Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

Toyah is referred to a couple of times in this, comprehensive and interesting, new article by The List on how British pop music changed through the Eighties.

1980s British pop – The ideological and musical battles of the decade we can’t seem to recover from

As Tracey Thorn and Duran Duran’s John Taylor hit the Edinburgh Book Festival, Alan Bissett explores the music of the 80s

UK music kicked off terrifically in the 1980s, drawing inspiration from three key 70s co-ordinates: David Bowie, Kraftwerk and punk. The Sex Pistols, having scoured the landscape of rock dinosaurs, cleared the way for an energetic New Wave. Lyrical wit and edgy textures were crushed into pop gems by Joy Division, Elvis Costello, Gary Numan, The Police, Adam and the Ants, Bow Wow Wow and Toyah Willcox.

… Where Toyah Willcox, at the start of the decade, had wanted to ‘turn suburbia upside down’, the Hit Factory wanted everyone to move there. It spelled out British pop’s long-term doom.

• Continue reading at The List.

A busy weekend for Toyah, with two gigs taking place today. During the day she plays a headlining PA at Newcastle/Northern Pride and later in the evening Toyah plays the Tatton Park Picnic Concert alongside Howard Jones and, headliners, The Human League.

Toyah previously played Northern Pride last Summer. She last played Tatton Park (“Party! at Tatton Park”) in July 2007.

Another unofficial extended version of a Toyah classic by Magnum Mixes, ‘Good Morning Universe (Spiral Tribe Extended)’. As with their previous mix of ‘It’s A Mystery’ this isn’t too far removed from the original, just simply extending it. ‘Good Morning Universe’ is a great feelgood song, and quite underrated!

Toyah plays Tatton Park tonight. Here is a fantastic photo of her, playing live at Tatton Park in July 2007. Click below to view a larger version & view more photos here. (Thanks to Richard Smith)

‘Love Is The Law’ has been added to both the amazon.com and amazon.co.uk mp3 stores with a release date of Monday 22nd July. The album will also be available from iTunes and other online digital stores.

The Corn is Green: True Movies 1: Wednesday 31st July: 3.00am
The Corn is Green: True Movies 1: Sunday 4th August: 5.00am
Academy Award winner Katharine Hepburn stars as a schoolteacher determined to help the people of a turn-of-the-century Welsh mining town. With Ian Saynor, Bill Fraser, Patricia Hayes, Anna Massey, Artro Morris, Dorothea Phillips, Toyah Willcox, Huw Richards, Bryn Fon, Dyfan Roberts and Robin John. Directed by: George Cukor (1979).

Toyah made another guest appearance on ITV’s Daybreak yesterday morning. She was on the programme to discuss her experience of the Liverpool Care Pathway, which is in the news again as it’s been announced it is soon to be abolished. The programme is available to watch at ITV Player (UK viewers only) for the next six days. View larger versions of the caps by clicking below. (Thanks to Tony Ames)

Toyah has lent her support to CRB Midlands – The Campaign for Regional Broadcasting Midlands – Promoting the Midlands as a place to make TV, radio and film!

They say: “As a publicly funded organisation the BBC is obligated to reflect the importance of our region. The Midlands needs the support of the BBC but it should also be recognised that the BBC needs the support of the 10 million people who live in this region.”

Toyah said: “Birmingham has incredible talent and culture. We need the BBC to be able to express this to the world. As a city Birmingham is the friendliest place I know and it deserves to be a media centre of excellence.”

• View the CRB Midlands petition page at Change.org.

A rare television advert for the ‘The Birmingham Post’ has just been uploaded to You Tube. It features “Actress, Singer and New Midlander” Toyah and looks like it was filmed in the 1990s. Click below to watch and view larger versions of the screen caps here.

Eighties’ stars turn out for charity’s birthday party

Some of the biggest pop acts of the 1980s — such as Bad Manners, Toyah and Heaven 17 — will be helping the Island celebrate the 25th anniversary of local charity, Osel Enterprises.

Osel Enterprises will be staging Jack Up the 80s: The Wight Crystal 25th Party at the Isle of Wight Garlic Festival site, Bathingbourne Lane, Newchurch, over the weekend of Saturday, August 10, and Sunday, August 11.

The festival will feature chart-topping bands and artists from the era, including Bad Manners, Heaven 17, Katrina and the Waves, Doctor and the Medics, Eddie and the Hotrods, Toyah, Matchbox, Orange Street and top tribute act, Bootleg Blondie, together with The Hoosiers.

