Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

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, 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)

Toyah’s recent interview with Tammy Gooding, which aired on BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester, is now available as a standalone clip.

Pershore’s Toyah in conversation
The queen of punk tells tales of pranking Margaret Thatcher and her love of her home town with Tammy Gooding, as we preview the new album ‘In The Court Of The Crimson Queen’. Tammy also finds out just how much Toyah and her husband enjoy (or not!) singing together in their home in Pershore, and how their house has a touch of the supernatural about it!

Release date: 17 April 2019 | Duration: 17 minutes

• Listen at BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester.

Toyah guests on Richard Green’s show on BBC Radio Devon this weekend. Richard’s show airs for two hours on Saturday from Midday.

Richard Green Show: BBC Radio Devon: Saturday 20th April: 12pm
Bananarama and Toyah. Bananarama’s Keren Woodward drops by to talk about the groups’ latest album, and in the second hour, Legendary Punk Queen, Toyah , reveals some of her latest music too.

• Listen live at the BBC Radio Devon website, and post-airing at BBC Sounds.

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.

Toyah guests on Mark Carter’s show on Sunday, airing on BBC Radio Sussex and BBC Radio Surrey at 3pm.

Mark Carter Show: BBC Radio Sussex:
Sunday 14th April: 3pm
Special Guest: Toyah – Laid Back Sunday – Great music, special guests and local features.

• Listen live at the BBC Sussex & Surrey website, and post-airing at BBC Sounds.

Phil Marriott spoke to 80s punk pop icon Toyah Willcox to find out more about her new album ‘In The Court Of The Crimson Queen’: her collaboration with long-time co-wroter Simon Darlow, who worked on her albums ‘Love Is The Law’ and ‘Minx’. Watch below or at You Tube.

There’s more from Toyah today, on Tammy Gooding’s show on BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester.

Tammy Gooding Show: BBC Hereford & Worcester:
Wednesday 10th April: 1pm
More from Toyah and Malvern’s ‘Octopus Soup’. Top celebrities, theatre, film and great music – including the ‘Top Ten From When?’

• Listen live at the BBC Hereford and Worcester website, and post-airing at BBC Sounds. Listen to Toyah guesting on Tammy’s show yesterday, at BBC Sounds, here.

Toyah is the cover star of Issue 47/April 7th 2019, digital magazine Scene Alba, with a one-page interview inside + another new In The Court Of The Crimson Queen photo.

Toyah’s album In The Court Of The Crimson Queen is out 12 April. She plays gigs at Edinburgh Liquid Room (25 April), Dundee Church (26 April), Inverness Ironworks (27 April) & Glasgow Classic Grand (28 April).

We did a quick fire Q&A with her where she had to give us the answer that first came into her head.

What got you into music?
The Sound Of Music. The Movie.

First song you heard that really moved you?
Fly Away Peter Fly Away Paul… Cliff Richard… I was 7 yrs old.

Last lie you told?
My lies usually start with: “That’s really interesting… Thank you”.

• Continue reading Toyah’s interview with Scene Alba online here.

Enjoy an exclusive Toyah TV Interview filmed in 2019. This is her HD life story interview recorded around the release of her new album. Watch below, at the Celebrity Radio website or You Tube.

Toyah is guesting on Tammy Gooding’s show on BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester this afternoon.

Tammy Gooding Show: BBC Hereford & Worcester:
Tuesday 9th April: 1pm
Pershore punk rocker Toyah: Top celebrities, theatre, film and great music – including the ‘Top Ten From When?’.

• Listen live at the BBC Hereford and Worcester website, and post-airing at BBC Sounds.

Listen online at BBC Sounds to all six of Toyah’s In The Court Of The Crimson Queen radio interviews which aired on various BBC Radio stations last week.

Sensational is currently being played on numerous BBC radio shows.

BBC Radio Ulster: The Arts Show: 26.03.2019 – We look back at the enigmatic genius of Scott Walker, author Ayelet Gundar-Goshen on her new book ‘Liar’, Toyah Willcox is back on tour and Carmel tips her favourite new TV releases. Listen at BBC Sounds for the next month.

BBC Radio Guernsey: Jenny Kendall-Tobias Show: 27.03.2019 – John Randall is in conversation with celebrity guest Toyah Willcox. She talks about her album “In the Court of the Crimson Queen” and remembers the time she visited Sark. Listen at BBC Sounds.

BBC Radio Kent: The Dominic King Show: 27.03.2019 – Toyah, Paul Hendy and The Kent Sessions with L. Norton – Join Dom for The Arts, Life in Kent, Live Music and Conversation. Listen at BBC Sounds.

BBC Radio Cornwall: David White Show: 28.03.2019 – Toyah discusses her new album and looks back on her classic hits from the early 80s. Listen at BBC Sounds.

BBC Radio Derby: Steve Jordan Show: 28.03.2019 – Join Steve for showbiz and TV conversation, as well as a round-up of the day’s news. Listen at BBC Sounds.

