
Toyah’s ‘Walk of Fame’ gig in King’s Heath in July has been named one of Birmingham’s Top Gigs Of 2012.
Let’s hear it for B-Town… the best of the rest: Some of the biggest music acts in the world have played Brum this year – after the top ten, here’s our selection of the highlights
Toyah Willcox, who not only was inducted on Birmingham’s walk of fame this year, she also played a home-coming gig at the Ballroom.
• Continue reading at the Birmingham Mail. View our Walk of Fame News Archive.
The Eighties are coming to Falkirk Stadium next year, with a series of music concerts planned at their stadium to
raise money for the club’s academy.
“Rock The Stadium” kicks off over the weekend of 22-23 June with the line-up featuring 80s favourites Five Star, Altered Images, The Real Thing, Toyah, T’Pau, Paul Young, Curiosity Killed the Cat and Midge Ure.
The club are hoping to attract a crowd in the region of 25,000 over the weekend following the success of Elton John’s gig at the stadium in June.
• News Source: Scotsman.com.
Toyah is included in the ‘PRS for Music’, newly updated, Festive 50 countdown, as reported by The Independent.
The 50 Best Christmas songs: Bells continue to ring for the Pogues’ ‘Fairytale of New York’
It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas… Listen to our festive playlist here
‘Tis the season to hear the same songs repeated endlessly on the radio and none has been played more regularly in the last two years than “Fairytale of New York” according to new research.
24. I Believe In Father Christmas, Greg Lake/Toyah Willcox/Elaine Paige, 1975/1982/1986 – Written by Greg Lake/Pete Sinfield.
• Continue reading, and view the full 50 Best Christmas songs (according to PRS for Music) in full, at The Independent.
Yet another positive review for Sleeping Beauty at The Marlowe, this one by This is Kent.
Good Fairy Katrina Bryan from children’s TV show Nina and the Neurons has cast her magic spell the Marlowe Theatre to create a spectacular production of Sleeping Beauty. In the wake of last year’s hugely successful pantomime Cinderella, production company Evolution had a lot to live up to.
The cast and crew do not disappoint. Sleeping Beauty has all the ingredients for a festive family treat packed with glitz, glamour, camp comedy and a fire-breathing dragon.
Former punk princess Toyah Willcox is enchanting as the evil queen Carabosse. She has great stage presence and basks in the boos and hisses as she plots against the beautiful princess who *****s her finger on a poisoned needle and falls asleep for 100 years.
• Continue reading at This is Kent.
Laughs, frights and too much water at Marlowe panto
It’s that time of year when hundreds of people gather in one place to watch a man dressed as a woman dressed as a jockey riding an ostrich.
Or at least that was my expert assessment as I sat down at the Marlowe on Tuesday to watch this year’s panto Sleeping Beauty.
Pop Idol runner-up Gareth Gates, as the charming Prince Michael, and ex-punk princess Toyah Willcox, playing the evil Carabosse, were given star billing.
• Continue reading at Kent Online.
The third review of the day for Sleeping Beauty, and it’s another one full of praise from Kent News.
Writing a pantomime can be no easy task. There before you sits an audience as diverse as Alec Guinness’ CV and all with the expectation that their hard-earned money spent on the tickets will deliver laughs and pratfalls a-plenty.
With that in mind, there’s also the added complication of weaving in the particular talents of your eclectic cast – drawn from a wide variety of showbusiness disciplines – and still make sure you don’t lose sight of driving the storyline along.
Toyah Willcox is an excellent Carabosse, endlessly eliciting boos and jeers as her character looks to kill the young princess.
• Continue reading at Kent News.
A positive review for The Marlowe Theatre’s Sleeping Beauty, and Toyah, by The Stage.
This rather wet show meant that my notebook was soaked during the water pistol chase. And water spouts out of every corner and orifice in a hilarious slapstick scene set in a bathroom with Lloyd Hollett – very accomplished as Jangles – and Ben Roddy, terrific as Nurse Nellie. But water makes for wonderful comedy, and Hollett and Roddy know how to exploit every drop of it.
