Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

Toyah is currently voicing continuity on BBC Four’s Smashing Hits! The 80s Pop Map of Britain and Ireland. The final part of the three-episode series airs this Friday at 10pm, with a repeat late night Saturday. The first two episodes are currently available at BBC iPlayer.

Smashing Hits! The 80s Pop Map of Britain and Ireland: BBC4: Fri 20th July: 10pm
Smashing Hits! The 80s Pop Map of Britain and Ireland: BBC4: Sun 22nd July: 0.00am
Two 80s icons explore the distinct sounds that came out of different parts of Britain and Ireland in one of pop’s golden decades. Midge Ure, lead singer of Ultravox and one of the men behind Band Aid, and Kim Appleby, who had a string of hits with her sister Mel in the Stock, Aitken and Waterman-produced band Mel and Kim, go on a journey back in time to the 80s to figure out why certain cities produced their own diverse tunes.

• Further info/Watch the episodes at BBC iPlayer.

Listen out for a number of forthcoming Toyah radio interviews, just confirmed by the Breaking Through newsletter. These will be promotion for the 80s Invasion Tour 2017.

Toyah is guesting on Jo Good’s BBC Radio London show this Friday (9th September). The programme begins at 1pm.

There will also be Toyah interviews on BBC Surrey, BBC Hereford, BBC Stoke, Metro Radio, Gaydio and Talk Radio. As well as another visit to Sara Cox’s Sounds of the 80s on BBC Radio 2.

Thunder In The Mountains is included on a new three-disc CD (and download) compilation, Rewind – The 80s Album, released this Monday, 4th August.

The soundtrack to you Rewind Festival filled summer is here… This 3CD collection features a decade of classic pop hits from some of the most talented acts and Rewind performers past and present, all laced with nothing but pure nostalgia. Including Rick Astley, Chesney Hawkes, Jason Donovan, The Human League, Go West, Kool & The Gang, Earth, Wind & Fire plus loads more.

The enduring, and classic, Thunder In The Mountains, which thanks to Nick Tauber’s amazing production skills still sounds as fresh today as it did 33 years ago, is the final track on Disc Two of the collection.

• View further info on the CD set, at the Rewind Festival website. It’s available to order/buy at Amazon.

A new interview with Toyah, from the Yorkshire Times, ahead of the Sounds Of The 80s gigs later this month.

BBC Radio 2 presenter Gary Davies has announced a nationwide 2024 tour for the live version of his show Sounds of the 80s, which will include an appearance from Toyah.

Ahead of the tour, Toyah spoke to the Yorkshire Times.

What can people expect when they come to the Sounds of the 80s show?

Anyone who attends one of the evenings will find an atmosphere where the audience can be themselves dancing and singing to their favourite tracks from a classic period in pop music. There was such a broad spectrum of music at the time from artists like Bananarama, Prince, and T’Pau, among others, including myself.

I think what will work beautifully is that the stage will be constantly active. Gary will be on there plus the dancers, and a stage set that is Gary’s Radio 2 studio and there will also be live performances from myself and other artists such as Carol Decker from T’Pau and Denise Pearson from 5 Star.

Why do you think the 1980s were such a golden period for popular music?

It was all very hedonistic, none of us thought beyond the 80s. It was difficult in the 90s to sell music from the previous decade, but that all changed with the Millennium. People wanted to hear all those iconic songs again. Part of the success of those tracks is the narrative of the songs; we really were traditional song writers then, writing about people’s attitudes and what they needed in their lives.

So, Toyah, tell us about your best 80s memories.

There were many good memories appearing on Top of the Pops. One of the happiest memories is the magnitude of what we did. For instance, on Christmas Eve in 1981, I played the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, which went out live on television, bringing in twelve million viewers, which at the time was phenomenal.

• Continue reading at the Yorkshire Times. Further information and ticket links available at toyahwillcox.com.

