Cherry Red Records, who release Sheep Farming In Barnet as a deluxe CD set next month, recently interviewed Toyah.
The Toyah Willcox story is an in-depth interview which looks at who the real Toyah is, what motivates her and how she became so successful. She also shares many fascinating stories from her incredible career.
“I feel its power within me, bells ringing in my head, so often I have heard its cry, but forgotten what it said, it’s a mystery…”
Last Saturday’s episode of Toyah At Home – the 20th!! – had a few ghosts in the machine (well, it was a Halloween Special) and featured two more archive performances: It’s A Mystery, from the 1981 album, Anthem, and Brave New World, from the 1982 album, The Changeling.
Click below to watch/rewatch Episode 20, with talk about ghosts, pink highlights, making jewellery in lockdown, new films Swiperight and Heckle, film scripts and much more! Episode 21 of Toyah At Home airs this Saturday at 11am at Toyah’s official You Tube channel, and Facebook.
Exclusive personalised artworks handcrafted by Toyah are now available to order. Choose from an illustration or gilt metal artwork created by Toyah for you or a loved one. An extract of your favourite Toyah lyrics also features on the piece alongside a specially dedicated message + autograph, making these true one-off creations.
A new, Sheep Farming In Barnet/Early Years, interview with Toyah, from Cherry Red’s My Favourite Flavour magazine. A classic SFIB era photo of Toyah is also included on the cover!
According to the sleevenotes of the lavish re-issue of Toyah’s debut album ‘Sheep Farming In Barnet’ her progress to punk icon, then pop star, really began back in 1975…
“Back then I just wanted to get out of school, get out of Birmingham. I definitely wanted to act and sing, but there was no way I was equipped for that. I think I was lucky to have been born at the right time and been around for the punk movement, that allowed every shape, size, sound and form into the fold. If you had something to express or to say back then, punk accepted it. That was the saving grace for me.
“I’d left home and got a job at the National Theatre in London, school hadn’t really prepared me for life, I had to land on my feet and learn to adapt to the outside world and somehow mould myself into what I wanted to be.
“At the National, an actor called Ian Charleson introduced me to Derek Jarman who was about to start work on his film Jubilee and around the same time I got into a punk band and started writing with Joel Bogen. We started playing the pub circuit and I was embraced by that whole community, they were amazing times.”
• Continue reading here. (Thanks to Sharon Dickson for the scans)
A great new interview with Toyah, just published by Punktuation. Also includes a shorter interview with Steve James discussing the recording of Sheep Farming in Barnet.
Punktuation chats to the high priestess of punk, Toyah Willcox, about the reissue of her debut album, Sheep Farming In Barnet and her extraordinary career
Toyah is quite simply a force of nature. She is a musician and songwriter, she’s a very successful actress, and she’s a producer and storyteller. She’s had eight top 40 hit singles, released 23 albums, written two books and appeared in over 40 stage plays and ten feature films including Derek Jarman’s Jubilee and Franc Roddam’s Quadrophenia.
Now 62 years old there’s also no sign that Toyah plans to slow down anytime soon. However, the events of 2020 have forced her, like the rest of us, to readjust to the ‘new reality’.
“Yes, it’s been an extraordinary time, hasn’t it? I don’t think I’ve spent so much time at home as I have this year, ” Toyah says over the phone from her English countryside home that she shares with her husband of over 30 years, guitarist Robert Fripp.
“It’s taken a bit of time to get used to. Here we are at the end of October and Robert and I are just finding our stride. We both believe if we can get through this we can get through anything. The reality for us is that we will have to be in quarantine for a while longer as Robert is now 74 – we have to be careful,” Toyah confides.
• Continue reading at Punktuation.
“Remove the thorn from the lion’s paw, hear my words, pain no more…”
Last Saturday’s episode of Toyah At Home , a National Album Day 2020 special, featured two archive performances: The iconic Brave New World, from The Changeling, and Toyah’s 1981 single, I Want To Be Free, from Anthem.