Rather drier, but also in fine form, is the ever-youthful Toyah Willcox, who cackles, curses, sings and dances like a teenager as Carabosse, the wicked fairy.
• Continue reading at The Stage.
Sleeping Beauty reviewed by The Public Reviews.
It’s panto time again and Paul Hendy and Emily Wood’s Evolution Productions is back in residence at Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre. This production brings the sunshine back to a cold winter’s evening with plenty of laughs and heaps of audience participation.
The ‘big names’ this year are Toyah Willcox as Carabosse the bad fairy, and Gareth Gates as Prince Michael, closely followed by children’s favourite Katrina Bryan as Fairy Moonbeam. Toyah Willcox has an incredible energy and presence, and her vocals are strong in her rock numbers, as expected.
• Continue reading at The Public Reviews.
A very brief video interview with Toyah, recorded in Canterbury on Saturday, from ITV Meridian: Panto season is almost upon us – oh yes it is! And across the region, the stars are encouraging us get into the Christmas spirit. In Canterbury they’re gearing up for Sleeping Beauty at the Marlowe Theatre with Pop Idol finalist Gareth Gates and Toyah Willcox in the lead roles. (Click below to watch the clip, and view larger versions of the screen caps here)

An interview with Toyah, from October, by The Weekender.
It’s that time of year already! Pantomime returns to The Marlowe Theatre this winter with a new production of Sleeping Beauty. Alongside former Pop Idol Gareth Gates, pop stalwart Toyah Willcox stars as the Wicked Fairy. Toyah has had a long-running musical career; her first album was released back in 1979 and she still tours with her band today. Having performed in numerous theatre, television and film productions she is also a panto veteran. Toyah tells Emma Featherstone why she is looking forward to hitting the Canterbury stage.
You’ve worked in panto since 1993. What makes you return to it?
I’ve learnt to love pantomime as a form of theatre, which is more successful than any other. In the last 20 years it has been completely reinvented, mainly by one man, Kevin Wood (one of Britain’s top pantomime producers). His daughter Emily produces Sleeping Beauty.
• Continue reading at The Weekender.
Record ticket sales have been recorded at the Marlowe Theatre as thousands of panto fans gear up for their Christmas celebrations in Canterbury.
Next Friday will mark the first performance of Sleeping Beauty, starring pop idol Gareth Gates and punk princess Toyah Willcox, with predictions of several sell-out shows throughout the seven-week stint.
60,000 tickets have already been snapped up, more than 2,000 than was sold at this time last year, with bookings taken from as far afield as the USA, Australia and South Africa. Tickets have also been bought in France, Holland, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Canada, adding a global flavour to thie year’s audiences.
Rehearsals for the production began last Monday with many making noises that it will go down in history as the city’s greatest ever pantomime. (Photo, below right © Canterbury Extra)

Stars from the Marlowe Theatre panto ‘Sleeping Beauty’ will meet fans in Canterbury on Saturday.
Cast including singers Gareth Gates, Toyah Willcox, Ben Roddy, Lloyd Hollett and Ieuan Rhys will don their costumes to take part in a meet and greet session in department store Fenwick. They will appear in the toy section of the store from 3.45pm to 4.14pm on Saturday, 24 November.
• Continue reading at Canterbury People.
Panto stars Gareth Gates and Toyah Willcox switch on Christmas lights in Canterbury
Stars of the Marlowe Theatre’s panto bathed Canterbury in light yesterday evening (Thursday), as they turned on the city’s Christmas lights.
Pop idol Gareth Gates and punk princess Toyah Willcox were among the celebs to flick the all-important switch in the city centre.
Crowds descended on St George’s Street to meet the pair, who will be appearing together in Sleeping Beauty this Christmas.
• Continue reading at This is Kent.
Toyah’s tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Changeling and Warrior Rock reached its finale at Concorde 2 on Saturday evening.
It was also brilliantly odd as our very own Choccywoccydoodah had their film crew present. Nigel Glockler, one of Toyah’s former drummers, introduced Toyah on stage, presenting her with a typically extravagant cake to celebrate the anniversary.
