A Dreamscape collage of some of PAC Photography‘s best live Toyah shots. Paul, of PAC, really has captured some amazing visuals of Toyah over the last few years. View more of Paul’s work at the PAC Photography website by clicking below. Browse our related news here.
Vote for your top albums of 1982 in the third Slicing Up Eyeballs poll. ‘The Changeling’ is included as an option. Voting closes on 26th April and the results will be announced at the beginning of May. Click below to participate in the poll.
The results of the Slicing Up Eyeballs‘ 1981 Albums Poll was announced at the beginning of the month – ‘Anthem’ placed at number 65!! Click below to view the Top 100.
Stars of the play Hormonal Housewives were treated to a special pampering session courtesy of students from Poole and Bournemouth College.
Toyah Willcox joined co-stars Julie Coombe and Sarah Buckley at Poole Lighthouse to relax before the show with the full Girls Night Out package comprising of beauty treatments, cupcakes and cocktails.
The Hormonal Housewives comedy arrived at the Lighthouse for one night on Thursday following a hugely successful tour last year. It features sketches looking at everything that makes today’s women tick – from the joys of teenagers to the insanity of DIY.
• Continue reading at the Bournemouth Daily Echo.
Toyah’s interview from the Justin Moorhouse show, which aired this morning, on ‘BBC Radio Manchester’ is now available to listen to at BBC iPlayer.
The interview begins at approximately 2hrs 3ms into the programme and runs for around 12 minutes. Toyah talks about her career, imagery, the difference between then and now, the power of comedy, Hormonal Housewives and more. There was also a play of ‘It’s A Mystery’.
The programme will be online at iPlayer for the next week.
Toyah and Robert have recorded an appearance and will guest on a forthcoming edition of ITV’s All Star Mr & Mrs.
Phillip Schofield hosts and each week three celebrities with their partners compete against each other to try and win money for a charity of their choice. Each couple receives a carriage clock whether they reach the final or not. (Thanks to Paul Lomas)
• Fade 2 Grey: It Should Have been A Hit: Toyah, Soul Passing Through Soul, 1985: Very much in the vein of Bowie´s Heroes but still a great underrated single from Toyah. It should have been a bigger hit for her. It only reached a UK no 57. Minx fared better peaking at no 24. This was from her album Minx. I also love her cover of Sympathy which I have also included, and from the same album. Great sleeve too.
• Toyah Instagrammed a great photo of Easter bunny Willyfred yesterday. He even now has his own Appreciation Page at Facebook.
• Robert Fripp’s Diary: A huge thank you to Robert for linking to Dreamscape’s reports on Toyah’s traffic woes in his great online diary, sending the site numerous new visitors over the last week.
• Bexhill-On-Sea Observer: Sketch comedy show starring UK pop icon: Following 2012’s celebrated reception as they caused mayhem and mania in theatres across the land, the irrepressible Hormonal Housewives are back at the White Rock Theatre on Saturday, April 20.
• The (Sydney) Telegraph: The return of the mullet and the girl who got the chop: It seems this long-buried monster, last spotted upon the heads of footballers like Chris Waddle and Kevin Keegan, DJ Pat Sharp and rock chicks Kim Wilde, Toyah Willcox and Suzi Quatro, seems to have been disinterred, and is now uber-cool.
Two great shows to cheer up even the coldest nights come to Milton Keynes Theatre this week
Toyah Willcox, self-confessed ‘teenager from hell’, has clearly grown up – but it’s still hard to envisage Toyah, the rock star, writer, television presenter and serious actor of stage and screen, as a hormonal housewife. Nevertheless, next Sunday, at Milton Keynes Theatre, that is exactly who she will be!
Hormonal Housewives, a series of sketches, gags and stories would appear to be one for the girls but, Toyah says, it’s actually a great night out for all.
• Continue reading at Bedfordshire on Sunday. The article does also say there is a full interview: “Judy Riley talks to Toyah Willcox about being on tour, the show…and her iconic hair styles!” but it doesn’t seem to be available yet.
Happy Easter! It’s the end of March, and by this time in 1983 Trafford Tanzi was in residence at The Mermaid Theatre in London with Toyah in the lead role. She was also just about to start recording the album ‘Love Is The Law’. Dreamscape is Remembering 1983 all this year… here is the full set of LITL imaginary singles. Please click below to zoom.
