Check back to Dreamscape News soon for a brilliant, and rare, 1981 interview with Toyah, courtesy of our very good friend Lärwi, from Finnish pop magazine ‘Suosikki’ (similar to the UK’s ‘Smash Hits’): Toyah is 145 centimetres of pure sex appeal and energy…
Toyah Willcox has confirmed a special autumn 2012 tour, which will celebrate the 30th anniversary of “The Changeling”, & “Warrior Rock”, following a highly acclaimed run of spring dates which saw five-star reviews and sold out shows. She will be performing her classic second album The Challenging and a number of her top 40 hits.
19th Sep 2012: 07:30pm until 10:00pm
Silence, or Silence Little Bitch (thanks to Toyah’s ‘Elocution Lesson’) is an excercize in smudging I am very proud of. The video did not turn out as I had hoped… (© Andrew Macklin)
Another new review of Jubilee, this one from Death Rattle. Includes some good screenshots: Toyah Willcox (Mad) went on to be somewhat of a New Wave icon. Please click below to read.
Three from the 80s: The ‘Anthem Tour’, 1981; Toyah and Hazel O’Connor at The British Rock & Pop Awards, 1982; and Toyah, Maril Wilson and Kim Wilde at the launch of ‘Just Seventeen’ magazine, 1983. Please click on each to zoom. (Thanks to Andi)
Toyah is pictured in Vintage TV’s July Newsletter. She will guest on a future edition of The Janice Long Review Show.
Here at Vintage TV HQ things are hotting up – even if summer’s not arrived outside!
The Janice Long Review Show makes a stellar debut
After a star-studded debut on the 24th June, BBC Radio 2 DJ, Janice Long, will continue to welcome a list of legends to her panel show throughout July. Every Sunday night at 8.30pm join guests including punk princess Toyah Willcox, Grammy-winning producer Trevor Horn, and singer-songwriter Katie Melua as they discuss classic albums of the 20th century.
The forthcoming one-off gig at Birmingham King’s Heath Hare & Hounds is going to be a special night for Toyah celebrating her induction on the KH Walk of Fame. It’s also going to be a special night for fans who can help choose selections for the set list. Pick your favourite song from the following choices and the most popular 2 will be performed. One song in each of the 2 sets on the evening
A full career-spanning retrospective with classic Toyah songs from the albums SHEEP FARMING, BLUE MEANING, ANTHEM, THE CHANGELING, LOVE IS THE LAW, VELVET LINED SHELL and CRIMSON QUEEN plus CLASSIC SINGLES & RARE B-SIDES……… plus the chance for fans to vote for 2 songs to be performed on the night!
Vote for either Elusive Stranger, Blue Meanings, Masai Boy, Pop Star, Waiting or Our Movie at Toyah’s Official Facebook.
A photo of Toyah is included in a new article, on May’s ‘Let’s Rock The Moor’ festival, from Glow Magazine.
LET’S ROCK THE MOOR – THE MAKING OF MEMORIES
Sometimes, you hear a song and in a flash it takes to to a special time or place. Like an aural photograph, you can close your eyes and remember every detail. Since the early eighties, when I started getting into music, the best times were school disco’s, recording the charts on your tape recorder and spending pocket money on 7″ singles. Each song had its own memory.
Take a small village in Berkshire, 7500 party-goers and 8 of the biggest bands of the 80′s, and you end up with a huge melting pot of memories. My memory’s burst into life with Toyah, so many memories through the whole of the 80′s.
• Continue reading at Glow Magazine. View all of our Let’s Rock The Moor news.
This has been one of my favourite Toyah photos ever since I saw it in a magazine exactly 30 years ago in Summer 1982. I tried rescanning it over the weekend and Andrew York has, yet again, worked his magic to restore it. Click to view a larger version.
• Toyah will be the first star on it in a fortnight’s time, and the inauguration of the King’s Heath ‘Walk of Fame’ Commemorative Music Plate took place last Wednesday in the town. The ‘Walk of Fame’ has been brought about by the collaboration of the Birmingham Civic Society and Birmingham Music Archive together with the City Council.
• Gig Junkies: King’s Heath Walk of Fame Commemorative Music Plate – 27th June 2012: Wednesday June 27th, 2012 saw a nostalgic bustle of Birmingham’s silver-haired rock n’ rollers gathering outside what is now ‘Cash Converters’, York Road, Kings Heath. But, not so long ago it was the legendary Ritz Ballroom…
• Birmingham Mail: Plaque unveiled in King’s Heath: It may now be a pawnbrokers – but this Birmingham store’s 21st century appearance belies its rich musical heritage…
• Sun Dried Sparrows: Quadrophenia, my first time.
• A print of a painting of ‘Ieya/The Blue Meaning’ Toyah, by artist Julie L Harwood, is currently up for auction at eBay.
• View a nice selection of photos from this week’s Sleeping Beauty panto launch in Canterbury over at Tim Stubbings Photography.
• Another press article on the panto at This is Kent.
• The Guardian: Your next box set: Shoestring: A new review of a box set that’s been available for almost a year? Toyah/Toola receives a namecheck. (Thanks to Stephen Bennett Troake)
• The Tempest on Blu-ray: More info on the forthcoming release at Kino. Still no artwork though!
• Psychics Network: Toyah’s full appearance on Bio’s Our Psychic Family, which originally aired in December 2008. View screen caps from this here.