It was clear throughout that Toyah has a fantastic set of adoring fans. It’s not hard to see why either, with her infectious energy embracing the whole crowd.
• Continue reading at The Argus.
Canterbury’s Christmas lights will be switched on in St George’s Street on Thursday, November 15 at 5.30pm.
Herne Bay’s switch-on will be on Friday, November 16, in Mortimer Street, starting at 4pm with the lights going on at 5pm.
Whitstable’s event is on Saturday, November 17, starting with a parade from the harbour to the library at 4.45pm, followed by the switch-on at 6pm. Stars from the Marlowe Theatre pantomime Sleeping Beauty will be flicking the switch at all three events.
• Continue reading at Whitstable People.
A review of last night’s Birmingham Ballroom gig, by David Lumb at the Express & Star.
Review: Toyah Willcox, The Ballroom, Birmingham
It’s more than 30 years since Toyah Willcox launched her solo career – but anyone who thought the Birmingham singer was done and dusted has reason to think again after a headbanging performance in her home city last night.
Dozens left the warmth of their homes on a cold and wet Wednesday evening to see an intimate gig at The Ballroom. Taking to the stage in a black Chinese-style dress with an ornate headdress and boots, she kicked off the show with Good Morning Universe, before moving on to Castaways, Blue Meaning, a song she said was inspired by Tolkien and the Black Country.
• Continue reading at the Express & Star.
Pop star Gareth Gates and former punk singer Toyah Willcox headline the Marlowe Theatre’s pantomime Sleeping Beauty.
Gareth will play Prince Charming to leading lady Faye Brooks who played Elle in the UK tour of Legally Blonde, while Toyah takes up the role of the Wicked Fairy. They will be joined by Katrina Bryan, Nina in CBeebies children’s series Nina and the Neurons, and Margate-born comedian Lloyd Hollett who has supported Jim Davidson on his UK tour.
• Continue reading at This is Kent.
A new Toyah interview from the Dorset Echo.
Three decades after diminutive singer Toyah burst on to the mainstream with her crazy hair, post-punk outfits and strong, often mysterious, songs, she is back. Tonight Toyah is appearing at Bridport’s Electric Palace to perform all of her 1982 album The Changeling as well as songs from the live Warrior Rock album from the same year.
Changeling is credited as the album that gave the Goth movement a kick-start and although Goth music and style of dress is unfortunately much derided these days, Toyah is a staunch defender of the black nail varnish and velvet brigade.
“I won’t hear anything against Goths. A few years ago I toured with a musical called Vampires Rock and it had a massive support from people into Gothic music.”
• Continue reading at the Dorset Echo.
There’s a trio of great photos of Toyah at Giving To George’s.
Television presenter, singer and actress Toyah Willcox officially opened a new children’s art exhibition at St George’s Hospital in Tooting, on Friday, 19th October.
The exhibition, which is sponsored by Bedford Hill Gallery in Battersea, is a collection of paintings donated by children in Kathmandu, Nepal.
• Continue reading at Giving To George’s.
Toyah tweeted about this exhibition on Friday.
Toyah Willcox opens Tooting art exhibition created by Nepalese children
Pop legend Toyah Willcox officially opened a new art exhibition showcasing the work of Nepalese children.
Images are being displayed in The Bedford Hill Galley, located in St George’s Hospital Nicholls Ward, with the singer joined by Nepalese ambassador Dr Suresh Chalise to celebrate the opening on Friday. The artwork forms part of the Children’s Art for Children project, a charity which helps schoolchildren create art for disadvantaged children.
• Continue reading at Your Local Guardian.
Toyah Willcox brings her autumn 2012 tour The Changeling Resurrection to Bridport’s Electric Palace on Friday, October 26.
The gig celebrates the 30th anniversary of Toyah’s chart-topping albums, The Changeling, and Warrior Rock and comes hot on the heels of her acclaimed spring tour, which generated five-star reviews and sold-out shows.
With new images created especially for the tour and material not performed in 30 years, it is a true celebration and re-interpretation of one of Toyah’s finest albums, alongside many of her most well-known hit singles.
• Continue reading at the Dorset Echo.