BBC Radio Wales: Eleri Sion Show: 29.03.2019 – Punk legend Toyah talks about her latest release, film guru Gary Slaymaker reviews the new “Dumbo” and baker Nick McLeod is in the Foodie Friday kitchen. Listen at BBC Sounds.

Toyah Willcox: The things that have remained constant are originality and energy

Almost 40 years after Toyah Willcox first appeared on Top Of The Pops, the ever-busy Birmingham-born performer is set to join other stars of the 80s at the Forever Young festival in Co Kildare this summer. Lorraine Wylie caught up with her

Toyah Willcox is a woman of many talents, proving her skill as an actress, producer, author, singer and songwriter in the past four decades. But for diehard music fans, she is best known as the ‘princess of punk’.

Between 1979 and 1981 her band Toyah released their first three studio albums, Sheep Farming in Barnet, The Blue Meaning and Anthem; it was the latter that truly launched Willcox into the spotlight and, as well as spawning hits such as I Want To Be Free and It’s A Mystery, earned her a gold disc.

This summer, fans will have an opportunity to hear material from Willcox’s most recent album, In The Court Of The Crimson Queen, when she joins a host of other stars of her era at the Forever Young Festival in Co Kildare. With that Irish visit in the pipeline and a British tour about to kick off, I caught up with the star who told me why, at 60, she still loves performing and what inspires her music today.

“I love doing live festivals,” she said. “The summer has arrived, the weather is great and you’re performing outside. It’s a fabulous way to communicate your music. I’m very much looking forward to coming to Ireland. There’s such a strong cultural identity there and I get such a warm welcome. My music is very much for my audiences who have travelled with me for the past 42 years.

“Although, I say that but when I look out at my audiences, they’re all under the age of 25. Today, I’m writing from the perspective of my age. I’m not interested in a historic perspective. My lyrics are a nod to things I experience at this age.”

• Continue reading at The Irish News. (Photo © Official Toyah)

Toyah will guest on David White’s show on BBC Radio Cornwall tomorrow morning.

Toyah Willcox (28/03/2019) Toyah discusses her new album and looks back on her classic hits from the early 80s.

• The three-hour show begins airing at 9am tomorrow morning and can be listened to online here.

Toyah will guest on The Dominic King Show on BBC Radio Kent this evening.

Toyah, Paul Hendy and The Kent Sessions with L. Norton The Dominic King Show – Join Dom for The Arts, Life in Kent, Live Music and Conversation.

• The three-hour show begins airing at 6pm this evening and can be listened to online here.

Toyah guested on BBC Radio Ulster’s The Arts Show yesterday.

26/03/2019 – We look back at the enigmatic genius of Scott Walker, author Ayelet Gundar-Goshen on her new book ‘Liar’, Toyah Willcox is back on tour and Carmel tips her favourite new TV releases.

Toyah talks punk/rebellion, her audience at gigs, imagery, In The Court Of The Crimson Queen, plus short plays of Sensational and Dance In The Hurricane. There’s also a tribute to the legendary Scott Walker, who died on Friday.

• The interview begins at approximately 6m 45s into the show, after a burst of It’s A Mystery. Listen at BBC Sounds for the next month.

Missed This! Toyah guested on Carla Greene’s show on BBC Radio Lincolnshire on 31st January. This guest spot was in relation to the Doncaster Dome gig on 2nd February. Please be quick as the interview is only available for another two days at BBC Sounds.

Hits & Heads from 1984 & a mystery year, Toyah, the music of Buddy Holly & The Cricketers.

Toyah talks about her career, new album, her Mother, the differing generations, being lucky at the start of her career and more.

• The interview begins at approximately 1hr 43minutes into the show, with a play of It’s A Mystery, and runs for around 10 minutes. Listen here.

From the cardiologist to the baker: how busy people manage sleep

Today presenter Martha Kearney goes to bed at 8pm, while at 4am Toyah Willcox is going through her emails – 10 people with odd work patterns reveal their bedtime routines

Toyah Willcox, Singer and Actor

I have always had disrupted, broken sleep. Over a year, I could count on my fingers the times I have slept through the night. I don’t think my insomnia is fixable: I think it’s in my DNA. I cannot emphasise enough how important exercise is. I have to do at least a three-mile fast walk a day, usually in the afternoon. Movement is incredibly important in helping my body use up my energy. When I’m disciplined enough, detoxing of stimulants and exercising is also a conscious part of my day.

Routine: I take books on learning to bed – music theory, colour theory – and usually my brain thinks, “Um, I think I’d rather turn off,” than learn something. But my natural pattern is to sleep from 11pm-1am, then I’m awake till 7am and I only get into deep sleep at around 7-10am. Instead of lying there praying to go to sleep all night, I get up and work. At 4am you do feel a bit jet-lagged and brain-dead, but it’s a very practical time to go through my emails, pay the bills, get rid of the mundane tasks. And there’s times in the summer when I’m awake as the sun is rising and I think this is the best, this is absolutely wonderful. Of course, if you have a 9-5 job this is a real problem, but as a singer, it can work well for me.

• Continue reading at The Guardian.

Toyah has always been a great interviewee – Click below for a page of classic Toyah interviews!