Toyah’s iconic imagery from 1980/The Blue Meaning is currently being referenced as an influence on Tesco’s new womenswear trend/range at their F&F clothing/fashion webstore.
AW13 Depeche Mode: 80s chic meets modern attitude in our edgy new collection, Depeche Mode. Sportswear styles and couture silhouettes in a fresh colour palette make for a look that’s luxe yet easy to wear.
Key Pieces: Take inspiration from the 80s. Singer and actress Toyah Willcox mastered edgy chic.
• Click below to visit Clothing at Tesco/F&F.
The 2014 edition of The Acoustic Album and last year’s third album by The Humans, Strange Tales, are both now available to order/buy online on CD. Further info at toyahwillcox.com. Click below to go directly to the Burning Shed store.
• Angel and Me: Tears Of An Angel: A couple of lines of lyrics from Toyah’s iconic Angel and Me, from the 1982 album The Changeling, have been used in this Harry Potter fan story at fanfiction.net – See here…
• The Letters of Derek Philpott (and Wilf Turnbull): The Crowd Fund Kickstarter Campaign For The Book has succeeded!! The deadline to secure a copy is Sunday May 3rd at 3.40pm. I am only printing sufficient copies to provide for everyone that has pledged because I am one ordinary fellow who will be sending these out from where they are being delivered to .. my front room! The book will not be in the shops or available anywhere else – Continue reading…
• Get it On… With Bryan Burnett: It’s A Mystery, from The Safari Records Singles Collection Part 1: 1979 – 1981, was included in Bryan’s BBC Radio Scotland show playlist yesterday evening. I only mention it because I was listening at the time, and coincidentally I’ve also been playing both the Safari Collection CDs this week! #stillgetexcitedwhentoyahgetsplayedontheradio – Visit Bryan’s page…
• Kiss & Make Up – Carl Stanley: Yesterday I posted about Carl’s forthcoming book. Today I received an email from him saying thank you. A rare occurrence. Thanks Carl, wishing you every success with your book.
• FlexiPop! The Book: There’s still time to pledge and help get this fantastic book published – Further info here…
Incredible but true. Don’t Fall in Love (I Said), Toyah’s first bona fide solo single, entered the UK singles chart exactly 30 years ago tomorrow! Written by Toyah and Simon Darlow, and backed by, if truth be told, the far superior, Snow Covers The Kiss, it was taken from the album Minx, which would go on to be released in late July of 1985. Don’t Fall in Love (I Said) – A great pop single that brings back memories of happy times.
• Visit the DFIL page at Toyah’s official website, view an iconic appearance by Toyah on Formel Eins, listen to/watch Toyah performing the song live in 2014 at You Tube, view the single’s chart info at The Official Charts Company, browse some of Dreamscape’s previous posts relating to the song, and view photos from that era at our Gallery.
2015 is the 30th anniversary of Minx. One of the best songs on Toyah’s 1985 album was America For Beginners. Steve Skaith of Latin Quarter, who wrote and originally recorded the song, is just about to release a new version of the song on the album Bare Bones. More info by clicking below.
Two live Toyah classics, Thunder In The Mountains and I Want To Be Free, both from the 1982 Safari Records album Warrior Rock, are included in the new Vintage TV/HMV Digital link-up. Toyah played acoustic versions of both on The Vintage TV Sessions (Episode 4) in early 2014. That show is airing again soon.
Vintage TV is delighted to announce an exciting new relationship with HMV Digital!
Vintage TV music-lovers, you can now listen to all your favourite tracks from The Vintage TV Sessions, courtesy of HMV Digital. From Steve Harley to Lulu, Marc Almond to Lisa Stansfield, simply head over to HMV Digital to download your top songs and listen to them over and over again! There are over a 100 songs for you to add to your music library, so what are you waiting for?
• Continue reading at Vintage TV. Visit Vintage at HMV Digital.
The edition of The Janice Long Review Show which featured a second guest appearance from Toyah, and a look back at the 1982 album ‘The Changeling’, is also being repeated next month. This originally aired in August 2012.
