Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

A full transcript of Toyah’s recent Celebrity Radio interview is now available to read online at The Toyah Willcox Interview Archive.

Well, I trained in opera from about the age of 14 right through to 18. German opera. I keep catching myself talking German although my German isn’t great. But that really helped me. And if anything it’s hard to get it out of the voice because when I have to do the big notes at the end of songs that’s when I kick the opera in.

I have a real ambition to be in an opera one day and I never say never and I don’t think doors close. I think one day it might happen. But if I did go into an opera it would have to be really modern and really extreme. Because I am a rock singer.

• Continue reading at The Toyah Willcox Interview Archive. Watch the interview here.

Full transcripts of a selection of Toyah’s recent radio interviews are available to read at the Toyah Willcox Interview Archive. A collection of 11 are linked to below. Toyah talks In The Court Of The Crimson Queen… and much more! (Photos © Official Toyah)

• BBC Radio Ulster: The Arts Show: 26.03.2019 – I believe my generation will always be punk. We were born to rebel and I think that is the generation that is forgetting to grow old – Continue reading…

• BBC Radio Guernsey: John Randall: 27.03.2019 – I was sixty last year on May the 18th and my fans downloaded me to number 1. The unusual thing about that is that I was at that time an unsigned artist. That led to me to having a record deal and re-imagining the album because it’s been around for about ten years – Continue reading…

• BBC Radio Kent: Dominic King: 27.03.2019 – When we released it in 2008 it was literally like a fan release. Very limited edition, only available to the fans who knew my work, who came to see the band. Last year on May the 18th I turned 60 and unbeknownst to me my fans downloaded me to number one in the charts and there was a slight problem with this good news. Because I was not signed to a record label we couldn’t ask for radio play even though I was number one – Continue reading…

• BBC Radio Cornwall: David White: 28.03.2019 – It’s kind of confusing that you have to say it’s a re-working because for the majority of people who only remember me from the 1980’s this is actually a brand new album – Continue reading…

• BBC Radio Derby: Steve Jordan: 28.03.2019 – Vinyl is just the phenomena of today isn’t it – because vinyl is selling more than every other product at the moment – Continue reading…

• BBC Radio Wales: Eleri Sion: 29.03.2019 –  For many people it is a new album. For my dedicated fans – they know it. The writing for this started in 2007 and the first single from this album “Sensational” was the Weight Watchers campaign song on TV – Continue reading…

• BBC Radio London: Jo Good: 12.04.2019 – I have all the social media outlets and I provide the content but I employ someone, who I met when he was 4 years old, a Toyah fan, who was considered to be my youngest fan – he’s now just hit 40 and he now manages my archive, my social media, he’s even the executor of my will – Continue reading…

• BBC Radio Sussex/Surrey: Mark Carter: 14.04.2019 – Some people have described it as pure joy and is a joyous album and there’s absolutely no point in me trying to be serious and adult. I do energy and I think this album has it and yes, I really love it. I’ve been living with some of these songs as long as ten years – Continue reading…

• BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester: Tammy Gooding: 09.04.2019 – I’m having a really good time. Everything with the album has had such a positive reaction and I’m 61 this year and I didn’t expect this to be happening in my life and it’s really good – Continue reading…

• BBC Radio Devon: Richard Green: 20.04.2019 – At that time I was an unsigned artist and politically to get radio play and presence you have to be on a label. So a label called Demon Records said “we have to release this because there’s an audience who desperately want it”. So the first song of the album, “Sensational”, did start its life around 2009 – Continue reading…

• Gaydio: Phil Marriott Meets: 03.04.2019 – It’s very crimson. It’s “In The Court Of The Crimson Queen”. We started writing it ten years ago and we slowly drip-fed it to the fans as we toured constantly. So what happened – the only way I can explain is because if people know nothing about me … I was 60 on May the 18th last year and the fans downloaded me to number one in the charts and it was really quite extraordinary because I’m an unsigned artist – Continue reading…

• All of the above Toyah interviews transcripts, and numerous others, can also be read at the Toyah Willcox Interview Archive at Tumblr.

As some of you are probably aware, once Record Store Day is a week old stock is allowed to be sold online under current Record Store Day rules, even if you aren’t a ‘bricks and mortar’ store who was eligible in the first place.

