Mysterious girl: Make a date with pop icon Toyah
As part of the ’80s post-punk New Wave scene, Toyah Willcox had considerable chart success with hits such as It’s A Mystery, I Want To Be Free and Brave New World and starred in movies such as Jubilee and Quadrophenia before turning to television and musical theatre.
Lisa Evans spoke to iconic colourful character before her Up Close And Personal tour comes to Frome’s Cheese and Grain on Friday, February 13.
“I’ve never performed in Frome before so I’m really excited to visit,” said Toyah. “I’ve heard it’s a brilliant venue and a stunning place I love coming to new places so this will be a treat.”
Her current show is a unique chance to experience Toyah up close and personal. A lively unplugged/storytellers style gig, it will include Toyah performing an acoustic set of her loved hit singles and classic songs, alongside recalling stories from her colourful, 35 year career with projections onto a big screen showing clips of films and videos that she has appeared in as she discusses the many famous people she has worked with and the anecdotes with the audience.
“I’ve always loved music and have always felt inspired to do it – it feels like it’s in my genes.”
• Continue reading at the Somerset Guardian. Also available at the Frome Standard: Toyah Willcox gets Up Close And Personal at Frome’s Cheese and Grain.
This Saturday we will be welcoming English singer & actress Toyah Willcox for a very special Cardiff performance, followed by a free live screening of Wales’ 6 Nations match against Scotland on Sunday afternoon. And then on Monday teenage rising-star and X-Factor sensation Bailey McConnell will be performing live.
• Continue reading at The Globe.
Toyah Willcox has announced details of two rare club show with her band, The Humans.
The new wave star, with R.E.M drummer Bill Rieflin and Chris Wong, will head to London’s 100 Club on April 18, before a show at Chatham Dockyard’s Britannia Theatre the following day. Tickets are on sale now, priced at £22.00 in London and £16.50 in Chatham, plus fees.
Having formed in 2007, the trio released their most recent album, ‘Strange Tales’, in spring last year.
Toyah And The Humans Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Sat April 18 2015 – LONDON 100 Club
Sun April 19 2015 – CHATHAM The Britannia Theatre
• Continue reading at Stereoboard.com. View the complete Telling Strange Tales UK Tour schedule by clicking below.
So, so much not to be missed on Vintage TV! There’s nothing for it therefore but to clear the diary, book a place on the sofa and settle down for a music marathon. And, thoughtful folk we are, we’ve hand-picked some hot highlights for you among our stunning Sunday teatime shows.
Toyah’s Electric Ladies (8th March, 6pm) – those switched-on female artists who’ve electrified, inspired and very much strutted their own stuff through the decades, as presented by our own princess of punk. How illuminating.
• Continue reading at Vintage TV.
Toyah Willcox is one of the best-known and most versatile entertainers Birmingham has produced. Actor, TV presenter, businesswoman but most of all a singer, she is about to begin a tour which will feature her best-known work played acoustically. She told us about her upcoming Robin show.
“It’s acoustic, which is a lot of fun. I’ve been doing this show for a year now. It’s Colin Hinds from China Crisis and Chris Wong from my band, two acoustic guitars and myself. We do all the hits but I also do favourite tracks from my albums and I use film and visuals to tell behind the scenes stories, how certain images were created and how videos were made. It’s really irreverent, the whole point of the evening is fun, laughter and dance. The evening is very uplifting and what I find surprising is that the songs are more danceable in this format. It just works, the songs really shine and it’s been incredibly successful.”
You certainly seem very enthusiastic about it. Will this be something you do more of?
“It’s a regular thing because it’s very much in demand. A lot of people don’t want to go to rock clubs to hear an electric band so this show can go to other venues such as arts centres where the clientele are happy to sit and listen to someone talking about their life. But we’ve found that the show still maintains the energy and if anything it’s more intense because it goes from story to song and back again and it sounds very melodic, with a lot of light and shade. It takes me by surprise because when we started I honestly thought we’d do two shows and never do it again but I’m getting a standing ovation every ten minutes. People really get it.”
