Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

A much expanded/reworked version of the recent ‘Frome Standard’ interview with Toyah, by Lisa Evans, was published yesterday by the Bath Chronicle.

After performing in Frome, former punk princess Toyah Willcox tells us why she loves Bath and why she owes her success to looking strange

Charismatic, outspoken and impossible to categorise, former punk princess Toyah Willcox is one of Britain’s iconic household names. When she visited Frome to perform at the Cheese and Grain this month, she told Lisa Evans why she adores Bath and why she owes her success to looking ‘strange’.

Toyah Willcox has always liked to surprise. She is, she admits, ‘a bit of an attention-seeker’ and was a rebellious extrovert who knew what she had to do to be noticed. During her 20s, with her shock of bright pink hair and unconventional outfits, she was the most outrageous and most successful punk rocker of her age, and she tells me that she thinks her alternative look was the reason she found success.

“I always wanted to be noticed,” says Toyah. “And, for me, dying my hair crazy colours and wearing different clothes from everyone else helped me to break free from the mould which women were put into at the time. I wanted to be different and not judged by the same book as everyone else was.

“And to be honest with you, if I hadn’t have looked a bit strange, I don’t think I would have been noticed in the first place. I owe my career to that colourful hair – I was a punk rocker at a time when no other woman was doing anything like that.”

• Continue reading at the Bath Chronicle.

Punk legend Toyah to tour UK with King Crimson drummer Bill Rieflin

Toyah & The Humans embark on a UK Tour of six intimate concert dates this April in Uckfield, Gloucester, London, Southampton, Swansea and Chatham.

The Humans’ third album ‘Strange Tales, recorded in Pearl Jam’s studio, is available digitally now and will be available exclusively on CD at the six UK tour dates. The band is the brainchild of renowned singer, actress and household name Toyah Willcox and brings together three lifetimes of musical experience, experimentation and craftsmanship.

• Continue reading at Metal Express Radio.

Dexter Brown is the world’s foremost painter of motor sports. He explains to Matthew Wilcox what drives him – and how a charity exhibition to be held at Bonhams has kept him on track.

… It was in this spirit that he launched himself in a new direction in 1978, when he found himself captivated by the energy of performers such as Toyah Willcox, Debbie Harry and Suzi Quatro at the fabled Electric Ballroom in Camden. As Willcox reminisced in a recent interview, “He used to come to the live shows and paint, he’d be on the side of the stage and quickly sketching away in pastels. The drawings were astonishing. The energy that comes out of his work…”

The collaboration proved so fruitful that Willcox asked Brown to design her album covers and even her stage costume for her tour in the winter of 1981. A subsequent exhibition of Brown’s pop portraits made an impression on the executives of London’s Capital Radio, who owned the Duke of York theatre. For five years he was the artist-in-residence at the theatre, sitting in on plays and in dressing rooms, and given the task of portraying actors such as Al Pacino, Glenda Jackson and Billy Connolly.

• Continue reading at Bonhams.

Toyah Willcox and The Humans Hit The Road on 2015 UK Tour

Toyah Willcox & The Humans is a transatlantic contemporary three piece rock band, which comprises Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin of REM fame and Chris Wong. They are embarking upon a UK tour of six intimate concert dates to promote their album, Strange Tales.

The band is the brainchild of renowned singer, actress and household name Toyah Wilcox and brings together three lifetimes of musical experience, experimentation and craftsmanship. She needs very little introduction having been a household name since the early 80s.

… They will be aided and abetted in these live concerts by returning guest Igor Abuladze and for this tour by Tim Rose. Alongside Wong, Tim Rose has played in Toyah’s live touring band since 2005. The tour will see the first UK live performances of material from 2014’s Strange Tales album which was met with much praise from fans old and new. Get In Your Car and Amnesia have already become firm favourites.

• Continue reading at UK Music Reviews.

It’s a mystery solved: Singer Toyah’s swing-ing time in Shropshire

It’s a mystery – why was Toyah Willcox sitting on a swing in Shropshire?

The diminutive pop star from the 1980s, still packing out concert venues today, sprang a very special surprise for guests at a wedding in the county by performing for the bride and groom.

But no-one was more surprised than Toyah herself when she came across the swing in a hotel bedroom.

She was so taken aback she tweeted a photo of the red padded swing to her 8,000 followers on Twitter.

She sent fans a cryptic message asking them to guess where she was. Toyah had travelled to the region from Cardiff where she had performed to thousands of fans on Saturday night.

And despite a lifetime in the music industry, the “pocket rocket” admitted to being surprised herself when she walked into her hotel room – to find a swing hanging from the ceiling.

• Continue reading at the Shropshire Star.

A slightly strange, but interesting, article about Steve Strange: The day I met Steve Strange – after he invited me to his birthday party, has been published by the Mirror. The article includes a selection of photos of Steve, including this one of Toyah and Steve at the British Rock & Pop Awards in 1982. (NB. The post title isn’t a quote by Toyah, they just include a photo of her!)

Steve Strange, lead singer of 1980s pop band Visage, has died aged 55 following a heart attack, his record label says. The Welsh New Romantic icon – best known for the hit Fade To Grey – died in hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Ex-Visage bandmates Midge Ure and Rusty Egan said they were “devastated” to hear of his “untimely passing”, adding: “Steve was a major face of the 80s.”

In this archive footage from 1980, Toyah Willcox interviewed Strange, from Newbridge, Caerphilly, about his band and clubs.

• Continue reading/watch the clip at BBC News Wales.

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…