• 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…
• 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…
Two more rare-ish photos of Toyah from history! Both have been previously available but in far poorer quality. The first is from Toyah’s very first ‘Spotlight’ (the film, theatre and TV casting agency) profile in 1977. It was originally b&w rather than this colourised version. The second picture is from a Blue Meaning era photoshoot, photos from which were used in ‘Fab 208’ and ‘Jackie’ magazines in 1980. Please click on each to zoom. (Thanks to Craig Watkins (photo 1), Andi (photo 2) & Andrew York for colouring photo 1)
Great photos of a weekend in Brighton! Sharon Dickson with Toyah, and Chris & Andy. Andy Mansfield with Toyah, and Sharon visiting Wykehurst Place. View larger versions of these photos at Dreamscape’s TCRII Gallery. (Thanks to Sharon)
Fuck Yeah Toyah continues to be updated with brilliant Toyah content, including rare photos (howabout this absolute rarity from around the time of the ‘Anthem Tour’, 1981?) and audio.
Possibly Toyah’s most iconic song? ‘Ieya’ was, of course, originally released as a single on Safari Records in 1980 and included on the album ‘The Blue Meaning’. It was also re-recorded and released again, as ‘Ieya ’82’, in the Summer of 1982, with Toyah performing it on various TV shows, including Hold Tight and the 6.55 Special. The single even charted. Here’s to the 30th (and 32nd!) anniversary of an absolute classic… Ieeeeeeeeeeyyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
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)
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)
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.
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…
• ‘The Blue Meaning’ is one of the choices at the Naim Audio forum’s “What are you listening to and WHY might anyone be interested? (Vol.VIII)”.
• Toyah, 1979 is included in a gallery of great art by Gary Thomas in ‘My Art’ at Pinterest.
• Uploaded to ‘You Tube’ on Friday, this ‘ITV Night-Time Junction 1996’ advert includes a brief clip of Toyah presenting The Good Sex Guide Late: “Sex, sex and more sex! That’s what you’ll be getting from me for the next hour!!” View here.
This has been available on Dreamscape for a few years but I thought I’d add it here in case anyone hasn’t heard it or wants to listen again. It’s a really interesting interview with Toyah in mid 1980, discussing details about her career up to that point. (Thanks to Giddy Gavin)
Toyah discusses the origins of her name, The Tempest and playing Miranda, how she was “discovered”, Jubilee, Quadrophenia, the forming of the first Toyah band, her career to date, future plans and more. (The sound is quite low so please crank up your volume)
• Read a full transcript of this interview, at ‘The TW Interview Archive’, here. (Thanks to Min)
I hope to occasionally bring you some rare Toyah footage. Here’s Toyah performing ‘Danced’ live on Friday Night Saturday Morning in 1980. The also performed ‘Mummies’.
• 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)
