1st April 1981: Bucks Fizz, Talking Heads, Kim Wilde, Toyah, Shakin’ Stev…
Who is more than a little miffed about his pet red-kneed tarantula, Doris, who’s gone off her daily diet of locusts and appears terribly ill? Which band are Phil Oakey Human League’s favourite group? Win a Ferguson Videostar 3V22 video cassette recorder in the Smash Hits/Visage video competition! It’s all here in this week’s Chart Trivia on 1st April 1981! Starring Bucks Fizz, Talking Heads, Kim Wilde, Toyah, Shakin’ Stevens, Ultravox and a cast of thousands!
Viewers in the Midlands can catch Toyah every Tuesday throughout March/April as she co/hosts BBC Birmingham’s Look Hear with #ChrisPhipps. Toyah is also filming an episode for Tales of the Unexpected – A story called Blue Marigolds, in which she will play a character called Myra. The Four From Toyah EP, containing It’s A Mystery, is down two places to no.6 and the album Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! is down eight places to no.30! All this and more trivia in this week’s Retro Chart Trivia show – listen below!
• Continue reading/Listen to the Retro Chart Trivia podcast at iTunes.
It’s the 1981 Gallery! It’s Anthem, it’s I Want To Be Free, it’s Thunder In The Mountains, it’s At The Rainbow, it’s Good Morning Universe, it’s the College Tour, it’s The Old Grey Whistle Test, and yes… It’s A Mystery!
Moreaux’s take on some of Toyah’s most amazing early 1980s make-up looks. View her fantastic Toyah inspired creations via her video upload at You Tube.
Following The Resurrection Tour (1979), Sheep Farming In Barnet Tour (1979) and Bird In Flight Tour (1980) Toyah again hit the road, for the fourth time in just 18 months, for the Ieya Tour in the Spring and early Summer of 1980. The tour promoted the new album The Blue Meaning.
The band line-up was Toyah (Vocals), Joel Bogen (Guitar), Charlie Francis (Bass Guitar), Steve Bray (Drums), Pete Bush (Keyboards).
The Ieya Tour began at Tiffany’s, Glasgow on 25th May and culminated at Wolverhampton’s Lafayette Club on 17th June. A gig that was filmed and recorded for inclusion in the ATV documentary TOYAH, and the related live album Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!
The tour was an eventful one, with tales of water-pistol fights, Toyah injuring her ankle at Ruffles, Aberdeen, and even fans helping build the stage for the date at Bristol’s Factory. The largest gig of the month-long tour was at The Lyceum, London.
Bird in Flight, Ieya, The Blue Meaning, Sugar & Spice, The Old Grey Whistle Test, The Ieya Tour, Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!, ATV documentary… 1980 was a great Toyah year! Visit the 1980 Gallery by clicking below.
Click below to view a newly uploaded version of Toyah’s Beat-Club gig at You Tube.
The Best and Worst Musician Hairstyles From The ’80s
It’s hard to pinpoint a decade that was gaudier than the ‘80s. What we do know is that hairspray manufacturers were probably thrilled. As for the rest of us? Not so much.
What Was Going On With Toyah Willcox’s Hair?
Toyah Willcox’s hair is that strange part of ‘80s fashion where no one knew exactly what was going and just went with it anyway. It’s like looking at your high school yearbook and wondering what the heck you were thinking.
Willcox kept a bold, Cyndi Lauper shade of orange, but made it 100 times bigger than Lauper could have dreamed. Beyond her intense, teased-out look, she loved to play around with blunt, choppy layers (you know, the kind your mom gives you when she cuts your hair with the kitchen singers, but Willcox’s were an intentional statement). Today, the star is still playing gigs, but she’s chilled out with the Manic Panic and hairspray. She looks even better at 60 than she did in her youth, but such is the power of abandoning a wild ‘80s cut.
• Continue reading at Idolator.
October marks the 35th Anniversary of the release of Toyah’s final studio album on Safari Records and final album release as a band, Love Is The Law. A wonderful album released in October 1983 and packed full of Toyah’s most melodic music, great lyrics and soaring vocals – Time Is Ours is such an underrated classic – Broken Diamonds and Dreamscape similarly. Stay tuned to toyah.net over the next few weeks for LITL related content and posts…
• America For Beginners 2018: Toyah tweeted: “Just heard 1st mix for AMERICA FOR BEGINNERS for the soundtrack album of @1985thefilm ….WOW! It’s totally different and very 1985!” – Continue reading…
• BBC Scotland: Barmy Aunt Boomerang: Richard Madden is currently earning fulsome praise for his portrayal of Sergeant David Budd in BBC Oneʼs Bodyguard, but itʼs far from the first time heʼs been on our screens. Back in 1999, 13-year-old Richard starred in Barmy Aunt Boomerang as Sebastian, a boy whose life is thrown into chaos by the arrival of his ghostly aunt, played by Toyah Willcox – Continue reading at BBC Scotland…
• Live 2018: Toyah still has Acoustic, Up Close & Personal gigs in Huddersfield, Evesham and two nights at Trading Boundaries in Sheffield Green, an Electric gig in Bedford PLUS those four #Toyah60/40 Years of Music concerts – More info/Ticket links here…
• Outside Org: Thousands of party goers join Rewind Festival’s sold out 10th Birthday celebrations in Henley-On-Thames: The blissful weekend was compered by Toyah Willcox and The Doctor of Doctor & The Medics with DJ Massaoke keeping the tunes and sing-alongs going strong between the main stage performances, getting everyone hyped with some of the biggest 80s hits – Continue reading…
• God’s Jukebox: Brave New World: Can’t have #HairWeek without Toyah. This was the lead single from her 4th album, The Changeling. The video was directed by David Mallet, who directed the Ashes to Ashes video for Bowie – Continue reading/watching…
A reminder that the Video Killed The Radio Star Toyah Special premieres tonight on Sky Arts at 8.30pm. There’s also a repeat next Tuesday.
