Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

The second great review of the day for Posh Pop, this from Liam Rudden in the Edinburgh Evening News.

Fabulous​,​ flawless, five star pop from Toyah

It’s a mystery how time has flown. I remember clearly the first time I heard the name Toyah Willcox.

I was 15, hanging around the square behind the family home in Leith when a purple-mohicaned punk called Pete appeared. He was visiting pals in the scheme and we got talking about music. He was a fan of a singer who, he claimed, could unite mods, rockers and punks. Some feat in those days.

“Everyone charges to the front when she comes on,” he said, adding, “They don’t even fight when Toyah’s singing.” The next day I headed to Ards Record Shop on Great Junction Street and found a copy of Sheep Farming In Barnet. One listen and I was hooked.

That was 42 years ago, it’s still a brilliant album as is Toyah’s latest, Posh Pop, released last weekend. Reunited with long term collaborator Simon Darlow and with husband Robert Fripp on guitar, Posh Pop is at once reflective and optimistically forward thinking.

…Barefoot On Mars, my highlight of the album, is an arrestingly emotional, uplifting​ and joyous tribute. A tear-inducing salute to Toyah’s mother, it ​will ​touch the soul of ​anyone who has ​​lost a ​truly ​loved one.​ ​A degree of lightness returns with Rhyth​​m ​I​n ​M​y ​H​ouse​, ​an easy listening ​number brought to life with ​unicorn​s​ and bubbles​, which is followed by ​Summer ​O​f ​Love and an unapologetic Sixties’ ‘love and peace’ vibe​.

• Continue reading at the Edinburgh Evening News. This review is also published in The Falkirk Herald and The Southern Reporter. See more Posh Pop reviews.

It looks like there will be a track from Posh Pop, as well as a Toyah classic, on Grant Stott’s Vinyl Collective this evening, in the show’s “Then & Now” feature.

Airing on BBC Radio Scotland from 6pm.

Grant Stott’s Vinyl Collective: BBC Radio Scotland: Friday 3rd September: 6pm
Paging Dr Beat. Celebrating the vinyl revival with new and classic cuts all played from 7″, 12″ or LP. This week, Then & Now tracks from Toyah, Into The Groove with Freeez and music from Chvrches, Miami Sound Machine, The Jam and Horse.

• Listen online at the BBC Scotland website, or post-airing at BBC Sounds.

Great photos from last night’s Posh Pop Tour opening gig at The Mill Arts Centre, Banbury. Return this weekend for more photos from the gig, which will be included in a new Posh Pop Tour page in the Gallery of this website. A huge Thank You to Ian Davis for the photos.

Read on for a breakdown of the gig. Please DO NOT READ ON if you are going to a gig on the tour and don’t like spoilers.

Simon Darlow played at last night’s gig, but he most probably will not be at all, or maybe any, of the future tour gigs so this breakdown essentially applies to last night’s opener only! But the set-list may be similar as to what to expect, though that too may also evolve over the months/gigs!

SET 1:
Band Only
Good Morning Universe
Dance In The Hurricane
Thunder In The Mountains

Band With Simon Darlow
Brave New World
Rebel Run

Toyah, Simon Darlow, Chris Wong and Andy Nicholls (Semi-Acoustic)
Summer Of Love
Space Dance
Zoom Zoom

Band With Simon Darlow
It’s A Mystery

SET 2:
Toyah, Simon Darlow, Chris Wong and Andy Nicholls (Semi-Acoustic)
Rhythm In My House
Take Me Home
Levitate

Band Only
Echo Beach
Sensational
Neon Womb
These Boots Are Made For Walkin’
Danced
I Want To Be Free

Encore
Rebel Yell

• Toyah/Posh Pop Tour 2021/22 at The Mill Arts Centre, Banbury on 02.09.2021 (All photos © Ian Davis)

Celebrity Catchphrase: ITV2: Thursday 16th September: 6pm
Stephen Mulhern hosts a celebrity special of the classic game show, with Nicola Coughlan, Stephen Mangan and Toyah Willcox all trying to say what they see as they guess well-known phrases for the chance to win a £50,000 jackpot for their chosen charity.