• Continue reading at The Birmingham Press.
Sci-fi film by Nuneaton movie maker could hit screens in 2015
Film-maker Simon Cox has high hopes of seeing an ambitious project hit the screens later this year. His full-length sci-fi movie Kaleidoscope Man is now nearing completion – after two years of fund-raising, putting together an impressive cast and shooting scenes on locations throughout the Midlands.
Mr Cox, whose Alpha Star Productions company is based in Nuneaton, said: “We have around 45 per cent of the movie in the can and it looks really amazing. “We’re planning a big shoot in early March when we will film another battle scene in Birmingham – which will include using genuine military tanks in the city centre.”
Kaleidoscope Man is an all-action adventure story which stars Lucy Drive, Simon Haycock and 80s pop legend Toyah Willcox.
• Continue reading at the Coventry Telegraph.
Toyah tones down her punk pedigree for acoustic Black Country gig
Toyah is toning down her punk pedigree for an acoustic adventure which promises a mix of stories and songs. The singer found fame during the 70s And 80s as an actress and musician who clocked up platinum sales with her album Anthem and The Changeling.
Toyah, who grew up in Birmingham, was awarded a prestigious Honorary Doctorate by the University of Central England to recognise her achievements in performing arts, media and broadcasting. During her career Toyah has consistently returned to making music and she is set for a UK tour of acoustic shows joined by Chris Wong and Colin Hinds for songs interspersed with stories and images from her career.
The tour will roll into the Robin 2, Bilston on Thursday February 5, support at the show will come from Jonny Cole and Steve Mercy.
• Continue reading at the Stourbridge News. View further info and ticket links for this gig.
The Eighties singer Toyah Willcox has spoken up about how things were in the record industry in her day. “We were on £30 a week,” she says. “I was weighed once a week and if I went over, even by an ounce, seven stone three pounds, I wasn’t allowed to eat.”
That’s rotten. When I was seven, watching the video for Thunder In The Mountains, I don’t think I’d seen such an empowered-looking woman. The hair! The sneer! The chariotty thing she was sort-of-piloting! And all along she was an exploited minion of The Man.
Will my daughter, one day, discover that Peppa Pig isn’t as punk rock as she thinks? This rabbit hole goes all the way down.
• Continue reading at the London Evening Standard.
A slightly revised version of Toyah’s recent interview has also been published online by The Sunday Post (see the print version a few posts below).
Rewind Scotland Festival star Toyah Willcox says it’s a mystery where all her money went
Toyah will be performing at this year’s Rewind Scotland line-up alongside various top 80s acts such as Hue & Cry, Bananarama, and Belinda Carlisle.
Pop star Toyah has revealed she was banned from eating to preserve her image in her ’80s heyday.
And the singer, who stars at this year’s Rewind Scotland Festival at Scone, says she was paid a weekly allowance of just a fraction of the money her records made. “There were no excesses back then,” Toyah said.
• Continue reading at The Sunday Post.
A new interview with Toyah, published in today’s Sunday Post.
Toyah says It’s A Mystery where all her money went
Pop star Toyah has revealed she was banned from eating to preserve her image in her 80s heyday.
And the singer, who stars at this year’s Rewind Scotland Festival at Scone says she was paid a weekly allowance of just a fraction of the money her records made.
“There were no excesses back then,” Toyah said. “We were on £30 a week. I was weighed once a week and if I went over, even by an ounce, seven stone three pounds, I wasn’t allowed to eat. You read about rock stars with their private jets but we just weren’t allowed that. Everything was done on a budget. Whoever was living that lifestyle wasn’t near us.”
• Continue reading here. (Thanks to Sharon Dickson for the scan)
John Shuttleworth, the comedy creation of Sheffield’s Graham Fellows, is celebrating 30 years in the business this year.
This year marks John Shuttleworth’s 30th year in the comedy/music business.
… He will also be playing the slightly larger London Palladium on June 28, when he headlines a charity night in aid of MS. “Chas and Dave, Toyah and Martyn Ware of Heaven 17 are all playing,” says Fellows. “So John Shuttleworth is finally playing Sunday Night at the Palladium. “In June 1985 I did my first demo tape as John, so it’ll be a nice way to mark the 30 years.”
