Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

Review | Chameleon – The Very Best of Toyah [Cherry Red Records]

Toyah Willcox’s career has always defied easy classification, and Chameleon – The Very Best of Toyah leans into that restlessness, offering a panoramic view of her 45-year arc as punk agitator, pop icon, and enduring creative force. Released via Cherry Red Records, this career-spanning anthology is the first to fully embrace the breadth of her recording history, and it does so with a curatorial precision that mirrors Willcox’s own chameleonic artistry.

The collection’s structure tells a story. CD1 captures the original Toyah band years (1979–1983), where the collision of Joel Bogen’s spiky guitar and Willcox’s commanding, otherworldly vocals forged a sound that felt both feral and theatrical. Singles like “It’s A Mystery” and “I Want to Be Free” may have cemented her as a chart presence, but it’s deeper cuts like “Jungles of Jupiter” and “We Are” that underline her singular lyrical vision, tapping into cosmic anxieties and spiritual yearning against the urgency of post-punk rhythms. The material retains its charge, a reminder of how Toyah helped broaden the vocabulary of British new wave beyond mere attitude.

• Continue reading at Ottic Media.

• Toyah At Home: September Chameleon Special – Watch… • Toyah & Robert: UpBeat Moments: Watch… • Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch – The Hives/Hate To Say I Told You So – Watch… (Image © Toyah Willcox)

“Chameleon is so respectful of my 45 years in music and that means so much to me. What I love about this epic release is virtually every song on it has been a single or an exceptionally important song to me. Because of that, I thought I would give a brief explanation of what each song means to me on this remarkable double album in my Blog. The first part of this covers disc 1, the songs from the band years 1979-1983, now live.” Toyah xxx

• Continue to read Toyah’s Chameleon blog, and the first part of Toyah talking about the songs included on the double album, at toyahwillcox.com. (Text/Photo © Toyah/Cherry Red)

It’s Chameleon Release Day Eve… Less than 24 hours until one of the finest ever Toyah compilations is released, and there have been many since that first Toyah retrospective vinyl album, cassette and video back in 1984 – Which was, of course, Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! All The Hits.

Toyah has worked her socks off recently promoting the album via numerous radio, TV and press interviews. Scroll back through our recent news posts or visit Toyah’s official website, Facebook, Instagram and You Tube for much more.

Cherry Red will release Chameleon: The Very Best Of Toyah next month across three formats

A 3CD+blu-ray edition comes in clamshell box packaging with disc one devoted to the band Toyah with hits such as ‘I Want To Be Free’ and ‘It’s A Mystery’ while the second CD covers Toyah’s career as a solo artist. CD 3 is devoted to rarities, while the blu-ray includes 12 promo videos, 22 TV performances and concert footage.

The 2CD digipak edition omits the rarities and the blu-ray from the box set and a 2LP set pressed on gold-coloured vinyl offers 28 tracks from band and solo years.

Chameleon: The Very Best Of Toyah will be released on 5 September 2025, via Cherry Red.

• Continue reading at Super Deluxe Edition.

Still Bouncing: Toyah on 46 Years of Music, Strictly, and Her New Greatest Hits

It is 46 years since Toyah bounced onto the music scene as the lead of a band that took her name. With her distinctive vocals, captivating image, and lyrical prowess, it’s hardly surprising that she continues to thrive 46 years later. After experiencing a significant surge during the Covid-19 lockdowns, Toyah ventured into Strictly and has been on the road multiple times in the past few years. As the touring continues, she has teamed up with Cherry Red for a fully comprehensive Greatest Hits collection – Chameleon – which not only celebrates the hits but also offers real insight. We caught up with Toyah to learn more…

J: Hello Toyah, How are you?

T: I’m good. How are you, Jeremy?

J: I’m very well, very well indeed, thank you. Thank you so much for joining us today. Now, the important thing we need to know is—are you ready to share some juice with us?

T: Okay? Oh, I just hope my mind is in gear—but you know, cross your fingers, Jeremy. Anything could happen!

J: Let’s see what happens. Here we go. We want to take you back to your childhood for now—what was your initial ambition? Did you always want to be a performer?

T: In the beginning, when I didn’t yet understand the difference between boys and girls, I wanted to be a muscle man—which amused everybody. Then I wanted to be an astronaut. But very quickly, by the time I was seven and had seen The Sound of Music about seven times, I knew I wanted to become a singer and an actress.

• Continue reading at Chimeo.

In early August Toyah recorded a number of interviews with Greatest Hits Radio, Greatest Hits Radio 80s, Absolute Radio 80s, Virgin Radio and BBC Radio 2 among others. These are airing now and also in the lead up to the release of Chameleon: The Very Best Of Toyah.

