Just three days to go…
A short excerpt from Toyah’s autobiography, published in August 2000, ‘Living Out Loud’.
Toyah talks about ‘The Changeling’, and some of the events of 1982: Winning ‘Best Female Singer’ at The British Rock & Pop Awards, sacking her manager, feeling that her images and hairstyles were becoming outdated etc.
Toyah also mentions the reasons why herself and Joel decided to record an album with much darker themes after the huge success of ‘Anthem’ the year before.
• Listen to ‘The Changeling’ set of Toyah interviews and audio, at ‘Soundcloud’, here.
Yikes! Just four short days to go until the first concert of ‘The Changeling Resurrection 2012’.
‘The Changeling’ has been my, and many other Toyah fans’, favourite Toyah album for almost 30 years. When you consider Toyah’s best album releases: ‘Sheep Farming In Barnet’, ‘The Blue Meaning’, ‘Anthem’, ‘Love Is The Law’, ‘Desire’, ‘Prostitute’, ‘Ophelia’s Shadow’, ‘In The Court Of The Crimson Queen’… ‘The Changeling’ can only be described as “the best of the best”. Impressive!
Back in early 2007 I started building a feature for Dreamscape on ‘The Changeling’. I didn’t initially realise the feature would end up taking months to complete and would become one of the Toyah creations I’m most proud of. I’ve always felt Toyah’s 1982 studio album deserves to be celebrated, which is why I did so throughout Dreamscape’s 12 years and continue to on FTE. Rather than “pretentious twaddle” (who said that? :)) it’s a brilliant, and brilliantly dark ,’concept’ album that has grown in stature and reputation over the last 30 years!
There are now just five days to go until the premiere gig of ‘The Changeling Resurrection 2012’ tour.
Click below to view Toyah’s 1982 feature on Nationwide. This originally aired in early July 1982 on BBC1, and includes a great interview with Toyah. She talks about her career, music, acting, individuality, her lisp and much more.
There are clips from ‘At The Rainbow’ Shoestring and the ‘Brave New World’ video,
What is significant about the Nationwide clip is that it contains the only, known, footage of 1982’s ‘The Changeling Tour’ as no other video recordings seem to have been made (strange when two full concerts were captured, and televised by the BBC, the previous year). Some of the rehearsals were filmed for inclusion in the programme’s piece and there are brief clips of Toyah performing ‘Dawn Chorus’. The stage set looks great onscreen! (Thanks to Andi)
More tantalising Changeling related tweets from Toyah, and Toyah Official, over the Easter weekend: Yesterday: “Only a week till Brighton. The new set is a stonking blinder! A total rush! I can’t wait.“, and today: “Send my kisses to the old world…A BRAVE NEW WORLD is coming in 6 days!” along with the photo that got everyone excited when it was revealed a few years ago.
Click here for your tickets to ‘The Changeling Resurrection’ premiere at Brighton’s Concorde2.
Six days to go… Another audio interview that’s been available at Dreamscape and The Changeling 30 sites but good to have it here too in this countdown week to the launch of ‘The Changeling Resurrection’ tour.
This is the only audio that exists from 1982 with Toyah discussing ‘The Changeling’ in any detail.
Toyah guests on Rock On on ‘BBC Radio 1’, talking to Mark Ellen about the album, aliens, fairies, changelings, critics, the ‘Brave New World’ image and much more.
Mark Ellen sounds quite bemused but it’s fair to say that in 1982 he would probably have been far happier interviewing Bruce Springsteen or REO Speedwagon.
• There’s also a full transcript of this interview, at ‘The TW Interview Archive’, here.
A great new interview with Toyah, published today by the ‘Herts & Essex Observer’. An interviewer who actually asks some interesting and intelligent questions!!
Toyah promises Stortford audience new twists on her classic tracks
For original 80s wild child Toyah Willcox, growing old gracefully was never on the cards. At the age of 53, the gloriously extravagant and punk-inspired New Wave singer remains every bit as keen to strap on an outrageous outfit and strut into the spotlight.
Best known for 1981 hit single It’s A Mystery, Toyah – who is the star attraction at Bishop’s Stortford’s week-long Stortfest Crawl – has also enjoyed a career as an actress and voiceover artist.
But it’s her musical ventures that give her the most satisfaction – and when she comes to Rhodes on May 5, fans can expect plenty of surprises and fresh twists on classic tracks.
Asked if she still felt comfortable hitting the stage in her trademark costumes, she told the Observer: “It’s what I do and what I’ve always done, so it’s absolutely second nature to me. “I started out in an age of video, so everything in those early days was about being visual – it had to be. You couldn’t release a single without a video to go with it.
• Continue reading, at ‘Herts & Essex Observer’, here.
‘The Changeling Resurrection 2012’, Toyah’s highly-anticipated new tour, opens in a week’s time in Brighton. Toyah will be playing songs live that she hasn’t performed for 30 years!
Counting down to the first gig of ‘The Changeling Resurrection’… To mark the build-up to this exciting tour, and the first date, I’ll be bringing you something Changeling related each day…
Seven days to go and first up, let’s marvel, once more, at some of Andrew York’s incredible Changeling art. Click on these to view more.
Brighton’s Concorde2 mailed out their April newsletter to subscribers today. It includes news on Toyah’s forthcoming gig at the venue, plus a chance to win tickets for it.
Saturday 14th April
Sanctuary Music presents TOYAH WILLCOX
THE CHANGELING RESURRECTION 2012 TOUR
Celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of ‘The Changeling’, Toyah & her full band, will perform a selection of songs from the album alongside classic material as heard on the ‘Warrior Rock’ live album.
