An image that was created for the 1982 ‘Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard)’ single release. Not only did the song title become something of an enduring and iconic slogan through Toyah’s career, the image did too. Excellent photos by Robin Saidman. Click below to view larger versions and visit Dreamscape’s 1982 Gallery for more from this session.
Exactly 30 years ago today, 27th May 1982, Toyah’s ‘Brave New World’ visage graced the cover of the biggest music magazine of the 80s, ‘Smash Hits’. If it’s not the it’s certainly one of the greatest magazine covers, and 30 years later it still looks fantastic. Visit the Like Punk Never Happened: Smash Hits Archive to read the full issue online.
‘Smash Hits’ magazine gave Toyah memorable cover issues in November 1980 and September 1981, but little did we realise what May 1982 would bring…
I got a wave of nostalgia for ‘Look-In’ magazine last weekend, and found a great website dedicated to “The Junior TV Times”. Toyah had two full covers of ‘Look-In’ in 1981 and ’82, and was omnipresent in the publication, via a plethora of pin-ups, features, fact files and comic strips, in the early 80’s. The magazine ran for 23 years between 1971 and 1994.
The fantastic Brian Aris photo shoot from mid-1981. This featured on magazine covers and a variety of press articles on Toyah through late 1981 and into ’82. Amazing photos that look current in 2012! Click below to view more at Dreamscape’s 1981 gallery.
Toyah co-presented Look! Hear! for ‘BBC Midlands’ for three series between 1979 and 1981. The programme covered music and the arts in The Midlands and was made at BBC Pebble Mill studios. This programme, from the 1981 series, includes two live performances from Duran Duran. Click below to watch the full edition (in six parts). (Thanks to Andi)
Screen caps from Look! Hear! Click below to view larger versions.
Toyah appeared in, what was billed as a “younger version of Not The Nine O’Clock News“, Dear Heart in Spring 1982. There was only one series, which aired on BBC2. The best known of the numerous characters Toyah played was probably “Super Advice Person”, who appeared every week. Click below to view a full edition (in five parts). (Thanks to Andi)
Screen caps from Dear Heart. Please click below to view larger versions.
Good old Photoshop. A great way to pass the time… The famous Dexter Brown Triptych painting of Toyah, used on ‘Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!’ and sold as a fan club poster in 1981. I turned a third of it into “TOYAH 1980” :) Plus some basic artwork for my short Toyah/Doctor Who “crossover” story ‘Elusive Strangers’. Please click on each to view a larger version.
• The complete issue three of Grinding Halt fanzine has been made available online at the fanzine’s Facebook page. This includes great retro Toyah content: a review of a gig from the ‘Bird in Flight’ tour, at Bulmerche College, Reading, plus an interesting interview with Toyah. She talks about meeting Joel, forming the band and a lot more. This issue dates from February 1980.
• Toyah, Shaun Williamson, Bradley Walsh, John Altman, Richard Digance, Bobby Davro, Jim Davidson and numerous others, including 10 panto dames and circus performers, paid tribute to the late Dave Lee at The Marlowe Theatre on Sunday night in a celebration of his life and career. The comedy gala raised money for Dave’s Happy Holidays charity.
• The Blitz Kids: Toyah by Richard Sharah: “I look like a bushbaby!”. View another shot from this 1981 photo session here.
• The Toyah Timeline has been rebooted. A visual reference guide to Toyah’s career. Not everything, as that would take until the end of time, but all the key moments: music releases, tours, theatre, television, film, books…
• A trio of ‘The Changeling Resurrection II’ dates, for Manchester, London and Newcastle in October, were included in “Today’s Top Tour Announcements” in The Guardian last Thursday.
• I feel like I’ve been moaning a lot recently (not like me atall lol), sorry! One last word: There are a zillion and one fan websites populating the internet. The www would be a dull place without them. Some of these offer tittle-tattle and intrusion into an artist’s private life, and some offer relatively intelligent, respectful career coverage in appreciation of a band, artist or actor’s work… I’d rather chuck, Quadrophenia style, my computer off a cliff (He runs to the water’s edge…) than be thought of as the former!
Two more rare-ish photos of Toyah. These are from 1980 and were taken during the filming of, and as publicity for, the ATV documentary TOYAH. Please click on each to view a larger version. (Thanks again to the incredibly generous Andi)
Apologies for my previous post. This is probably not the best place to let off that sort of steam. I’ve removed it.
