Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

Toyah’s June blog is now available to read at The Official Toyah Willcox Website.

The Smash Hits Archive collection at flickr has a new layout, making browsing each issue far easier than previously. The archive is currently at mid 1983, with tons of Toyah content including her three cover issues: View 27 November – 10 December 1980, September 3 – 16 1981 and May 27 – June 9 1982.

• More retro Toyah magazine articles: View Toyah articles from three issues of 80’s music magazine ZigZag. (Thanks to John Kidd)

The episode of the BBC series Love and Marriage in which Toyah and Robert Fripp featured is to air on Australian television on Friday (14th June).

The Sydney Morning Herald: Critic’s Choice: Love & Marriage: Friday, 8.35pm, SBS One
Subtitled A 20th Century Romance, this fascinating British documentary has traced the history of marriage over the past 100 years. In tonight’s concluding episode, it picks up the tale in the 1980s. As with the past two instalments, while a crisp narration provides important context, the real enlightenment comes from the frank, simple interviews with assorted spouses. I especially like the fact that everyone speaks as an individual, relating their own experiences. Not until the final frames do we see the people as couples – if indeed they still are. And we get that same wonderfully eclectic assortment of humanity. Fans of 1980s music may be particularly interested to see Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox talk about their 25-year marriage – its ups and downs, and how they managed to keep it together.

• Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald.

Jelly have just released their debut album, the wonderfully titled ‘Troubadour, Wizard, The Queen And The Machine’. Jelly, of course, includes singer Stevie Bray in ther line-up, formerly the original drummer in Toyah.

Read a short review of the album at Soundtrack4Life: “Now, this is what you call a debut album! Eleven slices of superb rock and roll“.

Tracklist: 1. Say Hello, 2. Car Crash Movie, 3. Kill Me, Thrill Me, 4. The Note, 5. Something’s Killing Me, 6. Best Of Us Yet, 7. Maybe I’m Stupid, 8. Hush Now, 9. Alice In Paris, 10. Get Outta Jail, 11. Miss Behaviour.

The album is currently available by contacting the band via their Facebook page. As you can see the artwork for the album is also excellent.

Over the next few months Dreamscape will count down to Toyah’s Love Is The Law & More Tour by compiling “The Complete Love Is The Law Lyrics Collection”. Beginning with the fantastic Broken Diamonds and the equally brilliant I Explode. I’ll put together a page for the collection once a few more are ready. Please click below to view full versions of each.

The Janice Long Review Show, the first (of two), featuring Toyah as a guest is repeated later this month on ‘Vintage TV’. This originally aired last July.

The Janice Long Review Show: Vintage TV
Thursday 20th June: 11.00pm
Earth, Wind and Fire and Seal. Prolific producer Trevor Horn, punk princess Toyah Willcox and music journalist Paul Sexton head to Boogie Wonderland to chat disco classic ‘I Am’ and UK No 1 ‘Seal II’, home to hit ‘Kiss From A Rose’.

Just uploaded to You Tube, an interview from This Morning in 1994. Toyah was in the midst of ‘Dreamchild’, ‘(Take The) Leap!’ and the ‘Leap 2 Dream’ Tour at the time.

News/Press reports on the announcement of Toyah’s Love Is The Law & More Tour.

All Gigs: Toyah Announces Love Is The Law 2013 UK Anniversary Tour

The pop princess will celebrate 30th anniversary of hit album with autumn shows, tickets on sale now

As famous for her flamboyant dress-sense and head-gear as for her memorable fist-pumping semi-rock ’80s anthems, Toyah Willcox’s flame burns just as brightly as it did thirty-odd years ago.

A staple of Smash Hits and a regular on Top of the Pops, days in the early part of the eighties just didn’t seem right without a blast of “It’s a Mystery”, “I Wanna Be Free” or “Thunder in the Mountains” trickling out of the Dansette speaker, courtesy of the sensational sound of Radio 1.

