Toyah unwraps the first ever vinyl pressings of We Are The Humans (translucent orange vinyl) and Sugar Rush (translucent olive vinyl). Both of these are released tomorrow. Click below for links to all Toyah & The Humans new releases. (Screenshots from videos that are © Toyah Willcox)
There’s a new “Fan Of The Month” over at Sugar Rush: The Humans fansite.
There’s a new “Fan Of The Month” over at Sugar Rush: The Humans fansite.
• Sugar Rush: Fan Of The Month: I’ve received some really lovely responses to the interview I gave to Sugar Rush in the week since it was made available – Thanks to those who got in touch and thanks again to Paul for asking – Read it here…
• Essential Ephemera: Trees and Flowers #2, 1980: Is the future going to be a Nightmare? – Rare fanzine which includes a review of ‘The Blue Meaning’, download, via Mediafire, at this blog…
• The Shuttle: Toyah Willcox to join with Kidderminster Rock Choir at show: Singer and actress Toyah Willcox is joining members of Kidderminster Rock Choir for a special performance in Birmingham next Saturday (July 19) – Continue reading…
• Loughborough Echo: Toyah joins rock choir: Toyah Willcox, who has had a career spanning 30 years, joined Rock Choir founder, Caroline Redman Lusher and more than a hundred Midlands Rock Choir members for a very special rehearsal in Worcester ahead of the performances on Saturday July, 19 in Birmingham – Continue reading…
• The Gazette: X-Factor and BGT stars set for free resort gig: Five-piece boy band Kingsland Road, who came ninth in the last series of The X-Factor, will open the show at St John’s Square on Saturday. Black Lace and N-Trace are among those who will take to the stage before the former first lady of punk, Toyah Willcox, closes the show – Continue reading…
• An Evening With Toyah Willcox: Watch Toyah’s appearance/talk at Say What?, Waterstones, Deansgate in Manchester on Tuesday 10th June at You Tube… (Thanks Paul)
There’s a new “Fan Of The Month” over at, the fantastic, Sugar Rush: The Humans fansite. Click below to visit the site and don’t forget to email Sugar Rush to be in the running to be the next FOTM – Get involved to keep this great feature going.
There’s a new “Fan Of The Month” feature over at Sugar Rush: The Humans fansite. Click below to visit the site and check out their first fan.
Sugar Rush: The Humans fansite is telling tale #3 today. Visit to hear an exclusive audio preview clip from the forthcoming new album by The Humans.
It’s “Throwback Thursday” and The End Records are offering everyone a free download of Small Town Psychopath from The Humans album Sugar Rush. Toyah for free via official.fm!
Wishing a very Happy Birthday to Sugar Rush: The Humans Fansite. The site is one-year-old today – All the best to Paul, and congratulations. Here’s to future Humans days!
Screen caps from The Humans: Live, Up Close & Personal, recorded at the HMV Institute, Birmingham last October, and recently uploaded to You Tube. The footage is comprised of the gig, an interview with The Humans plus comments and opinions from fans who attended the special concert. Click on the caps to view larger versions. (Thanks to Sanctuary Music)
• Setlist: Sugar Rush, Titanium Girl, Labyrinth, Love In A Different Way, This Reasoning, Fragment Pool, Sea of Size, Quicksilver, Telekenisis, These Boots, Twisted Soul, Pebble, Put A Woman On The Moon, Small Town Psychopath/Playing In The Dark, Demigod.
• Immerse yourself in more of The Humans at thehumansofficial.com, the brilliant Sugar Rush fansite and Toyah @ Twitter (a fortnight of updates from the recording sessions in Seattle).
THE HUMANS: TOYAH WILLCOX vocals, BILL RIEFLIN guitar/bass, CHRIS WONG guitar/bass, IGOR ABULADZE percussion: were LIVE, UP CLOSE & PERSONAL: Recorded at HMV Institute, Birmingham, Monday 10 October 2011. Sound: PAUL NICHOLSON
The albums SUGAR RUSH and WE ARE THE HUMANS available from iTunes & thehumansofficial.com.
• Check out Toyah’s Official Twitter for regular updates and photos from The Humans third album recording sessions, direct from Toyah in Seattle.
• Maidenhead Advertiser: Let’s Rock The Moor: Family support charity to benefit: Families in need are set to benefit from a fundraising music festival in Cookham this summer. Proceeds from Let’s Rock the Moor, on Saturday, May 12, will raise money for the Link Foundation. This year’s line up includes Billy Ocean, Go West, Heaven 17, Toyah and Modern Romance, and will be hosted by Pat Sharp. Continue reading here.
