Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

35 years ago today, 12th November 1983, Toyah’s 14th single, The Vow, entered the UK Singles chart. The single was released on 7″ and 12″ vinyl and was backed with I Explode (by Willcox/Bogen) and extra song Haunted (by Willcox/Simon Darlow).

The Vow, written by Toyah Willcox, Joel Bogen and Phil Spalding, was the final single release by the early 80s Toyah band and final physical single release on Safari Records.

Toyah worked her Love Is The Law/Rebel Run baseball shoulder pads off promoting The Vow everywhere – TV show appearances included Pebble Mill, Did You See?, Pop Watch, Saturday Superstore, Breakfast Time, Razzmatazz, The Saturday Show, Harty, Crackerjack, Judgendbund, TVAM: Good Morning Britain and 60 Minutes.

No official promo video was filmed for the single so ITV’s The Saturday Show and Toyah filmed one. As with every single release during the 80s Toyah had a unique image for The Vow, strikingly different to her recent Rebel Run look.

The Vow was produced by, longtime Toyah producer, Nick Tauber. It peaked at No. 50 and spent seven weeks on the chart.

• Toyah’s Painted Giraffe: “Touch The Wishing Stars” raised £8000 for Toyah’s mother’s hospice and is now placed permanently in the memorial garden at St. Richards Worcester – News Source – Toyah’s Nov 2018 Blog…

• Worcester Stands Tall: Browse all our past news on Toyah’s painted giraffe here… (Photo © Toyah Willcox)

• Toyah at Twitter: Studio day with Simon Darlow for very important release in 2019 – See the tweet…

• Toyah Releases 2019: Two new singles have been confirmed as being released by Toyah next year – News Source – Express & Star Interview…

• Edinburgh Evening News/Liam Rudden: My right ankle and left knee told me it hadn’t been a good idea to ‘pogo’ at Manchester’s Ruby Lounge on Friday. The occasion was the first of Toyah’s 60th Birthday gigs, though she looks a fraction of her age. The same could not be said for the vintage teenagers who turned out to see her – Continue reading…

• Acoustic, Up Close & Personal 2019: Toyah is playing the West End Centre, 48 Queens Road, Aldershot on 15th March 2019 – More info/Book tickets…

• Toyah at Twitter: FABULOUS SOLD OUT GIG & FINALE to the Toyah60 Tour @O2Islington last night. Great vibe & wonderful friends – See some backstage photos…

• Toyah60 – Finale:  Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard) – O2 Academy Islington – 4/11/18 – Watch/Listen…

• BBC iPlayer Radio: There’s still a great selection of past Toyah at BBC Radio content currently available to listen to at BBC iPlayer Radio; Great Lives: Toyah Willcox on Katharine Hepburn (originally aired in September 2015), Ramblings: Toyah takes Clare Balding for a walk in Worcestershire (February 2013), Woman’s Hour: Toyah on being a punk (February 2012), A Good Read: Book reviews (March 1998), and Saturday Live: Toyah’s shares her secret life (August 2011), Inheritance Tracks: Two of Toyah’s favourite songs (April 2017), Woman’s Hour: Toyah talks punk classic Jubilee reimagined for the stage (February 2018), Ramblings: Toyah guest presents ‘The Same Walk 365 Times’ (October 2013), The Reunion: Women of Punk (April 2017), Sounds Of The 80s: Toyah on the 80s (February 2014).

Review: Toyah − the soundtrack to my life

The Birmingham-born star rarely tours but has just finished a sell-out four-gig run with full electric band to celebrate 40 years in the business after turning 60 earlier this year.

The agile singer-songwriter has always had boundless energy, her videos and lively performances on erstwhile TV music show Top Of The Pops will testify to this, and she shows no signs of slowing down at 60. She leapt around the stage, commanding it with her strong and quirky tribal dance moves and leaning out towards the audience astride stone pillars in the small, crammed venue.

Her voice is as powerful and moving as it always was, diving straight in with All In A Rage, she took us through the full back-catalogue including Danced, Good Morning Universe, Thunder In The Mountains, Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard), Rebel Run, I Want To Be Free, Brave New World and ending with her best-known hit It’s A Mystery.

• Continue reading at the North Somerset Times. (Photos © Karen Richards/North Somerset Times)

Toyah’s blog for November 2018 is available to read at toyahwillcox.com.

Toyah Willcox wows crowds in Wolverhampton with new show – in pictures

Toyah Willcox wowed crowds of fans with a Sensational performance at Wolverhampton’s Slade Rooms.

The singer, songwriter and actress proudly presented her show TOYAH, featuring a full electric band, to celebrate 40 years in the music business. Now aged 60, the solo artist – who is from Birmingham – delighted fans with hit tracks including I Want To Be Free and Be Proud Be Loud.

The event was held in the city on Friday evening.

• Continue reading, and view a gallery of photos, at the Express & Star. (Photo © Dave Cox/Express & Star)

The fourth, and final, gig of Toyah’s Anniversary Tour is tonight at the O2 Academy Islington, London. The finale will see Toyah perform classics, favourites, hits and new material! There are still a limited number of tickets available, click on either of the pictures below to buy!

London is a city Toyah has played live in many times through her 40 year music career. From The Nashville to The Rainbow, from Hammersmith Odeon to the ICA, from The 100 Club to The Marquee, from Drury Lane’s Theatre Royal to The Borderline, and more…

Tonight’s support bands are Blue Zoo and Cauda Pavonis. The concert is the final Toyah band gig of 2018 – A year which saw Toyah, and fans, celebrating her 60th Birthday and the 40th Anniversary of her fantastic music career.

