On This Day in 1980 Toyah’s double a-side single Bird In Flight/Tribal Look was released. The single was produced by Matt Dangerfield (The Boys) and recorded in Dec 1979 with Joel Bogen, Charlie Francis, Steve Bray & Pete Bush. Click below for a celebration collage from Official Toyah.
It was the mid-70s. The Bee Gees had discovered disco, Queen were breaking the mould with Bohemian Rhapsody and that tartan clad boy band from Scotland The Bay City Rollers were driving parents to distraction and their teenage daughters to the state of near hyperventilation!
Never the less, the moguls of the music industry were watching from afar green eyed with corporate jealousy. They all wanted what Bell Records had in The Rollers, and for one Coventry born A&R man his wish was about to become a reality, and he didn’t have to go to far to find it!
… It was pretty obvious the band had now reached its sell-by date and it was over as quickly as it began. Steve Bray joined The Toyah Willcox band, and appeared on her two first albums The seminal Sheep Farming In Barnet and The Blue Meaning.
• Continue reading at the Coventry Telegraph.
A few more photos from Saturday’s gig at the Jazz Cafe, Camden, including a great shot of Sharon (who sent the photos) and Stevie Bray. Click below to view the full versions of these, and more, at Dreamscape Gallery. (Thanks again to Sharon | All photos © Sharon Dickson)
Stevie Bray’s band Jelly are hoping to play EssexFest 2014, and you can help them! Simply click below and like their video at You Tube. Jelly are a great band, it’s a great song (‘Say Hello’), and the animated video is pretty cool too. I’m sure many would agree it’s the least we can do to support someone who helped give us Toyah’s first three albums (and ‘Bird in Flight’).
• Browse all of Dreamscape’s Jelly news here. Visit their Official Website.
Jelly have just released their debut album, the wonderfully titled ‘Troubadour, Wizard, The Queen And The Machine’. Jelly, of course, includes singer Stevie Bray in ther line-up, formerly the original drummer in Toyah.
Read a short review of the album at Soundtrack4Life: “Now, this is what you call a debut album! Eleven slices of superb rock and roll“.
Tracklist: 1. Say Hello, 2. Car Crash Movie, 3. Kill Me, Thrill Me, 4. The Note, 5. Something’s Killing Me, 6. Best Of Us Yet, 7. Maybe I’m Stupid, 8. Hush Now, 9. Alice In Paris, 10. Get Outta Jail, 11. Miss Behaviour.
The album is currently available by contacting the band via their Facebook page. As you can see the artwork for the album is also excellent.
Jelly, the band fronted by former Toyah drummer Stevie Bray, have just launched their new website.
There’s a band bio, pix, store, videos, tracks and dates. The band have a number of live dates coming up in the next couple of months.
• Visit the website. Check out all of Dreamscape’s Jelly news here.
Check out Jelly at Facebook.
Steve Bray’s band have new gigs, new music and much more coming in 2013. As well as a steadily growing fanbase who appreciate great tunes.
There are regular updates to the Facebook page and loads of great band photos.
• Go on… everyone loves Jelly. (veggie jelly for me ;)) Browse our previous Jelly news posts here.
An incredibly rare Toyah photo from 1979. This was only ever used during Toyah’s Neon Womb performance on PopRock in 1980. (A huge thank you to Andi)
A, low quality, mini-gallery of previously unseen Toyah photos from 1979. Great shots!