Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

Live at the Rainbow
(Cherry Red CD/DVD)

Originally released as a VHS video in 1981, capturing Toyah at the very peak of her early ’80s triumphs, fans have been calling out for a digital equivalent for years now… and finally it’s here.

Spread across two discs, with the full VHS performance on DVD, and the entire concert (four songs longer, plus three further bonus tracks) on CD, Live at the Rainbow is both a captivating performance and a curious time capsule – a reminder of a time, to begin with, when Toyah was considered a weird looking lady, and a weird sounding one as well. These days, you see more dramatic costumes working in banks, and hear stranger voices reading the news.

Shove such thoughts aside, however, and the DVD, in particular, illustrates just what a dynamic performer Toyah was, with a repertoire that danced closer to the edge than many far more feted left fielders, and a stage presence that pushed her leagues ahead, again, of the competition. Indeed, enjoyable though the audio disc is, it’s the DVD to which you will continually return, simply to bask in the sheer delight of the show.

• Continue reading at Goldmine. Browse our recent posts for Live At The Rainbow.

Following Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! (May 2022, #72) and Anthem (September 2022, #33), Toyah secures a third Top 100 album in 2022 on The Official Charts today, with Live At The Rainbow entering at #100. Not only that, though, Live At The Rainbow places very well in various other Official Chart album countdowns today.

Album Chart #100
Independent Chart #7
Sales Chart #24
Physical Chart #22
Scottish Chart #34

Live At The Rainbow also charted at #36 in the Official Chart Album Update (aka Midweeks) earlier this week.

• Chart Stats: Toyah has now had seven albums on the Official Charts in the past four consecutive years: In The Court Of The Crimson Queen (2019) #74, Sheep Farming In Barnet (2020) #99, The Blue Meaning (2021) #59, Posh Pop (2021) #22, Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! (2022) #72, Anthem (2022) #33, Live At The Rainbow (2022) #100.

NB. As well as those album stats, the two box sets, Toyah Solo (March 2020), and The Humans: Noise In Your Head (July 2020), both entered a number of the Official Charts, including Sales and Independent.

• More Toyah Chart News: Browse Dreamscape’s Official Charts archive…  Download/Stream or buy the vinyl or CD/DVD of Live At The Rainbow.

Live At The Rainbow was released yesterday, on CD/DVD and Double Vinyl. Watch Cherry Red’s promo video for the release by clicking below. Order Live At The Rainbow at Cherry Red.

Newly remixed & remastered… Race Through Space [Live At The Rainbow] is out digitally this Friday, 4th November. Pre-save the track here.

The track is a preview of the forthcoming 2LP Vinyl and CD+DVD editions of Toyah Live At The Rainbow released 25th November on Cherry Red Records. Pre-order Live At The Rainbow.

It’s been another exciting week for Toyah with the finale of the Billy Idol Tour. In this episode Toyah unveils the Rainbow formats and reacts to Neon Womb from a rare German TV performance.

• Click below to watch yesterday’s Toyah At Home. See Toyah Unboxing more releases here… (Screen cap from a video that is © Toyah Willcox)

Cherry Red are releasing Toyah’s February 1981 concert recorded at London’s Rainbow Theatre as a CD/DVD and a coloured double vinyl LP on 25 November 2022.

Toyah – Live At The Rainbow is released for the first time on CD with seven additional songs, all previously unreleased and restored exclusively for this release.

Previously only available on VHS, the 53-min concert film has been remastered from the original Rolling Stones multitrack reels for the DVD release with improvements to both picture and sound.

The newly remixed and remastered audio has been integrated to the concert for an enhanced viewing experience. All audio remastering was approved by Joel Bogen.

Three of the seven unheard songs appear exclusively on the CD as mono-only (originally mixed by Nick Tauber) bonus tracks, where no existing multi-tracks were available to present new stereo remixes. These three tracks do not appear on the 16-song double vinyl LP edition. Toyah provides a brand-new introduction in the 24-page booklet which contains iconic live photography by Barry Plummer and new notes by Craig Astley, Toyah’s official archivist.

• Continue reading at Mr Kinski’s Music Shack. Pre-order Toyah Live At The Rainbow, and other recent Toyah reissues, at Cherry Red.

Click on the shots below for an exclusive preview clip. Computer from Toyah Live At The Rainbow for #ToyahTuesday.