• Continue reading at the Isle of Wight County Press.

Toyah attended Film Birmingham’s Meet The Filmmaker event on Thursday evening at the Birmingham Hippodrome.

The Producers’ Forum and Creative Shift with Electric Flix are delighted to present this exclusive event with film director Debbie Isitt (Confetti, Nativity, Nativity 2, Nasty Neighbours) on July 11th at the Hippodrome.

View a photo of Toyah at Meet The Filmmaker here. The Producer’s Forum tweeted: “Great to have the wonderful Toyah Willcox with us tonight at the Debbie Isitt event“.

• More info on Meet The Filmmaker at Film Birmingham’s website.

• The Thread: Win… Human League, Howard Jones, and Toyah Willcox at Tatton Park: Canalside’s The Thread has been given two tickets by Producer Rupert Hine to the Human League concert featuring Howard Jones and Toyah Willcox at Tatton Park on Saturday 20th July – Continue here to enter…

• You Tubing with One Voice: One Voice at Rotherham’s New York Stadium – A short clip of Toyah hosting – Continue here to listen…

• Rotherham Advertiser: All together as One: Hundreds of Rotherham youngsters were joined by eighties pop star Toyah Willcox to bring a massive summer celebration to a tuneful close – Continue reading…

• Steve Lamacq’s Roundtable: Toyah’s most recent guest appearance on the ‘BBC 6Music’ show is no longer online at ‘BBC iPlayer’ but the programme is still available as a podcast. Download it from iTunes or from the BBC Podcasts & Downloads page (Episodes available for 30 days from broadcast).

• Auntie Muriel’s Blog: Who’s Pulling The Strings: The Anthem album cover (below) depicts the teenage-psyche-nightmare-place with the central figure, Toyah herself, striding fearlessly across this inhospitable wasteland. She is distant, powerful, beautiful, and it looks as if she’s holding the head of someone who got on her nerves once too often – Continue reading…

• BBC News: How ’80s club culture came to the catwalk: A new exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum looks at how clubbers’ style in the 1980s transferred to the world of fashion. Was it the point at which the underground went mainstream and is there any equivalent today? (This includes a photo of Toyah’s Melissa Caplan outfit – Thanks to Giddy Gavin) – Continue reading…

• V&A Museum Instagram: In the club with a Melissa Caplan dress worn by Toyah and a Sue Clowes outfit worn by Boy George in the 80s! #clubtocatwalk – Continue viewing…

• V&A Twitter: London’s 80s fashion was a result of the fusion between club and catwalk. #ClubToCatwalk – Continue viewing…

• V&A Facebook: Would you let yourself in? Clubbers, fashion designers and pop stars from the 80s and today were out in force at the V&A last night to celebrate the opening of the summer fashion exhibition Club to Catwalk: London Fashion in the 1980s – Continue viewing…

• Fashion Loves Photos: You Spin Me Right Round: On Monday I was lucky enough to be invited to a private view of the V&A’s new Club To Catwalk Exhibition (includes a photo of Toyah) – Continue reading…

• Clash: Club To Catwalk: London Fashion In The 1980s: The exhibition everyone’s talking about is here. ‘Club to Catwalk: London Fashion in the 1980s’ is the exhibition likely to take the ‘must see’ title from ‘David Bowie Is’ when the latter ends in August – Continue reading…

• Sanrizz: Sanrizz Styles Wigs For Victoria & Albert Museum Exhibition Catwalk to Club: London Fashion in the 1980s (includes a photo of Toyah) – Continue reading…

• You Tubing with Club to Catwalk: My visit to the Club to Catwalk Exhibition at the V&A, La mode des années 1980 exposée à Londres,

• i-D: Club to Catwalk, V&A: The V&A’s summer blockbuster Club to Catwalk celebrates the way club life has influenced the fashion scene from the 80s through to the present day, as reflected in early issues of i-D – Continue reading…

• Club to Catwalk | Blitz Kids: Fearlessly experimenting with sex and drugs and fashion, the story of the Blitz kids is an alternative history of the eighties when style was all, and how you looked was who you were – Continue viewing…

• Statigram: Club to Catwalk Photo feed – Continue viewing…

A couple more photos from Monday’s Club to Catwalk launch, including a great shot of Toyah and Clare Grogan. Please click on these to view larger/fuller versions.

