A great review of ‘We Are The Humans’ by The Humans, by Ian Abrahams at his ‘Spacerock Reviews’ blog. Ian has interviewed Toyah for a future issue of ‘Record Collector’ magazine:
A couple of weeks back I had the pleasure of half an hour’s telephone interview with Toyah Willcox for a forthcoming magazine feature, which gave me the opportunity to ramble around Toyah’s classic output and talk to her about her current project, the vocals and bass focused trio The Humans.
The concept of The Humans is essentially to mesh bass frequencies with vocals to achieve something both pure in sound and which pushes boundaries in its goal of deconstructing the traditional pop music format – their cover of ‘These Boots…’ is a manifesto to this respect you’d have to conclude. It’s sharp, snappy and sexy, has a vitality all of its own and a delicious sense of irony in its sparseness that takes it far away from the original. It’s available for digital download and though it’s not on my copy of the accompanying album, I do understand it is now included with subsequent versions.
Read the full review here.
The Humans have dedicated pages/sections at each of the venue websites where they will play dates next February. Visit the Cambridge Junction here, Leamington Spa Assembly here, and Scala London here.
The Official Toyah Willcox Discography has been updated, with the “Collaborations” section now having further info on The Humans releases. This includes details on the highly rare ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ one-track promo CD.
The Humans debut single, released exclusively as a digital download, is available at iTunes here.
A Toyah interview/feature, on The Humans, from Birmingham’s ‘Sunday Mercury’. This was published on 20th September.
If you just love Brummie pop icon Toyah Willcox for her 1980s hits, then you’re in for a rude awakening. If you thought she was wonderful as Calamity Jane, and adore her on the panto stage, look away now. Because the 51 year-old singer and actress has a new band so darkly disturbing that it will send the unwary running for cover. The Humans comprise Toyah, husband guitarist Robert Fripp, bass virtuoso ChrisWong and REM drummer Bill Rieflin. But don’t expect an easy ride. From the album insert image of a porcelain baby doll smoking a cigarette to a setlist of songs suggesting the future is bleak, this is edgy.
Remember the way Bowie deconstructed pop in Low and Lodger? Toyah pulls off the same trick, only more so. “I love European film noir,” she says. “It’s a love affair reflected in the album. It’s bleak territory exploring the deeper emotions that are only hinted at on the surface. “We’ve stripped down the traditional pop song, then rebuilt it, adding things you don’t hear on first listen, but which later creep up and surprise you.” Certainly, the band’s taster single, a cover of Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ doesn’t prepare you for the stark sonic surrounds of the main course. And what about that doll?
“Despite all the efforts of the NHS, and news coverage of the importance of a healthy lifestyle, the tobacco industry causes more damage than anything else on the planet,” she says. “We had to use the doll because in the USA, you’re not allowed to show images of people smoking. And it’s more disturbing, too.” We Are The Humans is released tomorrow, a second album has already been written, and they’ll tour in February next year. The real Toyah is back.
By Paul Cole. Please click on the picture to view a larger version of the article.
The Humans have announced three live dates for early 2010, with gigs in Leamington Spa, Cambridge and London.
Full details can be viewed in the Press Release announcement (see directly below), at www.toyahwillcox.com, and/or The Official Toyah Facebook.
This will be the first time since the late 80’s that Toyah and Robert have performed together onstage.
Tickets for all three dates are on sale now (again, see below for full details).
THE HUMANS, Toyah Willcox’s remarkable new band, will perform a trio of headline UK dates next year.
The band – featuring Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin (REM) and Chris Wong with a special guest appearance from the legendary Robert Fripp, will perform at Leamington Spa Assembly on 22 February, Cambridge Junction on 23 February and The Scala, London on Wednesday 24 February.
The shows are the first time in 20 years that Toyah has shared a UK stage with her husband Robert Fripp. The last time was when their 1989 band, Sunday All Over The World, played a handful of UK dates.
THE HUMANS comprise a very different musical direction for Toyah, not surprising given the band line-up with their own individual musical backgrounds. Their first single “These Boots Are Made For Walkin” has just been released along with their debut album “We Are The Humans”. Both the album and single are available for digital download through iTunes, Amazon, Play.com, HMV, Tesco and all good digital download stores. A new physical CD edition of the album will be available from mid-October from www.remembertheeighties.com
myspace.com/wearethehumans | toyahwillcox.com/thehumans | youtube.com/toyahofficial
THE HUMANS – In Concert
feat Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin & Chris Wong + special guest Robert Fripp
Tickets for for all three dates are on sale now. Tickets are priced £18 for the 22nd and 23rd and £18.50 for the 24th. They are available from the following outlets:
22nd February 2010: The Assembly, Leamington Spa 01926 523001, www.leamingtonassembly.com www.seetickets.com
23rd February 2010: The Junction, Cambridge www.junction.co.uk
24th February 2010: The Scala, London www.scala-london.co.uk, www.gigsandtours.com
• ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ is going down a storm in New York, at The Bunkhouse, the legendary Long Island gay club. Clubbers have been enquiring about a dance remix. Maybe it’s time to get Ralphi Rosario, Benny Benassi, or Victor Calderone to do some humanising? (Thanks to Jimi Lalumia)
• To the left – The four photos of Toyah made available from The Humans’ ‘Quicksilver’ video shoot.
