music) – View here…
• Image Collect: Ivor Novello Awards Arrivals. Toyah Willcox arrives to the Ivor Novello Awards at Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London, United Kingdom. Thursday, 22nd May 2014 (Another three photos) – View here…
• Toyah tweeted this afternoon: “At IVOR NEVELLO AWARDS. On top table with Simon Darlow…..he is giving a speech……he’s nervous…..bless!“
Tickets are now available for Toyah talking at the event Inspiration and the Blank Page, with Helen David, part of SohoCreate.
The inspiration is the easy bit, turning it into something worth spending a chunk of our life working on is the challenge. How do we fan the creative flames to bring the tiny spark into a real idea that can build into a project of worth? How do we know which ideas will sustain and which do not have the legs to survive.
The risk of committing to a single idea above all others is huge, where does the bravery to make the choice come from? I can’t wait to hear Helen and Toyah talk about what they do when inspiration strikes.
Location: The House of St Barnabas | Time: Thursday 5 June 16:15 to 17:30
• Book now for Inspiration and the Blank Page with singer Toyah Willcox and designer Helen David at the SohoCreate website.
COMPETITION: 50 family tickets to the Crick Boat Show to be won
The 15th Crick Boat Show & Waterways Festival will be held at Crick Marina in Northamptonshire this weekend.
The annual event, which attracts over 25,000 visitors, is organised by Waterways World in partnership with the Canal & River Trust and Crick Marina. It will run from Saturday until Monday (May 24-26).
As well as showcasing the inland waterways industry with over 250 exhibitors from across the canal world, Crick Boat Show offers a fantastic day out for all the family with boat trips and live music including huge stars Toyah Willcox and Seán Cannon from The Dubliners both performing on Saturday evening in our real ale marquee. There is also a large variety of food and drink stalls.
• Continue reading/enter the competition at Northampton Chronicle & Echo. All entries must be received before noon on Friday, May 23.
A major outdoor music festival at the home of Fleetwood Town FC starring the Happy Mondays has been postponed.
The club today released a statement saying the concert on June 1 has been postponed after being contacted by Wyre Council to say the event had not got permission. Wyre Council leases Highbury Stadium to the club and it is understood the concert breaks the terms of their contract.
A statement on the club website said tickets will be refunded in full. The anti-fracking gig was announced following Happy Mondays maraca player Mark “Bez” Berry’s visit to the port earlier this year.
Toyah Willcox, Big Country, Bad Manners and Alabama 3 were all due to play at the 10-hour event, alongside a number of local bands.
• Continue reading at Fleetwood Weekly News.
• An Evening With Toyah Willcox: Tickets for Toyah’s appearance/talk at Say What?, Waterstones, Deansgate in Manchester on Tuesday 10th June are now on sale (via telephone booking or at the venue) – Official Page…
• SohoCreate: Toyah is also guesting at the first SohoCreate festival/event in early June – Further info here…
• Independent.ie: This Week’s Birthdays: Toyah Willcox, singer and TV presenter, is 56 – Continue reading…
• Salisbury and Stonehenge: This week in Salisbury history: 18th – 25th May: •18th May 1958 – birthday of Toyah. Toyah lived in Reddish House in Broadchalke for some time – Continue reading…
• Lechlade Music Festival: 2014 Programme: Toyah headlines the first night of this festival, at the Riverside venue, on Friday 23rd May (this Friday!) – Visit website…
• Namechecking!: Mentions for Toyah in a couple of recent online press articles: NME: Happy Mondays to perform at Bez’s ‘Frack-Free Sunday’ event next month – Toyah Willcox and Bad Manners also confirmed for all-day event at Fleetwood FC’s Highbury Stadium – Continue reading… Stourbridge News: Stourbridge Rock Choir raises £800 for cancer sufferers – They have a summer concert coming up at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall on July 19 when celebrity guest Toyah Wilcox will join them – Continue reading…
A special upload at Fragments for Toyah’s birthday – My Big Year, a pilot show, filmed at BBC Scotland in 2000, which never aired. Toyah talks to Rory McGrath about her career, and 1981.
Many Happy Returns and sending Best Wishes to Toyah. Have a lovely day x
An interview with Toyah, from March of this year, was included in Richard Green‘s show on BBC Radio Devon yesterday.
A “Best of” Show: Morten Harket, Belinda Carlisle, Toyah and OMD. It’s available to listen to at the BBC website for the next seven days. Listen here.