* TOYAH WILLCOX COMPETITION *
This week we are giving you the chance to win a pair of tickets to see TOYAH @ CONCORDE2 on Saturday 14th April, all you need to do is answer this simple question…
“Tell us the name of Toyah’s 2012 tour…?” Send your answers to hello@concorde2.co.uk, winners will be contacted by email no later than Monday 9th April.
(Thanks to Stephen Bennett for the newsletter)
Happy Good Friday! There’s just over a week until the opening gig of ‘The Changeling Resurrection’: More promotion for the tour, Sanctuary Music’s poster and The Official Toyah ad strip. The Glasgow gig has of course been rescheduled since the poster was produced.
Exciting news! A new ‘Changeling Resurrection’ related tweet from Toyah yesterday, mentioning what may, just possibly, be the opening song of the gig:
“Loving Creepy Room. Want to open set with it. It would set the mood for the show……BONKERS“.
• View the lyrics to ‘Creepy Room’ here, and the complete songwords/lyrics for ‘The Changeling’ album here.
Two brief excerpts from last night’s ‘BBC Radio Shropshire/Stoke/etc’ interview, with Toyah talking about ‘The Changeling’ and ‘The Changeling Resurrection’. See below for info on how to hear the full interview. (Apologies for the noises, they are included in iPlayer’s recording)
More ‘Changeling’ related tweets from Toyah yesterday: “Fab day plugging in2 The Changeling. Started to really like the songs again. Can c beyond the stresses at the time.”, and this morning: “Pop Star (Live) is online 4 ur pleasure. toyahwillcox.com/gigs. Only 13 days till 1st concert. Can’t wait. The devil in me is excited.”
Welcome to the month of ‘The Changeling Resurrection 2012’… It’s going to be wild (child)!
From Toyah’s Official Facebook today: Welcome to April…the month of THE CHANGELING RESURRECTION 2012 tour which kicks off in Brighton on 14 April. Full details of the 7 tour dates plus lots of additions to Toyah’s gig diary are now online along with a new exclusive live track….. ONLY at www.toyahwillcox.com/gigs
Another tour-related Toyah tweet yesterday, with some amazing news included. ‘Voodoo Doll’ from 1981, released on the 12″ of ‘Thunder In The Mountains’, will be included in ‘The Changeling Resurrection’ setlist:
“My goodness VooDoo Doll is a really good song! My B-sides rocked! Even if I say so myself . Def in the new set.”
Of course many of Toyah’s “b-sides” were better than most band’s “a-sides”: Laughing With The Fools, Street Addict, War Boys, Alien, In The Fairground, Warrior Rock, Baptised in Fire, I Explode, Haunted, Snow Covers The Kiss, Plenty… (not forgetting For You, a flexi b-side). An almost perfect setlist in itself! A Toyah “Blistering B-Sides” tour, anyone?
The revised dates for ‘The Changeling Resurrection’ are confirmed and Toyah tweeted yesterday: “2’day I officially start learning the tour set. Its meaty, its chewy, its deep, its dark, its moody, its dance-able“. Get set for the Madhatter’s tea party: The Resurrection begins soon…
The Classic Grand website has now been updated with the new Glasgow date for ‘The Changeling Resurrection’: 12th October.
It also reiterates what Toyah said in her tweet on Tuesday: “20th April tickets valid for 12th Oct”.
The Changeling Resurrection After-Show
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Doors/Event 10pm – 2am, Price: Free
What better way to celebrate the very first gig in Toyah’s Changeling Resurrection Tour 2012 at the Brighton Concorde 2 than a Toyahtastic party after the show with a soundtrack requested by YOU!
From yesterday evening, possibly Toyah’s best ever tweet: “Dear fellow Changelings…. Bush Hall is about to be a sell out so get tickets now if you are coming. :-)”. All the tour info is available by clicking below.
The Glasgow date of ‘The Changeling Resurrection’ tour has been changed.
The original date of 20th April has been rescheduled for 12th October.
Toyah tweeted today that further details regarding this are to be announced officially tomorrow.
It’s now less than a month until the first ‘Changeling Resurrection’ gig takes place. The opening night is at Brighton’s Concorde 2 on Saturday 14th April. Further details on the tour are available at ‘The Official Toyah Gigs’ page here.
An aftershow party is also being arranged in Brighton. View more info on this at its Facebook Events page here.
The full dates are:
Saturday 14th April: Concorde 2, Brighton
Wednesday 18th April: The Tunnels, Bristol
Friday 20th April: Classic Grand, Glasgow
Sunday 22nd April: Bush Hall, London
Saturday 28th April: Robin 2, Wolverhampton
Monday 30th April: Ruby Lounge, Manchester
Saturday 5th May: Arts Complex, Bishop’s Stortford
‘Vintage TV’ ran a competition at their website during March to win tickets to see Toyah’s ‘The Changeling Resurrection 2012’.
THE CHANGELING RESURRECTION – TOYAH WILLCOX TOUR!
Cult figure, household name and music legend, Toyah Willcox, is touring the UK in April with The Changeling Resurrection Tour.
Known for her exuberant, energetic live shows, filled with colour, drama and classic songs, Toyah’s highly individual visual style was a forerunner of Lady GaGa and, musically, Florence & The Machine have recently been cited as “this generation’s Toyah” (BBC Radio 6).
Vintage TV viewers are being given the chance to win a pair of tickets to any one of her six tour performances, a fantastic prize worth more than £40.
To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer the question on our Competitons page. Last entries will be accepted on Friday 30th March. Winners will be announced during the week beginning 2nd April.
