Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

• The Big NHS Singalong Live: Toyah is taking part in this celebration of 70 years of the NHS! – On Wednesday 4th July we will celebrate 70 years of the NHS as talented ​NHS staff, famous faces and people right across the country come together to sing a special version of The Beatles classic ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ live on ITV’s one off televised event – The Big NHS Singalong Live – Continue reading…

• Toyah @ Twitter: “Joining The Big NHS Singalong Live at Abbey Rd Studios tonight for ITV 9pm ….. let’s break that world record! Good Luck all” – Continue reading…

• Vulture Hound: ‘As long as the music’s loud enough..’ – Jubilee (Film Review): Punk rebellion combined with the juxtaposition of royal mystical ambience is what makes this film rather strange yet special at the same time. Derek Jarman depicts a rather fantastical manic portrayal which harmoniously emphasises the dramatic change of youth movement within the 1970’s era of Britain – Continue reading…

• Worcester News: One Week to go until Worcester Stands Tall Launch: Final preparations are under way for the launch of an art trail that will see 30 giraffes placed around Worcester – The large sculptures have been decorated by artists both from the local area and across the UK, while one is designed by singer and actress Toyah Willcox – Continue reading…

• Wild In Art: Celebrated singer designs giraffe for trail: Artwork designed by celebrated singer and actress Toyah Willcox has been used to decorate a giraffe sculpture for the Worcester Stands Tall trail. The prolific performer, whose career has spanned more than 40 years, themed her design around the idea of ‘making a wish’ – with the Giraffe covered in stars, animals and children – (Photo © Worcester Stands Tall) Continue reading…

• Beacon: Relive the Good Times – Jack Up The 80s: This year’s Jack Up The 80s takes place on August 11th and 12th at Smallbrook Stadium, Ryde. The stellar line up includes Grammy award-winning music legend Leo Sayer, soul sensations Shalamar, British pop rock group T’Pau, punk princess Toyah Willcox, Jaki Graham, an exclusive DJ set from Martin Kemp, the one and only Chesney Hawkes, Brother Beyond and many more – Continue reading…

It’s hard to believe that Punk is well over 40 years old, largely heralded by the release of the Sex Pistols ‘Anarchy in the UK’, in the Britain at any rate. Punk meant different thing to different people: to the Sex Pistols and The Clash it was a working-class reaction or counter-reaction, to Malcolm McLaren it was a marketing ploy and to the likes of Vivienne Westwood it was a fashion statement. For art film director Derek Jarman it became an anarchic artistic statement.

Of course Jarman himself was not a punk, but he certainly tapped into the spirit of the age and was even able to insert his own brand of camp into the punk scene with his film Jubilee (1978). The BFI release of Jubilee is released in addition to the BFI’s recent 6 film box-set release, ‘Derek Jarman Volume One: 1972 – 1986’ to observe the films 40 year anniversary.

The narrative of the film is sometimes hard to follow, but makes more statements than having any narrative or even making much in the way of sense. It opens with Queen Elizabeth I (Jenny Runacre) being transported to 1970s London by her occultish aide, Dr. John Dee (Richard O’Brien) and find a place riven with political and social unrest. We are then introduced to some of the key figures in the film: punk girls Mad (Toyah Willcox) and Amyl-Nitrate (Jordan), along with Kid (Adam Ant, real name Stuart Goddard), Crabs (Nell Campbell), Chaos (Hermine Demoriane) and Bod (Runacre again in a dual role). They get up to all sorts in the flat and include killing a one-night stand in a asphyxiation game. All sorts of adventures take place including starting a punk band called Scum while revolt and social unrest, including police brutality increases.

• Continue reading at Filmwerk.

Jubilee, celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year, is showing at The Electric Cinema in Birmingham on Saturday 28th July at 5.30pm. Click below for further info.

Derek Jarman’s apocalyptic fantasia Jubilee couldn’t have been made in any other decade than the 1970s, shot through with punk aesthetics and featuring turns from Adam Ant, Siousxie & The Banshees and Toyah Willcox.

Filmed during the year of Queen Elizabeth II’s silver jubilee, Jarman’s film sees Elizabeth I and her alchemist Dr John Dee conjure up Shakespeare’s sprite Ariel, who sends them travelling through time to a brutal dystopian version of 1970s London where violent girl gangs roam the capital and Westminster cathedral has been turned into a gay disco club.

Sticking two bloodied fingers up to the establishment, Jubilee is a gloriously messy affair that’s as petty and nihilistic as the punk movement it aimed to simultaneously represent and satirise on screen, whilst Rocky Horror fans will get a thrill from seeing Nell Campbell and Richard O’Brien in Jarman’s eccentric cast.

BFI to release Derek Jarman’s ‘Jubilee’ in a 40th Anniversary Dual Format Edition on 18 June 2018

Following its inclusion in the BFI box set, Jarman Volume One: 1972-1986, BFI is set to release Derek Jarman‘s shocking cult classic, Jubilee, in a standalone 40th Anniversary Dual Format Edition release on 18 June 2018.

The film stars Jenny Runacre, Ian Charleson, Jordan, Nell Campbell, and Linda Spurrier, alongside a host of punk rockers including Toyah Willcox and Adam Ant.

The  40th Anniversary Blu-ray presentation is a 2K remaster taken from the original camera negatives.

In Jubilee Queen Elizabeth I (Jenny Runacre) and her occult aide Dr John Dee (Richard O’Brien) travel into the future, encountering the megalomania of big business as well as gangs of violent, marauding killers.

The mythological past and bleak future converge on the sparse grey streets of London in Jarman’s cult classic of the punk era, accompanied by electrifying punk rock numbers delivered by Jayne County and Adam Ant.

• Continue reading at The Arts Shelf. See further info and details on the Special Features. Pre-order the Jubilee: 40th Anniversary Dual Edition for a reduced price at Amazon.