Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

Toyah’s 1979 debut single, Victims Of The Riddle (Part 1), is included on the forthcoming 3CD Box Set, Revolt Into Style 1979. The compilation is released on 21st January 2022.

• Four exceptional hours of music that defines British pop at the end of a tumultuous decade

• Continuing Cherry Red’s yearly overview of the late ‘70s UK “new music” scene

• Housed in a stylish clamshell box, ‘Revolt Into Style’ features the best of a fast-splintering scene, rife with creativity

If 1977 was the year that punk broke, and 1978 saw the UK turn Day-Glo, then 1979 was all about the aftershock of punk, with the redrawn British musical landscape divided between various youth sub-cultures and factions. The release of the film Quadrophenia gave a focal point to the growing mod revival, power pop bands like The Jags similarly sought inspiration from the mid-‘60s, while 2-Tone recalibrated the ska sound of Prince Buster for a new generation of pork pie hat-wearing rude boys.

Running parallel to those developments, a plethora of bands – prominent among whom were Public Image Ltd, Siouxsie And The Banshees, The Fall and Joy Division – were demanding the future now with an uncompromising sound and nonconformist approach that would subsequently be labelled post-punk. They were joined by the likes of The Human League and Tubeway Army, who brought avant-garde electronic influences and dystopian lyrical themes into the pop charts.

With the more mainstream Spirit-of-’77 bands now rebranded by the radio-friendly marketing term New Wave, 1979 turned out to be an epic pot-pourri of sounds and styles. The likes of Madness, Echo And The Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes, Pretenders and Dexy’s Midnight Runners all made their vinyl debuts, while the singles chart boasted instant three-minute classics from The Jam, The Clash, The Skids, Squeeze, The Ruts, XTC and The Undertones.

• Further info on this release at Cherry Red Records. (Thanks to Michael Murray)

It’s Halloween! The perfect day for a spooky Toyah playlist (albeit a short one!). I’m not much of a horror fan, can’t even watch a scary movie without the light on, but being brave to compile this tuneful frightfest… Six from Toyah, from the spine tingling to the truly electrifying! Listen to the playlist at Spotify. (Thanks Craig!)

The Packt: From the 1982 album The Changeling. “The doors blow open. You’ve arrived!” Scary and Epic! #Majestic

She: From the 1980 album The Blue Meaning. The opening of this track is as “gothic” as Toyah ever sounded. An incredible song that builds and builds… “Alleluia!” #Cataclysmic

Voodoo Doll: A b-side from 1983 which, on the surface, sounds like a fairly straightforward pop song. “Eyes alight, I am the night…“. Maybe not so straightforward! #Supernatural

Creepy Room: Another from The Changeling. “They’re sending me to the creepy room, for some chemically induced fear“. Enough said! #Ominous

Victims Of The Riddle (Vivisection): The b-side of Toyah’s 1979 debut single. The subject matter of this track is bizarre in itself (experimenting on sentient animals is highly controversial), but the high-pitch squeals make it all the more uncomfortable to listen to. Producer, Steve James recently revealed they were achieved by Toyah sucking on helium (which would also be utilised during 1980 recording sessions). #Spinechilling

Angels and Demons: From the 1981 EP, Four From Toyah. “Angels and demons, omens and requiems, peers and sightseers, merchants with souvenirs“. Toyah said of the song, “This one’s about growing up, and everything you’re told not to believe in“. #Mysterious

It’s not often, Toyah’s debut 1979 single, Victims Of The Riddle is included on a compilation!

It is one of 58 tracks on the forthcoming Musik Music Musique – 1980 | The Dawn Of Synth Pop, A new 3CD set exploring the arrival of synth pop and the dawn of a new musical era. Released by Cherry Red Records on 31st July 2020.

The set features music by OMD, The Human League, Ultravox, Toyah, Spandau Ballet, Kim Wilde, Philip Lynott, The Buggles, Fad Gadget, Suicide, John Foxx, DAF, Dalek I Love You, Visage, The Residents, Yello.

58 tracks marking the transition of electronic pop from the outer reaches of eccentricity and novelty to the very heart of a musical mainstream it would quickly dominate.

• Contine to the Cherry Red Records website for further info.

Toyah’s debut single Victims Of The Riddle was released in April 1979. A brave choice as the first release as it was hardly a commercial sounding, radio friendly, song. The single reached number one on the Indie Chart in the UK and spent many months of 1979 there.

The sleeve featured an intentionally disturbing image. At the time of release few knew the gruesome story behind the photo and assumed it was a doll. Victims Of The Riddle was also released later in Spain, with the far more appealing Sheep Farming In Barnet artwork. The beginning of an amazing music career and a brave choice to get started with.