A selection of shots from last night’s sold out concert at Bristol Fleece, the second of Toyah’s four anniversary gigs – Celebrating 40 Years of Music in her 60th Year –  for Autumn 2018.

Please click on the photos below to view larger versions of all nine at Dreamscape’s Toyah Gallery. (Thanks to Ian | Photos © Ian Davis)

By her own admission, she’s not quite right.

Toyah Willcox lives in a perpetual state of confusion, imagining that she ought to be doing something else or working on something new.

She’s a little bit OCD – her words, not ours – and is never happier than when playing one thing off against the other.

And perhaps that’s no surprise. After all, the one-time High Priestess of Punk has carved out a remarkable career as musician, singer, songwriter, actress, producer and author. In a career spanning 40 years, she’s had eight Top 40 singles, released more than 20 albums, written two books and appeared in more than 40 stage plays and ten feature films.

She’s voiced and presented numerous TV shows and enjoyed such hits as It’s A Mystery, Thunder In The Mountains and I Want To Be Free. Now in her 60th year, it’s time to reflect. The entertainer who was born in King’s Heath, refused to move to London and now lives just up the road in Worcestershire, is back on the road with shows that double as a career retrospective.

She’ll headline Wolverhampton’s Slade Rooms on Friday as part of a whistlestop tour that celebrates both her 60th year and her 40th year in music.

“I’ve been in the business for 40 years so there’s a lot of music to cover. We cherry pick what we think will be a good fun high-energy night for the fans. Obviously we’ll do all the hits and I also have two singles scheduled for release next year, so they’re in the set.”

• Continue reading at the Express & Star.

Hot on the heels of last night’s jam-packed Bristol gig, the third, and penultimate, anniversary concert is tonight at Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton. Support bands are Cauda Pavonis and Under A Banner. There are a limited amount of tickets still available, click below to book.

Strictly limited edition handwritten lyric artworks by Toyah were available at the merch stall last night at The Fleece Bristol. Voodoo Doll, Danced, Angel & Me… (Photos © Official Toyah)

The second of Toyah’s four Anniversary gigs takes place tonight at The Fleece, Bristol. The gig is Sold Out! Doors open 7.30. Support bands are: The Radio Makers 7.45 – 8.15 and Cauda Pavonis 8.30 – 9.10, with Toyah onstage at 9.30 – 11.00.

Toyah has played The Fleece in St Thomas Street, Bristol many times. A great venue, with a 36-year history of gigs and music, and also with a great policy: The Fleece is a venue for people to enjoy music without fear of harassment or discrimination. We welcome diversity in our audience and work to create a safe space for everyone present; in return we ask that you respect these values and each other – Click below to visit their website.

“Can’t wait for the show tonight @ The Ruby Lounge. On stage at 21:15. Xx #Toyah60” – Toyah at Twitter this evening before debuting the Toyah60 Anniversary gigs. (Photo © Toyah Willcox)

Toyah’s 40th Year in Music/60th Birthday concerts launch this evening, with the first of four gigs, at Ruby Lounge in Manchester.

There’s an exciting new setlist to look forward to, and oodles of new official tour merchandise – Brave New World t-shirts, Brave New World mugs, Rebel Run/Love Is The Law tote bags, badges, stickers & more – will be on sale at the gig.

Toyah will also play The Fleece, Bristol (Thursday 1st November), Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton (Friday 2nd November) and O2 Academy Islington, London (Sunday 4rh November)

These special concerts – with Toyah’s full electric band – will be a celebratory retrospective including hit singles, album classics and fan favourites. Throughout October The Official Toyah Willcox website has counted down to the beginning of the four-date anniversary tour, via social media, with a series of special updates.

Toyah’s upcoming Toyah60 anniversary gig on Sunday 4th November at O2 Academy Islington, London is close to selling out… Please click below if you still need a ticket!

There’s just a day until the first of Toyah’s four 40th Anniversary in Music/60th Birthday gigs – tomorrow’s tour opener is taking place at Ruby Lounge, Manchester. See official updates in the run up to the gigs at Instagram, Twitter and Facebook – Click below to get your ticket(s) for the concerts that haven’t sold out…

Toyah’s brand new Brave New World tour t-shirt, in the sky blue variant, modelled by the changeling herself! On sale at the autumn concerts. (Photo © Toyah Willcox)

It’s the final week of the countdown to Toyah’s Autumn Anniversary Tour, with yet more great content – posted across the official social media – from Toyah’s career, as well as previews of the new merchandise which will be available at the gigs. The opening gig, at Ruby Lounge in Manchester is just six days away. See those below and more at Instagram, Twitter and Facebook – Buy tickets for the gigs here or by clicking on the images below.

Toyah’s four-date Autumn Anniversary Tour begins one week today – Friday 26th October – at Ruby Lounge, Manchester. There will be lots of new merchandise available at the gigs, including the Rebel Run/Love Is The Law tote bag.

Coincidentally, next Friday is almost 35 years to the day the Love Is The Law album was released. Click below to book tickets for the forthcoming concerts…

Definitely the best mug design ever – Drink your tea/coffee from a Brave New World mug. This was on sale at Toyah’s Acoustic… dates at the weekend and will also be available on Toyah’s Anniversary Tour dates later this month and in early November!

The countdown to Toyah’s Autumn Anniversary Tour continues, with more great content – posted across the official social media – from Toyah’s incredible, and unrivalled, imagery archive/career. See those below and more at Instagram, Twitter and Facebook – Posts will continue through the month. Buy tickets for the gigs here or by clicking on the images below.

Toyah’s brand new Brave New World tour t-shirt, with Robert wearing it well. Toyah tweeted: “Stunning new T-Shirt design and equally stunning model xxx” (Photos © Toyah Willcox)