New print issues of Dreamscape’s Toyah Fanzine are coming… In the meantime, our free digital lockdown issue – celebrating Toyah Solo – is still available online to read or download.
Dreamscape has 20+ years of Toyah news in our archives, but this isn’t only a news site – There are also tons of retro, and not so retro, Toyah career features – celebrating albums, eras, releases, significant Toyah “moments” and much more – to browse and read!
Didn’t expect our 21st year online to have been quite like this… Lockdown, masks and staying home! But there’s still been plenty of Toyah news (and newsy bits!) to post… I’ve been doing that for two decades now and the idea of not doing it feels slightly weird! I always said I’d stop running a fansite at 50, but I’m now just about to hit 53 with no plans, just yet, of stopping!!!
Re-uploaded to this website’s You Tube channel recently, Sky Trax – The 1985 Toyah Special; a great Minx-era interview; and BBC Breakfast Time, a much shorter but still interesting Desire-era interview. These uploads have both been edited to remove all music from them, which was the reason they were originally made unavailable by You Tube.
Lots of other quirky clips and footage have also been added to our channel: Toyah, Superhits, Monster Munch 80s adverts, and more! Click below to visit and/or subscribe!
Following our recent post about Toyah’s official You Tube channel… Here’s one about this website’s – Dreamscape’s You Tube channel.
Our You Tube is pretty much what you’d expect from a fan based channel. We’ve compiled a selection of retro interviews, Toyah TV appearances and more from throughout Toyah’s career (which I believe is now in its 45th year if Glitter – filmed 1975, aired 1976 – is regarded as the very beginning!).
We are rollercoasting towards 1K of subscribers, and our most popular video is Toyah: This Is Your Life, which as of writing has been viewed 184,629 times and is currently increasing by around 2K views per day. Not that I’m a stats freak of course! Please click below to visit Dreamscape’s You Tube Toyah channel (which also includes some rare Madonna footage).
It’s Toyah’s birthday. This website has been celebrating Toyah’s birthday for over 20 years now. Here are some of our previous virtual birthday card designs. Click to zoom.
After almost three weeks of work and hassle this website has been sorted and restored to the format which works best. The database was also saved, meaning the past eight years of Toyah news in this format are also restored. I quite liked the temporary version but this permanent format uses advanced functions to categorise and tag news posts, something Toyah’s eclectic and busy career needs. (Some photos from 2012 are still missing. I’m working on fixing this)
Toyah Solo is released tomorrow – Check out Dreamscape’s, just uploaded, tribute to Toyah’s first box set – An info-packed digital issue – Spring/Summer 2020 – of our Toyah fanzine, compiling new and previously published features related to Toyah Solo + extra bits and pieces!
Dreamscape has features on four of the six Toyah solo studio albums included in the forthcoming Toyah Solo box set: Desire, Prostitute, Take The Leap! and Velvet Lined Shell.
Click below to see all four plus lots of other Toyah features.
Check out, the newly revamped, Toyah Willcox Interview Archive. There’s an abundance of Toyah goodies and curiosities to explore.
My faberoonie pal Sharon was interviewed in yesterday’s Dundee Evening Telegraph, in a feature about being a lifelong fan of Toyah and following the recent Thunder In The Highlands Tour on all of its Scottish dates.
Sharon is one of the most generous and gorgeous people I’m privileged to know. Incredibly modest, fiercely loyal to Toyah and hugely supportive of her career. A real credit to Toyah fandom!
It’s No Mystery: Dundee lookalike is Toyah’s Biggest Fan
A woman travelled more than 500 miles to see ’80s pop star Toyah Willcox in four different venues in as many days – and proved it’s no mystery why she’s her number one fan.
Sharon Dickson has followed the punk rocker around the UK seeing her perform more than 40 times.
Toyah, whose hits include It’s A Mystery and Thunder In The Mountains, performed four shows across Scotland last week to celebrate her 40 years in the music industry.