• Continue reading at The Irish News.
New season at Selby Town Hall to include punk poets, post-punk musicians and stand-up comedians
Selby Town Hall has lined up 20 acts for February to June covering the usual mix of folk, blues, Americana, comedy, theatre and poetry.
Eighties’ star of stage, screen and pop chart Toyah Willcox presents Toyah: Up Close And Personal, a sold-out, career-spanning acoustic show on May 9.
“Our spring season brings stars from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 21st century, with shows that cover blues to Britpop, poetry to plays and everything in between” says Chris Jones, Selby Town Council’s arts officer.
“I’m really thrilled to have secured so many acts who are more often seen in spaces far bigger than Selby Town Hall. It’s the intimacy of the performances here that really makes them so special. The chance to enjoy acts like Cara Dillon, John Cooper Clarke, Toyah Willcox and Alexei Sayle in a venue where you can see the whites of their eyes is pretty exciting!”
• Continue reading at The York Press.
John Shuttleworth and friends (including Chas and Dave, Toyah, Martyn Ware, John Otway, Gordon Giltrap and others to be announced) will perform for one night only at the London Palladium in ‘A Knight at the Palladium’ in aid of the MS Trust and an MS Centre in Sheffield.
“Sheffield’s funniest man” (The Guardian), the versatile singer/organist John Shuttleworth, plays the London Palladium to celebrate 30 years in ‘showbiz’ and is joined by star guests from his recent Lounge Music BBC Radio 4 series, plus others (TBA).
• Continue reading at the Multiple Sclerosis Trust.
• Frome Times: Toyah Willcox & Cara Dillon head exciting 2015 line-up at the Cheese & Grain: After a very busy 2014 the Cheese & Grain in Frome has an even busier and more exciting year ahead in 2015 – Continue reading…
• Kent Online: Britannia Theatre, Chatham… it has some equally popular names already booked for 2015, including The Selecter, Toyah, The Blockheads and The Buzzcocks – Continue reading…
• Somerset Guardian: Something for everyone at the Cheese & Grain: The Cheese and Grain is once again proving to be one of the best local music venues around with their 2015 line up looking to be their best yet – Continue reading…
• Gloucester Citizen: Our pick of shows in Gloucestershire this year: The following month, don’t miss Toyah Willcox and The Humans who will take centre stage at the Guildhall on April 14 – Continue reading…
• What’s on TV: This Is Your TV Life: Mel & Sue: Sue decided to show off her competitive side when she took part in Celebrity Masterchef in 2006, where she was pitted against Toyah Willcox in a professional kitchen – Continue reading…
• Press & Journal: Guitarist overcomes painful wrist condition to release new song: And now she is getting ready for a busy year, which will include supporting Toyah Willcox when she performs at Stonehaven Town Hall on September 18 and 19. Miss Esslemont, who is in her late 30s, said: “I can’t wait. She was in my favourite film, Quadrophenia. It’s every musician’s dream to support someone famous but when it’s a connection to your past, it’s all the more special. I’m very, very excited about it. It’s a great opportunity.” – Continue reading…
‘I saw dead people’ – actress Rula Lenksa on her terrifying moment inside Toyah Willcox’s haunted house
The Celebrity Big Brother star is coming to Birmingham Hippodrome in spooky new play The Frozen Scream
The lights went out and the next thing Rula Lenksa knew, she was huddled in the corner, hysterically crying with fear. The terrifying experience happened in the Worcestershire home of singer Toyah Willcox, which Rula believes is haunted.
Such ghost stories are now uppermost in her mind as she stars in the spooky new play The Frozen Scream at Birmingham Hippodrome.
Rula, 67, remembers that Birmingham singer Toyah invited her to her 17th century house in Pershore to take part in the satellite TV series called Living with the Dead.
• Continue reading at the Birmingham Mail.
Nostalgia: Millennium memories 15 years on – do you remember when we partied like it was 1999?
