2026 marks the 50th year of Toyah’s career! Her very first professional job, playing the role of Sue in the BBC’s “Second City First” television play, Glitter, aired in November 1976 – having been filmed in 1975.
Toyah’s first – full length – studio album for well over a decade, In The Court Of The Crimson Queen, was released on 15th September 2008, featuring some of Toyah’s finest songs: Legacy, Heal Ourselves, Angel In You, Bad Man. The album has been re-released – with additional songs – a number of times since the original release. In 2023 ITCOTCQ was released with selected songs re-recorded and Toyah saying this was the definitive version of the album.
Revisit that very first release via Dreamscape’s “Crimson Queen” feature…
• Dreamscape also had a dedicated News & Press page for all things In The Court Of The Crimson Queen – this was updated between September 2007 and May 2010 – View that here.
On this day in music history… In 1955 Bill Haley and his Comets, entered the UK chart for the first time with “Rock Around The Clock”, who will be rocking up to be our No.1 this week? In this week’s show, our artists include The Rolling Stones, Engelbert Humperdinck, Owen Paul, Carla Olson, Deniece Pearson, Allan Clarke & Laurence Juber, The Korgis, The Jive Aces, Classix Nouveaux & Phil Hendriks. And from the Heritage New Year charts of 2021, 2022 & 2023 Toyah, Paul Weller & Bruce Foxton & Russell Hastings. (• Browse previous Sensationalnews… )
Toyah’s album In The Court Of The Crimson Queen | Rhythm Deluxe Edition is out now to stream, download or buy on CD or translucent 2LP red vinyl. Order here.
Toyah’s message – and unboxing – for the Rhythm Deluxe Edition of the Crimson Queen album, out Friday 10th February on Demon Music on 2LP red vinyl and CD and featuring Robert Fripp on 4 tracks including Slave To The Rhythm. Pre-order the album. Click below to watch Toyah’s CQ message.
Latex Messiah (Posh Redux) featuring Robert Fripp was released today digitally. Taken from the upcoming Deluxe Edition of In The Court Of The Crimson Queen, which is released – on CD and translucent red double vinyl – on 10th February.
Toyah introduces the new version on Toyah At Home tomorrow at 11am. Latex Messiah gets some utterly eyepopping new Latex visuals courtesy of Toyah & Robert in this week’s Sunday Lunch! Airing at midday on Sunday (15th January).
• Stream or download Latex Messiah by clicking below.
Coming this Friday! Toyah’s new digital single Sensational (Posh Redux) featuring Robert Fripp.
Produced by Simon Darlow, the single is a follow-up to Slave To The Rhythm and previews the forthcoming Rhythm Deluxe Edition of In The Court Of The Crimson Queen.
Toyah releases special edition of In The Court of the Crimson Queen
Toyah Willcox has recorded a cover of Grace Jones’ 1985 single ‘Slave to the Rhythm’ and added it to a new special ‘Rhythm Deluxe’ edition of her In The Court of the Crimson Queen album. ‘Slave to the Rhythm’ was written by Trevor Horn, Bruce Woolley, Simon Darlow and Stephen Lipson and to those unaware, Darlow has a very long writing/producing association with Toyah, so there’s some logic to the choose of recording, a version of which was first previewed on ‘Toyah and Robert’s Sunday Lunch’ back in July.
It seems curious to release yet another special edition of this album. It first came out in 2008, was reissued in 2013 and then remixed/reissued/expanded in 2019 (when SDE spoke to both Toyah and Simon), so this will be the fourth version! Toyah describes this new version as a “prequel” to 2021’s long-player Posh Pop and calls it the “definitive” version of the record. As well as ‘Slave to the Rhythm’ it also features three brand new remakes of the songs ‘Sensational’, ‘Heal Ourselves’ and ‘Latex Messiah’ featuring the ‘Posh Pop Three’ of Toyah, Simon Darlow and Robert Fripp.
Following her Top 30 hit album Posh Pop and Isle of Wight Festival performance Toyah unveils details of the new Rhythm Deluxe Edition of studio album In The Court of The Crimson Queen, presented as a prequel to Posh Pop.
The definitive version of the album now contains Toyah’s unique interpretation of the iconic song Slave To The Rhythm, — out to stream this Friday, 12th August — featuring Robert Fripp on guitar and produced by Simon Darlow, co-writer of the original track.