With that in mind I’m pleased to announce that for the first time we’ve got some of the more desirable RSD stock available in the SDE shop, including David Bowie, Madonna, The Rolling Stones, John Lennon and more.

In The Court of the Crimson Queen
Limited Edition purple vinyl
Exclusive to Record Store Day 2019, Demon Records proudly present a re-imagining of Toyah’ s 2008 album release. Toyah and producer/co-writer Simon Darlow have remixed and added instrumentation to all the songs. These mixes appear for the first time on vinyl, and this release will also have completely new artwork. Pressed on Translucent Purple 180g Vinyl

• Continue reading at Super Deluxe Edition. Visit the In The Court Of The Crimson Queen page here. Not sure the vinyl, at this price, will be available for too long!

Toyah Willcox, and her producer and songwriting partner Simon Darlow, dropped by SDE last month to discuss Toyah’s new album In The Court of the Crimson Queen. Watch the 35-minute video interview, below.

In The Court Of The Crimson Queen is out now as a 2CD expanded deluxe set. Toyah is on tour right now and you can check out the dates on her website.

SDE has a bundle of Record Store Day releases from Demon Records to give away!

One winner will receive the Suede Head Music 3LP coloured vinyl set, The League of Gentlemen Live Again! 2LP, Heaven 17‘s Bigger Than America on coloured vinyl, Toyah‘s new album In The Court of the Crimson Queen on purple vinyl and the Marc Bolan/T. Rex bump ‘n’ grind set on blue vinyl.
One runner-up will win Suede, Marc Bolan/T. Rex and Heaven 17.

This competition, open to all, that will end at midnight BST on Sunday 28 April 2019. Good luck and enter below!

• Continue reading/Enter the competition at Super Deluxe Edition.

Her latest album’s just become her biggest in almost 25 years and Toyah’s in the mood to celebrate. The former punk marked 40 years in music with a series of anniversary shows last year and is back on the road this week just days after her revamped 15th solo album In The Court Of The Crimson Queen returned her to the charts.

Toyah, 60, admits she’s been pleasantly surprised by the success of the re-recorded set, which also includes a clutch of new songs. “It’s a good album but I don’t think anyone would’ve been as brave to imagine it’d do as well as it’s doing,” she says. “It’s been album of the week in many places so the reception’s just been fabulous.” Crimson Queen, which was originally released in 2009, has been substantially reworked by the It’s A Mystery hit-maker and her co-writer Simon Darlow. “Our record company Demon gave me an opportunity to make the album that I’d originally wanted it to be,” she explains.

“That allowed us to put in live drums and bass, and remaster and retexturize the whole album plus put new material in. We finished this at the end of January and as far as I’m concerned it’s a new release because the majority of the people buying it now never knew it existed in the first place.”

• Continue reading at Music News.

Toyah Solo also entered The Official Charts Independent Albums Top 50 at number 7.

Yet more good chart news for In The Court Of The Crimson Queen. The album entered The Official Charts Top 100 Album Sales at number 22 on the 19th April.

In The Court Of The Crimson Queen became Toyah’s first album to dent the Official UK Album Charts since 1985 when it placed at number 74 last Friday.

More good chart related news for In The Court Of The Crimson Queen – The album is also currently number 3 on the Official Rock & Metal Top 40.

Toyah, along with In The Court Of The Crimson Queen co-creator Simon Darlow, is interviewed in the new issue of Classic Pop magazine (May 2019, Issue 52) in a four page feature entitled “Long Live The Queen”.

After more than 40 years in the music business, Toyah Willcox is as creatively hungry as she was in her teens. Classic Pop chats to the high priestess of punk and her long-time collaborator, Simon Darlow about their bold reimagining of 2008 album In The Court Of The Crimson Queen, and why the material deserves a second outing… Here’s a preview of the fab looking feature.

• Classic Pop, Issue 52 is on sale now – or very soon will be. (Thanks to Minna for the preview)

Ahead of her appearance at Church, Dundee on April 26, singing sensation Toyah Willcox shares some glimpses into her life

Q Which singers, alive or dead, inspire you?
A David Bowie, Jim Buckley, Antony Hegarty.

Q What was your plan B career-wise?
A I always wanted to be a sculptor.

Q Your house is on fire, what one item do you save?
A My husband. If it was an object, then one of my paintings by my friend Frankie Sundsten.