Another positive review of Posh Pop, this one from God Is In The TV.

Toyah – Posh Pop (Demon Records)

Even in her sixties and not far off her free bus pass, Toyah is still able to turn heads, as evidenced by the striking imagery on the artwork of Posh Pop, and also by the many highly entertaining videos she and her husband, King Crimson‘s Robert Fripp, have been unleashing on us throughout the lockdown period, providing some much-needed light relief along the way.

What I hadn’t expected though, was the diverse range of reference points you can hear on this, her first long-player since 2008. For example, recent single ‘Levitate‘ seems to take its lead from Roisin Murphy‘s recent splendid resurgence, all fidgety dance beats and breathy vocals, whereas the fantastic ‘Barefoot On Mars‘ recalls Bowie in its composition and is a heartfelt paean to her late mother (“Turned my back on all you valued, I held you when you died“) – it’s deep and poignant, and stopped me in my tracks – I hadn’t anticipated that Toyah was going to release one of the strongest songs in her canon this late in her career!

Elsewhere, ‘Zoom Zoom‘ is seventies rock, pop and glam all rolled up and smoked in one pipe, while ‘Monkeys‘ is pleasingly off-kilter in its delightful chorus.

• Continue reading at God Is In The TV. See more Posh Pop reviews.

It’s time! The Posh Pop Tour opens tonight, at The Mill Arts Centre, Banbury. Browse all of the tour dates by clicking below.

Toyah on dyslexia breakthrough: ‘Learning an instrument broadened and deepened my communicative skills’

According to the singer, music lessons helped “rewire” her brain and have helped improve “broaden and deepen” her communicative skills.

Learning to play guitar and keyboards led to a huge breakthrough in Toyah’s lifelong struggle with dyslexia.

The Summer of Love hitmaker was diagnosed with the learning difficulty at a young age, which can cause problems with reading, writing and spelling.

Speaking exclusively with Retro Pop ahead of the release of her latest album ‘Posh Pop’, Toyah reflects on the profound impact lockdown had on her, both personally and professionally, and reveals lessons in piano and guitar have enhanced her life in numerous ways.

“I can now play guitar, I can now play keyboards, and it means that my communicative skills are much broader and much deeper,” she explains.

• Continue reading at Retro Pop. Read Retro Pop’s review of Posh Pop.

Stream Toyah’s acclaimed new album Posh Pop at Spotify and enjoy the singles Summer Of Love, Levitate and Zoom Zoom.

Discover Monkeys, Rhythm In My House, Take Me Home the sequel to Danced (from Sheep Farming In Barnet).

Toyah shares her joy at the reaction to Posh Pop.

Toyah guested on Mike Sweeney’s BBC Radio Manchester show earlier today, talking about Posh Pop, Sunday Lunch and more.

There were plays of I Want To Be Free and Levitate during the interview, which aired in two parts.

Toyah Willcox (01/09/2021)
Mike chats to singer, Toyah Willcox, about her Posh Pop Tour 2021.

• Listen on Catch Up at BBC Sounds for the next few weeks.

• Official Toyah: Posh Pop is No.9 in the Official Charts Album Chart Update today – See tweet…

• Official Charts: Will Toyah land her third Top 10 album with Posh Pop? See where the album stands midweek – see tweet…

• Official Charts: Elsewhere in the Top 10, Posh Pop by Toyah starts at Number 9, set to become her eighth Top 40 album – Click below to visit page…

Robert Fripp Reacts To Toyah Willcox’s Cover Of Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith’s Because The Night

“Come home baby, the house misses you, I miss you, the bed misses you.”