• View photos of Toyah “at home” in 2010, by ‘Jamie Hughes Photography’, here and here.
• Many Happy Returns to Chris Wong. It’s his birthday today! (Thanks to Sugar Rush: The Humans.org.uk)
• Not exactly earth-shattering news, but it is related to ‘The Changeling’ in “Changeling Month” :) Yesterday Toyah was mentioned in a question at Just Quiz: 23. What links a Jacobean tragedy, an Oscar nominated film starring Angelina Jolie and a 1982 album by Toyah?
Toyah has been tweeting, over the last few days, about The Humans.
Bill Rieflin has recently arrived in the UK, and inbetween writing songs for The Humans’ third album (referred to as Humans 3 by Toyah) a number of practical jokes have been played on Bill. Most consisting of various objects being placed on his bed.
So far the tally is: A whole pineapple, followed by a hoover, then it was Willyfred the rabbit and a roll of gaffer tape. Bill also had two tangerines and a banana put in his shoes :)
Toyah also tweeted on 16th March: “Humans wrote 5 great song ideas y”day. We are on a roll.” and today: “The Humans have written 17 ideas in three days! Just going over them with fine tooth comb.”
From ‘Sugar Rush: The Humans Fan Page’: Bill Rieflin has co-produced the single “Crush Vaccine” by Atomic Bride, a band from Seattle, with a new album out 23rd May called “Dead Air”.
• Visit ‘The Humans Official’ here, and the ‘Sugar Rush’ fansite here.
More human than Human
Comprised of singer Toyah Willcox and bass players Bill Rieflin and Chris Wong, The Humans are a surprising group who combine waves of acid jazz, Massive Attack-like grooves and the occasional burst of ’80s pop and early ’90s industrial. It adds up to a mixed bag of tricks on their second album Sugar Rush, but still one worth a listen.
The album opens with “Titanium Girl” via a disjointed vocal “wah wah” effect before the ethereal voice of Willcox dances above it. Then it is slammed with a driving bassline and deep, guttural guitar pulses. After that, “Love in a Different Way” is a quiet, strummed track with a slightly ’80s feel thanks to the breathy vocals and synth. The same retro feeling is found in “Small Town Psychopath,” which mixes pure jazz club with a overdrawn beginning, as well as in “Sweet Agitation.” It seems with The Humans, the more subdued the song, the more it sounds like it would have been played in a late ’80s film.
• Read the full review at ‘mxdwm.com’ here.
Our latest favorite album, by consensus, is “Sugar Rush” by The Humans. The Humans are British – their star is singer/performer phenomenon, Toyah Willcox. Her hubby, guitar legend Robert Fripp, plays on the entire album. This is one worth buying. There are some videos on YouTube. “Sea of Size” is 1st video release:
Toyah Willcox is one of the most amazing female performers on the planet. We love her – and wish she would develop her American audience more – young American girls could use a role model like her. If you want to read a bio that will leave you feeling that you have never accomplished anything – the Toyah Willcox “Wiki.”.
Definitely THE best new album out there right now – just released.
• Another great review of the new ‘Sugar Rush’ CD, this one from American magazine ‘In Tune’. 8th October 2011 issue. (Thanks to the Official Toyah Facebook)
• The Humans play the first of their UK ‘Sugar Rush’ tour dates tonight, at the Bush Hall, London.
• Confirmed Yesterday: As well as Sunday’s signing session at The Public in West Bromwich, there will also be Sugar Rush album signing sessions, 7.30-8pm after the doors open (but before the support start) at Bush Hall, Thur 6 Oct and at Derby, Sat 8 Oct). T-shirts & CDs will be on sale at both.
• A surprise Humans related news announcement, “an exclusive opportunity in Birmingham”, will be made this coming Monday (or possibly late Sunday): Toyah tweeted yesterday: “Rehearsing set for BUSH HALL, it is ROCKING! Keep ur ticket stubs”
• A new photo session for The Humans took place today: Toyah tweeted earlier today: “Just done HUMANS photo shoot. Very architectural. & Humans tour offer is in for 2012……we are thrilled!”
The Humans live dates in Manchester, Cardiff and Sheffield have been postponed until further notice. Refunds are available from point of purchase. The Humans look forward to playing Bush Hall London, Derby and West Brom. Toyah tweeted: “I can’t wait for humans shows. Reaction 2 album is fabulous. Big :-( & big sorry 4 having 2 postpone some. Looking 2 reschedule for 2012. Toyah“
• You can hear full-length previews of ‘Pebble’ and the stunning ‘Small Town Psychopath’, both from the, just released, ‘Sugar Rush’ album, at Soundcloud now. Both songs also feature in the set list for the ‘Sugar Rush’ Tour. Click above to visit Toyah’s Soundcloud page.
