Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

• An Occasional Plug: I Was A Teenage Toyah Fan chronicles a slice of adolescent life from late 1979 to late 1986 and recalls the experience of being a pop music fan in the early eighties, evoking the feelings of a very different time before the internet, mobile phones or multi-channel TV put media at our fingertips.

• Strawberry Line Times: Sat 27 Apr. Theatre preview: ex punk Toyah teams up with Julie Coombe for a hormonal moment: The former pink haired punk rocker Toyah Willcox is appearing in Bristol next month in Hormonal Housewives. She stars in the show at the Bristol Hippodrome with Julie Coombe.

• Robert Fripp’s Diary: Lots of “behind-the-scenes” photos from the ‘At Home’ part of the forthcoming All Star Mr & Mrs programme. Robert says: “A four-hour visit for perhaps two minutes of screentime“. Looks like the adorable Willyfred was ready for his close up!

• Red Funnel: Jack Up The 80s: 10-11 August 2013. Don’t miss this great new 2 day 80’s music event featuring Heaven 17, Bad Manners, Katrina and the Waves, Bootleg Blondie and Toyah to name just a few.

• _Black_Acrylic: Derek Jarman – Jubilee: Jubilee is a 1978 cult film directed by Derek Jarman. It stars Jenny Runacre, Ian Charleson, and a host of punk rockers, including Adam Ant and Toyah. The title refers to the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 1977.

• The Quietus: Adam Ant On Fashion, Back-Carving & MJ: Interesting video interview with Adam in which he also talks about Jubilee.

• BBC America Doctor Who Specials: Three of the documentaries Toyah guested in last year, The Women Of Doctor Who, The Timey Wimey Of Doctor Who, The Destinations Of Doctor Who, have been released on R1 DVD. Although they are on a standalone disc with its own artwork (see photo) they can only be purchased as part of a huge, 41-disc, six-series spanning, box set. View more info on the BBC America DW specials here.

• Birmingham Music Heritage (Untold Stories 1965-1985): Below, Toyah Willcox, Fuzz Townshend of Pop Will Eat Itself, and former Black Sabbath manager Jim Simpson, along with Birmingham band manager and promoter, Barry Tomes talk about Birmingham’s venues of the 60s, 70s and 80s.

Exactly 30 years ago Toyah was starring in Claire Luckham’s Trafford Tanzi at the Mermaid Theatre, London. BBC1’s Get Set aired a great interview on the Tanzi set, with Toyah, looking quite amazing, putting Peter Powell in his place! And here it is.

Toyah was on the cover of, and interviewed in, ‘Hot Press’ twice in 1981. This is the first, from 17th April of that year.

Tara Winter Uncovers The Many Faces Behind The Make-Up

1) Toyah is a dilletante, dabbling in fashionable performance arts for sheer self-gratification.

2) Toyah is a violent sub-cult, fronted by a spitting vixen, getting her kicks from other people’s boots.

3) Toyah is an egomaniac, keeping the musicians in her group in neutral tones, in the dark, out of the picture.

4) Toyah is arrogant, difficult, unreliable, and wears all that make-up to hide acne.

Did you spot the deliberate mistake? Stay behind, anyone who realised that all of the above areuntrue, and I’ll teach you to dance the mashed potato.

When we met on a still-foggy Belfast morning, Toyah was already wide awake, sitting with utter composure amid the bleary salesmen and snaking hoovers that characterise preprandial hotels. We would talk for half an hour, please, and then there was a plane to catch. Tom, Toyah’s boyfriend/minder, set the alarm on his watch…

• Read the full classic Toyah interview by clicking on each of the above scans.

A great photo of Toyah at BBC Salford on Thursday, visiting to guest on BBC Breakfast. View the interview here or by clicking below. (Photo © BBC | Thanks to Tremayne Andrews)

The Canadian premiere of The Power Of Three takes place at the Creekside Theatre in Lake Country BC (Winfield) on Saturday 29th June. Doors open at 6pm for PreShow: Wine and Dessert bar, Art Gallery & More!

The “LIFE AFTER LAUNDRY” Ladies CLUB presents – The Power Of Three

“The Power of Three is a delightful anecdote about friendship, perseverance and hope that celebrates the strength of the older woman.” Studio Magazine, UK

Toyah plays Michelle, one of three leading characters, in the film. View the trailer, and read a short review by Steve Riley, who saw the film in Brooklyn last April.

• Further info at Creekside Theatre’s website (foot of page).

Toyah guested on Kat Orman’s show on ‘BBC Radio Oxford’ yesterday afternoon. The interview is available to listen to at BBC iPlayer. It will remain online until next Thursday.