Gary Davies posted at X, and shared this great retro shot from 1987: “Excited to be reunited with Toyah when she will be our special guest on our BBC Radio 2 Sounds of the 80s Live Tour Shows“… (Photo © Gary Davies)

• Toyah’s Painted Giraffe: “Touch The Wishing Stars” raised £8000 for Toyah’s mother’s hospice and is now placed permanently in the memorial garden at St. Richards Worcester – News Source – Toyah’s Nov 2018 Blog…

• Worcester Stands Tall: Browse all our past news on Toyah’s painted giraffe here… (Photo © Toyah Willcox)

• Toyah at Twitter: Studio day with Simon Darlow for very important release in 2019 – See the tweet…

• Toyah Releases 2019: Two new singles have been confirmed as being released by Toyah next year – News Source – Express & Star Interview…

• Edinburgh Evening News/Liam Rudden: My right ankle and left knee told me it hadn’t been a good idea to ‘pogo’ at Manchester’s Ruby Lounge on Friday. The occasion was the first of Toyah’s 60th Birthday gigs, though she looks a fraction of her age. The same could not be said for the vintage teenagers who turned out to see her – Continue reading…

• Acoustic, Up Close & Personal 2019: Toyah is playing the West End Centre, 48 Queens Road, Aldershot on 15th March 2019 – More info/Book tickets…

• Toyah at Twitter: FABULOUS SOLD OUT GIG & FINALE to the Toyah60 Tour @O2Islington last night. Great vibe & wonderful friends – See some backstage photos…

• Toyah60 – Finale:  Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard) – O2 Academy Islington – 4/11/18 – Watch/Listen…

• BBC iPlayer Radio: There’s still a great selection of past Toyah at BBC Radio content currently available to listen to at BBC iPlayer Radio; Great Lives: Toyah Willcox on Katharine Hepburn (originally aired in September 2015), Ramblings: Toyah takes Clare Balding for a walk in Worcestershire (February 2013), Woman’s Hour: Toyah on being a punk (February 2012), A Good Read: Book reviews (March 1998), and Saturday Live: Toyah’s shares her secret life (August 2011), Inheritance Tracks: Two of Toyah’s favourite songs (April 2017), Woman’s Hour: Toyah talks punk classic Jubilee reimagined for the stage (February 2018), Ramblings: Toyah guest presents ‘The Same Walk 365 Times’ (October 2013), The Reunion: Women of Punk (April 2017), Sounds Of The 80s: Toyah on the 80s (February 2014).

• The Northern Echo: Acoustic, Up Close: The once rebellious, wild woman of the British mainstream pop scene with her dangerously pink hair and fire in her eyes, Toyah Willcox still oozes charisma. I wonder if she and David Bowie had the same hairdresser? – Continue reading…

• Live 2016: There are still a number of gigs and appearances taking place through the remainder of October – See Toyah’s Official Gig page…

• Kaleidoscope Man: Tanks vs Aliens – Let Battle Commence!: Finally, after 4 years of dreaming and planning, I am delighted to tell you that we’ve finally completed the one part of the movie I was truly terrified about doing. The tanks vs aliens battle scenes – Continue reading…

• Sounds Of The 80s: Toyah chose Voodoo Doll as her 80s b-side on BBC Radio 2. There’s still time to listen to the show at BBC iPlayer…

• Great Yarmouth Film Festival: Toyah guested at this event at the end of September, introducing Quadrophenia.

• Crime and Punishment: The final performance of Crime and Punishment took place at The Scoop Theatre on 24th September…

• Classic Hits: Genesis Keyboardist Tony Banks Says New Solo Box Set Features “a Lot of Good Music”: Banks worked with a variety of well-known musicians on his solo albums, including such singers as ex-Marillion frontman Fish, Nik Kershaw and Toyah Willcox, and acclaimed drummers like Steve Gadd, Vinnie Colaiuta and longtime Genesis touring member Chester Thompson – Continue reading…

• Nerdly: Frightfest 2015: First look at Steve Oram’s ‘Aaaaaaaah!’: The debut feature of actor Steve Oram (Sightseers, TV’s Glue), Aaaaaaaah! stars Julian Barratt, Toyah Willcox, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Steve Oram, Lucy Honigman, Tom Meeten and Sean Reynard. The supporting cast include Noel Fielding, Holli Dempsey, Shelley Longworth, Alice Lowe, Tony Way and Waen Shepherd. Aaaaaaaah!, written and directed by Steve Oram, produced by Andy Starke and executive produced by Ben Wheatley, will have it’s world premiere at FrightFest on August 28th with many of the cast and crew in attendance. A few tickets are still available www.frightfest.co.uk – Continue reading…

