Quadrophenia, as with Jubilee, is a film that has grown in popularity in the decades since its’ release. Starring Phil Daniels, who gives an incredible performance as, central character, Jimmy, the film boasts one of the most famous and iconic movie “line up” promotional photos, instantly recognisable and used on various posters over the years. Toyah plays Monkey alongside Leslie Ash, Mark Wingett, Phil Davis, Ray Winstone and numerous others. It’s worth noting that Quadrophenia and Jubilee, films focusing on punk and Mods, are two of the biggest “youth” movies of the 1970’s. Toyah has the distinction of appearing in both.
Safari Records’ late 70s/early 80s timeline of Toyah dates the band signing to the label as January 1979, though their “Our History” implies it may have been late 1978: In 1978 a Melody Maker postage stamp picture of Toyah together with a small but glowing review of one of the very few gigs that her band had ever played led us to a leaky rehearsal space under Waterloo Bridge, where we saw the band and they signed with Safari who then were pleasantly surprised to learn of Toyah Willcox, actress, her performances in ‘The Corn is Green’ (starring Katherine Hepburn), ‘Jubilee’, ‘Quadrophenia’ and her current casting as Miranda in Derek Jarman’s forthcoming ‘The Tempest’.
One Of These Nights I’m Gonna Get An Early Day aired in October 1978. Toyah has a small role in this, playing a character called Fran, a groupie. This was a 30 minute play from the ‘Premiere 2’ series. Also stars Michael Gambon, Bryan Marshall & Janine Duvitski.
Toyah played Bessie Watty in the 1978, made for television, remake of a 1945 Bette Davis movie, The Corn Is Green. Starring the legendary Katharine Hepburn and directed by George Cukor, Toyah was working with “Hollywood royalty”. The film continues to air sporadically on UK television.
Jubilee, Toyah’s first film. She played Mad, a pyromaniac. Directed by Derek Jarman, it premiered on 22nd February 1978 at Bloomsbury Square Odeon, aka Gate 2, London. The film was derided in its first few years but has become something of a cult movie over the last decade and is regularly written about in online blogs and articles. Jubilee also featured Adam Ant in his first role, as well as Richard O’Brien and Little Nell of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Three Piece Suite was a six part series of half hour programmes, all starring Diana Rigg. Each show was cut up into three 10 minute plays. Toyah plays a character called Buzz in Episode Five, This Situation…! It also featured George Baker and aired on BBC2 in April 1977.
Toyah’s debut theatre role, playing Emma in Tales From The Vienna Woods, with The National Theatre Company, at The Laurence Olivier Theatre, London was an audacious beginning. The production had a large cast and also starred Stephen Rea, Warren Clarke, Brenda Blethyn and Elizabeth Spriggs. It was directed by Maximilian Schell and opened on 21st January 1977.
Toyah’s first professional acting role, first television appearance, first music performances – all included in Glitter, a 30 minute drama from the BBC’s ‘Second City Firsts’. Also appearing are Phil Daniels, Noel Edmonds and Doremy Vernon (probably best remembered as the Canteen Manager in Are You Being Served?). Toyah’s character, Sue, also performs two songs with the band Bilbo Baggins, ‘Floating Free’ and ‘Heartbreaker’. Further info on Glitter here.
That photo seems to have a life of its own!
The latest sighting is at the, excellent, ’80s Actual’ website, in an article from Saturday. The article is a look back on a July 1982 press report on the rise of compact discs, but also included in the ‘The Sun/Bizarre’ scan is the Simon Fowler photo accompanying news about the book ‘Toyah’ by Mike West (again!)
Toyah Can’t Bare It: This is pop star Toyah as she hoped her fans would never see her. The bare-breasted portrait was taken by photographer Simon Fowler for Mike West’s new biography of the singer published by Omnibus at £2.95. (Typically ‘The Sun’ is incorrect. The photo was taken in 1979 as Toyah details in the Sounds interview from 1982)
An interesting article on punk in ‘The Independent’ yesterday. It includes a gallery of great photos, featuring rare shots of Adam Ant, Jordan, Billy idol, Little Nell, Siouxsie etc, plus Derek Jarman at the premiere of Jubilee.
Anarchy in the UK: The Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977 was also the year that punk hit
Photographer Simon Barker was there to capture it. Michael Bracewell opens his archive.
Punk lasted in the UK for little more than 14 months, between 1976 and the Jubilee Summer of 1977. Thirty-five years later, in another Jubilee year, how might we regard the intense, chaotic, moody, surreal, futuristic-yet-Victorian aesthetics of the movement? In answer to this question, photographs taken at the time by Simon Barker, also known as Six, go a long way to articulating the ways in which a phase of youth culture attained the impact of a manifesto – while never quite losing the cool allure and faintly slapstick temperament of its confrontational amateurism.
• Continue reading, at ‘The Independent’, here.