Join Kat Orman for amazing stories from Oxfordshire.

• The interview begins at approximately 2hr 6ms into the programme and runs for around 25 minutes (including the music and a travel update). Toyah talks about what she’s been doing, enjoying work, her inspirations, how a lack of support drives her on, Madonna, memories of the 80s, Hormonal Housewives, previous visits to Oxford and more. There’s also plays of ‘I Want To Be Free’ and David Bowie’s ‘Life on Mars’.

A rather prickly new Toyah interview, published yesterday by the Oxford Mail.

Katherine MaCalister talks to punk priestess Toyah Willcox about her latest incarnation as an hormonal housewife

Toyah Willcox has made a career out of being prickly, so I was prepared for the punk priestess and her lashing tongue, ready even, willing. But on the morning in question, she was particularly abrasive.

So where to start? “Let’s just talk about the play,” she says. Right, the play, I think rifling through my legions of notes on her legendary career…

• Continue reading at the Oxford Mail.

The artist Toyah continually cites as her greatest influence, including in a radio interview which aired just yesterday, David Bowie is the subject of an amazing exhibition, David Bowie Is, currently running at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

Toyah tweeted the other day that the Autumn dates (marking the 30th anniversary of the Love Is The Law album and tour) will be announced soon. Now seems as good a time as any to take a look back at the other recent anniversary Toyah tours. Click on each of the below to view numerous photos from each tour. (Thanks to Angus Turner & Ray Sears)

Toyah: Echo Beach (Surf Mix, 7″ Mix), Plenty

This is a cover. The original was by a Canadian new wave band called Martha and the Muffins. There were actually two Marthas in that band at one point, so they really should have been called Marthas and the Muffins, but I guess that doesn’t really roll off the tongue. What are the odds of having two Marthas in a band anyways? Is that like some crazy common name in Canada or something?

I’m getting off topic. This version is by perennial UK oddball Toyah, and I prefer it to the original. It has less horns and more synthesizers.

• Continue reading at The Lost Turntable.

• Toyah @ Twitter: A couple of interesting tweets from Toyah recently: “Just driven past Battle. Where Sheep farming In Barnet was recorded ……35yrs ago !!!!!!!” and “…on another subject Toyah Autumn dates will announced soon“. Twitter is also a great way to stay updated on Hormonal Housewives with news direct from Toyah.

• Edinburgh Evening News: City star of The Voice happy for second chance: Toyah is mentioned in this article on former Bilbo Baggins singer Colin Chisholm. Colin appeared in Glitter in 1976, alongside Toyah in her first TV role.

• Tamworth Herald: Laughs and gasps aplenty at Garrick: They have caused “mayhem and mania in theatres across the country” – and now the Hormonal Housewives cast are heading to Lichfield.

• Toyah received a name check on the Snooker World Championships 2013 on Wednesday afternoon: “As Toyah Willcox said, it’s a mystery…” said one of the commentators. The snooker is currently airing on BBC2 and Eurosport.

Toyah’s full interview from this morning’s BBC Breakfast is now available to watch at the BBC One website.

Punk princess Toyah talks about her latest role as a Hormonal Housewife

She’s been a punk princess, presenter and even lent her voice to a teletubbie, Toyah Willcox’s career has never been predictable.

Now, the singer is playing herself on stage in Hormonal Housewives, a no holds barred look at everything from pregnancy to old age. ‘Hormonal Housewives’ is touring the UK until the end of May.

A new cover for Toyah, from Dunfermline Press’ ‘Press:On’ magazine:

Toyah Willcox: The Hormonal Housewife on stand-up, style and why she’ll never be ‘normal’.

Hormonal Housewives play a handful of Scottish dates early next month, at the King’s Theatre, Glasgow (Sunday 5th May), Caird Hall, Dundee ( Tuesday 7th May) and beginning at the Alhambra Theatre in Dunfermline on Saturday 4th May.

The ‘Press:On’ interview with Toyah is only currently available in the print version of the magazine, published today and mainly on sale in the Fife area, but may appear online at some point at the Dunfermline Press website.

Click on the cover to view a larger version of the cover.

… when she comes to Swindon

Punk princess of the 1980s Toyah Willcox is now trying her hand at stand-up comedy. This spring she is on the road with Hormonal Housewives, a sketch show covering all things woman.

Toyah and her stage cohorts, Julie Coombes and Sarah-Jane Buckley, stop off in Swindon as part of the UK tour next Tuesday.

