Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

Hair was back-combed and fluorescent leg-warmers pulled up to celebrate 25 years of an Island charity which supports adults with learning and physical disabilities.

Osel Enterprises, a charity most famous for its Way Forward Programme and Island-sourced bottled water Wight Crystal, celebrated its quarter century at the weekend with a Jack Up the 80s party, sponsored by Jack FM.

Around 2,000 people dug out the shoulder pads and shell suits and headed to the Garlic Festival site in Newchurch to enjoy the festivities with live music from 80s legends, including Bad Manners, Katrina and the Waves, Toyah and Heaven 17 among many others.

• Continue reading at County Press. (Photo © Malcolm Harrison)

• Re:Union: Toyah played the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen last night. She tweeted: “Thank U Aberdeen Students Union 1981, great nite” – View a photo from the gig here…

• Daily Echo: Top Talent on Board: Southampton-based P&O Cruises is launching its biggest ever line-up of star-studded voyages this autumn with famous faces from the stage and screen. Michael Ball, David Essex, The West End Men featuring Lee Mead, and Here And Now – with live performances from six 80s legends including Paul Young, Toyah and many more – Continue reading…

• County Press Online: Charity Parties 80s Style: Around 2,000 people dug out the shoulder pads and shell suits and headed to the Garlic Festival site in Newchurch to enjoy the festivities with live music from 80s legends including Bad Manners, Katrina and the Waves, Toyah and Heaven 17 among many others – Continue reading…

• Official Instagram: Great live photo of Toyah, from ‘Jack Up The 80s’, with the latest confirmed live dates info: gigs confirmed: Manchester Pride: 25 Aug / P&O Here & Now Cruise: 29 Oct – View here… (Thanks to Michael Cooney)

• Jack Up The 80s: A few more photos of Toyah from last weekend’s concert in the Isle of Wight at the ‘Talk Photography’ forum – View here…

• Lady Gaga – Applause: Gaga’s new single sounding “inspired” by Eighties Toyah, Hazel O’Connor and Nina Hagen – The beginning has a “Minx” vibe, with a smidge of ‘I Want To Be Free’, if you ask me ;) – Listen here…

Another live date for Toyah has been confirmed, a PA at Manchester Pride next weekend, Sunday 25th August.

• View more details about Manchester Pride at their Official Website. Browse Toyah’s full 2013 live diary at the Official Gigs page.

Star Studded Celebrity Cruises: Over the years we’ve been delighted to present some famous faces from stage and screen, giving you a unique opportunity to enjoy a more intimate performance and to meet the stars in person. Now we’re more excited than ever to announce our largest ever choice of star studded cruises sailing this autumn and into 2014.

I love the 80s: Here And Now is THE most successful high profile 80s live show. It has been a runaway success since it was launched back in 2001 by Tony Denton Productions.

The show is completely unique as it brings together some of the most iconic and influential names from the world of 80s pop and features six artistes over six different nights, performing their hits and more. Some of the artistes came back purely for this show, so it’s an incredibly unique opportunity to step back in time and relive your youth as you dance and sing along to the very best of the 80s. Joining you on this Oceana cruise will be Paul Young, Howard Jones, Heaven 17, the original punk princess Toyah Willcox, Carol Decker of T’Pau fame and Clare Grogan from Altered Images.

• Go Cruise With Jane: P&O Cruises Announce Star Studded Cruises: Here And Now – The Very Best Of The 80s with Paul Young, Toyah, Heaven 17, Howard Jones, Carol Decker from T’Pau and Clare Grogan from Altered Images perform on a 12-night Western Mediterranean cruise on Oceana (E325) departing October 22, 2013 – Continue reading…

• Travel Weekly: Michael Ball and David Essex to perform on P&O’s celebrity sailings: Oceana’s 12-night western Mediterranean sailing on October 22 will include performances from 80s stars Paul Young, Toyah, Heaven 17, Howard Jones, Carol Decker from T’Pau and Clare Grogan from Altered Images – Continue reading…

• Love Is The Law & More: We are very pleased to announce that SHH will be supporting Toyah at the O2 Islington Academy on Saturday 9th November 2013. The tickets have a face-value of £20, but we have secured a batch at a very special SHH price of £15. All tickets are available now from shhsounds.com (Thanks to Michael Cooney)

• Jack Up The 80s: More photos of Toyah at yesterday’s Isle of Wight festival – View here…

Toyah performing ‘Thunder In The Mountains’ at yesterday’s Jack Up The 80s festival in the Isle of Wight. Toyah tweeted a photo of the band just before they got the ferry. View more photos here and here.