THE HUMANS KICK OFF UK TOUR AFTER TAKING NYC BY STORM
After 4-star album reviews, and standing ovations in New York, USA for their east Coast tour, Bill Rieflin, Toyah Willcox and Chris Wong hit the road in the UK for the SUGAR RUSH TOUR. The new material which will be heard live on this tour combines haunting soundscapes, edgy experiments and sweet melodies. Toyah has described Sugar Rush as the energy of original Toyah meets space punk crossed with American grunge. Pearl Jam and Soundgarden have recently let Bill Rieflin know that the band’s debut album We Are The Humans as one of their favourite albums. A recent review also described the album as “that record we might have gotten if Tori Amos and Trent Reznor had ever come together for a full album.”
The Humans live show has won critical acclaim and a standing ovation in New York on 27 Sept. The Humans now bring this tour to the UK with a chance to see the performances in intimate venues in the UK. For full box office ticket links click here or go to www.thehumansofficial.com
THU 6 OCT LONDON Bush Hall 08444 771 000
SAT 8 OCT DERBY Flowerpot 01332 834438
SUN 9 OCT WEST BROMWICH The Public 0121 533 7161
NEW YORK GIG REVIEW:
“Songs like Fragment Pool and Pebble had a flow to it that drew you in and held your attention. Sea Of Size was one of the highlights of the set – a piece that drifted through the air and oozed a quiet sort of power. Wong, Rieflin, and the Igor with no last name created an interlocking tapestry for Toyah Willcox to glide over. Most impressive. Quicksilver and Telekinesis, both from the 1st Humans disc, were audio fairy tales for adults – bizarre little tales of life, slightly skewed. Twisted Soul led to the massively electric Put A Woman On The Moon, and the show ended with the caffeine rush of Demigod. The fun romp that was their cover of These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ served as encore. An incredible evening! Bring this band back as soon as humanly possible!”
SUGAR RUSH ALBUM REVIEWS:
“Sugar Rush is the group’s second release, and it is a big one. This record sound like it could have escaped from the John Cale archives. With the attitude of Tori Amos’ best work (but not the raw emotion), Toyah’s voice lays over these compositions that sound almost like Trent Reznor on The Fragile.”
“A hybrid of haunting and sweet, this album intrigues from start to finish. The Humans’ new 13-track album, Sugar Rush, is experimental, edgy in the simplest of ways, and nothing you can ready yourself for. It’s the musical equivalent of a drive through a part of town you’ve never seen, and just when you think you’ve got the area figured out, you pass a sign welcoming you to the nearby town with restaurants of a different vibe, and even the sky looks a bit different. But don’t consider driving back now, because you’re on a one-way and the scenery stays intriguing.”
Welcome to October: A month, definitely, of two halves: Half One is all about The Humans, the new ‘Sugar Rush’ album and the ‘Sugar Rush’ UK tour. Half Two is so crammed full of ‘From Sheep Farming To Anthem’… so many classic songs, iconic Melissa Caplan outfits and quintessential Toyah moments… that it’s difficult to move in there… in a good way!
The US ‘Sugar Rush’ dates have been critically acclaimed, with 4-star album reviews, and standing ovations along the way, and the UK tour is definitely not to be missed. Who can put it better than Toyah? She tweeted yesterday: “Sugar Rush stormed the usa, can’t wait for u 2 hear it. Its like original toyah meets space punk“. How can anyone resist that? The new material, which will be heard live on the ‘Sugar Rush’ tour, combines haunting soundscapes, edgy experiments and sweet melodies. Please click on the above promo flyers for full details on how to see both tours. Unfortunately The Humans’ Glasgow date at King Tuts has been postponed by the promoters, but there are still six English/Welsh ‘Sugar Rush’ concerts to go to.
‘Sugar Rush’, the second album by The Humans, is released on Sunday 2nd October in the UK, Europe and Rest of the World (basically everywhere except US/Canada where it’s already available).
The album will be available as a download, via iTunes (this includes bonus Digital Artwork Booklet), Amazon, Play etc. The UK CD release can be purchased from Burning Shed, and will also be available at each date of the ‘Sugar Rush’ UK tour (as will the t-shirt).
‘Sugar Rush’ is already available on CD and download for those of you in the US/Canada. Download via iTunes or Amazon. Buy the CD at The Omega Order (click below) or Amazon.
View more comprehensive details on the release(s), including info on the album’s bonus material and much more, at Toyah’s Official Facebook here. Details of how UK fans can buy t-shirts online will be announced soon, so no need to buy on import unless you really want to :)