Q Theme song for your life?
A All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix. He was one of the ‘27 Club’, like Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain, who died aged 27 and the philosophy is that their work is done by then. That’s a tragic but also slightly romantic notion.

Q Last meal on earth?
A Superfood salad with fresh mango.

• Continue reading at The Courier. See the print version of this article. (Thanks to Sharon Dickson)

Our Dance In The Hurricane mini-feature. Check it out in full by clicking on the preview below.

Great News… In The Court Of The Crimson Queen is doing well in The Official Charts Album Midweeks. The album was at no. 72 on Monday, after just a couple of days of CD, download and vinyl sales. As of today it’s now at no. 34 (according to Music Week). The definitive Top 100 Albums of the week is published this Friday by The Official UK Charts Company.

This chart entry is significant because In The Court Of The Crimson Queen is Toyah’s first album to place in the official UK album chart since Minx in August 1985. Below is a screenshot of Monday’s chart placing.

Toyah tweeted yesterday: “This means so much to me. Thank u thank u thank u” in response to HMV’s In The Court Of The Crimson Queen tweet. (Photo © HMV)

In The Court Of The Crimson Queen is BBC Radio Lincolnshire’s Album Of The Week.

A track will be played each day this week by Amy Claridge (sitting in for Melvyn in the Morning) at 10.30am. There’s also the chance to win a signed copy of the CD on Friday.

• Listen online at BBC Radio Lincolnshire. The morning show begins at 9.30am and airs for 3hrs and 30mins. (Photo © BBC Radio Lincolnshire)

Punk, rebel, icon. This week we are absolutely bloody delighted to be able to bring you an interview with a true legend. We will not lie to you readers, we are starstruck. Fangirl-ing all over the shop. She is an era-defining songstress, star of stage and screen and – pardon my millennial-ness – #hairgoals extraordinaire. She is, of course, the incomparable Toyah Willcox, and we chatted to her (ever-so-coolly) this week about rebellion, creativity, and her most recent album In The Court of the Crimson Queen.

Your career began in acting but many know you better as a musician. If that’s not enough, you have also presented and produced – what’s it like to have so many ‘hats’ you can wear, and do you prefer one to the others?

I think my career is purely accidental.  If I had superstar status, I would not be able to be diverse. My career is such that I am able to kickstart everything I do, and I think that’s what makes my career so unique. I do love being asked to do projects but most of the time I have to create my own.

So much of your work is based around – or an expression of – nonconformism, of rebelling. What do you think we should all be rebelling against nowadays, and what do you think the best form of rebellion is?

I am going to answer the latter first. The best form of rebellion is non commitment to what you don’t believe in and don’t want to support. The internet has proven that hatred is a too easy and convenient instrument to block all creativity. And, answering the first part of the question, the best rebellion we can have as exceptionally creative unique creatures is not to accept the mundane. For me the mundane is when you are encouraged to imitate others. None of us needs to imitate – we are all unique.

• Continue reading at Velvet Box Office.

Further In The Court Of The Crimson Queen radio interviews from Toyah over the past few days – all aired by various BBC Radio stations:

BBC Hereford & Worcester: Tammy Gooding: 09.04.2019 – Pershore punk rocker Toyah: Top celebrities, theatre, film and great music – including the ‘Top Ten From When?’. Listen at BBC Sounds for the next month.

BBC Hereford & Worcester: Tammy Gooding: 10.04.2019 – More from Toyah and Malvern’s ‘Octopus Soup’. Top celebrities, theatre, film and great music – including the ‘Top Ten From When?’. Listen at BBC Sounds.

BBC Radio London: Jo Good: 12.04.2019 – Toyah Willcox, Harry Harrington and Pauline Butcher. Singer Toyah Wilcox speaks about the release of her new album, actor Harry Harrington and writer Pauline Butcher chat about ‘Honest Betrayal’ and author Jodie Jackson talks about her new book. Listen at BBC Sounds.

BBC Radio 4: Loose Ends: 13.04.2019 – Emma Bunton, Toyah, Peter Doherty, Alex Rex, YolanDa Brown. Clive Anderson is joined by Emma Bunton and Toyah for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Peter Doherty and Alex Rex. Listen at BBC Sounds.