Phil Spalding is playing a Bass Night at Absolute Music’s new superstore in Bournemouth on Wednesday 4th September. Phil says: “Join me for an evening of punchy basslines, behind-the-scenes secrets from my colourful career and tips on how to record your bass parts in one take… no drop-ins and no edits!”

Toyah’s August blog is now available to read at The Official Toyah Willcox Website. Click below to read!

The edition of Saturday Cookbook Toyah guested on last June, a Diamond Jubilee special, is being repeated later this month on ITV.

Saturday Cookbook: ITV1: Saturday 10th August: 9.25am
Nadia Sawalha and Mark Sargeant are joined by chef Phil Vickery and Toyah Willcox to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Nadia prepares a raspberry and hazelnut meringue, Toyah cooks baked fish with warm beetroot and new potato salad, and Phil and Mark take part in a street party food recipe challenge – will Mark’s coronation gala pie win over Phil’s spectacular butterfly cakes?

A preview of just one of the pages and images from the excellent Love Is The Law digital booklet, featuring an update to the red/yellow combo originally used in the vinyl album’s inner sleeve. There’s been some great feedback about the download release of Toyah’s uplifting 1983 album over the last couple of weeks.

• Doctor Who: BBC Worldwide have announced details of Doctor Who: The Complete Seventh Series DVD set in Regions 2 and 1. Both include the BBC America documentary The Science Of Doctor Who, one of a series of four programmes Toyah contributed to in July and August of last year – Full info on the release at Doctor Who News – Read here…

• Worcester Standard: Last chance to enter exclusive Upton Music Festival competition: Standard readers have just one week left to enter our exclusive competition which offers one lucky winner the chance to arrive at one of Worcestershire’s biggest ever music festivals in style. Upton Music Festival, which takes place over the August Bank Holiday from August 23 to 25, has unveiled its best ever line up including soul legend Alexander O’Neal, 70s rockers Slade, Neville Staple and Pershore’s very own Toyah Willcox – (closing date is Friday 9th August) – Enter here…

• Dark Night of the Soul with Julie: Toyah was, once again, included in Julie’s WFMU radio show playlist – ‘The Helium Song’ was played last night – Full show details here…

• Toyah 1979: Another rare shot of Toyah from 1979 has recently went on sale at ebay – View it here… (Thanks to Lärwi)

• Giving To George’s: Stories From 2012: Toyah opening their children’s art exhibition last year is included in St George’s newly compiled “Stories From 2012” – View here…

• You Tubing: A blink and you’ll miss her appearance by Toyah in this clip – Original footage taken from a TV show from about 1993 with Toyah Willcox in the Sun Rooms, Southend. Additions with the TX boys being ‘creative’. Hard to believe it was 20 years ago – Watch here…

• It’s Slade: The documentary Toyah contributed opinions to in 1999 was repeated again on BBC Four on Monday night. It’s available online, in the UK, for the next few days at BBC iPlayer – Watch here…

While on the subject of ‘Lion of Symmetry’ and Lorca & The Outlaws (see Newsy Bits below) – The full film is available to watch at You Tube, under its other name, Starship. Made in 1984, Toyah appears briefly in the film, on a holographic video jukebox in the “Miram Bar”, performing ‘Lion Of Symmetry’, a collaboration with Tony Banks, included on his ‘Soundtracks’ album from 1985. Listen here and view the songwords.

• If you only want to see Toyah, she appears at approximately 58 minutes into the film!

