Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

• A rare contact sheet of photos, taken at the Nordoff-Robins Musical Therapy lunch in 1983, is currently up for auction at ebay. Toyah is included in some of the photos.

• The Wrath Of Blog: Review #595: ‘Jubilee’ (1978): One particular group, consisting of, amongst others, Amyl Nitrate (Jordan), Mad (Toyah Willcox), Bod (Runacre in a dual role), Crabs (Nell Campbell) and Chaos (Hermine Demoriane), tend to spend their time smashing cars, having sex, participating in the odd murder, and generally giving the two-finger salute to anything resembling conformity.

• This Blackmore Vale: Have a girls’ night out with Toyah Willcox at Poole Lighthouse: Rock star and actress Toyah Willcox heads the cast of Hormonal Housewives at Poole Lighthouse next Thursday, 28th March.

• Noel’s House Party: A clip from the 1990’s of Toyah guesting, and being gunged, on Noel’s House Party, alongside John Stapleton and Nick Owen.

• Jelly: Troubador, Wizard, Queen and Machine – The band launch their debut album on 11th May at the “Punk ‘N’ Roll Rendez Vous” at The Unicorn in Camden.

• It’s the final couple of days of, the first part of, James and Lärwi’s Toyah Song Poll. Voting closes tomorrow so there’s still time to get involved. The top two from each album will then be voted on to find fans current favourite song. It’s not going to be a Top 50 as I, incorrectly, previously mentioned, more likely to be either a Top 20 or 15! Vote here.

• Entertainment Focus: Hormonal Housewives returns to Woking: Hormonal Housewives is returning to Woking’s New Victoria Theatre for one night only on Monday 18th March. Toyah Willcox and Julie Coombe star in the hilarious show which will features all-new sketches and all the best bits from the successful 2012 tour. Written by Julie and her husband John McIsaac, Hormonal Housewives looks at everything that makes today’s women tick…

• You Tube: Two clips of Toyah, possibly from around 2008, in fine voice playing It’s A Mystery and I Want To Be Free with The Subs have just been uploaded to ‘You Tube’. These clips are filmed from various angles and edited professionally but I’m not sure where they originate from.

• The Changeling Resurrection II: Anyone For a T? If you didn’t manage to get a t-shirt from the autumn tour, there are now some limited stock for sale online. All T-shirts are signed too! Get in quick if you would like one.

• Slightly late for the panto season that has just gone, but Toyah’s panto-themed guest appearance on Gloria Hunniford’s Open House has just been uploaded to You Tube. This originally aired on Channel 5 in December 2002.

• Cumbria Crack: Hormonal Houswives: With previous Hormonal Housewives including Margi Clark and Carol Smillie, this year the ladies are led by British pop icon Toyah Willcox and writer Julie Coombe, with further casting to be announced.

• Toyah paid tribute to Reg Presley of The Troggs, who died on Monday: “Dear Reg Presley God Bless You. A true wonderful legend. U will b missed“.

• Birmingham Mail: Birmingham Cluedo inventor to be honoured on Kings Heath Walk of Fame: Another mention for Toyah and more news on plans for the KH WOF.

• Portrait Records: A history of the label Toyah was signed to for around 18 months in the mid-1980s has just been updated at Wikipedia: In 1985, British singer Toyah released her album Minx on the Portrait label.

• Vents Magazine: Dutch pop-rockband Chabliz, who play adventurous alternative rock, popnoir and gothicjazz, cite Toyah as one of their musical influences in a new interview at ‘Vents Magazine’.

• The Changeling Resurrection: Lots of video footage of Toyah’s gig at The Tunnels Bristol last April has been added to You Tube over the last couple of days.

• Channel 4 News: Is Punk Back From The Dead? is now available to watch at You Tube. As a new book is published featuring the origins of punk music in the lower east side of New York, Katie Razzall looks at how Punk magazine changed life in Britain.

• FM: The epsiode of FM in which Toyah makes a, very, brief appearance, but is mentioned a lot, has recently been uploaded in full at You Tube. Series One, Episode Two – System Addict: The group try to stick to some new resolutions: Dom gives up booze, Jane gives up cigarettes, and Lindsay gives up giving up on girls. Featuring a performance by The Wombats, and guest appearance by Toyah Willcox.

• Back To The 80s: The Ultimate Megamix Of The Year: A 43-minute mix which includes ‘I Want To Be Free’ (or “Upside Down”) and ‘Thunder In The Mountains’ and numerous other great tunes from 1981.

• Absolute 80s Radio: ‘It’s A Mystery’ has just been played this afternoon on AR. Apparently the ‘I Want To Be Free’ video is also being shown a lot on Vintage TV at the moment. (Thanks Michael)

• The Visitors: No, not ABBA’s 1981 album… The hits to Dreamscape last night and this morning have went through the roof. Always great news when the site is busy, though this time a large chuck of the visitors have arrived after searching for “wagon’s den geordie shore charlotte” or similar!!

It’s become a tradition over the years for Dreamscape to put together an “ad” for Toyah’s latest release… So, here’s one for ‘Sensational’. Available at iTunes, Amazon etc… Click here to view a larger version and below to watch the video at You Tube.

