Toyah performing ‘Thunder In The Mountains’ at yesterday’s Jack Up The 80s festival in the Isle of Wight. Toyah tweeted a photo of the band just before they got the ferry. View more photos here and here.
Phil Spalding is playing a Bass Night at Absolute Music’s new superstore in Bournemouth on Wednesday 4th September. Phil says: “Join me for an evening of punchy basslines, behind-the-scenes secrets from my colourful career and tips on how to record your bass parts in one take… no drop-ins and no edits!”
Toyah’s August blog is now available to read at The Official Toyah Willcox Website. Click below to read!
The edition of Saturday Cookbook Toyah guested on last June, a Diamond Jubilee special, is being repeated later this month on ITV.
Saturday Cookbook: ITV1: Saturday 10th August: 9.25am
Nadia Sawalha and Mark Sargeant are joined by chef Phil Vickery and Toyah Willcox to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Nadia prepares a raspberry and hazelnut meringue, Toyah cooks baked fish with warm beetroot and new potato salad, and Phil and Mark take part in a street party food recipe challenge – will Mark’s coronation gala pie win over Phil’s spectacular butterfly cakes?
A preview of just one of the pages and images from the excellent Love Is The Law digital booklet, featuring an update to the red/yellow combo originally used in the vinyl album’s inner sleeve. There’s been some great feedback about the download release of Toyah’s uplifting 1983 album over the last couple of weeks.
While on the subject of ‘Lion of Symmetry’ and Lorca & The Outlaws (see Newsy Bits below) – The full film is available to watch at You Tube, under its other name, Starship. Made in 1984, Toyah appears briefly in the film, on a holographic video jukebox in the “Miram Bar”, performing ‘Lion Of Symmetry’, a collaboration with Tony Banks, included on his ‘Soundtracks’ album from 1985. Listen here and view the songwords.
• If you only want to see Toyah, she appears at approximately 58 minutes into the film!
• Brighton’s Big Screen: Quadrophenia: The classic movie is showing in Brighton next month – Another MOD invasion hits Brighton Beach this August Bank Holiday Sunday. At 7pm on Sunday 25th August before the showing of Quadrophenia, Rock ‘n’ Roll Productions, in association with Brighton’s Big Screen are presenting, for ONE NIGHT ONLY, a very special preview performance of: All Or Nothing The Mod Musical – Continue reading…
• Lion of Symmetry: There’s an obscure instrumental of this mid-80s Toyah song at CD Baby. It’s by a Dutch synth musician who is a huge Tony Banks fan – Listen here to a preview… (Thanks to Giddy Gavin – Have a wonderful brave new world in Wales Gavin x)
• Fragile Humans: Rare footage of Toyah recording the This Fragile Moment album in Estonia, June 2009 – Watch at You Tube…
• Northern Pride 2013: A great selection of photos, including over a dozen of Toyah onstage in Newcastle last weekend – View at flickr…
• Jack Up The 80s: The times and running order for next month’s festival has been announced. Toyah plays on Sunday 11th August at 4pm – View more info…
• Thunder in The Mountains: The stormy weather caused many mentions of TITM on Twitter this week! Most notably was Record Collector Magazine – “RC tuned to Toyah’s euphoric Thunder In The Mountains. Not to mention in urban industrial wastelands.” – View at Twitter…
• Tatton Park Picnic Concerts 2013: Toyah backstage with Gallowglass security man Vince at last weekend’s Tatton concert – View at Twitter…
• You Tubing: Toyah talks dyslexia and the Dore Programme. I think this is from a few years ago but has just been uploaded – Watch at You Tube…
• The Producers’ Forum: Members’ & Colleagues’ News, July Week 2: Debbie Isitt Event – Tom Lawes ( Electric Flix) who sponsored the event brought his neighbour Toyah Willcox!!..can you spot her? – Continue reading… (Thanks to Sara)
The special Toyah celebrity edition of Living With The Dead is being repeated in early August on UK television for the first time since it originally aired in June 2008.