• Brighton’s Big Screen: Quadrophenia: The classic movie is showing in Brighton next month – Another MOD invasion hits Brighton Beach this August Bank Holiday Sunday. At 7pm on Sunday 25th August before the showing of Quadrophenia, Rock ‘n’ Roll Productions, in association with Brighton’s Big Screen are presenting, for ONE NIGHT ONLY, a very special preview performance of: All Or Nothing The Mod Musical – Continue reading…

• Lion of Symmetry: There’s an obscure instrumental of this mid-80s Toyah song at CD Baby. It’s by a Dutch synth musician who is a huge Tony Banks fan – Listen here to a preview… (Thanks to Giddy Gavin – Have a wonderful brave new world in Wales Gavin x)

• Fragile Humans: Rare footage of Toyah recording the This Fragile Moment album in Estonia, June 2009 – Watch at You Tube…

• Northern Pride 2013: A great selection of photos, including over a dozen of Toyah onstage in Newcastle last weekend – View at flickr…

• Jack Up The 80s: The times and running order for next month’s festival has been announced. Toyah plays on Sunday 11th August at 4pm – View more info…

• Thunder in The Mountains: The stormy weather caused many mentions of TITM on Twitter this week! Most notably was Record Collector Magazine – “RC tuned to Toyah’s euphoric Thunder In The Mountains. Not to mention in urban industrial wastelands.” – View at Twitter…

• Tatton Park Picnic Concerts 2013: Toyah backstage with Gallowglass security man Vince at last weekend’s Tatton concert – View at Twitter…

• You Tubing: Toyah talks dyslexia and the Dore Programme. I think this is from a few years ago but has just been uploaded – Watch at You Tube…

• The Producers’ Forum: Members’ & Colleagues’ News, July Week 2: Debbie Isitt Event – Tom Lawes ( Electric Flix) who sponsored the event brought his neighbour Toyah Willcox!!..can you spot her? – Continue reading… (Thanks to Sara)

The special Toyah celebrity edition of Living With The Dead is being repeated in early August on UK television for the first time since it originally aired in June 2008.

Toyah was interviewed by ‘Digital Spy’ at the time:
Have you always believed in the paranormal?  “I believe in the paranormal and I accept it but I don’t change my life around it. I’m not an avid follower, as it were. I am open-minded.”

Living With The Dead: Sky Livingit: Sunday 4th August: 11pm
Toyah Willcox, Pershore, Worcs (Celeb Special). Singer Toyah Willcox invites the Living with the Dead experts to her hometown nearby Pershore Abbey to exorcise paranormal activity connected to 15th-century criminal monks. Also airing on Sky Livingit +1.

• Read the full ‘Digital Spy’ 2008 interview with Toyah here. View some of their related press, from Dreamscape 2008, here.

A couple of great Instagram updates from Toyah over the last few days. On Saturday this amazing photo of Toyah, taken at Northern Pride (“snapped by @craigastley just before going on stage @northernprideuk“) was posted. Today is all about ‘Love Is The Law, (“LOVE IS THE LAW is ready 4 the 21st Century.My fave LP can now b downloaded 30yrs since being recorded. Come join me Martian Cowboys x“). Click below to view a larger version of the photo and/or follow Toyah at Instagram. (Thanks to Craig Astley)

Toyah’s 1983 album Love Is The Law is now available digitally for the very first time, marking the 30th anniversary of its original release.

Featuring the full 10-track album, plus nine bonus songs, 13 of these tracks have never previously been available as downloads. Three of the bonus songs were recorded during the ‘Love Is The Law’ sessions in 1983 and were originally issued as b-sides. There’s also a new digital booklet, with 1983 imagery & lyrics.

Full track list: 1. Broken Diamonds, 2. I Explode, 3. Rebel Of Love, 4. Rebel Run, 5. Martian Cowboy, 6. Dreamscape, 7. Time Is Ours, 8. Love Is The Law, 9. Remember, 10. The Vow | 11. To The Mountains High [Bonus Track], 12. Baptised In Fire [Bonus Track], 13. Haunted [Bonus Track], 14. Be Proud, Be Loud (Be Heard) [Bonus Track], 15. Laughing With The Fools [Bonus Track], 16. Urban Tribesmen [Bonus Track], 17. The Furious Futures [Bonus Track], 18. Stand Proud [Bonus Track], 19. Ieya 1982 {Full Length Version) [Bonus Track].