• Get Reading: Famous faces spotted at Rewind Festival over the years: Rewind South: The 80s Festival, which attracts 40,000 fans each year, will return to Temple Island Meadows on Friday, August 21, to Sunday, August 23… Toyah Willcox at Rewind 2011 – Continue reading…

• Eastbourne Herald: Eastbourne gets ready for Vulcan’s swan-song at Airbourne: at the Bandstand, evening concerts include Big Band Night on Thursday and the legendary pop-punk princess Toyah, on Friday. BBC South East Today also broadcast live from the show from 6.30pm on Friday, as their Festival Friday tour hits town – Continue reading…

• The Toyah Willcox Interview Archive: Read full transcripts of Toyah’s recent interviews on BBCR2’s Sounds Of The 80s and BBC Radio Derby – Go read…

A decade of music and four seasons of weather were rolled into one at Rewind Festival at the weekend.

But neither the hail, rain nor wind could dampen the spirits of the 35,000 crowd, who were determined to have a blast at the fifth 80s festival at Scone Palace. And every now and then, just to brighten the mood even more, the sun shone.

However, as the hail and rain battered down, the bands played on and the enthusiastic, mostly middle-aged, crowd sang and danced their way through what were near monsoon conditions at times. Old favourites such as Kid Creole, Howard Jones, Hue and Cry, Dave Edmunds, Nik Kershaw, Belinda Carlisle and Kim Wilde were among those getting everyone rocking to the classic sounds of the 80s.

(Caption: Toyah (top) was one of the hosts who introduced, among others, Kid Creole and Clare Grogan.)

• Continue reading here. (Thanks to Sharon Dickson for the scan)

Hear music star Toyah Willcox sharing her fave Sounds of the 80s with the lovely Sara Cox! Check out Toyah in the 80s when she had a slightly different look for our contribution to this week’s #throwbackthursday

• BBC Who’s in Today?: Check out Toyah Willcox in for Sounds of the 80s on BBC Radio 2 with Sara Cox – we’re celebrating ‪#‎TBT‬ in her honour! – Visit the Who’s in Today? Facebook…

• BBC Who’s in Today?: Visit the Who’s in Today? project website…

• Tony Banks: A Chord Too Far: More info on the forthcoming boxset which includes Toyah’s Lion Of Symmetry – Continue reading…

• Brave New World: Some of us never tire of Toyah’s iconic/unforgettable/still relevant 1982 image – Check out what Mark Wallis Design has done with the single sleeve…

• Celluloid Wickerman: Alchemical Magic in Derek Jarman’s The Tempest (1979): Forever a cinematic alchemist – a sage that conjured and devoured celluloid before the eventual ritualistic sacrifice- Derek Jarman is the perfect suitor to Shakespeare’s The Tempest (1979); a play whose heart is bathed in the tragedy and power of magic – Continue reading…

• Sounds Of The 80s: Toyah’s ‘I Want To Be Free’ was included on the playlist of Sounds Of The 80s on BBC Radio 2 at the weekend, and repeated in the early hours of today – Listen to the show, for the next four weeks (BBC iPlayer, the TV and radio catch-up service, has just extended its programme availability from one week to 30 days), at BBC iPlayer…

• The Talent Zone: Toyah Willcox showcased her home on Through The Keyhole: The actress and eighties music legend, allowed Lemon to roam around her home getting up to all sorts including allowing Toyah’s pet rabbit to break her rather expensive guitar – Continue reading…

• Music For Stowaways: British Rock & Pop Awards 1979-1981: From 1982 (confusingly the 1981 ceremony thanks to the year numbering) onwards, the British Rock & Pop Awards were happening concurrently with the British Record Industry Awards (later the BPI Awards, and even later the BRIT Awards) – Continue reading…

• John’s Look-Out: Reboot…1981 No.49… Here you go with another issue, it’s No.49 – A classic Toyah ‘Look-In’ cover from 1981 – View here…

• Edinburgh Evening News: Enjoy the creative genius of Jarman: Liam Rudden: Like many of my generation, it was the 1978 film Jubilee that introduced me to the work of film-maker, artist and gardener, Derek Jarman. Now considered a cult classic, it featured a very young Toyah Willcox, equally youthful Adam Ant, and starred Jenny Runacre and Edinburgh’s own Ian Charleson – Continue reading…