The Janice Long Review Show: Vintage TV
Tuesday 13th January: 3am
Toyah and Sex Pistols. Broadcaster Paul Sexton returns, alongside producer Trevor Horn and 80s starlet Toyah, to discuss her 1982 gothic release ‘The Changeling’ and Sex Pistols’ ground-breaking ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’.
Toyah’s 1993/94 album Take The Leap! is now available digitally for the first time.
The album was initially sold on cassette on the 1993 ‘Take The Leap!’ UK Tour, and released on CD in Japan only the following year.
After over a decade of only being available on import the album was released in the UK on CD in 2006 on Edsel Records. The CD had an additional four previously unavailable bonus tracks, including the stunning Requite Me and Tears For Elie.
• Buy at iTunes or Amazon. The CD is also still available at Amazon.
The Acoustic Album went on sale at Thursday’s Acoustic, Up Close & Personal date at Shire Hall, Howden.
The newly pressed CD, with completely revised artwork, will also be available to buy online in the near future. Keep an eye on the official Toyah website for info on this.
There will also be an opportunity to win a signed copy of the album via the November issue of the ‘Breaking Through’ newsletter.
• View a larger preview of the CD here. (Thanks to toyahwillcox.com)
The Acoustic Album, Toyah’s 1996 re-working of a selection of previous recordings, including Blue Meanings, Angels & Demons, The Vow and Moonlight Dancing, will be available again on CD soon. The album, which has become a real fan favourite in recent years, has been out of print for some time.
The CD, which will feature all new artwork, will be available to buy at future Toyah concerts, exactly when TBC by toyahwillcox.com.
• The Acoustic Album was released digitally, for the first time, in February of this year. View further info on the album at The Official Toyah Discography.
“The acoustic gigs have been so successful that I really need to consider doing another acoustic album.” said Toyah in a recent interview with The Argus. I would love to hear songs from Minx and In The Court Of The Crimson Queen recorded acoustically. In the meantime The Acoustic Album is available at iTunes.
Yesterday was day nine of toyahwillcox.com’s, excellent and eclectic, countdown to the start of the Songs From The Intergalactic Ranch House tour, with an acoustic version of ‘Dreamscape’ being made available. Today a Sheep Farming In Barnet archive has been added to Toyah’s Official Website. Open door ten by clicking below…
• Toyah has been tweeting over the last few days about possible outfit ideas for the Intergalactic Ranch House tour, saying she may wear something different for each date, and posting a photo of a previously unseen design by Melissa Caplan.
Phil Spalding’s Official Website has recently been updated with more content, including his memories of working on Warrior Rock and Love Is The Law. Read by clicking below.
Toyah @ Twitter today: “learning ALL IN A RAGE, DONT FALL IN LOVE and SOUL PASSING THRU SOUL 2day. talk about walk down memory lane”
It has now been confirmed that songs from Minx will be included in the Songs From The Intergalactic Ranch House Autumn tour, the first time anything from the 1985 album has ever been performed live by Toyah (though for some reason I thought that ‘Don’t Fall In Love’ had been played live at some point at a PA, I’m obviously mistaken or mis-remembering). Click below for the full tour dates schedule and links to buy tickets.
Could songs from Minx be played live this Autumn for the very first time? – An excerpt from the latest Breaking Through newsletter mentions the possibility: “The autumn live dates as previously reported will focus on the Safari catalogue with some resurrected rarities putting in an appearance. There’s also a chance that one or two (maybe even three!) selections from Minx may just make a live debut too. They will be tried in rehearsal so it’s all still to play for. It would be the first time ever they’ve been performed in a Toyah set list”.
Toyah performing at yesterday’s Rock Choir event in Birmingham Symphony Hall. ‘It’s A Mystery’, ‘Angel In You’ and ‘Sensational’. Sounding great with the choir.