One of the most long-awaited titles by Toyah fans finally comes home this November. Toyah Live At The Rainbow will be released on CD+DVD and aqua-blue transparent vinyl LP by Cherry Red Records on Friday 25th November 2022. Pre-order here. (Photos © Cherry Red)

Toyah / Live at the Rainbow
First time on DVD and CD/LP

Toyah Live at the Rainbow was issued on VHS back in 1981 (and later on laserdisc) but now gets the full reissue treatment with remixed and remastered audio on vinyl and CD as well as a DVD with restored visuals.

The concert was in February 1981 at London’s iconic Rainbow Theatre and includes a performance of ‘It’s A Mystery’. Such was that single’s success (it reached number four as part of the ‘Four From Toyah’ EP) it prompted a gig upgrade from the Lyceum Theatre to The Rainbow.

Live at the Rainbow was originally a 12-song video, but on CD it has been expanded with with seven additional tracks, all previously unheard and unreleased; restored exclusively for this release. These include ‘Bird In Flight’, ‘Mummies’, ‘Computer’ and ‘Love Me’. Three of these seven songs are in mono because the original multi-track masters could not be found. The coloured blue vinyl edition doesn’t include the mono tracks and is therefore a 16-song offering.

• Continue reading at Super Deluxe Edition.

One of the most long-awaited titles by Toyah fans finally comes home this November. ‘Toyah Live At The Rainbow’ will be released on CD+DVD and aqua-blue transparent vinyl LP by Cherry Red Records on Friday 25 November 2022.

Featuring the original 12-song concert film released for the first time ever on DVD, much requested and sought after by fans for decades.

The previously unreleased concert audio is released for the first time ever on CD with seven additional songs, all previously unheard and unreleased; restored exclusively for this release. These include ‘Bird In Flight’, ‘Mummies’, ‘Computer’ and ‘Love Me’.

For this release, the original Rolling Stones multitrack reels have been revisited and remixed from scratch by Nick Watson at Fluid Mastering to create a new full stereo mix of the gig for the first time in its history. All audio remastering was approved by Joel Bogen.

This newly remastered and expanded release is the fifth in the Toyah reissue programme.

Celebrating the much-loved February 1981 concert at North London’s legendary Rainbow Theatre, this hotly anticipated title marks the first time ever the concert audio has been released on vinyl.

At the time, the Toyah band had seen a new line-up with Willcox and Joel Bogen joined by Nigel Glockler, Phil Spalding and Adrian Lee. In February 1981, the lead track ‘It’s A Mystery’, from the EP ‘Four From Toyah’, rose up through the charts and following an appearance on BBC’s Top Of The Pops, saw the band ‘Toyah’ crossover to mainstream singles chart success. This concert, originally due to take place at the Lyceum, was upgraded to the Rainbow following the EP’s success and demand for tickets.

Safari Records decided to record this unique moment in history as the band were ascending to greater fame and recognition, and before they’d recorded an album to follow the success of ‘It’s A Mystery’.

‘Toyah Live At The Rainbow’ includes the classic tracks ‘It’s A Mystery’, ‘War Boys’, ‘Angels & Demons’, ‘Race Through Space’, ‘Danced’ and ‘Ieya’.

• Pre-Order “Toyah Live At The Rainbow” on CD+DVD and Transparent Aqua Blue Vinyl at Cherry Red, where you can also see the full tracklist for both formats.

Rounding off The Blue Meaning‘s 40th with… this! Play loud and celebrate!!

It’s a double-whammy anniversary/birthday celebration today for two of Toyah’s legendary career landmarks! Sheep Farming in Barnet (the album rather than the AP) was released on this day in 1980, and Toyah played At The Rainbow on The College Tour this very evening in 1981…

Official Toyah’s gorgeous At The Rainbow anniversary image, along with info on the gig:

On This Day 22.2.1981 Toyah performed a headline gig at the Rainbow Theatre, London with Joel Bogen, Phil Spalding, Nigel Glockler, Adrian Lee. The gig was hot on the feels of the EP Four From Toyah charting in the Top 40 singles chart. Safari Records decided to film the concert and record the audio on the Rolling Stones mobile recording unit. It was then licenced it to BBC who televised a 30-min edit and released a 55-min version on the recently launched home video market on #VHS and #Laserdisc formats, the latter containing Nick Tauber’s stereo mix. The full concert had a rather long set list but since the band had only recently formed they performed arrangements of material from the albums Sheep Farming and The Blue Meaning. They did however perform all 4 of the songs from the EP Four From Toyah which at this point were the only recordings they’d made together. The full set list for this gig was as below and the repeated encore versions of War Boys and Mystery were used in final video edit. (Image © Official Toyah)

37 years ago this very evening Toyah played their, legendary, At The Rainbow concert at The Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park, London.