• Flexipop! Facebook: Toyah had a decent showing in the Top Tens you sent in for the Flexipop! Readers’ Ultimate Top 40 Singles Of The 80’s Chart with Thunder In The Mountains being the most popular choice. Released in 1981, it was her eighth UK single and not included on an album at the time – Continue reading…

• Sounds Of The 80s: View a full transcript of Toyah’s recent BBC Radio 2 interview at The Toyah Willcox Interview Archive…

• Get Bucks: Bowie fan celebrates Friars anniversary after catching the star’s shirt: The exhibition also features… the classic double neck guitar used by Genesis founder Mike Rutherford, Howard Jones’s 1983 Moog keyboard rig, and an amplifier used by U2, a stage costume worn by Toyah Willcox, and Lol Coxhill’s saxophones – Continue reading…

• Queer Pagan Punk: BFI Derek Jarman retrospective: As mentioned yesterday, Toyah guested at this event last night. She tweeted: “fabulous night at @BFI Southbank Jarman retrospective. Loved it. The audience really liked The Tempest“.

• My Vintage: It’s a great upcoming weekend for Toyah fans, not only is she guesting on Sounds Of The 80s (see below) but Sunday sees the premiere of the My Vintage, Toyah and Robert special, which I know a lot of people are looking forward to seeing.

• Sounds Of The 80s: BBC Radio 2: Toyah guests on this show on Saturday night. Toyah tweeted on Tuesday: “I’m Sara cox’s special guest on this sat’s sounds of the 80s @BBCRadio2 10pm“. Listen live at the Radio 2 website or catch up at BBC iPlayer post-broadcast.

• Live 2014: Toyah played her first live date of the year on Sunday. A PA at the Ultimate 80s show in Skegness, with a host of other 80s bands. She tweeted: “In skeggy. Just met Annabelle from Bow Wow Wow 4 1st time! Musical Youth think im a Toyah Impersonator. BOYS! Lol“.

• Busy Toyah!: This “newsy bits” update wouldn’t have been possible without Twitter. Our penultimate post is this tweet from Toyah on how busy she is: “Crazy 2 weeks. Feel like I’m on a bob sleigh run with no shoes on! Acoustic rehearsal\press\tv\scripts\talks….Aaaahhhhhhhhhh“.

• Photos: View larger versions of each of the photos above at Twitter, Instagram and The Official Toyah Website, respectively. (Photos 1&3 © Toyah Willcox Ltd, 2 © Vintage TV)

Catch up on a selection of Toyah BBC interviews at The Toyah Willcox Interview Archive.

As well as full transcripts, and related photos, of each interview there’s also a link to listen to each interview too.

BBC Radio Two: Sounds Of The 80’s: 19th July 2025
Gary Davies interviews Toyah • Read/Listen here…

BBC Breakfast: August 2025
Jon Kay and Sarah Campbell interview Toyah • Read/Listen here…

BBC Radio Two: Scott Mills Breakfast Show: 8th August 2025
Scott interviews Toyah • Read/Listen here…

BBC Radio Two: Tracks Of My Years: 1st September 2025
Vernon Kay interviews Toyah • Read/Listen here…

BBC Radio London: Carrie & David Grant: 13th September 2025
David and Carrie interview Toyah • Read/Listen here…

• Click to visit the archive. Find links to all of the new, and previous, transcripts on the right hand sidebar of the blog/website.

A new four-part radio documentary series – The Women Who Rock! – begins airing on Sunday 12th October, and it looks like Toyah will be participating in each episode.

Celebrate National Album Day with “The Women Who Rock!,” a four-part series that showcases the female rockstars who conquered a predominantly male influenced genre . From Grace Slick and Nico in the 60s, Patti Smith and Stevie Nicks in the 70s to Joan Jett and Chrissie Hynde in the 80s and Dolores O’Riordan and Skin in the 90s, this programme delves into the music, stories, and cultural impact of these musicians. Each episode is hosted by a legendary Radio 2 presenter, providing insights and interviews with contributions from Wendy James, Susannah Hoffs, Suzi Quatro, Toyah Willcox and PP Arnold and many more.

The Women Who Rock!: BBC Radio Two: Sunday 12th October: 00.00am
Episode 1: The 60s. Presented by Tony Blackburn, begins with a look at the groundbreaking 60s, where Tina Turner, Grace Slick, Nico, PP Arnold and Janis Joplin led the charge when it came to rock vocals.