• Mark Satchwill: Snow Covers The Kiss: So I’m a big Toyah fan and have been for nearly 35 years. I’ve painted her several times over the last few years. Back in 1985 she released a song called “Snow Covers The Kiss”. It was relegated to a B-side of the single “Don’t Fall In Love (I Said)” but for me it was equally as good. So this image came about from imagining if “Snow” had been the single and needed a cover image – View/Continue reading… (Photo © Mark Satchwill)
• Let’s Rock Bristol: Toyah hangs out with Darth Vader in Bristol – View the photo @ Instagram…
• Bristol 24-7: Thousands get the taste of a Bristol summer: Some 14,000 people turned up for Grillstock at the amphitheatre and a host of 1980s stars performed at the Let’s Rock Bristol festival at Ashton Court… Over at Ashton Court, a host of 80s pop stars took to the stage to the delight of nostalgia-seeking crowds, including Rick Astley, Tony Hadley, Toyah, Midge Ure and Sunday night headliners Level 42 – Continue reading…
• JM Barrie – Peter Pan: Episode One, Away To Neverland, is available to listen to at BBC iPlayer for the next week.
• Fandor: Derek Jarman: The World Is All: Spells are cast and love is spun throughout Jarman’s films: …Toyah Willcox (as Miranda) and David Meyer (as Ferdinand) beholding a brave new world in ‘The Tempest’ – Continue reading…
• Rock N Roll In My Blood: 34 Years Ago Toyah Released The Blue Meaning: The Blue Meaning is the second album by Toyah, released in 1980 by Safari Records. Although not the first full-length release, this is often considered to be the band’s first “proper” album. It saw its first release on CD in 1990 on the Great Expectations label (As PIPCD 015), and was reissued in a double-CD package with Sheep Farming in Barnet in 2002. The latter release was remastered and included two bonus tracks – Continue reading…
• Toyah 1980 #1: An original copy of the eight-page fanzine Fagends, from 1980, recently sold on ebay for a tidy £77! It includes a review of Toyah’s Glasgow Tiffanys gig from the Ieya UK Tour. The fanzine is available to read online, via scans at the ‘Still Unusual’ website – You may have to scroll down, there’s no direct link – View here…
• Toyah 1980 #2: Three photos, two of which are previously unseen, of Toyah from The Blue Meaning era in 1980 are on sale at photographer Brian Griffin’s website (Photos © Brian Griffin) – View these fantastic photos here…
• Echo News: Clare Balding rambles in Leigh: In the 26 series of the show Clare has made, she has walked with Toyah Willcox in Worcestershire, with taxidermists in Boston, and with a bereavement walking group in Shrewsbury – Continue reading…
• Live 2014: Tickets for the Live Wyre Festival, which Toyah plays on Sunday 1st June, are now on sale – More info and buy tickets here…
• Namechecking!!: Mentions for Toyah in a couple of recent online press articles: Herald Express: South Devon Arts Centre is also hosting artists such as Toyah, The Wurzels, Beverley Craven and China Crisis later in the year – Continue reading… Northumberland Gazette: Some pretty big names in the music industry have graced the series, including Status Quo, 10cc, Marc Almond, Alison Moyet, Toyah and Midge Ure – Continue reading…
• 80s Heaven: Toyah – View here…
The edition of The Janice Long Review Show which featured a second guest appearance from Toyah, and a look back at the 1982 album ‘The Changeling’, is also being repeated later this month. This originally aired in August 2012.
The Janice Long Review Show: Vintage TV
Wednesday 14th May: 10.30pm
Toyah and Sex Pistols. Broadcaster Paul Sexton returns, alongside producer Trevor Horn and 80s starlet Toyah, to discuss her 1982 gothic release ‘The Changeling’ and Sex Pistols’ ground-breaking ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’.
We haven’t had a Classic Toyah post for a while – Rectifying this with a very rare magazine advert from July 1981, from Finnish magazine ‘Soundi’. They also published an issue with Toyah’s Brave New World image on their cover in 1982, and another full-page advert for The Changeling. Click below to see the full size advert. (Thanks to Juha Merilainen for this amazing scan)