Click below to watch/rewatch episode 17, with lots of album chat from Toyah as well as memories about the “first album cover and back cover” (Sheep Farming In Barnet), and She from The Blue Meaning – “Steve Bray’s drums… Charlie Francis on Bass!”. Episode 18 of Toyah At Home airs tomorrow at 11am at Toyah’s official You Tube channel, and Facebook.
Following last weekend’s Anthem listening party, there’s a possibility Sheep Farming In Barnet will follow sometime soon. See Toyah’s tweet regarding this by clicking below,
Today is National Album Day 2020 and Toyah is one of this year’s Ambassadors, with the 2020 theme of the event being the 80’s!
In celebration, Toyah is hosting a Listening Party this afternoon for the iconic 1981 album Anthem.
There was also another episode of Toyah At Home this morning, as well as Toyah’s Album Escapes. Read Toyah’s HMV Record Collection interview, and win a Sheep Farming In Barnet reissue rarity.
Keep an eye on Toyah at Twitter for more National Album Day news and updates. Click below for the Anthem Listening Party venue, taking place from 3pm today.
Win a rare Sheep Farming In Barnet reissue rarity, courtesy of HMV…
It’s National Album Day on Saturday 10th October and to celebrate we will be running a new prize draw everyday with prizes from some of the National Album Day Ambassadors who are supporting this exciting day.
Happy National Album Day!! Today, we have a prize from Toyah Willcox where you could win a signed test pressing of remastered Sheep Farming vinyl!
• To enter, all you have to do is enter your details here or by clicking below. (The prize draw ends at 11:59pm Saturday 10th October. Entries received after this time will not be included.)
Last Saturday’s episode of Toyah At Home featured two archive performances: The mighty Danced, from Sheep Farming In Barnet, and one of the best pop songs of the 1980s (or any other decade), Thunder In The Mountains.
Click below to watch/rewatch episode 16, in which Toyah reveals there are plans to release a trio of live Toyah/Toyah & The Humans concerts from Trading Boundaries, East Sussex, and O2 Islington in the not too distant future.
Toyah’s October 2020 blog is available at toyahwillcox.com. A great read , as always, with info on National Album Day, Bill Rieflin and much more. Fantastic to also hear that my favourite artist is 31% Scottish. And a very Merry Christmas to Toyah and Robert!
1980 debut reissued as 2CD+DVD set & coloured vinyl
Toyah’s debut album Sheep Farming In Barnet has been remastered and expanded and will be reissued in December. Cherry Red bought the Safari Records catalogue earlier this year and Sheep Farming In Barnet represents the start of a planned reissue programme of Toyah’s entire output on that label, including 1981’s hit-packed Anthem.
Originally a six-track EP issued in August 1979, Sheep Farming In Barnet was expanded to full album status the following year with the addition of five further tracks, including both sides ‘Victims Of The Riddle’, Toyah’s first single (released in 1979).
The reissue is fairly straightforward, with two formats on offer: 2CD+DVD and an LP pressed on white vinyl. The former offers the newly remastered album, plus 30 bonus tracks made up of non-album singles, rarities and demos (20 previously unreleased).
• Continue reading at Super Deluxe Edition.
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.
Last Saturday’s episode of Toyah At Home featured two archive performances: The timeless Obsolete from Anthem and Slow Descent from the Toyah & The Humans album Strange Tales.
Click below to watch/rewatch ep 14, in which Toyah reveals Cherry Red Records’ website crashed last weekend when everyone attempted to pre-order Sheep Farming In Barnet on CD and Vinyl.
Join Toyah on Saturday October 10th at 3pm (UK time) for a National Album Day Listening Party. Anthem will be the featured album, with Toyah as a special guest.
Last Saturday’s episode of Toyah At Home featured two archive performances: The amazing Neon Womb and wonderful Race Through Space, both from Sheep Farming In Barnet.
Click below to watch/rewatch the episode, which includes the official announcement of the forthcoming release of Sheep Farming In Barnet on Expanded CD and Colour Vinyl. #Exciting!