The Women Who Rock!: BBC Radio Two: Sunday 12th October: 00.30am
Episode 2: The 70s. Bob Harris takes us through the 70s, focusing on the rise of rock giants like Stevie Nicks, Pattie Smith, Suzi Quatro, Christine McVie, Debbie Harry, who influenced a generation.

The Women Who Rock!: BBC Radio Two: Sunday 19th October: 00.00am
Episode 3: The 80s. Gary Davies, takes us into the 80s, where Belinda Carlisle, Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, Wendy James and Chrissie Hynde achieve massive success with their infectious pop rock sounds.

The Women Who Rock!: BBC Radio Two: Sunday 19th October: 00.30am
Episode 4: The 90s. Jo Whiley wraps up the series in the 90s with Skin, Courtney Love, Shirley Manson, Alanis Morrisette and Dolores O’Riordan who captivated rock and indie audiences.

All next week, Toyah chooses her ‘Tracks of My Years’ on BBC Radio 2 with Vernon Kay (Gary Davies sits on for Vernon on Monday’s show).

Vernon Kay Show: BBC Radio 2: Mon – Fri: 9.30am
Toyah. Toyah chooses her Tracks Of My Years. 80s icon Toyah takes us on her 10-song journey all this week on Tracks Of My Years.

• Catch it each day commencing Monday 1st September on Vernon’s daily BBC Radio Two show – beginning on Monday morning – or hear the entire selection in one programme on BBC Sounds from Sunday 31 August. (Photo © BBC)

National Album Day Organisers Hail Impact Of 2020 Event

The third edition of National Album Day, held last Saturday, 10th October, has been hailed the most successful yet by industry figures and by its joint organisers, the BPI and The Entertainment Retailers Association, with the impact reflected in the Official Vinyl Charts, the Official Album Charts and sales overall as well as across media and socials.

Presented in association with broadcast partner BBC Sounds and audio partner Bowers & Wilkins, National Album Day celebrates our love of the album, the continuing importance of the format, and the personal stories artists can share through the artform. This year the day paid tribute to the musically rich decade of the 1980s, supported by a host of artist ambassadors and album platforms such as Tim’s Twitter Listening Parties and Classic Album Sundays.

• Continue reading at bpi.co.uk.

Toyah guested on BBC Radio London’s David & Carrie Grant show yesterday morning. The show was guest hosted by Jumoke Fashola.

Singer Toyah Willcox looks ahead to an 80s drive-in music experience which aims to help raise money for Help Musicians and celebrating the re-opening of Alexandra Palace with Chief Executive Louise Stewart.

• Listen online to the show, for the next four weeks, at BBC Sounds.

• Yorkshire Times: Let’s Rock Announce On Line 80’s Lockdownfest2: Following the huge success of the first 80s LockdownFest last month, Let’s Rock have announced a second online festival, 80s LockdownFest2, happening on Friday 3rd July from 7:00pm – Continue reading…

• Glastonbury/PRS for Music: Rewatch Toyah’s 2016 Interview which has just been added to PRS for Music’s Glasto Playlist – Toyah Willcox chats to M magazine in the PRS for Music tent at Glastonbury 2016 about her creative highs, early inspirations and ongoing love affair with songwriting – Continue watching…

• The Audiophile Man: Vinyl Review Round-Up #1: Reviews of Toyah’s recent vinyl releases, including Minx, Prostitute and Ophelia’s Shadow – Watch here (from 8.04)…

• Octopus TV: Andrew Eborn is joined by Chris Wong who talks about his life and career including as Toyah Willcox’s musical director and guitarist, working with Toyah in The Humans along with REM’s Bill Rieflin and 25 years in panto at Marlowe Theatre where he has played the Ghostbusters theme tune over 13,500 times! – Continue watching…

• Jools Holland: Toyah chooses her favourite acts: if anyone missed this when it aired or was available on BBC Sounds, you can listen to it here…

Toyah guested on Alex Dyke’s Wall of Sound on BBC Radio Solent yesterday, talking about the Electric Ladies Of The 80s Tour, Toyah Solo, career longevity and more. It’s A Mystery and Thunder In The Mountains were also played at either end of the chat.

Toyah Willcox: Alex chats to Toyah about her upcoming show in Wimborne

• Toyah’s interview begins around 39m into the show and is available for the next four weeks at BBC Sounds.