Sharon, 48, said she has beein going to her shows for almost as long.
She said, “I have been planning to go to all four gigs since last November, I got all my holidays booked and got my accomodation sorted – it was a great buzz to be able to go to all of the gigs”.
• Continue reading the interview by clicking here or below.
This website is now in it’s 20th year – yes I’ve been furiously typing away here for over 19 years now – and before anyone accuses me of moaning about that, I’m not. Yes, I have been known to complain very occasionally :), but not at the moment! I’ve mostly enjoyed posting about Toyah’s amazingly eclectic career over the years. It’s been fascinating, fun, fulfilling, occasionally frustrating and fundamentally a fantastic hobby (lots of f’s from Fleming there!). I’ve been thinking about the future of this site, what with the absolute juggernaut onslaught of social media, one sometimes wonders if websites, particularly fansites, are a resource that is even needed anymore? I’m vaguely proud of keeping this site going as it proves I’m not as fickle as I thought. The only other thing I’ve stuck with for longer is being vegetarian. Almost 35 years of not eating animals. Veggies need to be louder and prouder in these ridiculous vegan-bashing times!!!
So with regards to all that I think Dreamscape is going to change. More streamlined, news-orientated/focused, and possibly a sporadic print version – sort of a back-to-basic newsletter type format – for people who aren’t completely living in a digital world. Watch this space!
Moreaux’s take on some of Toyah’s most amazing early 1980s make-up looks. View her fantastic Toyah inspired creations via her video upload at You Tube.
Toyah’s 1980 album The Blue Meaning was released 38 years ago today. Full of atmosphere, drama and great songs, accompanied by Toyah’s fantastic imagery, it was ahead of its time, and still sounds amazing in 2018!! See a larger version of Dreamscape’s anniversary image here and click below to see Toyah’s tweet about the album.
Top Of The Pops: BBC4: Wednesday 2nd May: 1am
22.09.1983. Simon Bates and Mike Read present the pop chart programme, first broadcast in September 1983. Featuring Toyah Willcox, David Bowie, Nick Heyward, The Alarm, Howard Jones and Hot Chocolate.
• Visit the BBC Top Of The Pops website. Click below for Dreamscape’s Rebel Run (and other Love Is The Law) lyrics.
I know it’s out of fashion, and a trifle uncool, but I can’t help it… – A couple of Dreamscape’s Desire designs from somewhere in the distance. There’s just three days until the album is released on red vinyl for RSD2018.
2018 is a big deal – This year Toyah celebrates the landmark event of turning 60, on 18th May. Not only that, this year is also the 40th anniversary of Toyah first making music.
Ten years ago I had a blast counting down to and celebrating Toyah’s fantastic 50th and hope to share some celebratory posts in the build up to Toyah’s 60th in just over two month’s time. Toyah’s official website and social media spaces are also celebrating #Toyah60 with special content and Toyah memories, career achievements and highlights.
• Dreamscape is now in its 19th year of sharing Toyah news so we have a comprehensive archive to look back on and simultaneously celebrate Toyah hitting 60! Have a browse at our many features looking at Toyah’s flabbergasting career and stay tuned for more memories…
Snow, snow and, yup, more snow! Brrrr!! Welcome to March in the UK…
On Valentine’s Day 1981, the Four From Toyah EP entered the UK Top 40 singles chart. It would rise to a peak position of 4 and after many years of frequenting the Indie Charts would be the first of Toyah’s singles to cross into the mainstream. (Image © Official Toyah)
Click below to view Dreamscape’s 2011 30th Anniversary feature on the iconic EP, and browse our sporadic Four From Toyah news posts – from 2012 onwards (go further back in time at our News Archive).
Read full transcripts of a selection of Toyah’s recent BBC radio interviews at The Toyah Willcox Interview Archive. Explore the site for further Toyah interviews, content and resources too.