Minder: ITV4: Thursday 17th May: 8.00am/8.00pm
Minder: ITV4 +1: Thursday 17th May: 9.00am/9.00pm
All Mod Cons. Drama series about the shady dealings of a spiv and his reluctant sidekick. While Terry is trying to evict two squatters, Arthur decides to sell Terry’s flat without his permission. Meanwhile, Terry gets a job minding at a local club and ends up getting into more trouble than he had planned for when he realises the club’s manager is on the fiddle. Starring: George Cole, Dennis Waterman, Toyah Willcox, Simon Cadell, James Ottaway, and Tony Osaba. (Series 2, Episode 8, 1980). Also showing on ITV4 HD.
• I’ve (or should I say Falling To Earth has) taken the leap to Twitter. Not sure why. Except that I wanted to follow @toyahofficial :)
• The Blitz Kids: Toyah 1980 by Gerard McNamara. A classic live shot from the, legendary, ‘Ieya Tour’.
• Some great live shots of Toyah that the photographer doesn’t seem pleased with!
• Toyah at The Ruby Lounge: Photo #1 and photo #2 (courtesy of Man Alive! at flickr). ShatterJapan.com – new website coming soon.
• The running order for Let’s Rock The Moor (Saturday 12th May): 3.20pm: Nick Heyward, 4.10pm: Toyah, 5pm: Modern Romance, 5.50pm: Boney M, 6.55pm: Heaven 17, 7.55pm: Go West, 8.55pm: Billy Ocean. (Subject to change: Source: Lets Rock The Moor Twitter)
• Why have a mere t-shirt when you can have a Toyah Harrington? Take a look.
• Toyah is mentioned in The Digital Fix review of Doctor Who: Ace Adventures DVD box set. (Someone needs to tell them that “Toyah wigs” are back!)
• The UK Top 40 on the day that ‘Four From Toyah’ entered. Many of those singles bring back many memories… (Thanks to PJ)
Time Flies! On this day, 27th April 1985 (yup), 27 years ago Toyah’s 15th single, and first ‘solo’ release, ‘Don’t Fall In Love (I Said)’ entered the UK singles chart. In retrospect, it’s a great pop song, written by Toyah and Simon Darlow, with an incredible b-side, ‘Snow Covers The Kiss’ (written by Toyah, Joel Bogen & Christopher Neil). Then there’s the unforgettable video. Personally, I can’t wait to hear it live on the ‘Minx: Trash & Tease 2015’ tour ;-))
• The rare promo poster for the American video release of Murder: Ultimate Grounds for Divorce from the mid-80s. View a larger version here. (Thanks to Sean Green)
• According to a tweet today by ‘The Showbusiness Co’: “Joe Pasquale, Bobby Davro, Toyah Willcox, Richard Digance and many more appear in the Dave Lee tribute show at Marlowe, Canterbury on 6 May.”
• View more details about Dave Lee A Celebration at The Marlowe theatre website. There are other news reports today about the show. None of these mention Toyah.
• Three musicians, who have all worked with Toyah at various stages of her music career, play at ‘Jammin Java’, Vienna tomorrow. STICK MEN ft. Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto and Markus Reuter. More info here.
• Manchester Pride Twitter today: “The Women’s Stage will return to Sackville Gardens for this year’s event. We’ll welcome Toyah as the headline act!”
• Canal Street (Manchester) Twitter today: “Look who is headlining the Women’s stage at Manchester Pride this year.. Toyah”
• Collapse Board: How I lost my love for music (and how I found it again): The first record I think was mine was ‘I Want To Be Free’ by Toyah…
• So So Gay: Blue To Headline Blackpool Pride 2012. Toyah is also mentioned in this article published today.
• Toyah Montaging: I’ve, quite literally, thrown together a couple of Toyah video montages. At The Rainbow and some career clips. I’d love to do a more professional and substantial career montage at some point, with lots of interview and music clips, almost like a documentary type retrospective.
Yes ‘It’s A Mystery’ has possibly been uploaded to ‘You Tube’ more times than is necessary but this addition today is quite cool. The video clip looks great thanks to a clever montage of photos and clips from one of the Top Of The Pops appearances. Click below to view.
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)
The 15-28 April, 1982 issue of ‘Smash Hits’ has just been added to the ‘Like Punk Never Happened – Smash Hits Archive’.
Toyah is included again this fortnight in a ‘Bitz!’ text article, by grumpy Rosalyn Chissick, on the newly published book ‘Toyah’ by Mike West.
Screen caps from the 1982 interview. Click on these to view larger versions.
