The excellent I Was A Teenage Toyah Fan is currently available in paperback from lulu.com for £5 + P&P. Use the coupon code SPARK to save a further 20% off the listed price. This represents the cheapest opportunity to buy the paperback since it was published in late 2011 (Offer ends 8th March 2013 at 11:59pm).
• View Dreamscape’s recent news on I Was A Teenage Toyah Fan.
Last month the complete Safari Records/Intergalactic Ranchhouse/Toyah Fan Club photo collection was added to Dreamscape’s Gallery. I’ve now finally also added a thumbnail link to the page on the Gallery menu.
The full collection of “Intergalactic Ranchhouse” and “Toyah Fan Club” photos, which originally accompanied the regular newsletters, were mailed out to fan club subscribers between 1980 and ’86.
There are also a few pre and post-fan club/official Toyah photos included too. (Thanks to Andi Westhorpe for the IRH/TFC collection. Thanks also to Paul Lomas)
Toyah’s March blog is available to read at toyahwillcox.com.
Over a decade ago Dreamscape reported that Toyah was regularly appearing in Eastenders.
Eagle-eyed viewers of one of Britain’s favourite (and most depressing!) soaps spotted the classic Quadrophenia poster showing up regularly onscreen on Billy Mitchell’s wall.
In January 2012 Damon King sent us photos of the Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! (K-Tel) album he had spotted on one of the market stalls and now, the ultimate… one of the greatest live albums… Warrior Rock hits Elstree/Walford!!! Click on the photos to zoom. (Thanks again to Damon and also to Larwi)
Unfortunately it looks like Toyah won’t be guesting on The Wright Stuff today, despite being advertised as doing so on Channel 5’s website all week.
The guest for this morning’s show was announced as Maggie Philbin at the end of yesterday’s programme. It did seem odd, as Toyah was appearing in Hormonal Housewives in Ipswich last night and is in Kings Lynn tonight.
• Every little thing that you say or do… I couldn’t resist giving yesterday’s photo of Toyah as Madonna, circa Hung Up/Confessions On A Dancefloor, a bit of a makeover. Time goes by, so slowly! Click to zoom!
• Toyah has tweeted about the first night of Hormonal Housewives: “An exceptionally good First night. Great audience, great show. WOW! Loving it“. Toyah fan Jacqui Keeler saw the show last night in Bromley and loved it, saying Toyah is full of energy.
• Hormonal Housewives second show is tonight at the Ipswich Regent Theatre.
• PR Newswire: Toyah is mentioned (as a supporter of previous BUAV campaigns) in this press release today: Joanna Lumley, Twiggy, Jenny Seagrove, Chrissie Hynde and Kimberly Wyatt Join Cruelty Free International to Celebrate the End of Animal Cosmetics Testing in Europe
• Toyah fan Vanessa has named her gorgeous new goat after one of her favourite female singers. The newly christened Toyah not only now shares the same name but also has very similar looking Changeling horns too. (Thanks to Vanessa)
Following their hugely successful 2012 tour, Toyah Willcox and Julie Coombe star in the hilariously funny Hormonal Housewives, which returns to the New Victoria Theatre, Woking, with all-new sketches as well as all the best bits for one night only on Monday March 18, at 7.30pm.
A side-splitting evening – what they can’t teach you about modern woman-hood isn’t worth knowing.
• Continue reading at Get Surrey.
Visit Dreamscape at Facebook for even more Toyah! The FB page mostly features “Classic Toyah” posts, sharing photos of Toyah from the past, along with occasional up-to-date news. There are already 100s of Toyah photos to browse. Please “like” the page too – Thanks!
Sporadic “Classic Toyah” content will still be posted here, along with the latest news updates.
Toyah’s interview with ‘What’s On’ magazine, published on Saturday, is now also available at Kent Online.
From chart-topping 1980s punk princess to her current racy role as a hormonal housewife, with a stint hosting Songs of Praise along the way, Toyah Willcox has always defied convention. And the feisty 54-year-old has no intention of slowing down, as Kathryn Tye found out.
It would be a brave man who ventures out for a night at the theatre with the Hormonal Housewives. The comedy show, featuring an all-female cast, comprises a series of sketches on everything that makes today’s woman tick – or ticked off – from the trials of dealing with teenagers to battling the bulge – and of course the challenges of dealing with the opposite sex.