Toyah enjoyed half a decade’s worth of successes, beginning with the indie chart smash “Sheep Farming in Barnet”, her first punt at crossover “The Blue Meaning” and her two Top 10 albums “Anthem” and “The Changeling”. However by 1983, new romantic pop and synths were starting to leave the rest of the music world behind and demand for Ms Willcox’s work was slowly starting to wane. But not by much – album number five still sold very well and has stood the test of time.

• Continue reading at All Gigs.

This Is Not Retro: Toyah Announces ‘Love Is The Law & More’ Autumn Tour

Toyah will continue her series of tours dedicated to key albums from her catalogue with a short run of UK shows in October and November that will see her focus on her 1983 album ‘Love Is The Law’ alongside fan favourites, b-sides, album tracks and previously unperformed songs from all stages of her career.

• Continue reading at This Is Not Retro. Also at Knot FM: The 80s Show.

Ensure you are signed up to Toyah’s official mailing list, Breaking Through. Next week there will be a competition to win a signed (by Toyah) CD of the, just released, Weekend Guitar Trio album Live At Kings Place, plus a copy of the 2013 In The Court Of The Crimson Queen CD and the rare 1-track radio promo CD single of The Humans’ These Boots Are Made For Walkin’. Sign up by clicking below. (News Source: Official Toyah Facebook)

The third episode of The Older Woman is now available to listen to at BBC iPlayer. It will remain online until early next Friday morning.

Episode Four airs next Thursday morning/afternoon and very early Friday morning.

The Older Woman: BBC Radio 4 Extra 
Thu 13th June: 7am & 5.30pm/Fri 14th June: 5.30am
Episode 4 of 6. Roy tries to impress Jane with some campaigning local journalism. Stars Zoe Wanamaker, Martin Clunes and Toyah Willcox. From February 1993.

Psychic Therapy, Bio’s one-hour special on Toyah which was originally broadcast in September 2009, airs again on the channel later this month.

Psychic Therapy: Bio: Wednesday 19th June: 0.00am
Toyah Willcox. Gordon Smith journeys into the remarkably diverse career of Toyah Willcox – singer, actress, presenter, writer and businesswoman. Psychic medium, Smith, reveals some of the star’s innermost secrets, delving into her past and predicting her future with help from the spirit world.

The, much anticipated, dates for Toyah’s Autumn 2013 UK Tour were officially announced on Monday night at toyahwillcox.com and on Toyah’s Official Facebook page.

The Love Is The Law & More Tour celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of the 1983 album Love Is The Law alongside material from Toyah’s latest studio album In The Court Of The Crimson Queen and a selection of her most famous and well loved songs.

The seven UK live dates will see Toyah perform the 1983 hit single Rebel Run, from Love Is The Law, as well as other songs from the same album for the first time in thirty years.

The concert set list will travel through the decades. Subtitled Greatest Hits | Fan Favourites | Cult Classics, the tour will be a chance to hear classic Toyah hits and a selection of fan-loved album tracks and b-sides.

The tour kicks off in Newcastle on Friday 18th October. Tickets are on sale now…

• Further details on Love Is The Law & More at toyahwillcox.com. View a larger version of the tour flyer/poster here.

The second Breaking Through, Toyah’s Official Newsletter, was mailed out to subscribers on Monday night. It includes news on the tour, Toyah’s Summer 2013 activities and more. Here’s a brief synopsis of what’s included:

• Love Is The Law & More: Full official details of Toyah’s Autumn tour dates. The tour is subtitled Greatest Hits | Fan Favourites | Cult Classics.

• Exclusive Downloads: Two live tracks, ‘Rebel Run’ and ‘I Explode’ (more info on that below).

• Summer 2013 Gig Diary: All of Toyah’s festival, PA and one off gigs. Details of these can also be found at the Official Gigs page.

• There is also news on the V&A: Club to Catwalk exhibition, and a linked appearance by Toyah, Weekend Guitar Trio’s new live album and more.

• Sign up to Breaking Through: The Official Toyah Mailing List here.

Following last month’s news that Toyah’s ‘Thunder In The Mountains’ image will be included in the forthcoming ‘Club To Catwalk’ exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Toyah’s Official Newsletter has revealed that Toyah will also participate in a linked event.