Toyah is guesting on Justin Moorhouse’s show on BBC Radio Manchester on Monday morning.
The programme begins airing at 9am and runs for three hours through until Midday. It can be listened to live online at the BBC website, and will also be available to listen to at BBC iPlayer post broadcast.
Justin Moorhouse: BBC Radio Manchester: Monday 1st April: 9am
Justin speaks to Toyah Willcox about her latest project.
Further news reports and articles on the fire, and aftermath in King’s Heath earlier this week. To summarise; the building was detroyed beyond repair and will be demolished. The Civic Society Musical Heritage Plate and Toyah’s star both have survived the blaze, seem to be in reasonable condition and will be removed from the site today and tomorrow. (Thanks to Bob Prew)
• BBC News: Kings Heath remembers Ritz Ballroom following fire.
• Birmingham Mail: Kings Heath Walk of Stars to go ahead despite savage fire at famous former music venue: Kings Heath resident Trevor Burton, a founding member of 1960s rock band The Move, is due to be the second celebrity inducted onto the Walk in June, following Toyah Willcox.
• Leicester Bangs: Legendary gig venue destroyed in Birmingham Kings Heath fire: A Kings Heath Walk of Fame, honouring the area’s musical and comedy heritage, had also been planned to start outside the building with a star marking singer Toyah Willcox.
• King’s Heath Walk Of Fame: “Fire at Kings Heath Venue where The Beatles one played”.
• Learning To Say Nothing: Burning down the house…: It would seem that living in this part of Birmingham is rapidly becoming a hazardous business.
• Birmingham Post: Arson suspected as fire hits Birmingham venue where The Beatles played: Kings-Heath-born Toyah Willcox was the first person to be honoured on the Kings Heath Walk of Fame which was unveiled along York Road last July. Bob Prew, who helped organise the initiative, said the plaque now lies under the building’s smouldering rubble. He said: “It’s devastating because the Ritz Ballroom was one of the major venues in the 1960s.”
• Birmingham Mail: Fire at Kings Heath venue where The Beatles once played: “The roof is totally collapsed. It’s the old Ritz Ballroom . It’s sad for Kings Heath as on Cash Converters – which has collapsed – there was a plaque for Toyah Willcox.”
• BBC News: Ex-Beatles gig venue destroyed in Kings Heath fire: A Kings Heath Walk of Fame, honouring the area’s musical and comedy heritage, had also been planned to start outside the building with a star marking singer Toyah Willcox.
• Buzzfeed: 23 Amazing Smash Hits Covers From The ’80s: Quite clearly the greatest magazine of our time – 7. Toyah, May 1982.
• Telford & Wrekin Council: Hormonal Housewives on tour!: Hormonal Housewives are in Telford as part of their Spring Tour 2013 and you are in for a treat with this hilarious show presented by British pop icon Toyah Willcox.
• An Actor Pantos: Let’s get Critical – The Sequel: SLEEPING BEAUTY, Marlowe Theatre Canterbury: Toyah Willcox and Gareth Gates were the stars and really worked hard for their billing. Willcox especially proved particularly eager to take part and was a very good baddy!
Toyah Willcox, singer, actress and author
‘Fluidity and adaptability essential for business success.’
Toyah spoke passionately about her experiences in show business from a woman’s perspective. She focussed on the need to constantly adapt her image to maintain longevity and success.
Toyah described herself as a small cottage industry. She spoke about the changes in show business during an eventful thirty five year career. In particular, Toyah believes that the power of social media such as twitter and you tube, has allowed her to cultivate numerous images for significantly less money than would have been the case many years ago and that this power should be harnessed by micro firms.
• Continue reading at the FSB website.
• Dorset Echo: Hormonal Toyah: Following 2012’s celebrated reception as they caused mayhem and mania in theatres across the land, the irrepressible Hormonal Housewives are back in action and visiting Lighthouse in Poole on Thursday. Starring British pop icon Toyah Willcox, writer Julie Coombe, and former Hollyoaks actress Sarah Jane Buckley, these housewives are certainly a force to be reckoned with…
• Henley Standard: Teacher leads all-woman crew in row across Pacific: To cope with boredom, the team will bring an iPod loaded with audio books and their favourite tunes. The playlist will include Sarah’s favourites the B52s, Toyah Willcox and Pink Martini.