Toyah was interviewed by ‘Digital Spy’ at the time:
Have you always believed in the paranormal? “I believe in the paranormal and I accept it but I don’t change my life around it. I’m not an avid follower, as it were. I am open-minded.”
Living With The Dead: Sky Livingit: Sunday 4th August: 11pm
Toyah Willcox, Pershore, Worcs (Celeb Special). Singer Toyah Willcox invites the Living with the Dead experts to her hometown nearby Pershore Abbey to exorcise paranormal activity connected to 15th-century criminal monks. Also airing on Sky Livingit +1.
• Read the full ‘Digital Spy’ 2008 interview with Toyah here. View some of their related press, from Dreamscape 2008, here.
A couple of great Instagram updates from Toyah over the last few days. On Saturday this amazing photo of Toyah, taken at Northern Pride (“snapped by @craigastley just before going on stage @northernprideuk“) was posted. Today is all about ‘Love Is The Law, (“LOVE IS THE LAW is ready 4 the 21st Century.My fave LP can now b downloaded 30yrs since being recorded. Come join me Martian Cowboys x“). Click below to view a larger version of the photo and/or follow Toyah at Instagram. (Thanks to Craig Astley)
Toyah’s 1983 album Love Is The Law is now available digitally for the very first time, marking the 30th anniversary of its original release.
Featuring the full 10-track album, plus nine bonus songs, 13 of these tracks have never previously been available as downloads. Three of the bonus songs were recorded during the ‘Love Is The Law’ sessions in 1983 and were originally issued as b-sides. There’s also a new digital booklet, with 1983 imagery & lyrics.
Full track list: 1. Broken Diamonds, 2. I Explode, 3. Rebel Of Love, 4. Rebel Run, 5. Martian Cowboy, 6. Dreamscape, 7. Time Is Ours, 8. Love Is The Law, 9. Remember, 10. The Vow | 11. To The Mountains High [Bonus Track], 12. Baptised In Fire [Bonus Track], 13. Haunted [Bonus Track], 14. Be Proud, Be Loud (Be Heard) [Bonus Track], 15. Laughing With The Fools [Bonus Track], 16. Urban Tribesmen [Bonus Track], 17. The Furious Futures [Bonus Track], 18. Stand Proud [Bonus Track], 19. Ieya 1982 {Full Length Version) [Bonus Track].
Download the album, & Toyah’s full Safari back catalogue, at iTunes. The digital album, or individual songs from it, is also available at both the amazon.com and amazon.co.uk mp3 stores
Review: The Human League, Howard Jones and Toyah Willcox
The Human League prove they’re still in a league of their own when it comes to giving the 80s bandwagon full throttle.
Thirty years ago, when proms didn’t trouble us or our pockets, the school disco was the place to be…
Toyah definitely gives her relatively thin hits back catalogue some welly, belting out It’s A Mystery with gusto and filling in the blanks with covers. She knows her place – as warm-up gal to Messers Jones and headliners The Human League and just seems happy to be at Tatton entertaining a 40-something nostalgia-drenched crowd.
• Continue reading at the Manchester Evening News.
Birmingham’s well known landmarks: But for a city so linked to heavy metal, many sounds have left its clubs to find fans aroud the globe. In the 1980s in particular, Birmingham bands were among the biggest around. While Toyah found fame in post-punk pop, UB40 were at the forefront of British reggae and Duran Duran became the biggest band on the planet.
A busy weekend for Toyah, with two gigs taking place today. During the day she plays a headlining PA at Newcastle/Northern Pride and later in the evening Toyah plays the Tatton Park Picnic Concert alongside Howard Jones and, headliners, The Human League.
Toyah previously played Northern Pride last Summer. She last played Tatton Park (“Party! at Tatton Park”) in July 2007.