“The irrepressible Toyah Willcox is marching on, opening up new horizons in audio-visual entertainment… She is now number one in a field of one… An original.” London Trax

The Rainbow Theatre, originally known as the Astoria Theatre, is a former cinema which still stands today in Finsbury Park, London and is now a Grade II listed building. It closed as a music venue in December 1981 and lay derilict for many years but was restored in the 1990s and is now used as a church.

“Toyah – a great rock performer, an inimitable individualist of the music scene. The legendary Rainbow Theatre in North London is the setting for this spectacular show, among the laser beams, through clouds of swirly smoke, Toyah struts and strides – a truly spine tingling performance. “Toyah” – band and vocalist – frenzied, pulsating, mystical fabulous – an explosive experience.”

RAINBOW SET-LIST

A 30-minute edit of the gig was aired by the BBC in 1981 and a 55-minute version was released on BBC video and laser disc. Neither of these included the full set-list of songs played at the gig:

War Boys, Neon Womb, Waiting, Our Movie, Revelations, Danced, Race Through Space, Angels & Demons, Love Me, Mummies, Insects, It’s A Mystery, Computer, Indecision, Tribal Look, Ghosts, Victims Of The Riddle, Ieya. ENCORE: It’s A Mystery, War Boys , Bird In Flight, Danced

Toyah Willcox (Vocals), Joel Bogen (Guitar), Phil Spalding (Bass), Nigel Glockler (Drums), Adrian Lee (Keyboards). See the Discography page at toyahwillcox.com and read Dreamscape’s 2011 At The Rainbow mini-feature. Re-live the magical gig at You Tube.

• Aural Sculptors: Toyah The Rainbow London 21st February 1981: Toyah did not support The Stranglers, but Toyah Willcox did lend a helping hand at the early April Rainbow gigs as a guest vocalist. Here is a soundboard recording of the band Toyah playing in their own right at the Rainbow. This is, I think, an audio rip of the long deleted BBC Video of the band’s appearance at the North London venue – Continue reading…

• British Horror Revival: Eight pop stars who wrote soundtracks for British horror films: Robert Fripp – Steve Oram’s bonkers 2015 humans-act-like-apes feature Aaaaaaaah! includes among its cast former 1980s pop star Toyah Willcox. When her husband, King Crimson rocker Fripp, heard about the movie he offered Oram a collection of unreleased tracks from which to collate a soundtrack – Continue reading…

• Radio Times: The Great British Sewing Bee is back with a new judge: Clients at Swanky Modes included Cher, Grace Jones, Toyah Willcox and Julie Christie – Continue reading…

• Loughborough Echo: Tribute acts galore set their sights on Glastonbudget: Top tribute acts and local artists took to the stage at Glastonbudget last year which marked its 10th anniversary with a record attendance. The real-life Toyah Willcox headlined as special guest on Saturday – Continue reading…

• Sunday Post: Spandau Ballet star Tony Hadley admits he had to hold back in the I’m A Celebrity jungle: Tony, who had hits with True and Gold while in Spandau Ballet, lost 10kg in the jungle and he’ll be showing off his still-slimmer shape as one of the big names at this year’s Rewind Scotland festival, which runs from July 22 to 24. It takes place at Scone Palace Perth and also features Adam Ant, Midge Ure, Toyah, Rick Astley, ABC, and more – Continue reading…

Exactly 35 years ago this evening Toyah played their, now legendary, At The Rainbow concert, at The Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park, London. Toyah Willcox (Vocals), Joel Bogen (Guitar), Phil Spalding (Bass), Nigel Glockler (Drums), Adrian Lee (Keyboards). See the Discography page at toyahwillcox.com and click below to read Dreamscape’s 2011 mini-feature. Watch the gig at You Tube and if anyone still has Breaking Through: The Official Toyah Newsletter #12 from July 2014 in their inbox, there’s a great At The Rainbow feature included in that also.

If anything should definitely be considered “Classic Toyah” then surely it’s these two 1981 concerts? At The Rainbow, from February 1981, and Good Morning Universe – Live at The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, from December 1981. Both were broadcast by the BBC and subsequently released on “BBC Home Video”. Here are a couple of Dreamscape tributes to two amazing gigs… Such a shame that The Changeling Tour the following year wasn’t similarly preserved! Please click on each to view larger versions. View another Rainbow mini feature here.