• Pink News: Amelia Lily to headline Northern Pride: Former X Factor singer Amelia Lily has been announced as the headline act for this year’s Northern Pride in Newcastle, along with 80s artist Toyah.
• FSB 2013: The video of Toyah’s full 45 minute appearance in Leicester on Saturday is also now available to watch at the FSB website.
A short teaser of Weekend Guitar Trio’s forthcoming live album with Toyah Willcox and Jan Bang. Recorded at Kings Place, London on 26 February 2011.
1. Let’s Make A Bomb
2. Don’t Even Try
3. Break The Mould
4. Toyah Bang
5. How A Group Is Born
6. Boredom Is A Killer
Toyah co-wrote all six of the songs. Listen to the preview at You Tube or Soundcloud.
Toyah talks health, touring, Bournemouth, Hormonal Housewives and more to the Bournemouth Daily Echo in an interview published Saturday.
If Toyah Willcox is describing it as ‘outrageous’, there’s a fair chance her new show, Hormonal Housewives, doesn’t fall into the realm of vanilla-coloured.
The former punk princess has never been one to happily slink under the radar. From being a rebellious teenager she morphed with astonishing fluidity into roles including huge rock icon (she’s had 13 Top 40 singles and released more than 20 albums), successful actress, writer and even Songs of Praise presenter.
On Thursday she’s coming to Lighthouse with the comedy sketch show she describes as ‘celebrating modern womanhood’.
• Continue reading at the Bournemouth Daily Echo.
Toyah is the cover star of the latest Journal2, the ‘North Devon Journal’ magazine. It’s likely that the accompanying interview is the one, by Rosanna Rothery, that we mentioned on Friday.
Rosanna Rothery chats to Toyah Willcox ahead of Hormonal Housewives
Hormones can wreak havoc with your life. Just ask Toyah Willcox. The singer and actor visits Barnstaple next week with the hilarious show, Hormonal Housewives.
• Read our previous post about the accompanying interview, or view it at the North Devon Journal. View a larger version of the cover here. (Thanks to Owen Jones)
Toyah addresses the audience at the Federation of Small Businesses annual conference 2013, filmed on Saturday in Leicester. Toyah talks imagery, women in business and her career.
• Take a listen to some of Tom Leon’s Toyah remixes. He has added his magic touch to a variety of Toyah’s greatest songs. These tracks are not available for download but you can listen to them online here. Tom also has a Toyah fan page. (Please note that most of the previous links I’ve posted to Tom’s tracks over the last year or so are now out of date)
• Toyah was one of the Guest Speakers at yesterday’s FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) Conference 2013 in Leicester. In the past Toyah’s “speaker” gigs have mostly gone by without fanfare but yesterday a variety of photos were tweeted, Instagrammed and Facebook-ed!
• Photos of Toyah at FSB 2013 here, here and here. There’s also a short article and photo at Peter Scargill’s blog. Apparently a video of Toyah’s speech will be available online at some point too.
• Federation of Small Businesses: View Toyah’s bio at the website.
• Burning Shed: View their latest newsletter, which includes details on ‘In The Court Of The Crimson Queen’.
• It’s Slade: The documentary Toyah contributed opinions to in 1999 was repeated again on BBC Four last night. It’s now available to watch online for the next week at BBC iPlayer.
• Northern Pride 2013: Toyah plays this one day event on Saturday 20th July. View the official flyer and visit their Facebook page for regular updates.
In the Court of the Crimson Queen was Toyah’s fifteenth solo studio album
Originally released in 2008, the album title (referencing King Crimson’s debut album) was suggested by producer/co-author Simon Darlow and was endorsed by Crimso head honcho (and Toyah’s husband) Robert Fripp. “At last my husband’s done something for my career!” Toyah commented.
A powerful Bowie-esque Art Rock statement, the album was New York Good Times ‘Album Of The Year’.
This is the 2013 reissue with bonus track, 21st Century Supersister. Preorder now for 1st April shipping date
1. Sensational, 2. Latex Messiah (Viva La Rebel In You), 3. Heal Ourselves, 4. Lesser God, 5. Angel In You, 6. Love Crazy, 7. Bad Man, 8. Hyperventilate, 9. Come, 10. Legacy. Bonus Track: 11. 21st Century Supersister
Toyah: Lead Vocals, Simon Darlow: Instruments, Backing Vocals, Production, Mix. Arranged and written by Toyah/Darlow. (Thanks to Brian Marsh)