Video Killed The Radio Star: Sky Arts: Friday 3rd August: 8.30pm
Video Killed The Radio Star: Sky Arts: Tuesday 7th August: 7.30pm
Toyah Willcox. (Series 7, Episode 6) A look back at the most memorable music videos of Toyah Willcox, who has had eight Top 40 singles over the last four decades.
Toyah mentioned last August that she was filming for Sky Arts. This was for an episode of Video Killed The Radio Star focusing on the making/creation of her 80s pop videos. The programme airs at the beginning of next month on Sky Arts.
Video Killed the Radio Star reveals the genius, madness, excesses and ideas behind some of music’s most famous videos.
Featuring interviews with iconic bands and artists, directors, cameramen and others involved in the creative process of making the ultimate pop promo.
Video Killed The Radio Star: Sky Arts: Friday 3rd August: 8.30pm
Video Killed The Radio Star: Sky Arts: Tuesday 7th August: 7.30pm
Toyah Willcox. (Series 7, Episode 6) A look back at the most memorable music videos of Toyah Willcox, who has had eight Top 40 singles over the last four decades.
Toyah is currently voicing continuity on BBC Four’s Smashing Hits! The 80s Pop Map of Britain and Ireland. The final part of the three-episode series airs this Friday at 10pm, with a repeat late night Saturday. The first two episodes are currently available at BBC iPlayer.
Smashing Hits! The 80s Pop Map of Britain and Ireland: BBC4: Fri 20th July: 10pm
Smashing Hits! The 80s Pop Map of Britain and Ireland: BBC4: Sun 22nd July: 0.00am
Two 80s icons explore the distinct sounds that came out of different parts of Britain and Ireland in one of pop’s golden decades. Midge Ure, lead singer of Ultravox and one of the men behind Band Aid, and Kim Appleby, who had a string of hits with her sister Mel in the Stock, Aitken and Waterman-produced band Mel and Kim, go on a journey back in time to the 80s to figure out why certain cities produced their own diverse tunes.
• Further info/Watch the episodes at BBC iPlayer.
The classic 1980 episode of Minder, “All Mod Cons”, starring Toyah as Kate alongside Dennis Waterman and George Cole airs again a few times on ITV4 later this month.
Minder: ITV4: Wednesday 20th June: 2.50pm
Minder: ITV4: Thursday 21st June: 2am
Minder: ITV4: Sunday 24th June: 9am
All Mod Cons. 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 and ITV4 +1.
Exclusively on vinyl next month comes eighties alternative. This offers 30 ‘alternative’ eighties songs from a variety of artists including Scritti Politti, Pixies, Propaganda, Bauhaus and John Foxx.
As is often the case with these kind of compilations the definition of ‘alternative’ is rather broad, so as well as the artists above, tracks from Howard Jones, Bronski Beat and Dead Or Alive also feature.
No CD release for this 2LP set, which is clearly designed to appeal to those who have re-embraced vinyl, and it’s pretty good value at under £17 in the UK. eighties alternative is released on 1 June 2018 on Demon Records.
• Continue reading at Super Deluxe Edition. More info on this here. (NB: I Want To Be Free by Toyah is included on LP2 of this double vinyl album).
Great retro shot of Toyah and Gary Davies (from 1987) included in yesterday’s Manchester Evening News feature on the DJ returning to BBC Radio… Gary Davies pictured in the 1980s with music icon Toyah Willcox. (Photo © Peter Stone/DailyMirror)
Welcome to Toyah’s 60th Birthday week… The amazing Brave New World was released as a single 36 years ago today. Accompanied by the greatest visual imagery by ANY pop star EVER! Happy Birthday to a truly iconic 20th Century pop moment. View Official Toyah’s Instagram post on this by clicking below.
Toyah Willcox and her band stop by Guildford’s Bonaparte Records shop
Take a trip back to the 1980s, when record shops were 10 a penny, and post-punk visited Guildford
Post-punk singer and actress Toyah Willcox and her band members paid a visit to the Bonaparte Records shop in Phoenix Court, Guildford, prior to playing a gig at the Civic Hall later that night, on May 29 1980.
Toyah, who was only 22 at the time, was signing copies of the band’s new single Ieya, from the album The Blue Meaning.
The shop was crowded with fans of post-punk, who who were pushing towards the counter, where Toyah and her band were signing albums and singles. Later, the band posed for photos outside, before heading off to sound check at the Civic Hall, where they were to play that night.
• Continue reading at Get Surrey.
One of Toyah’s most colourful photo shoots. These great photos were published in European magazine Pop Rocky and the UK’s Jackie in the Summer of 1982, at the height of The Changeling era. Toyah wears various Melissa Caplan designed outfits that were rarely seen anywhere else aside from a couple of television appearances.
About Toyah… Possibly! And only up to 1985!! Here’s a retro Toyah interview from the mid-80s, from The Beat magazine – Please click on it to read. We’re counting down to Toyah’s 60th…
Counting down to the release of Desire on RSD2018 this Saturday – Here is the advert which promoted the album’s release in various UK magazines back in 1987.
