Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

The Humans play the last of their three Estonia gigs tonight.

Numerous overseas websites are reporting on The Humans’ forthcoming gigs, taking place in Estonia next Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

THE HUMANS live show is song based but the songs are deconstructed down to the bones of raw experience exposing human nature and irony. Comparisons are always misleading but if The White Stripes met with the vocal adventures of Lou Reed, Kate Bush, Gabriel and Beefheart then you might get a flavour of things to come…

Toyah Willcox began her public life as a stage and television actress, but it is her musical activities that brought about her first real fame. In 1978 she founded the band Toyah. Her singing career took off with hits such as “I Want To Be Free” and “It’s A Mystery”. In 1983, she was voted Best Female Singer at the British Rock and Pop Awards and in 1986 she married avant-garde musician, Robert Fripp.

William “Bill” Rieflin is a contemporary musician and is currently drumming for R.E.M.. In the past he has worked with Ministry, the Revolting Cocks, KMFDM, Pigface, Swans, Chris Cornell, Nine Inch Nails and many others. He is one of the founders of the independent music label First World Music.

Chris Wong is a professional guitarist, bass guitarist, arranger, orchestrator, composer, and musical director. He has worked with artists such as Phil Watts, Mark Rattray, Rox Clayton Scott, and many others. Currently he is Toyah Willcox’s musical director and guitarist.

The most unusual concerts of Jazzkaar’s Autumn Jazz bring together rock musicians from the USA, UK and Germany – Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin and Chris Wong as The Humans and Pat Mastelotto and Markus Reuter as Tuner.

Thursday 25th October – Tallin Rock Cafe, Estonia
Friday 26th October – Tartu, Jaani Church, Estonia
Saturday 27th October – Viljandi, Estonia

Source: www.jazzkaar.ee

Screen captures from the new MySpace/YouTube video for The Humans ‘We Are The Humans’.

Over at Robert Fripp’s Diary, The Humans are pictured sampling his squerd. (Source: Robert Fripp’s Online Diary – 6th September 2007)

Thursday 25th October – Tallin Rock Cafe, Estonia
Friday 26th October – Tartu, Jaani Church, Estonia
Saturday 27th October – Viljandi, Estonia

All shows begin at 8.00pm.

Another new picture of The Humans has been added to their MySpace. Please click below to go there.

A wonderful new picture (taken just Friday past) of Toyah and Bill, aka The Humans, by Dean Stockings. Please visit the Official Toyah MySpace or The Humans MySpace to view a larger version of this, plus a new picture of Toyah.

A striking new photo of The Humans, by Dean Stockings, available at The Humans MySpace as a downloadable wallpaper for your desktop.

Toyah’s new music project, with Bill Reiflin, The Humans are now at MySpace.

THE HUMANS are two people, TOYAH WILLCOX and BILL RIEFLIN. Both come from opposite sides of the world and from radically different musical backgrounds, they are bringing together two life times of musical experience.

THE HUMANS live show is song based but the songs are deconstructed down to the bones of raw experience exposing human nature and irony. Comparisons are always misleading but if The White Stripes met with the vocal adventures of Lou Reed, Kate Bush, Gabriel and Beefheart then you might get a flavour of things to come…

Three live dates are currently confirmed for Estonia in October 2007.

[ Source: www.myspace.com/wearethehumans ]

Three song previews can be heard in the MySpace player on The Humans page.  The songs are ‘We Are The Humans’, ‘This belongs To You’ and ‘This Is Your Life’.

It seems likely these tracks, in full, will be available to download at some point soon, and that an album of material will be released.

More information will be available on the MySpace page soon.

[ Source: www.myspace.com/wearethehumans ]

“THE HUMANS is a project that fills my heart with light and happiness. The story behind this is the Estonian Embassy asked myself, the hubby, and Bill Reiflin to do a concert in Estonia around November, of course Robert said No…why say YES when a word like NO is so easy to say. BUT Bill and I said YES! And thus we became THE HUMANS.” That’s what Toyah said about The Humans in her May 2007 Webletter. It looks like we are going to be hearing a lot about them over the coming months!