Download the album, & Toyah’s full Safari back catalogue, at iTunes. The digital album, or individual songs from it, is also available at both the amazon.com and amazon.co.uk mp3 stores

Review: The Human League, Howard Jones and Toyah Willcox

The Human League prove they’re still in a league of their own when it comes to giving the 80s bandwagon full throttle.

Thirty years ago, when proms didn’t trouble us or our pockets, the school disco was the place to be…

Toyah definitely gives her relatively thin hits back catalogue some welly, belting out It’s A Mystery with gusto and filling in the blanks with covers. She knows her place – as warm-up gal to Messers Jones and headliners The Human League and just seems happy to be at Tatton entertaining  a 40-something nostalgia-drenched crowd.

• Continue reading at the Manchester Evening News.

Northern Pride event attracts thousands

Thousands of people took part in Newcastle’s annual gay pride event.

Now in its sixth year, it is one of the biggest celebrations in the North East of lesbian, gay, and transgender life, with organisers hoping to beat last year’s record attendance of 23,000.

The parade began at the Civic Centre, and moved through the city centre to end at Exhibition Park. Festivities included performances by Toyah Willcox and Amelia Lily, and there are market stalls and a fun fair.

• Continue reading at BBC News Tyne & Wear.

Birmingham’s well known landmarks: But for a city so linked to heavy metal, many sounds have left its clubs to find fans aroud the globe. In the 1980s in particular, Birmingham bands were among the biggest around. While Toyah found fame in post-punk pop, UB40 were at the forefront of British reggae and Duran Duran became the biggest band on the planet.

Newcastle Pride takes place this Saturday. Entertainment Editor Gordon Barr has the details

Amelia Lily, Toyah and Katrina, of the Waves, headline this year’s Newcastle Pride on Saturday.

The festival, celebrating the region’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, could boost the Tyneside economy by around £1m.

Last year Newcastle Pride attracted around 23,000 visitors for the one-day event held in Newcastle’s Exhibition Park, many of whom came from around the UK. And organisers believe this year’s line-up will bring in even bigger crowds – giving a huge boost to hotels, restaurants and bars across the city and beyond.

• Continue reading at Chronicle Live.

• So So Gay: Preview: Newcastle Pride: Jordan Mann takes a look at what is going on at this year’s Newcastle Pride. Now in its sixth year, Newcastle is back with its annual Pride this weekend… The LGBT community and supporters will march through the city centre to Exhibition Park ready for the main event, where there will be entertainment from the likes of Toyah Willcox – Continue reading…

• Manchester Evening News: Still in a league of their own: Human League to play a picnic gig at Tatton Park… The Human League will be appearing at Tatton Park, Knutsford, on Saturday along with Howard Jones and Toyah Willcox, as part of Tatton Park Picnic Concerts. Operatic star Katherine Jenkins will be appearing on Sunday – Continue reading…

• Sky Tyne & Wear: Newcastle Pride To Promote Healthy Message…: Visitors to one of the UK’s biggest celebrations for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community next week can also use the occasion to check if they have a clean bill of health. Around 25,000 people are expected to descend on Tyneside next Sat (July 20) for Newcastle Pride… a one day free event which this year includes performances by Amelia Lily, Toyah and Katrina from The Waves – Continue reading…

• Tatton Park Picnic Concerts 2013: The Official booklet – Continue reading…

• Woman’s World: Picnic and Concerts in One: Combine friends, delicious treats, music and fireworks and you’ll get Tatton Park Picnic Concerts. On Saturday 20 July and Sunday 21 July Tatton Park will be transformed into a musical oasis, gathering stars on stage and audience on the grounds for Picnic Concerts 2013. Synth pop international superstars The Human League plus special guests Howard Jones and Toyah Willcox – Continue reading…

• Kyeo.tv: Pride Takes Over Newcastle This Weekend: Fingers crossed the sunshine will be beaming down upon us at the weekend, so you can enjoy the sixth annual Northern Pride Festival in all it’s glory in Newcastle’s Exhibition Park… Come Saturday at noon the festivities begin with a parade from the Civic Centre with the theme of the six colours of the rainbow flag. Followed by a free live concert featuring the likes of Toyah Willcox and Amelia Lily – Continue reading…