Rather than celebrating the fact that almost 40 years into her career Toyah is still making music, releasing videos and imagery, entertaining her fans (is there anybody else from the New Wave era that is still so busy and visible that a news website about them can be updated almost every day?) and much more, there seems to be even more negativity swirling around than usual, especially regarding the video for ‘Sensational’. Check out the video on You Tube for Toyah’s feelings on the matter!

• The new video for Toyah’s Sensational has just been released. Here is another clip featuring the song, uploaded to You Tube a couple of years ago, featuring footage from The Sarah Jane Adventures. There’s also a SJA video set to It’s A Mystery, and a Doctor Who one too!

• Dangerous Minds: Punk Rock, Now More Than Ever: The Gospel According To Henry Rollins And Various Old Punks: I’m no Henry Rollins fan but when he’s good he can be very good, as he is in this short piece on punk rock, Is Punk Back From The Dead?, that was broadcast on British TV recently. The clip also includes some thoughts on punk from John Holmstrom, Tony James (Generation X), Mark Perry (Sniffin’ Glue) and Toyah Willcox. The consensus: punk now more than ever!

• Pun Based Name: Copy? Compliment? Coincidence?: For whatever reason, lots of album covers seem to pay tribute to lots of other ones… 15. Kate Bush – Never For Ever (EMI, 1980) & Toyah – Anthem (Safari, 1981): Anthem was probably Toyah’s best album; a nice mix of post-punk and new wave/synth pop influences.

• Leamington Courier: Family fun, theatre, comedy and music live in Leamington: Toyah Willcox will star in Hormonal Housewives, a comedy evening of sketches covering what makes women tick – or ticked off.

• In Concert 1981/Rebel Run Tour 1983: Low quality, but still really good, fan radio and concert recordings of War Boys, Neon Womb and I Explode at You Tube.

The full length video for Sensational was released this morning. Uplifting song, great visuals!

Yes, this is a word in your ear… Just uploaded to You Tube. Excellent quality footage of Toyah performing ‘We Are’, on German music programme RockPop, in 1981. Amazing! (Why didn’t British music shows emblazon huge photos of Toyah as backdrops?)

• Toyah’s appearance on last night’s Channel 4 News saw an increase in visitors to Dreamscape, certainly our busiest day for a while. Unfortunately a high-profile appearance also brings out the keypad warriors of Twitter, questioning whether Toyah was “punk”. There’s something slightly hilarious about people associated with punk nitpicking about who was more punk! Wasn’t that the sort of petty, elitist, judgemental way of thinking punk was fighting against?

• You Tube: Fart For Your Rights: Toyah tweeted on Monday: “Take note, my hubby’s response to no royalty payments“.

• You Tube: It’s A Mystery and I Want To Be Free – Acoustic covers of two Toyah classics by Danny McEvoy.

• This is Sussex: Go on and have a bit of a laugh this year: The Hormonal Housewives are back, and this time they mean business.

• WS County Times: Comedy classics at the Hawth: The Hormonal Housewives are back, plus this time Toyah Willcox takes on a leading role.

BBC Breakfast Time went on air 30 years ago this morning. The original programme logo and memorable theme tune still remind me of getting ready for school.

Toyah has guested on the programme numerous times over the years: In 1983, talking about ‘Love Is The Law’ and The Ebony Tower; in 1985, around ‘Minx’ time, talking about a tour that didn’t happen (see below); in 1987, talking about ‘Desire’ and Cabaret; in 2007, talking about panto in Reading and in 2008, talking about Vampires Rock.

BBC Breakfast is celebrating 30 years of broadcasting with a trip down memory lane

Considered a “huge risk” when it launched on 17 January 1983, Breakfast Time was the UK’s first regular national breakfast show. Famous for its magazine-style approach, it combined news and lighter features. The 30th anniversary show will feature appearances from some of the original team.

Introduced two weeks before rival broadcaster ITV’s TV-am with David Frost, Breakfast Time hoped to lure audiences away from radio with a combination of news, travel information and lifestyle segments. Although breakfast TV had been the staple diet in the US for three decades, the British public was wary of the innovation in 1983.

• Continue reading at BBC News. View Toyah’s 1985 Breakfast Time appearance below.

The official trailer for The Power Of Three, the film Toyah made a couple of years ago, is available to watch at You Tube. Toyah plays one of the lead characters in the film, which will be released on DVD at some point soon. View larger versions of the screen caps here.

Neil Tennant’s Smash Hits Christmas aired on ‘BBC Radio 2’ on the 20th December. An interesting look back at the golden years of the magazine, including contributions from Toyah, talking about ‘Smash Hits’ in general as well as her iconic “Brave New World” cover from 1982. The programme has now been deleted from iPlayer and isn’t being repeated any time soon. Click below to listen to a recording of the programme that’s recently been added to You Tube.

