The sixth monthly online live track has been added to Toyah’s official website. It’s ‘Masai Boy’, recorded live at The Regal, Oxford in July 2011, on the ‘From Sheep Farming To Anthem’ tour.
Toyah’s official website will be offering visitors exclusive live tracks each month as Toyah’s summer festival/concert dates and The Changeling Resurrection II approach. At the beginning of each month an exclusive live track recorded from Toyah’s extensive 2011 tour dates will feature on the Gigs page.
The live tracks will be available to listen to for a limited time only with a new track replacing it each month. These live tracks are a taster for a special live album release planned for digital release in autumn/winter of 2012.
• Listen to ‘Masai Boy’, live at The Regal, Oxford, here | View news on the previous live tracks here (these are no longer available).
Yet another rare retro Toyah interview. This one is from ‘Rock Star News’ in 1980 and it’s vaguely bizarre. Definitely “of its time” but still an interesting read. Toyah talks ‘The Blue Meaning’, death dreams, her teenage years and more. Click below to read. View all of our recent retro Toyah press articles & interviews here. (Thanks again to Andi)
The fifth monthly online live track has been added to Toyah’s official website. It’s ‘Demolition Men’, recorded live at Ropetackle Arts Centre in October 2011, on the ‘From Sheep Farming To Anthem’ tour.
Toyah’s official website will be offering visitors exclusive live tracks each month as Toyah’s summer festival/concert dates and The Changeling Resurrection II approach. At the beginning of each month an exclusive live track recorded from Toyah’s extensive 2011 tour dates will feature on the Gigs page.
The live tracks will be available to listen to for a limited time only with a new track replacing it each month. These live tracks are a taster for a special live album release planned for digital release in autumn/winter of 2012.
• Listen to ‘Demolition Men’, live at Ropetackle Arts Centre, here | View news on the previous live tracks here (these are no longer available).
Another retro Toyah interview, this one from ‘Zig Zag’ magazine in mid-1980. Alan Anger follows Toyah on the first few dates of the, now legendary, ‘Ieya Tour’. It’s a really interesting read: Last time I did a feature on Toyah was in March. It was based on an interview with Miss Willcox just as she and her band began to take off outside London. Since then, Toyah have been regular chart toppers of the alternative charts, her appearance in Derek Jarman’s film of ‘The Tempest’ has received much acclaim and the band have, by now, completed a UK tour to coincide with the release of the new album, “The Blue Meaning”. Click below to read. (Thanks again to Andi)
• On This Day: It feels like only yesterday but four years ago today the artwork for Toyah’s most recent studio album ‘In The Court Of The Crimson Queen’ was revealed by toyahwillcox.com. Toyah has recently said that she will be working again with Simon Darlow on a new solo album.
• Lytham Proms: Pat Sharp To Kickstart Lytham Proms!!! Toyah plays this festival which takes place between 3rd – 5th August 2012.
• Brian Aris took some incredible photos of Toyah in the early to mid 1980s. One of those shots is available to buy as a signed print.
• A recent screenshot of Toyah is included at the Track 2 website, in their “head & shoulders” section.
• Apparently there have been rumours that this year’s ‘Rock & Bike Festival’ isn’t going ahead! The official festival website says: The show is going ahead, don’t listen to those rumours!! Gates open Midday on Thursday. Toyah comperes on Saturday and guests on a couple of songs with The Sweet too!
This time exactly 30 years ago Toyah were halfway through ‘The Changeling Tour’. 4th July 1982 saw the band play the first of two nights at Bristol’s Colston Hall before they headed up north and to Scotland. Thanks to Andi Westhorpe for sharing this rare photo from the tour.
Seven years apart and very, very different music and imagery, but both “classic” Toyah – The iconic ‘Danced’, the live version from ‘Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!’ released as a single in late 1980, and ‘Desire’ the album released in Summer 1987 that includes some of Toyah’s best lyrics, showcasing what a fine songwriter she is. Please click on each to zoom.
The ‘Desire’ photo is actually from a 1986 shoot but image/time wise it’s close enough to be associated to the 1987 album! (Thanks to Andrew York for working his magic on the photo)
Two more Dreamscape creations. Toyah has such a rich history of visuals, it’s good to dip into the photos and try to construct something ‘new’ from the familiar images. I never tire of ‘The Blue Meaning’ and ‘I Want To Be Free’ is an iconic single. Click on each to zoom.
Return later today to view FTE‘s Melissa Mailer-Yates interview feature. It’s a great read, with Melissa talking art, her career, Toyah and a lot more! This is also the final Toyah-related feature from me but a great one to finish with… View info on The Changelingprints.
30 years ago this week ‘The Changeling’, arguably Toyah’s finest album, was released. It entered the UK album charts, at number six, on 19th June 1982 and stayed on the chart till September. Here’s Falling To Earth‘s *wishful thinking* 30th birthday pressie…
An update on ‘The Changeling’ prints by Melissa Mailer-Yates.
Melissa has revealed that these will be a limited edition run: There will be just 312 prints made available, marking the 30th anniversary of ‘The Changeling’ in 2012. More info on the prints here.