Toyah & Cherry Red Records are delighted to announce the long-awaited newly remastered and expanded release of Toyah’s debut album Sheep Farming In Barnet which kickstarts a reissue programme of Toyah’s entire Safari Records catalogue.
Sheep Farming In Barnet will be reissued on 4 December 2020 as a limited edition white vinyl LP and expanded 2CD+DVD package.
Limited quantities of both formats come with a different design postcard signed by Toyah.
Produced by Steve James and Keith Hale (Blood Donor), the album reached number 1 on the UK Independent Albums in February 1980 and celebrates its fortieth anniversary in 2020.
The album has been remastered from the original mastertapes and the 2CD+DVD package includes 30 bonus tracks including 20 that are previously unreleased.
The 7” single Victims Of The Riddle (1979) was Toyah’s very first release and is included here. This was followed up by 6-track mini-album Sheep Farming In Barnet that contained three tracks per-side on a 33 1/3 playing 7” vinyl. This mini-album was then expanded to a full length 11-track album (originally for the German market) in early 1980 by adding the Victims 7” A-Side/B-Sides and some further tracks also recorded at Chappell Studios, London.
This album contains the fan favourites Race Through Space, Neon Womb and Danced, all of which went on to become signature songs for the band. Non-album Double A-Side single Bird In Flight/Tribal Look produced by The Boys’ lead singer Matt Dangerfield is also included.
2CD+DVD digipack with a fully illustrated 24-page booklet containing a brand new introductory note from Toyah plus rare and unseen imagery including album cover shots taken at RAF Fylingdales Early Warning site, Yorkshire.
The album has been remastered by Nick Watson from the original mastertapes with mastering approved by Joel Bogen.
The expanded 2CD+DVD edition features 30 bonus tracks compiled by Craig Astley and is made up of non-album singles, rarities and demos. Amongst the 20 previously unreleased tracks are versions originally recorded for Shoestring, the original improvisation vocal that became Victims of The Riddle and the band’s first ever pre-signing 1978 demos.
Includes a sleevenote by Toyah’s archivist Craig Astley, researched with input from co-writer/guitarist Joel Bogen, chronicles the creation of the album, musician line-ups and reveals the recording origins of the album and bonus material for the first time.
The package includes a DVD (NTSC/Region Free) containing two brand new features with Toyah Willcox; ‘The Story Behind The Album’ is an in-depth interview about the album/period, a Track-by-Track Album Commentary interview plus an exclusive acoustic three-song session of songs from the era – all filmed August 2020.
The DVD also includes rare archive TV footage available on DVD for the first time ever including a 1979 interview/performance clips of Race Through Space filmed at Toyah’s Battersea warehouse ‘Mayhem’ for broadcast on What’s On (ITV Midlands-only region) and two songs, Danced, Indecision, filmed February 1980 for BBC’s The Old Grey Whistle Test.
• Continue reading at toyahwillcox.com to see the full tracklist, hear a preview track and read further details on the release. Pre-order Sheep Farming In Barnet, 2CD/1DVD Deluxe Edition, and Limited Edition Colour Vinyl LP here.
Band shots, solo shots, live shots! – Amazing, previously unseen, photos from the Sheep Farming In Barnet era and beyond have been shared on Toyah’s official social media spaces over the past fortnight… (Photos © 1, 3 & 4. Cherry Red Records Ltd, 2. Watkins/Astley)
Something special coming soon on Cherry Red – Announcement on Toyah At Home, airing from 11am, today at the official Toyah You Tube channel and Facebook page. (Photos/Images © 1. Neil Anderson, 2. Official Toyah, 3. Cherry Red Records Ltd)
The bold beginning of an awesome music career! Welcome to Sheep Farming in Barnet Saturday!
Song of the week, on Episode 12 of Toyah At Home, was Latex Messiah (Viva La Rebel In You), from the album, In The Court Of The Crimson Queen.
Click below to watch/rewatch the episode, which ended with a new recording/version/performance of America For Beginners, from the album Minx.