Photos of Toyah live at last weekend’s ‘Mylor Sessions’. View larger versions of each, and the songs that made up the two set lists, at Dreamscape’s Gallery. (Thanks to Angus Turner)
As the Queen celebrates 60 years on the throne, we look back at the changing celebrity hairstyles which have influenced hairdressing trends, clients and photographic collections since her reign began. Here we look at the edgy eighties icons that rocked a generation. Celebrity Hairdresser, Richard Ward comments on 80s hair trends.
Toyah Willcox “I remember Toyah as being the punk girl that your mum could love; she crossed the divide between the dying breed of Punk Rocker and the emerging New Romantics.
Today’s teenagers think Pink, Katie Perry and Rihanna are setting the trend in outlandish hair colour – but Toyah Willcox was setting the trend back in the 80s which proves that what goes around comes around.”
• Continue reading at Hairdressers Journal Interactive.
What is the Rock and Bike Fest?
It’s a family-friendly music and bike/trike event in the grounds of Elvaston Castle over the weekend of July 12 to 14, with Pendulum, the Quireboys, the Sweet, Toyah Willcox and lots of tribute acts, plus a custom bike and trike show, live wrestling, tattoo competitions and more.
What is its history?
It was started five years ago by a team of people who share a passion for music and bikes. The first major event was in 2008 but there were a couple of smaller scale ones prior to that.
Who are the big music names who’ve played the festival in the past?
Saxon, Girlschool, T-Rex, Bad Company, the Levellers, the Quireboys, New Model Army, Toyah Willcox and Nazareth.
How many people are expected to attend this year? Around 5,000.
• Continue reading at This is Nottingham.
This evening is Quadrophenia/The Who night on ‘BBC Four’. Beginning at 9pm.
A short preview of the forthcoming ‘Wayne’s Asylum’ Toyah interview will air on tomorrow night’s show on Switch Radio. Info from Wayne:
This Friday I will be giving you an interview teaser EXCLUSIVE of the Toyah interview I did last week with the lady herself. She’ll be letting you know about the gigs she has coming up in here in Brum including the Hare and Hounds gig and a massive Halloween special @ Birmingham Ballroom . Do not miss this prequel to the Friday 13th/ Toyah special being aired in July..
More photos from yesterday’s Sleeping Beauty press launch/photo call. These were all tweeted by the Marlowe Theatre, the venue where Toyah’s panto for 2012 will play. An advert/etrailer was also filmed to promote the panto. There’s a new video interview with Gareth Gates at Kent Online. This includes footage of Toyah. (Photos © Marlowe Theatre)
Pop Idol and punk princess look to build on success
The stars were out in force ahead of the new Marlowe Theatre pantomime for 2012, Sleeping Beauty.
Pop Idol star Gareth Gates and punk legend Toyah Willcox head the cast which also includes Katrina Bryan, better known as Nina from the CBeebies series Nina and the Neurons.
A stint on Dancing on Ice in 2008 prompted Gareth to change musical direction and he went on to take the lead role in Joseph And His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. He has since appeared in Les Miserables, both on the 25th anniversary tour and in the West End. Former punk princess Toyah appeared in six productions at the old Marlowe and is delighted to be returning to the new venue, where she will play the Wicked Fairy
Sleeping Beauty is at The Marlowe Theatre from 30 November to 20 January 2013. To book tickets, call the Box Office on 01227 787787 or go to marlowetheatre.com
• Continue reading at Kent News. (Photos © Kent News)
Gareth Gates made a promise to the county as he led the cast of Sleeping Beauty at the Marlowe Theatre pantomime launch. The singer and actor, who has sold more than 3.5 million records in the UK, will play a cheeky Prince who is “more Prince Harry than Prince William” when the show gets underway. Gareth, 27, was joined outside the theatre in Canterbury on Monday, June 25, by punk princess and actress Toyah Willcox and CBeebies’ Katrina Bryan from Nina and the Neurons.
Toyah Willcox, who has a home in Canterbury, has only had one Christmas off from panto since her first one in 1993. This will be her seventh Marlowe Theatre pantomime. She said: “It’s a great Christmas tradition which you get nowhere else in the world. It is a time for the family to be together. I love it. I wouldn’t know what to do if I didn’t do panto.”
• Continue reading at Kent Online. (Photo © Kent Online)
Today was the press launch/photo call for Toyah’s 2012 panto Sleeping Beauty. Gareth Gates and Toyah were in Canterbury for numerous photos and interviews. Toyah also tweeted a photo. Click on the image below to view a larger version. (Thanks to Mark Whitney)
• Yesterday Limahl tweeted a photo of himself and Toyah from a private show that they played over the recent Jubilee weekend: “Great photo with Toyah and the super cool ‘Madhen’ lead singers at a private 40th B’day party gig recently ;-) Toyah sang Neverending Story with me for an 80’s poptastic moment – fab night“. (Photo © Limahl)
• A good response, via Twitter, yesterday to Toyah’s Mylor Sessions gig on Saturday, with tweets from people saying how much they enjoyed the concert.
• Toyah was included in the lastest Connections (Show 127): ‘It’s A Mystery’ was lodged between Hazel O’Connor’s ‘Will You’ and Susan Cadogan’s ‘Hurts So Good’.
• Rabbit… Rabbit: WillyFred has his very own thread over at the ‘Rabbit Rehome’ forum. View here.