It’s been 15 years since the turn of the new millennium. We take a look back on the day Birmingham welcomed in a new year with a difference.
Can you believe it’s really been 15 years since we celebrated the new millennium?
Were you there in Centenary Square on that electric, if not a little rainy, night when Birmingham partied like it was 1999? Thousands of people turned out, bearing umbrellas, big 2000 hats and silly glasses, wigs and costumes to add to the party atmosphere. They paid up to £100 each for a ticket.
Toyah Willcox took to the stage too to help raise funds for the project, which even had the backing of the then Prime Minister Tony Blair.
• Continue reading at the Birmingham Mail.
High Priestess of Punk Toyah Willcox lights up Bournemouth hotel
Singer and actress Toyah Willcox fired-up this year’s Christmas celebrations at the Days Hotel Marsham Court by setting light to the Christmas pudding. Toyah, whose famous hits include It’s a Mystery and Thunder in the Mountains was at the hotel in Russell Cotes Road, Bournemouth, as the special guest of the Dorset Ladies Luncheon Club.
The Club, which has over 180 members, is celebrating its 40th anniversary and invited Toyah to be guest speaker at its annual Christmas Lunch.
…Rosie Wallace, general manager of the Days Hotel Marsham Court said: “It was great to have Toyah at the hotel. She is a fascinating woman and full of sparkle – the perfect choice to perform the traditional lighting of the pud.”
• Continue reading at www.afc-business.co.uk.
Toyah Willcox delivers key note speech at Dorset Ladies Luncheon Club
Singer and actress Toyah Willcox, best known for hits It’s a Mystery and Thunder in the Mountains, appeared at the Days Hotel Marsham Court as a special guest of the Dorset Ladies Luncheon Club.
Toyah marked the occasion by setting the Christmas pudding alight and delivery a keynote speech. The club, which has more than 180 members, is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary.
As she lit the Christmas pudding, Toyah said: “Being asked to light the Christmas pudding came as a complete surprise. It was huge, with a lot of Brandy! And it was good fun.”
• Continue reading at Blackmore Vale Magazine.
Toyah Willcox among guests at PJ Crook’s open studio charity event
Toyah Willcox was among the guests at an open studio event hosted by world-renowned artist PJ Crook.
Miniature canvases were sold at the first of two weekends designed to give art-lovers the chance to see a large altarpiece PJ is painting for St Michael and All Angels’ Church in Bishop’s Cleeve. The proceeds from the event at PJ’s Priory Lane studio will be going to the National Star College, LINC, the Friends of Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum and the Holst Birthplace Museum.
Among the visitors were Dame Janet Trotter and 80s pop star Ms Willcox, who lives near Pershore.
• Continue reading at the Gloucestershire Echo.
We like to call it our seasonal selection box – perfect Christmas TV to dip into for those melting musical moments. It’s pure indulgence but these are sweet treats to keep you entertained throughout the festivities. Unwrap and savour shows including Toyah’s Christmas at the Zoo, A Very Vintage Christmas, Christmas in the Studio – with Martine McCutcheon and Michael Ball introducing performing artists Nerina Pallot, Beverley Craven, Paul Carrack and Jive Bunny – Pat Sharp’s Christmas Top 20, Toyah’s Vintage Christmas and a host of Christmassy song selections. There are goodies galore for everyone to share in our programming pic ‘n’ mix!
• Continue reading at Vintage TV. Check out our recent Vintage TV Toyah news.
Toyah is mentioned in a recent Daily Mail article, on the past century of hairstyles being captured in a time lapse video.
1970s: “At the beginning of the 1970’s a dark natural blonde look remained popular, inspired by Farrah Fawcett from the cult series ‘Charlies Angels’. Hair was all about manes of free-falling curls, soft partings and long fringes completed by bronzed skin. However by the end of the era with the ‘Punk’ movement, women like Toyah Willcox started to experiment with hair colour. For the first time we saw vivid primary or fluorescent hair colours emerging.”
• Continue reading at the Daily Mail.