Wishing Toyah and Robert a Happy Anniversary, their 28th!, and Happy Birthday too to Mr Fripp. Here is a selection of photos from over the years. Have a lovely day.
• The Advertiser: Crimson queen ready to reign with set of her greatest hits: A news article on Toyah’s recent Crimson Queen gig in Blyth, and forthcoming Acoustic, Up Close & Personal date at The Duchess, York – Continue reading…
• Cat On The Wall Music & Culture Webzine: Whitby Goth Weekend – Day One – Friday 25th April 2014: Toyah Willcox: Her vocals were perfectly placed, her communication with the audience was excellent, the music itself was replicated to a tee (complete with plenty of synth, of course) and, ultimately, she’s about as practised live as a 
musician can get. She knows how to perform and uses the experience well without becoming the slightest bit robotic. I’ve never seen an audience so adoring before. It’s actually quite an incredible sight – Continue reading…
• Flatpack Film Festival: Jubilee: The 1978 film is showing at the Library of Birmingham Studio Theatre, Saturday 14th June at 7.30pm – Further info here…
• Crimson Queen/Greatest Hits…Live!: Tickets are now on sale for Toyah’s gig at West Cliff Theatre, Clacton-On-Sea – Buy/View info here…
• Toyah Live 2014: Browse Toyah’s full diary of upcoming Crimson Queen/Greatest Hits, Acoustic, Up Close & Personal, festival and PA dates. There are numerous gigs listed at The Official Gigs Page…
• Toyah on Twitter: “Breakfast in Seattle overlooking Puget Sound… Planning 2015! xxx” – Follow Toyah at Twitter…
• The Watchers Film Show Blog: Shakespeare On Film: The Tempest: This is my favourite of Shakespeare’s plays. There are two particularly interesting film version of this lyrical, beautiful and poignant play. Derek Jarman’s 1979 version, starring Heathcote Williams as Prospero and Toyah Willcox as Miranda (above), is full of the usual striking and out-there imagery you would expect for a Jarman film – Continue reading…
Celebrity Antiques Road Trip: Yesterday: Wednesday 28th May: 6am/2pm
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.
Interesting Toyah news over at www.worcesternews.co.uk – I don’t want to spoil the surprise by directly linking to it.
Toyah also tweeted in relation to this on Saturday: “Had a mini riot outside our house yesterday when a very famous person was spotted coming out of the front door!”
• Search for Toyah at Worcester News if you really want to know ;))
Dreamscape is doing the Twitter thing. Please follow us if you have an account.
An ad for the Live Wyre Festival, which Toyah plays on Sunday 1st June, has just been uploaded to You Tube: Live Wyre Festival in association with Frack-Free Sunday, featuring The Happy Mondays, Alabama 3, Big Country, Bad Manners, Toyah and The Troggs. Click below to view.
Toyah is featured in today’s ‘Mail On Sunday’ supplement Event, in their “Desert Island Pics”, with some excellent photos of, and memories from, Toyah:
Caged by Chris Tarrant, trapped in the jungle by the Aussie SAS… the It’s A Mystery singer’s colourful life.
1. Pants performers, 1980: That’s a promo shot of my first band. They dumped me but within months I had my debut hit. We’re all still friends, by the way. The belt I’m wearing was given to me by Lou Reed.
2. Women on top, 1986: This was the Woman Of The Year Awards at the Savoy. Diana was a beautiful person, quick to laugh and very kind. I sat next to her during lunch that day and she talked to me about how she wanted William and Harry to have normal lives, to be able to travel and do whatever they chose. She was a devoted, loving mother.
Click here to read the full article via a larger scan. (Thanks to Lärwi, of The Toyah Willcox Interview Archive, for scanning this.)
Fab photos of Toyah onstage last night at the Phoenix Theatre, Blyth, on the 11th date of the Crimson Queen/Greatest Hits…Live! UK Tour. Click below to view the full versions of these, and more, at Dreamscape Gallery. (Thanks to Gareth| All photos © Gareth Suthers)
Splendid shots of Toyah headlining the first night of ‘Whitby Goth Weekend’ on Friday 25th April.
Browse Dreamscape’s Toyah-related past news on the three-day festival here, and click below to view the full versions of these photos, and more, at Dreamscape Gallery. (Thanks to Jeff | All photos © Jeff Agar)