The incredible The Changeling/Brave New World art by Melissa Mailer-Yates is now available to purchase by print: When asked by the artist for her favourite photograph from the 1980s Toyah chose the wonderful image from ‘The Changeling’. The resultant painting inspired by this awesome picture was displayed at the premiere of ‘The Power Of Three’ movie in London, November 2011. The production of a print was discussed, and Toyah chose the hospice which cared for her mother, St Richard Hospice, as a beneficiary from the sales.
This giclee print is the result of that discussion and is available in two sizes, 18″ x 18″ and 26″ x 26″. It is printed on a thick, heavyweight watercolour paper (190 gsm), with a textured matte surface giving it the look and feel of a stunning original work of art. Both inks and paper are archival quality. Each print is produced to order, and is individually signed by the artist. Postage and packing is included in the price, and will be dispatched as soon as it is ready.
The fourth monthly online live track has been added to Toyah’s official website. It’s ‘Rebel Run’, recorded live at The Oxford Regal soundcheck in July 2011, on the ‘From Sheep Farming To Anthem’ tour.
Toyah’s official website will be offering visitors exclusive live tracks each month as Toyah’s Changeling Tour and summer festival/concert dates approach. At the beginning of each month an exclusive live track recorded from Toyah’s extensive 2011 tour dates will feature on the Gigs page.
The live tracks will be available to listen to for a limited time only with a new track replacing it each month. These live tracks are a taster for a special live album release planned for digital release in autumn/winter of 2012.
• Listen to ‘Rebel Run’, live at The Oxford Regal, here.
BBC Radio 2 DJ, Janice Long, welcomes a stellar guest list to review classic albums and hot new releases, nodding to masterful musicianship, recounting first experiences of musical milestones and entertaining with frank but friendly debates about what we all know and love: music. Filmed at Soho’s intimate Tin Pan Alley …
Toyah tweeted today that herself and Trevor Horn are reviewing ‘The Changeling’ for a forthcoming edition of The Janice Long Review Show which will air on ‘Vintage TV’. “Scary but fun“, Toyah said and also included this photo of a well worn vinyl copy of the album.
NB: The first edition, featuring Holly Johnson, airs on Sunday 24th June at 8.30pm: The Janice Long Review Show: Put four music lovers into one room and you’re sure to capture something special: stories of childhoods spent in record shops, first gigs in tiny venues and meeting idols. Not to mention when there are close connections to the albums at hand.
• Something to look forward to: It looks likely that Toyah’s 1987 album ‘Desire’ will be reissued, on download, later this year. Toyah’s Official Facebook said on Sunday: “There are no plans for a CD reissue of Desire. Plans for a digital release later in 2012 however.”
• Thanks for the feedback on Stevie Bray’s interview, and to everyone who has visited the feature so far.
• ‘I Was A Teenage Toyah Fan’ has now been available for over six months. The Kindle version, from Amazon, can be bought for the very bargainesque 80p. You don’t even need a Kindle to read it! View all of our IWATTF news here.
Original member of TOYAH, drummer on the iconic albums ‘Sheep Farming In Barnet’ and ‘The Blue Meaning’… Stevie Bray. Check out FTE’s interview with him…
Interesting tweets from Toyah over the last couple of days. Aside from the tantalising (sorry, I hate that word too lol) “Crimson Queen 2” one earlier, last night Toyah tweeted a fantastic photo along with the message: “Just picked my guitar up 4 first time in 20 yrs! Bit rusty, but written UP 4 the Humans“.
Today, via another tweet, Toyah revealed ‘Rebel Run’ will be part of the Let’s Rock The Moor 2012 set tomorrow: “”its just a power game” Just rehearsing Rebel Run 4 Let’s Rock The Moor“.
Gulp!! Very exciting news today, via a tweet from Toyah: “Dear Crimson Queen fans, many exciting things happening with Simon Darlow. Watch this space 4 C.Q. 2“. A lot of Toyah fans have been waiting for this. In the meantime, please visit Dreamscape’s ‘In The Court Of The Crimson Queen’ 2009 feature and comprehensive news feed.
The sixth monthly online live track has been added to Toyah’s official website. It’s ‘Masai Boy’, recorded live at The Regal, Oxford in July 2011, on the ‘From Sheep Farming To Anthem’ tour.
• On This Day: It feels like only yesterday but four years ago today the artwork for Toyah’s most recent studio album ‘In The Court Of The Crimson Queen’ was revealed by toyahwillcox.com. Toyah has recently said that she will be working again with Simon Darlow on a new solo album.
Pure speculation, but…
BBC Radio 2 DJ, Janice Long, welcomes a stellar guest list to review classic albums and hot new releases, nodding to masterful musicianship, recounting first experiences of musical milestones and entertaining with frank but friendly debates about what we all know and love: music. Filmed at Soho’s intimate Tin Pan Alley …
• Something to look forward to: It looks likely that Toyah’s 1987 album ‘Desire’ will be reissued, on download, later this year. Toyah’s Official Facebook said on Sunday: “There are no plans for a CD reissue of Desire. Plans for a digital release later in 2012 however.”