Toyah plays Tatton Park tonight. Here is a fantastic photo of her, playing live at Tatton Park in July 2007. Click below to view a larger version & view more photos here. (Thanks to Richard Smith)
The Corn is Green: True Movies 1: Wednesday 31st July: 3.00am
The Corn is Green: True Movies 1: Sunday 4th August: 5.00am
Academy Award winner Katharine Hepburn stars as a schoolteacher determined to help the people of a turn-of-the-century Welsh mining town. With Ian Saynor, Bill Fraser, Patricia Hayes, Anna Massey, Artro Morris, Dorothea Phillips, Toyah Willcox, Huw Richards, Bryn Fon, Dyfan Roberts and Robin John. Directed by: George Cukor (1979).
Toyah made another guest appearance on ITV’s Daybreak yesterday morning. She was on the programme to discuss her experience of the Liverpool Care Pathway, which is in the news again as it’s been announced it is soon to be abolished. The programme is available to watch at ITV Player (UK viewers only) for the next six days. View larger versions of the caps by clicking below. (Thanks to Tony Ames)
• BBC News: How ’80s club culture came to the catwalk: A new exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum looks at how clubbers’ style in the 1980s transferred to the world of fashion. Was it the point at which the underground went mainstream and is there any equivalent today? (This includes a photo of Toyah’s Melissa Caplan outfit – Thanks to Giddy Gavin) – Continue reading…
• V&A Museum Instagram: In the club with a Melissa Caplan dress worn by Toyah and a Sue Clowes outfit worn by Boy George in the 80s! #clubtocatwalk – Continue viewing…
• V&A Twitter: London’s 80s fashion was a result of the fusion between club and catwalk. #ClubToCatwalk – Continue viewing…
• V&A Facebook: Would you let yourself in? Clubbers, fashion designers and pop stars from the 80s and today were out in force at the V&A last night to celebrate the opening of the summer fashion exhibition Club to Catwalk: London Fashion in the 1980s – Continue viewing…
• Fashion Loves Photos: You Spin Me Right Round: On Monday I was lucky enough to be invited to a private view of the V&A’s new Club To Catwalk Exhibition (includes a photo of Toyah) – Continue reading…
• Clash: Club To Catwalk: London Fashion In The 1980s: The exhibition everyone’s talking about is here. ‘Club to Catwalk: London Fashion in the 1980s’ is the exhibition likely to take the ‘must see’ title from ‘David Bowie Is’ when the latter ends in August – Continue reading…
• Sanrizz: Sanrizz Styles Wigs For Victoria & Albert Museum Exhibition Catwalk to Club: London Fashion in the 1980s (includes a photo of Toyah) – Continue reading…
• You Tubing with Club to Catwalk: My visit to the Club to Catwalk Exhibition at the V&A, La mode des années 1980 exposée à Londres,
• i-D: Club to Catwalk, V&A: The V&A’s summer blockbuster Club to Catwalk celebrates the way club life has influenced the fashion scene from the 80s through to the present day, as reflected in early issues of i-D – Continue reading…
• Club to Catwalk | Blitz Kids: Fearlessly experimenting with sex and drugs and fashion, the story of the Blitz kids is an alternative history of the eighties when style was all, and how you looked was who you were – Continue viewing…
• Statigram: Club to Catwalk Photo feed – Continue viewing…
A couple more photos from Monday’s Club to Catwalk launch, including a great shot of Toyah and Clare Grogan. Please click on these to view larger/fuller versions.
A rare photo of Toyah and Marianne Faithfull, taken at the launch party for Marianne’s album ‘Dangerous Acquaintances’ in September 1981. Click on the photo to view a larger version. (Thanks to Andi)
Vote for your top albums of 1985 in the sixth Slicing Up Eyeballs poll. Toyah’s first solo, and post-Safari, album ‘Minx’ is included as an option. Voting closes on 26th July and the results will be announced at the beginning of August. Click below to participate in the poll. (Thanks to Paul Johnson) 