• A couple of great shots of Toyah below, one with Kate Thornton from a couple of the interviews. More details about the Greatest Hits Radio interviews here. Watch interview clips here and here. (Photos © Greatest Hits Radio)

Something I’m working on for inclusion in the new fanzines… A huge, celebratory feature on – in my humble opinion the most iconic moment in music history – Toyah’s Brave New World. I’ve covered and featured BNW in the fanzine (and on this website) many times previously but the new extended cut of the video has brought fresh inspiration and a timely reminder – not that I need to be reminded – of how truly iconic the imagery, song and era is….

Toyah’s August blog is available at toyahwillcox.com. “I am having a fantastic time promoting CHAMELEON and it’s really lovely that everyone is enjoying this very special album”.

Announcing the first issues of Dreamscape TOYAH Fanzine for almost a year…

I’ve had a fair amount of “Indecision” this year on how to proceed with the fanzine – which is now in its 14th year and 63 issues! – and have had numerous ideas including issues exclusively celebrating particular years from Toyah’s career, issues celebrating the pop icon aspect of Toyah as an artist, issues focusing solely(!) on each incarnation of the Toyah band. All that and a few other ideas, and I did create covers for some of these ideas through the past year.

Then Chameleon: The Very Best Of Toyah was announced and all those ideas had to be put on the backburner… More info on the new issues soon, but here’s a preview of one of the covers (alongside me attempting to look like a human!)

The trailer for the forthcoming Chameleon: The Very Best Of Toyah – released on deluxe box set, gatefold vinyl and double CD formats. Pre-order at Cherry Red.

Toyah guested on The Scott Mills’ Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Two on Friday 8th August (on what would have been my Dad’s 91st birthday)… Toyah Willcox, Craig David and Alex Jones on Big Guest Friday!

• Listen to the show at BBC Sounds – just 9 days left to listen! (Photo © BBC)

• Toyah At Home: August 2025 – Watch… • Toyah & Robert: UpBeat Moments – Watch… • Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch – Paranoid – Watch… (Image © Cherry Red)

Toyah has just passed 1k of uploads at her official YouTube channel. There are also lots of upcoming music performances to look forward to in the next few weeks in the build up to the release of, the career-spanning, Chameleon.

Celebrating 45 years of music, Toyah will release a new career-spanning, hit packed collection Chameleon – The Very Best of Toyah on 5 September 2025 on Cherry Red Records. A pioneering figure in the UK’s new wave and post-punk movement, Toyah has made an indelible mark on the entertainment industry with her unique voice, electrifying stage presence, and artistic versatility.

Spanning 1979-2024, Chameleon – The Very Best of Toyah includes the top 40 singles I Want To Be Free, It’s A Mystery, Thunder In The Mountains, Brave New World, Good Morning Universe, Rebel Run and Don’t Fall In Love, alongside classic cuts right up to her 2021 Top 25 album Posh Pop.

Chameleon lives up to its name and highlights Toyah’s musical longevity as a singer/actress that burst out of the punk/new wave scene in the late 1970s, became a pop icon in the 1980s and who has remained an ever-evolving creative force across five decades. Her music, which blends theatricality with powerful rock energy has earned her a devoted fan base, Gold-selling records and respect as an acclaimed live performer and songwriter. Toyah played Glastonbury Festival and Isle of Wight for two consecutive years in 2023/2024 and has amassed a staggering 144 million views on YouTube with her inventive and creative weekly videos.

Chameleon – The Very Best of Toyah will be available on 2LP, 2CD and a 3CD+Blu-Ray Deluxe Edition. Pre-order begins from Monday 23 June at www.cherryred.co.uk

The double vinyl contains 28 tracks, the 2CD edition includes 40 tracks and a deluxe 3CD+Blu-Ray edition adds a third 17-track disc of rarities and a 40-track Blu-Ray featuring Toyah’s iconic music videos and classic TV performances and concert footage from 1980-2024.

All formats include the previously unreleased track Worst In Me, the 2CD and Deluxe Edition also adds a live version of David Bowie’s Fashion performed by Toyah & Robert Fripp on their summer 2024 tour.

The album’s artwork package is awash with the striking, inventive and chameleonic images that are synonymous with Toyah. The package is presented with meticulous photography of the iconic looks Toyah Willcox crafted herself alongside the world’s very best stylists and rock photographers.

Sleevenote contributions from Shirley Manson (Garbage) and Saffron (Republica) reflect on the impact Toyah had on them personally.

• Pre-Order Chameleon – The Very Best Of Toyah on 2CD edition, 3CD+Blu-Ray Deluxe Box Set, and 2LP Gold Vinyl at Cherry Red (The editions with signed postcards will no doubt sell out almost immediately!). Read the press release/news announcement at toyahwillcox.com. Browse the 2CD/2LP tracklist/info. Browse the Deluxe Edition tracklist/info. Watch Toyah announcing the release in yesterday’s bonus Toyah At Home.

• Toyah At Home: Announcement Episode – Watch… • Toyah & Robert: UpBeat Moments – Watch… • Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch – Have Love Will Travel – Watch… (Image © Toyah Willcox)