But star Toyah Willcox says that men would be very welcome – and might even enjoy themselves! Toyah, 54, said: “It is a very female-oriented show, but we don’t demonise men in it. We like sex. There is no doubt that most of our audience will be women enjoying a night out together, but it is definitely suitable for men as well. It might even prove educational for them, getting an insight into what we talk about when they’re not there.”
• Continue reading at Kent Online.
The hit comedy ‘Hormonal Housewives’ will bring its latest tour to Southport Theatre next week, starring pop icon Toyah Willcox.
Toyah, who has already performed in the musical ‘Vampires Rock’ as well as a ‘Here and Now’ show in Southport, is looking forward to hitting the venue’s stage once again. “I think this show is going to be a scream,” she told the Champion, ahead of the March 14 show.
Now on its second national tour, Hormonal Housewives is written by husband and wife team John McIsaac and Julie Coombe, who will also appear alongside Toyah.
• Continue reading at Champion News.
Toyah now has an official presence at Instagram, the photo-sharing website, and has already posted a couple of great Hormonal Housewives related photos over the last two days.
One from the stage set of the show, which opens tonight in Bromley, and the other, looking fantastic, in her dressing room in full Madonna Hung Up/Confessions On A Dancefloor garb. Visit or follow Toyah at Instagram by clicking below.
• It’s Dreamscape’s final pre-tour Keeping Up With The Hormonal Housewives. It’s been a busy build-up… and begins in Bromley tomorrow. View all the updates here.
• Toyah is one of the cover stars of the Scunthorpe Theatre Spring Season 2013 Guide. Hormonal Housewives plays 
Scunthorpe Bath Halls on 2nd May.
• Wolverhampton Grand Theatre also feature a small photo of Toyah on the cover of their Spring 2013 brochure What’s On. The show visits Wolverhampton on 2nd and 3rd April.
• Toyah tweeted on Wednesday: “Just run entire play for 1st time. Oooohhhhh I think this is going 2 b a whole lotta fun.” and on Saturday: “Had a producers run thru y/day! The team laughed in all the right places and more :-) ………now we need the audience“.
• Toyah’s been talking Hormonal Housewives in more interviews, both print and radio, this week: On BBC Radio 4’s Ramblings, the Yorkshire Post, EADT24, What’s On magazine, and BBC Radio’s The Late Show.
• Kings Lynn Corn Exchange: The Hormonal Housewives Are Coming: A new page with great publicity photos of Toyah.
• The Hormonal Housewives tweeted and Facebook-ed their final message from rehearsals on Friday afternoon: “Final day of rehearsals before the Tech on Monday and the Housewives are really looking forward to starting this wonderful tour! We’re excited to see as many of you along the way as possible.”
• A great advert for Hormonal Housewives on the Home Page of the Beck Theatre website. The show plays at the venue in Hayes on 21st March.
Toyah’s excellent episode of BBC Radio 4’s Ramblings, which aired a couple of times over the last few days, is available for the next four weeks as a BBC podcast.
Ramblings with Clare Balding: Toyah Willcox at Croome Landscape Park
Thu, 28 Feb 13: Duration: 25 mins
Actress and singer, Toyah Willcox, takes Clare Balding on a windy walk around Croome Landscape Park in Worcestershire.
• Visit the BBC Podcasts & Downloads page and the Ramblings hompage.
The Popjustice forum has been running another comprehensive countdown, this one detailing the Top 100 Singles Acts of the 80s. Based entirely on UK sales of singles from 1980 to ’89, Toyah places at number 84 for the decade, selling close to 1.5m singles.
84. TOYAH (1,481,000)
TOTAL HITS: 12
BEST YEAR: 1981
BEST SELLER: FOUR FROM TOYAH (EP) (381,000)
Knocking around since the late 70s, Toyah are more than just spokesman Toyah Willcox whose striking image was the main factor in getting press coverage in the early days. It started out very well for the group with 4 straight top 20 hits, and then……no more!
• View the opening page of the thread for details on the countdown, and the page that includes the info on Toyah. The countdown was completed yesterday, with Madonna revealed as selling the most singles of the 1980s. View here.
There will be a series of live dates this autumn to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the album Love Is The Law. Last year there was a voting element to the autumn tour. For the moment whilst the tour is in planning stages toyahwillcox.com wonder which songs you are most wanting to hear on this autumn tour from the period in question. There’s a rare wild card bonus track too. Take part in the survey and select the two songs you want to hear the most. After that it’s up to Toyah and the band to see what works best. Vote online by clicking below.