The album also contains three brand new remakes of Sensational, Heal Ourselves and Latex Messiah featuring the Posh Pop Three of Toyah, Simon Darlow and Robert Fripp. Plus exclusively revised artwork and lyrics for the album.
• Pre-order heavyweight 2-LP Translucent Red Vinyl: or CD now by clicking below.
Song of the week on last Saturday’s episode of Toyah At Home was Lesser God (which includes one of my favourite Toyah lyrics: “I won’t fake for the sake of peace…“), from the album, In The Court Of The Crimson Queen.
Click below to watch/rewatch the episode, which ended with an archive performance of All In A Rage (a song which also features lyrics which resonate in 2020), from the album Minx.
Episode 16 of Toyah At Home airs this Saturday at 11am at You Tube and Facebook.
Over the past year or so all of Toyah’s (and Toyah & The Humans’) releases: In The Court Of The Crimson Queen, Solo and Noise In Your Head have entered various charts – Top 100, Midweeks, Sales, Rock & Metal, Independent – compiled by The Official UK Charts Company, aka Official Charts. Click below to browse our “Toyah on the charts” news archive!
A previously unheard section of Richard Green’s interview with Toyah, which was originally broadcast in June 2019, aired on Saturday on Richard’s BBC Radio Devon show. There was also plays of It’s A Mystery and Dance In The Hurricane.
Toyah talks In The Court Of The Crimson Queen, the two Toyahs, In Extremis and more.
• Listen at BBC Sounds for the next four weeks. The interview and songs begin just a few minutes into the show.
The first of two rescheduled Crimson Queen Tour dates takes place tonight at The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton. The original date was 18th October 2019 and all tickets remain valid. Further details and last minute ticket booking link is available here or by clicking below.
Christmas 2008, Good Times magazine – published in the US – named In The Court Of The Crimson Queen their “CD Of The Year”.
I must devote some space to what is, for me, the event of the year, a new CD, “In The Court Of The Crimson Queen” by UK pop/rock icon Toyah. She’s been married to King Crimson founder/guitarist Robert Fripp since 1985, and the CD title is a play on Crimson’s ‘Court Of the Crimson King”, a late 60s timepiece. Let’s take a look, track by track.
Confirmed news, on the Crimson Queen Tour dates in 2020, by Official Toyah: We are delighted to announce Toyah has agreed to do a short, free Meet & Greet’s at the Wolverhampton & London January 2020 shows but you need to arrive early for doors open. The M&Gs are on a first come, first served basis for a limited time. Click below for ticket links for these two dates.
We danced in the hurricane at Toyah’s Brighton concert.
TOYAH + THE LAST CRY – CHALK, BRIGHTON 02.11.19
There certainly was ‘Thunder in the Mountains’ in Brighton on this wet and windy Saturday night. The wind was strong on the seafront and almost blew the bristles clean off my head. Even Toyah said onstage, that upon arriving in her chariot (car) she got blown off her feet. However, the weather wasn’t going to keep her fans from watching her perform tonight at new Brighton venue ‘Chalk‘, that’s for sure.
Anyone that was around in the 80’s will need no Toyah introduction as she was permanently on our TV screens and fully ingrained in our pop culture. She’s enjoyed a career that spans over forty years and she’s still going strong. She’s been nominated for four Brit awards, been involved in over twenty albums, written books, acted in stage-plays and appeared in TV shows and films, including of course, the legendary ‘Quadrophenia’. For the younger readers benefit, she has also provided voices for Teletubbies characters. You could say that she’s been busy.
Toyah plays the final band gig of the year tonight. It’s also a Crimson Queen Tour date. There are two further tour dates in January. Toyah said: “What a brilliant year. Thank u everyone xxx“.
Toyah played two further dates of the Crimson Queen Tour this weekend, in Manchester on Friday and Nottingham last night. There’s just one more Crimson Queen gig this year, in Brighton on Saturday 2nd November, with two final dates in January.
2026 marks the 50th year of Toyah’s career! Her very first professional job, playing the role of Sue in the BBC’s “Second City First” television play, Glitter, aired in November 1976 – having been filmed in 1975.
Christmas 2008, 