There are already Autumn 2007 dates booked in Estonia with the American/German band, Tuner:

Thursday 25th Oct 2007, 8.00pm: Tallinn, Estonia  Friday 26th Oct 2007, 8.00pm: Tartu, Estonia  Saturday 27th Oct 2007, 8.00pm: Viljandi, Estonia

More info when it becomes available. I’d also keep an eye on Toyah’s Official MySpace too ;)

Thanks so much to everyone who has shown interest in celebrating 25 years of Toyah in 2003.

BRILLIANT DAY – 25 Years Of Toyah (changed from Toyah’s Silver Jubilee), so long as enough people want to attend, will definitely be happening. So please, if you can make it to Stoke, late February (either a Saturday or Sunday) then let me know and I’ll add your name to the list (see below).

The info that’s available so far, though obviously could change, is as follows:

A ‘Brilliant Day’ of Toyah fun, celebration and partying for Toyah fans/followers old & new, young, young at heart, and not-so-young – sometime late February 2003 at ‘The Club’ in Hanley, Stoke-On-Trent (generously provided by John – aka Ruby). Possibly in conjunction with the release of the new “Little Tears Of Love” EP and even a possibility that Carlton TV may film a part of their new Toyah documentary on the day too (NB – Both of these are definitely NOT confirmed to happen as yet).

Anyone wishing to buy, sell, trade or swap Toyah memoribilia is welcome to bring it along to do so during the day. We are hoping to be showing retro Toyah TV appearances all day too. A Toyah impersonator, or a Toyah lookey likey competition, or both, will take place early evening.

The day will end with a party, Toyah sounds aplenty, interspersed with lots of other ’80s classics. Eighties pop star fancy dress is optional but hopefully some folks will rise to the challenge! It would be good to see Toyah, Adam Ant, Siouxsie, Madonna etc shaking their thang on the dancefloor:)

Susan Hailes from ‘The Stage’ is hoping to get us a few column inches to spread the word and maybe a few other papers/websites will help out too.

Stoke bound so far – David, John, Carl, Craig, Dan Greensmith, Paul & Sue Richards, Alec & friends, Richard, Brian, Paul Cable & friends, Michael O’Brien, Kev Tucker & friends, Claire Ormrod & friends, Dean Warren, Jonathan Benson, Steve Bennett, Karen Wadsworth, Roger & Shaun, Russell Eden, Sean, Anya, Dave Gilchrist…

More information soon.

Next year is, albeit completely unofficial, Toyah’s “Silver Jubilee”!

‘What are you talking about?’, I hear you holler!

Well, in 1978 things started “happening” for TW – big style. Her music, film, theatre and television careers all seemed to conspire to ensure she got very little sleep that year!

The Toyah band finally took shape – in the form of Joel Bogen on guitar, Steve Bray on drums, Pete Bush on keyboards and Mark Henry on bass (though very soon replaced by Charlie Francis), and, of course, Toyah on vocals/verbals/strange noises! They appeared on their first TV show too, Pebble Mill At One and soon-after signed to Safari Records.

Jubilee opened in UK and European cinemas in ’78, and Toyah spent a chunk of the year filming The Corn Is Green and Quadrophenia for the big screen and Quatermass for the small.

So 2003 really is, technically at least, the 25th anniversary of Toyahdom!

Thanks to Robbie and Deano over at Angels & Demons I’ve had an idea:) A one-day Toyah convention to celebrate this important landmark. I’m mentioning it now so that everyone has plenty of time to decide whether this is a good idea, where (Ruby’s – Stoke?) and when (Toyah’s 45th birthday or Summer 2003?) it could take place, and if they want to attend.

A rough guide to ‘Toyah’s Jubilee’ Convention:

• During the day – memoribila stalls, Toyah items – buy, sell, trade?
• Early evening – lookalike competition or Toyah impersonator?
• Night – Big party, 80s Popstar fancy-dress (Thanks Brian;), wall-to-wall Toyah sounds!

Other suggestions, so far, include a charity auction, competitions, Toyah footage video-wall, live performances by the lookalikes (soundalikes – ‘Stars In Their Ieya’s’).

Now at present this is all totally hypothetical but also completely possible. What does everyone else think? A good idea?, crap idea?, too tacky? Please contribute or make suggestions. If this is to become a reality then it would be fantastic to get as many Toyah fans (UK, Europe, US, everywhere) as possible to attend.

Hello! Can anyone hear me out there…?