• View a larger version of the Dreamscape LITL creation above here.
The first Breaking Through, Toyah’s new Official Newsletter, was mailed out to subscribers last night. and it included a plethora of information and Toyah goodies. Here’s a brief synopsis of just some of what’s included:
• A previously unseen Dean Stockings photo of Toyah, taken in 2007, you really won’t want to miss the full-size version of this; plus links to two exclusive live tracks: ‘Thunder In The Mountains (Ronnie Scott’s 2002)’ and ‘The Packt (The Changeling Resurrection 2012)’.
• There is also news on the re-print of In The Court Of The Crimson Queen (it now includes ’21st Century Supersister’ and revisions to the artwork); The Humans upcoming third album; a vote link to choose a song you’d like to hear on the Autumn Love Is The Law & More dates; Hormonal Housewives info and much more…
• At a later date the newsletter will also announce the forthcoming series of digital releases of some Toyah back catalogue titles, expanded to commemorate their digital debut.
• Toyah’s Gig Diary 2013: Three new PAs announced, and several gigs mentioned by Dreamscape over the last couple of months are now officially confirmed (see posts below).
• Sign up to Breaking Through: The Official Toyah Mailing List here.
A number of Toyah gig dates were confirmed by the first Breaking Through newsletter yesterday evening, and a few new ones announced too.
As well as the two Pride and Aberdeen Re:Union PAs (see post below), the Here and Now Weekender at Bognor Regis; The Stroke Association Ball, Castleford; Here and Now Falkirk “Rock The Stadium” and the Upton Festival 2013 have all now been officially confirmed.
Three new live Toyah PAs have been confirmed for the Summer by the first Breaking Through newsletter.
• Blackburn Pride In The Park, taking place at Witton Country Park, Blackburn on Saturday 1st June. More info on the two-day event here. (NB. It appears this has been cancelled, as of early May it has disappeared from the Official Gigs page)
• Northern Pride 2013, taking place at Leazes Park, Newcastle Upon Tyne on Saturday 20th July. More info on the one-day event here.
• Aberdeen Re:Union, Back To The 80s with Aberdeen University Student Union. a celebration of Aberdeen University Union and student life in the ‘80s! More info and book tickets here. View their Toyah page.
Keep an eye on The Official Gigs page at toyahwillcox.com and sign up for the Breaking Through newsletter to be kept up-to-date on more gigs and PAs happening through the year.
The March 3-16 1983 issue of ‘Smash Hits’ has been uploaded to the Smash Hits Archive, exactly 30 years ago to the day it was originally published.
The magazine, with Eurythmics on the cover, includes their first “Personal File” on Toyah (they printed another one in 1985 around the time of ‘Dont Fall in Love’ & ‘Minx’).
NAME: Toyah Ann Willcox
BORN: May 18, 1958, in Kings Heath, Birmingham, at home. I can’t remember much about it.
FIRST MEMORY: Sometimes I feel I can be aware of when I was inside my Mum. Otherwise, my first memory is of my first day at school. I was never told what school was; I was told about the day before that I was going to school. It was the first time I was ever parted from my mother and I never forgave her for it. I was petrified and cried and fought all day. I remember holding on to my Mum’s clothes and having to be ripped apart from her.
• Continue reading at the Smash Hits Archive.
BBC Radio’s Late Show with Keith Middleton is now available at BBC iPlayer for the next week.
It includes an interesting interview with Toyah, recorded earlier yesterday evening, beginning around two hours into the show. She talks about living in Worcester, ghosts and hauntings, rabbits (and droppings formations!!), being involved with punk and how her music career evolved from cult status in the 70s into mainstream success in the 1980s, alternative career paths (Toyah would like to have been a sculptress), Hormonal Housewives and more.
There are also plays of ‘It’s A Mystery’, ‘Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard)’, ‘Thunder In the Mountains’ and ‘I Want To Be Free’. The interview and music runs for around 35 minutes.
Another report on the recent news about Simon Darlow. This one from Record Of The Day.
The article mentions Toyah, ‘Sensational’, and ‘In The Court Of The Crimson Queen’: You can currently hear Simon’s music on every X Factor show and the Weight Watchers TV advert with Patsy Kensit featuring ‘Sensational’ from his recent album with Toyah Willcox, ‘In the Court of the Crimson Queen’.
• Read other reports on Simon being named Chairman of U.K. Rights Org BASCA at Billboard and Complete Music Update.