TOYAH CONFIRMED FOR ASSOCIATED EVENT
Breaking Through can also exclusively reveal that Toyah will take part in a panel discusion event at the V&A Museum on Friday 8 November 2013. Booking details will be available soon at the V&A website.

To celebrate the announcement of the Love Is The Law & More Tour two live Toyah recordings have been made available for the first time as downloads to add to your collection. They are the special soundcheck version of Rebel Run from The Regal, Oxford in 2011 and the brass version of I Explode from the Wasted Festival 2005. These download links will expire on 31st July 2013 so be sure to catch them while you can.

A new article on Dear Heart, the BBC2 sketchshow series Toyah appeared in back in 1982.

The TV That Time Forgot – Dear Heart
In the early eighties, BBC2 made a short-lived attempt at filling the notorious scheduling wasteland between 6pm and 7pm with all manner of sophisticated teenager-slanted entertainment. Numerous high-concept dramas, sitcoms and pop music shows came and went in a flurry of cheers from the target audience and jeers from disapproving parents, but concepts never came higher than they did with bizarre comedy sketch show Dear Heart…

In a neat bit of audience-enticing, Super Advice Person was played by post-punk popster Toyah Willcox, then in the middle of a run of massive chart hits but also one of a baffling wave of ‘they can also act a bit’ punk rockers (see also Adam Ant and, erm, Sting) that emerged around that time.

• Continue reading at Tim Worthington’s Newsround. Great to see that, once again, Dreamscape’s Gallery has been of use. View more photos from Dear Heart here.

We recently posted about Zooberon, who are promoting new, up-and-coming and unsigned bands and singers in Brighton. Zooberon is run by a long time Toyah fan and the name is a direct tribute to Toyah and her live music career.

There’s now another Toyah link. Zooberon have an amazing new band playing at their music night this Friday at The Seven Stars in Brighton. The gig is headlined by Loose Lips, is free entry and begins at 8pm. Not to be missed if you are in or around Brighton.

The Toyah link? Scarlett Rae & The Cherry Red’s drummer is none other than Chris Wong, Toyah’s guitarist for the best part of the last decade, and a member of The Humans.

The Live Music Zooberon > The Sound Of Brighton > Friday 7th June > 8-11pm
The Seven Stars, 21 Ship Street, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1AD

• Further info on Scarlett Rae & The Cherry Reds at their official website and Facebook page.

• Love Is The Law 30: Check out all of Dreamscape’s recent “build up to the tour announcement” news here.

• BBC Radio Coventry & Warwickshire: Read a full transcript of Toyah’s recent interview on Vic Minett’s show at The Toyah Willcox Interview Archive.

• Busy!: Lots of extra visitors to the site yesterday and last night. Thanks, as always, to everyone who takes the time to pay a visit to Dreamscape.

• Slicing Up Eyeballs: Disappointing that ‘Love Is The Law’ didn’t make it into SUE’s 1983 albums poll, especially after Toyah albums figured in their three previous Top 100 countdowns. View the 1983 results here. View all of Dreamscape’s news on the polls here.

• Get Into Newcastle: Northern Pride Set To Boost Tyneside Economy By £1Million: Headlining this year will be X Factor finalist Amelia Lily along with 80s star Toyah. (Also available at Sky | Tyne & Wear)

Visit Toyah’s Official Facebook and website tonight at 20:13… It’s the Law!

Welcome to 03.06.2013, or as we are unofficially calling it “Love Is The Law Day”. Later today the live Toyah dates for this Autumn, marking the 30th anniversary of the ‘Love Is The Law’ album and ‘Rebel Run’ Tour, will be announced. It’s all very exciting. In anticipation of this I’ve put together a montage of some of the LITL imagery I’ve created over the last year, to the sound of the wonderful title song. Happy “Love Is The Law Day” to you all!

More Toyah shots from a 1978 photo session have surfaced very recently. Until a year or so ago there were only two photos available from this collection, best known for an image used on the cover of ‘Record Mirror’ in January 1979, and now there are many more. I’ve updated Dreamscape’s Gallery with all now available from the session. Great shots of Toyah just after filming Quadrophenia and a very early band line-up. (Thanks to Andi)