In this week’s Sunday Lunch cover, Toyah Willcox went solo with a cover of Because The Night by Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith – with Robert Fripp reacting to his wife’s performance.

The cover video was shot in the couple’s familiar kitchen, sans Fripp who is currently on tour in the US with King Crimson. “Transatlantic time differences don’t stop the night belonging to the Sunday Lunch lovers,” Toyah captioned the video.

• Continue reading at Guitar.Com.

Carol Decker’s 30 Rock Chicks!: NOW 80s: Saturday 4th September: 6pm
T’Pau’s Carol Decker brings a bit of Heart and Soul to a countdown of ’80s ladies who like to rock! With Joan Jett, Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks and Pat Benatar. (as well as Toyah via the Thunder In The Mountains video)

Toyah serenades Robert Fripp with a cover of Patti Smith’s ‘Because The Night’

Toyah Willcox has delivered a solo cover of Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Because The Night’ as part of their Love Letters series.

Toyah Willcox has delivered a solo cover of Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Because The Night.’

Over the past few weeks, Robert Fripp has been out on tour with his band King Crimson. Leaving Toyah solely responsible for carrying the torch for the pair’s Sunday Lunch’ series.

• Continue reading at Tone Deaf.

A few screen caps from Toyah’s guest appearance on BBC Breakfast this morning. There were bursts of It’s A Mystery, Thunder In The Mountains (both Top Of The Pops performances), Levitate, and Zoom Zoom. Toyah talked about Posh Pop, You Tube, Sunday Lunch and much more! See a clip from the interview at BBC Breakfast‘s Twitter.

Very exciting news: Toyah is on course to have her highest charting studio album since 1985.

Stream/download Posh Pop if you are able to this week until the Official Album Charts are announced on Friday 3 September! Space Grey vinyl, CD and CD+DVD editions are available to order. Please click below to support Toyah and her amazing album! (Photos © Toyah Willcox)

A message from Toyah, via her Breaking Through Newsletter…

Toyah guests on Janice Long’s BBC Radio Wales show this Bank Holiday Monday evening. For an exclusive chat about the album Posh Pop. The show airs from 7pm.

BBC Radio Wales: Janice Long: Monday 30th Aug: 7pm
Join Janice for brilliant songs from the 60’s right through to today. Janice also introduces fresh new music and artists from Wales.

• Listen online at the BBC Radio Wales website, and on Catch Up, post-airing, at BBC Sounds. **Update: BBC Radio Wales just tweeted: Tonight Janice’s special guest is singer, actor and writer Toyah. Toyah will be in after 8 to talk about her excellent new album Posh Pop.

Toyah guests on BBC Breakfast tomorrow to talk about the album Posh Pop. The programme airs on BBC1 from 6am, and runs for just over three hours.

BBC Breakfast: BBC1: Tuesday 31st August: 6am
The latest news, sport, business and weather from the BBC’s Breakfast team.

• Watch as it airs on BBC1, or post-broadcast, on Catch Up at BBC iPlayer.

NB. This news was announced by Official Toyah with another, previously unseen online, new Posh Pop photo. (Photo © Toyah Willcox)

Watch Toyah Willcox perform Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith’s ‘Because The Night’ for Robert Fripp

Sunday Lunch continues to go remote with Fripp on tour with King Crimson

Toyah Willcox has covered Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith‘s ‘Because The Night’ for her husband Robert Fripp as their YouTube series continues – watch the performance below.

The cover is the fourth instalment of their Love Letters offshoot of the Sunday Lockdown Lunch series, with the couple’s usual lockdown covers videos having to be put on hold after Fripp headed back out on tour with King Crimson.

• Continue reading at the NME. Watch the video at You Tube.

The full, fantastic, Rhythm In My House video premiered online earlier today: The official video for the Toyah song Rhythm In In My House written by Toyah Willcox & Simon Darlow. From the album Posh Pop out now. Order the album here.