This year is the 30th anniversary of Smash Hits’ “Free Christmas Record (12 Minutes of Festive Fun)”, a flexi that was attached to the December 9-22, 1982 issue. The full magazine has just been uploaded to the Smash Hits Archive. Click below to listen – Toyah arrives at 4.46, inbetween Martin Fry of ABC and Steve Strange of Visage. Too-de-loo!!

I think I’ve mentioned I Believe in Father Christmas every December for the last 13 years, so here we go again… Toyah covers the Greg Lake 1975 classic (which I didn’t realise also features Robert Fripp until Toyah mentioned it this week on Toyah’s Christmas at the Zoo) for ITV’s Pop Goes Christmas in 1982. She sounds great, looks amazing and Keith Hale and Joel Bogen are having a right old festive time in the forest of lit up trees. Bravo!

• Three Of A Kind: Tracey Ullman recreates Toyah’s I Want To Be Free promo video back in the early 80s. (Thanks to Stephen Bennett Troake)

• Lorraine: Toyah tweeted a photo from the filming of ITV1’s Lorraine earlier this week. As far as I’m aware the footage hasn’t been shown yet. Maybe it will be this morning.

• Heart: Appear in the Panto: For one night only you will appear alongside Gareth Gates, Toyah Willcox and Katrina Bryan. You could be staring on stage in this years Panto – Sleeping Beauty at the Marlowe Theatre Canterbury. For the evening performance on Thursday 20th December you will be in the panto alongside Toyah Willcox and Gareth Gates.

• Under Ground Theatre, Eastbourne: Jubilee: A film with attitude, features punk icons Adam Ant and Toyah Willcox. (The 35th anniversary of the film – Showing on Thursday 25th April 2013 – Visit the cinema’s website)

• Don’t Talk To Me About Heroes: A great, and rare, Toyah photo from 1980 on a t-shirt!

• Like Punk Never Happened: Smash Hits Archive: November 25 – December 8 1982 issue. A so-so review of Warrior Rock by Fred Dellar – Direct link here.

• Pop Quiz: One day till December, time to try to get into the festive spirit (vodka?), here’s the full edition of Toyah on BBC1’s Pop Quiz, Christmas Eve 1984. (View larger versions of the screen caps here).

• SOS Film Photography Sound: A rare photo of Toyah and the artist PJ Crook.

• An excellent selection of footage from the final Changeling Resurrection II Brighton gig at Concorde2 was uploaded yesterday to ‘You Tube’ at the brilliant Toyah Fan Videos channel: The Packt, Dawn Chorus, Obsolete, Latex Messiah (Viva La Rebel in You), Castaways, Angel and Me, Blue Meanings, Thunder In The Mountains, Danced, Good Morning Universe are all now online. There are more to come too!

• We still have a two month chunk of 2012 left and already live Toyah dates for 2013 are appearing: Toyah will be headlining the 70’s & 80’s Weekend at St Audries Bay Holday Club, West Quantoxhead, Somerset: Friday 1st – Monday 4th March 2013. Info & Booking: Tel: 07407 635 802, Email: boogienites55@yahoo.com (Thanks to Rob Wenham)

• Tomorrow Calling: I had completely forgotten that Colin Salmon of Doctor Who, James Bond & much more fame, and just voted off Strictly Come Dancing last Saturday starred with Toyah in Tomorrow Calling, the Short & Curlies CH4/British Screen film that was shot in Blackpool, London and at Pinewood in 1993. (Thanks Rachel)

A slightly different version of ‘Ghosts In The Universe’ from Toyah’s 1988 album Prostitute has recently been uploaded to You Tube. It isn’t vastly different but it certainly isn’t the same as the version available on the album. (Thanks to secondsish)

Two more: Waiting (Goodbye Mankind) and Last Goodbye. Unsure if these “slightly different” versions of well-known Toyah songs are fan “mixed” or not.

Live footage from two recent Changeling Resurrection II gigs: Ieya at The Horn in St Albans (1st November) and Our Movie at The Electric Palace in Bridport (26th October). Click on either below to view at ‘You Tube’. (Thanks to Kevin Tucker & Stephen Bennett Troake)

Great footage of Toyah onstage at Islington Academy, London, last Saturday performing ‘Good Morning Universe’. Click below to view at You Tube. (Thanks to Damon King)

• More TCRII footage: Creepy Room at Glasgow’s Classic Grand (12th Oct – Thanks to Sharon Dickson) and It’s A Mystery at Islington Academy (20th Oct – Thanks again to Damon)

Screen caps from the trailer for the forthcoming Doctor Who DVD set The Legacy Box. Click here to view larger versions of the caps and below to view the trailer at You Tube.

Gered Mankowitz took some iconic, and memorable, photos of Toyah at the height of her, and the band’s, pop career in the early 1980s. A brief clip of him talking about working with Kate Bush and Toyah has recently been uploaded to You Tube. (Thanks to Stephen Bennett Troake)

British Gered Mankowitz, one of the world’s most prominent photographers in the music and artistic world. Here he talks about what it was like to work with Kate Bush & Toyah Willcox. His iconic images of The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Eurythmics, Marianne Faithfull and Kate Bush have become historic pieces of history that graced hundreds of magazine & album covers.