It’s Slade: BBC Four: Friday 26th July: 9.10pm
It’s Slade: BBC Four: Saturday 27th July: 00.30am
It’s Slade: BBC Four: Sunday 28th July: 11.35pm
Top pop documentary, narrated by Radio One’s Mark Radcliffe, about one of Britain’s greatest and best-loved bands. Slade scored six number ones in the 70s, a feat rivalled only by Abba. Apart from Noddy and his bandmates – Dave Hill, Jim Lea and Don Powell – the cast here also includes Noel Gallagher of Oasis (who covered Cum On Feel the Noize), Status Quo, Toyah Willcox, Suzi Quatro and Ozzy Osbourne.

1. TAROT CARDS Every morning I pull just one card from my deck of tarot cards to help shape my day. I am rather impetuous so I use my daily card to curb my natural impulses.

Some people believe tarot cards are a form of black magic or senseless new age mysticism but for me they are a practical way of talking directly to the universe.

I am currently using a beautiful deck of cards called Kat Black’s Golden Tarot which Robert bought me. It depicts female saints using Renaissance art work. The cards don’t just guide me they are beautiful too.

2. BEST FRIENDS For 10 years I was completely absorbed with looking after my ailing parents and losing them both left a huge void in my life.

My dad Beric died in 2009 and my mum Barbara passed away two years later. Since then I have been busily reconnecting with my best friends. Robert and I don’t have children so our closest friends are very important to us.

• Continue reading at The Express.

A rare photo of Toyah and Marianne Faithfull, taken at the launch party for Marianne’s album ‘Dangerous Acquaintances’ in September 1981. Click on the photo to view a larger version. (Thanks to Andi)

A recreation of the info board that accompanies Toyah’s Melissa Caplan outfit at the, just opened, Club to Catwalk exhibition at the V&A. Click below for a larger version, view all of Dreamscape’s news on the exhibition here, and stay tuned for more coming soon!

Vote for your top albums of 1985 in the sixth Slicing Up Eyeballs poll. Toyah’s first solo, and post-Safari, album ‘Minx’ is included as an option. Voting closes on 26th July and the results will be announced at the beginning of August. Click below to participate in the poll. (Thanks to Paul Johnson) 

A new show at the V&A celebrates the creativity of the 80s clubbing and fashion scenes in London. We find out what inspired the decade’s cool kids. We asked those who were there about dressing up, making images and dancing till dawn.

Toyah Willcox on the pop wardrobe: “Melissa Caplan made my costumes from the 70s to the mid-80s. I was very influenced by futurism and reading a lot of Marge Piercy. Look and image were very important – there was already incredible pressure to look feminine and sexy but I wanted to look individual and strong. I didn’t have any role models except Little Nell from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I remember stepping out on to the stage in 1981 at Hammersmith Odeon and seeing row after row of people looking identical. Every image I created was like setting a fire off in someone’s mind.”
Toyah Willcox is a singer and actor

• Continue reading at The Guardian.

• London Evening Standard: They were there: partying along to the decade that fashion forgot: From Club to Catwalk: London Fashion in the 1980s is the story of how the club scene influenced fashion in the decade that some consider one giant fashion faux-pas. Toyah Willcox was there, along with the likes of Zandra Rhodes, Andrew Logan, Steve Strange and milliner Stephen Jones (Photo © Evening Standard) – Continue reading…

• Now. Here. This.: The Time Out London Blog: Last night, we went down to the V&A’s glitzy private view for the their new exhibition ’From Club to Catwalk: London Fashion in the 1980s’ which opens to the public tomorrow, July 10. The cream of the 1980s club culture crop were out in full force (and make up); the show was officially opened by Spandau Ballet guitarist and Blitz club regular Gary Kemp. He was joined by other key music and fashion figures including Duran Duran’s John Taylor and Nick Rhodes, Toyah Willcox, Zandra Rhodes, Stephen Jones, Lulu Kennedy, Pam Hogg, Patrick Cox, Betty Jackson and Steve Strange – Continue reading…

• Toyah tweeted a photo taken at the V&A today and said: “Absolutely thrilled/surprised by presence of my Melissa Kaplan outfit at brilliant #Clubtocatwalk Exhibition @ V&A“.

• Tatler: Club to Catwalk private view: Talk about Culture Club. The V&A has curated an exhibition of clubbing fashion from the Eighties and all the scenesters were at the private view – Continue reading…