BBC Radio Sussex/Surrey: Mark Carter Show: 14.04.2019 -Special Guest: Toyah – Laid Back Sunday – Great music, special guests and local features. Listen at BBC Sounds.

• Catch up on previous In The Court Of The Crimson Queen radio, and video, interviews here and here.

Another new In The Court Of The Crimson Queen cover for Toyah – Your Weekend, the Press & Journal supplement, published in Northern and Highland Scotland, including Aberdeen, Inverness and Moray. The print feature included in Your Weekend is previewed below.

• The Press & Journal: Return Of The Crimson Queen – It’s no mystery as to why Toyah Willcox, who recently celebrated her 60th birthday, looks and sounds amazing. “I don’t drink, I don’t overeat, I drink lots of water and en route to shows I travel alone so I don’t have to speak to anyone,” said Toyah — This feature was previously published online earlier this week. See here.

Toyah was also interviewed in Friday’s Express, which only appears to have been available in the newspaper’s print edition as it hasn’t been published online, so far.

• The Express: Music: My Six Best Albums – Toyah Willcox, 60, is a pop star and actress whose eight Top 40 hits include It’s A Mystery and I Want To Be Free. Her latest album, a new version of In The Court Of The Crimson Queen, is released today…

Toyah: “There’s a common theme on my new album: how grief makes us better people. It makes our hearts stronger.”

Celebrating over four decades in music, Toyah this week releases a new studio reworking of her 2008 album In The Court Of The Crimson Queen.

Written and arranged by Toyah Willcox and Simon Darlow, In The Court Of The Crimson Queen has been newly recorded and mastered with the added bonus of extra tracks. The album’s 15 tracks explore life, love, empowerment and wonderment.  

In 1977, whilst playing the part of Emma in Tales From The Vienna Woods at The National Theatre, 18-year old Willcox formed a band. After several line-up changes, they spent a brief period under the name Ninth Illusion, without recording any music. The following year, the band – comprising of Joel Bogen (lead guitar), Pete Bush (keyboards), Dave Robin (drums), and Windy Miller (bass) – decided on naming the group Toyah.

• Continue reading at philmarriott.net.

Toyah Willcox: ‘Relax? I have no idea what the word means’

The musician on her white rabbit, giving advice and still holding hands with her husband after 32 years

Born in Birmingham, Toyah Willcox, 60, appeared in Derek Jarman’s 1978 film Jubilee, and Quadrophenia in 1979. Her early hit singles included It’s A Mystery and I Want To Be Free, and by 1982 she had made two platinum-selling albums.

She has just released a new studio reworking of her album In The Court Of The Crimson Queen, and is currently on tour in the UK. She is married and lives in Worcestershire.

When were you happiest? Between 2007 and 2016, I had a large white rabbit called WillyFred. I was happiest pressing my ear to his fur and hearing his heart beat.

What is your greatest fear? Living in an environment of banality.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? I am disproportionately ambitious.

• Continue reading at The Guardian.

• Record Store Day 2019: The In The Court Of The Crimson Queen translucent coloured vinyl is on sale now, at selected record stores for Record Store Day 2019.

• Record Store Day: Exclusively to Record Store Day 2019, Demon Records proudly present a re-imagining of Toyah’ s 2008 album release. Toyah and producer/co-writer Simon Darlow have remixed and added instrumentation to all the songs. These mixes appear for the first time on vinyl, and this release will also have completely new artwork. Pressed on Translucent Purple 180g Vinyl – Visit the Crimson Queen vinyl page…

• Behind The Scenes: Album release day exclusive photo: A second photo, from the new In The Court Of The Crimson Queen photo shoot, by Tony Levin was made available on the album’s release day – See it at Instagram…

• Super Deluxe Edition TV: The BIG Record Store Day unboxing video preview – Music fans will not have failed to notice that tomorrow is Record Store Day, the day when lots of releases (almost entirely vinyl) are available exclusively from independent record shops around the world. Keeping with SDE tradition, we now present a special video preview of some of the best releases… Including the fantastic In The Court Of The Crimson Queen coloured vinyl (from 22.15 – 23.10)

• Amazon Charts: On its CD release day, In The Court Of The Crimson Queen was high up in the Amazon and iTunes album sales charts. Below is a screenshot (taken yesterday) of the Best Sellers in Pop Rock, with Crimson Queen at no. 3.