The singer says she is having a good giggle every night, not just with her mates on stage, but with a whole room full of women on a girls’ night out. “It is like nothing I have done before,” she said. “It is an observational piece, little scenes where women recognise themselves when they are moaning about their men or boasting about their kids. We cover book groups, erotic literature and a gym scene, which is all girlie bad, and the audience love it.”

• Continue reading at the Swindon Advertiser.

Toyah will guest on BBC Breakfast tomorrow morning. The programme airs from 6am to 9.15am on BBC1.

BBC Breakfast is not currently available post-airing at BBC iPlayer so please set your recorders.

BBC Breakfast: BBC1: Thursday 25th April: 6.00am
All the latest news, sport, business and weather.

Toyah guested on Su Davies’ show on ‘BBC Radio Wiltshire’ on Monday afternoon. The interview is available to listen to at BBC iPlayer. It will remain online until next Monday.

Toyah Willcox talks about Hormonal Housewives at the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon. Find out about the first Festival Of Local in Purton. And Salisbury Arts Centre on Monday’s Movies.

• The interview begins at approximately 1hr 14ms into the show and runs for around six minutes. Toyah talks Hormonal Housewives, performing comedy, living in Wiltshire and more. She also participates in a short quiz. Listen here.

• M-Magazine: Interview: Simon Darlow: Simon Darlow’s songwriting is synonymous with the eighties. He has penned hits for the likes of Grace Jones, Dollar, The Buggles, Toyah Willcox, while as an arranger and musician he played with iconic acts from the era including Wham!, Bucks Fizz and Musical Youth.

• Steve Randall interviews Toyah: A short audio interview with Toyah by Steve. Toyah talks Hormonal Housewives, her career and more. Listen at Steve’s website or at Audio Boo: Hear my chat with 80s legend & actress TOYAH who’s in Hormonal Housewives @ AnvilArts this Friday.

• Celebrity Plastic Surgery Photos: A recent article which is really just a rehash of an old interview with Toyah, talking about cosmetic surgery and the ‘Diary Of A Facelift’ book.

• Adventures with the Wife in Space: A review (sort of) of More Than 30 Years in the TARDIS. Quite amusing at times ;)

• DAA Management: Great page for Toyah at this agency/casting website.

Another new interview, this one from the Derby Telegraph.

Learning how to be a housewife proves ‘big eye-opener’ for Toyah Willcox

After years of living the touring life as a musician, actress or TV presenter, all-round performer Toyah Willcox has now been forced to learn about the type of life she didn’t choose – that of picking the children up from school and doing the housework.

“It has been quite an eye-opener to take on this role,” says Toyah, who stars in the sketch show Hormonal Housewives alongside Julie Coombe, who also wrote the script. “It was interesting to find out more about the things which are just commonplace to most women and mums such as chatting at the school gates, competitive parents and going to book groups.”

• Continue reading at the Derby Telegraph.

IN2 talks to rock legend TOYAH WILLCOX about her starring role in Hormonal Housewives, which comes to Chelmsford in May…

“In rehearsals I thought it was going to be really scary, because this is something I’ve never done before,” says Toyah of working on a comedy. “But the laughter really lifts you and as soon as I stepped out on stage for the first time I knew I was going to enjoy it. When you’re touring with a band and you’re the lead singer, there’s a lot of weight on your shoulders, but being a three hander, it’s like an equal ride.”

Indeed, joined on stage by writer Julie Coombe and former Hollyoaks actress Sarah Jane Buckley, the show features sketches covering everything that makes today’s women tick.

• Continue reading at The Enquirer.

All Star Mr & Mrs: ITV: Wednesday 8th May: 8.00pm
Tonight in the second show of the new series TV Presenter Gabby Logan & husband Kenny Logan, singer Toyah Willcox & husband, guitarist Robert Fripp and Eastenders actor Jake Wood & wife Alison Wood will all compete for big cash prizes for a charity of their choice. Also airing on ITV +1.

All Star Mr & Mrs is back. Hosted by Phillip Schofield, this series will see celebrities such as Ricky Tomlinson, Gabby & Kenny Logan, Tom Fletcher, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Paula Radcliffe, Jake Wood, Will Mellor, Joey Essex & Sam Faiers, James & Ola Jordan, Jennie McAlpine and their partners competing to win up to £30,000 for their chosen charity.

Every episode, the audience gets an insight into the lives of three celebrity couples as they battle it out to win the jackpot for their charity.

In the second show of the new series TV Presenter Gabby Logan & husband Kenny Logan, singer Toyah Willcox & husband, guitarist Robert Fripp and Eastenders actor Jake Wood & wife Alison Wood will all compete for big cash prizes for a charity of their choice.