• ‘The Echoes Blog’ ran an article on The Humans version of ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’, commenting: “Toyah looks and sounds good at 51”. Read the full piece here.
• There is now a Wikipedia page on The Humans. Go here for that. Also, Bill Rieflin’s Wiki, here, gives a brief overview of his career, including some of the legendary bands he has worked/played with over the years: KMFDM, Ministry, Pigface, Revolting Cocks, and Swans to name but a few (we are not worthy!!)
• Patricia Fripp gave The Humans, and ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’, a mention at ‘Speaking Pro Central’ last week. Click here to view this.
• ‘We Are The Humans’ and ‘Bootz’ are both now available to download via other online music stores, as well as the ever reliable iTunes.
• A very short, and so-so, review of ‘We Are The Humans’ by Viv Hardwick at ‘The Northern Echo’. Check it out here.
A small selection of screen caps from the ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ video. Please click on the caps for larger versions. The, brilliant, video can be viewed at YouTube here, and the single can be downloaded from iTunes here.
Good news for The Humans – just hours after it became available for download at iTunes ‘We Are The Humans’ placed at 187 in the Rock Album Chart.
A selection of Dreamscape ads, inspired by, and for, ‘We Are The Humans’ and ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’. Both are digitally released today. Please click on the ads for larger versions.
‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’, the debut single by The Humans (featuring Robert Fripp), is released as a digital download today.
The Humans are three people: Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin (REM) and Chris Wong. On their first single release, These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ due for digital release on Monday 21 September, they are joined by legendary guitarist and musician Robert Fripp.
This new cover version, a 21st century twist on the Nancy Sinatra classic, is very much the sum of the disparate parts. Its deconstructed style, taken still further on their new album, is a radical departure for Toyah who conceived the band.
‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ will be available via iTunes, Amazon, 7digital, Play.com, HMV, Tesco and other digital music vendors.
Click on the cover to go to iTunes.
‘We Are The Humans’, the debut album by The Humans, is released as a digital download today.
The Humans are three people: Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin (REM) and Chris Wong.
Produced by Bill Rieflin, the band’s 10-song debut album was mixed in Seattle by Rieflin and Don Gunn and mastered by Simon Heyworth (Tubular Bells, Brian Eno) in Devon, UK.
Previously available only as a limited edition in Estonia, ‘We Are The Humans’, is released digitally on 21 September alongside ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’. The digital releases will be available via iTunes, Amazon, 7digital, Play.com, HMV, Tesco and other digital music vendors. A new edition of the album featuring the single as a bonus track will be available to buy from remembertheeighties.com from October.
Click on the cover to go to iTunes.
Further fantastic promotional imagery for ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ by The Humans. The full versions of these are available at The Humans MySpace, The Official Toyah Facebook & The Official Toyah MySpace.
The Humans are featured at AWAL, complete with an interesting new photo of the band.
THE HUMANS are three people: Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin (REM) and Chris Wong. On their first single release, These Boots Are Made For Walkin’, they are joined by legendary guitarist and musician Robert Fripp.
This new cover version, a 21st century twist on the Nancy Sinatra classic, is very much the sum of the disparate parts. Its deconstructed style, taken still further on their new album, is a radical departure for Toyah (who already has 20 albums and 13 Top 40 singles to her credit) who conceived the band. It is due for digital release on iTunes on Monday 21st September, alongside the album, We Are The Humans.
Added to The Official Toyah You Tube last night, the online video for ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ by The Humans (featuring Robert Fripp), with Toyah looking fantastic! The full-length Lips version of the video is also online.
News at The Official Toyah website has been updated today, with confirmation that the debut single by The Humans, ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’, will be released as a digital download next Monday, 21st September. Not only that, but the album ‘We Are The Humans’ will also be given a digital release on the same day. Both will be available from iTunes, Amazon, 7digital, Play.com, HMV, Tesco and other digital music stores.
A new edition of ‘We Are The Humans’, featuring ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ as a bonus track, will be available at www.remembertheeighties.com from October.
What came first? The chicken or the egg? Check out Robert Fripp’s Diary entry from 27th August to see a sneak preview of the digital cover for ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ by The Humans.
Toyah, during last night’s PA in Nottingham, revealed that The Humans’ new single, ‘Bootz’ (These Boots Are Made For Walkin’) would be available to download from iTunes on Monday 21st September.
While many continue to enjoy the ‘We Are The Humans’ album, The Humans are currently hard at work writing the follow up. The debut album is available here, and should be available for download via iTunes later this year.
A selection of screen caps from the ‘Quicksilver’ video. View the video at The Official Toyah YouTube channel. Click on the caps for larger versions.
