This evening Toyah brings
'Sheep Farming To Anthem' to London. The
most anticipated live Toyah gig since the
Mean Fiddler 2003 show. She will rock the
Leicester Square Theatre!
From
Sheep Farming... London: One Day
To Go
16 June, 2011
There's
now just one day to go until 'From Sheep
Farming To Anthem' plays London, at the
Leicester Square Theatre. Toyah has said
the gig will be "A true celebration
of 30 years of images!"
It's our final Melissa Caplan inspired
update/countdown. Toyah tweeted a great photo of
some of her Melissa outfits yesterday
(Thanks Michael). Tomorrow evening
hundreds of Toyah fans will be treated to
a gig of great music, awesome visuals and
fantastic nostalgia. It's an early show,
8pm start at very latest! Doors open from
7pm. Have fun everyone and best wishes to
Toyah and band for a rocking concert!
Official
Toyah: Toyah Kicks Off Special
Anniversary Tour
16 June, 2011
TOYAH
KICKS OFF SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY TOUR
FEATURING CULT CLASSICS, DARK ANTHEMS
& HIT SINGLES
Celebrating
the 30th anniversary of her breakthrough
hit It's A Mystery and the
platinum-selling album Anthem, Toyah has
confirmed a special anniversary tour
which kicks off on Friday 17 June at
Londons Leicester Square Theatre.
Tickets are on sale now. Visit gigs for
full details & ticket links.
The From Sheep Farming To
Anthem show includes selections
drawn exclusively from Toyah's first
three albums, Sheep Farming In Barnet,
The Blue Meaning and Anthem. These unique
readings and fresh, live interpretations
of classic material have been praised
highly with rave reviews for a preview
concerts date at Liverpool's legendary
Cavern Club.
The Leicester Square concert date will
also see Toyah revisit the colourful and
iconic imagery which became synonymous
with her name, with original 1980s
costumes. There will also be a 21st
century re-working of the renowned hair
and make-up which Toyah became recognized
for and which helped define the look of
the 1980s. The striking Toyah visuals
which she created were an innovative
forerunner of the styles and approaches
adopted by the hitmakers of today
including Lady GaGa and Gwen Stefani.
Toyah has recently been cited as
influencing or drawing comparisons with
contemporary music acts Marina & The
Diamonds, Andi Fraggs and Florence &
The Machine.
Read the full news
update at Toyah's Official News page, here
From
Sheep Farming... London: Two Days
To Go
15 June, 2011
There's
now just two days to go until 'From Sheep
Farming To Anthem' plays London, at the
Leicester Square Theatre. Toyah has said
the gig will be "A true celebration
of 30 years of images!"
Melissa Caplan designed many of Toyah's
iconic early costumes, and Toyah
confirmed during her 'Gaydar Radio'
interview last night that she will be
wearing some of of them this Friday,
saying there would be five costume
changes!
From
Sheep Farming... London: Three
Days To Go
14 June, 2011
There's
now just three days to go until 'From
Sheep Farming To Anthem' hits London, at
the Leicester Square Theatre. Toyah has
said the gig will be "A true
celebration of 30 years of images!"
Melissa Caplan designed many of Toyah's
iconic early costumes, some of which she
will, hopefully, wear on Friday. Steve
Strange, Spandau Ballet, Bucks Fizz and
many others also wore clothes designed by
Melissa.
From
Sheep Farming... London: Four
Days To Go
13 June, 2011
There's
just four days to go until 'From Sheep
Farming To Anthem' hits London, at the
Leicester Square Theatre. Toyah has said
the gig will be "A true celebration
of 30 years of images!"
Melissa Caplan designed many of Toyah's
iconic early costumes, some of which she
will, hopefully, wear on Friday. Here's a
few more Q&A's from Melissa's
interview with 'Intergalactic Ranchouse'
in 1982:
How did you first get into
designing and when?
Professionally it was about two years
ago, but it's a very slow process because
of contacts and things. The first order
once I had left college was from Toyah,
and the money that she gave me started
the company. I plough all of my money
into the business and keep expanding.
Are you friends with Toyah?
Yes, we started off as friends.
Toyah describes you as a genius.
How do you describe her? If I
said she had good taste it would be
biased because she buys my clothes, but
she's developed her own image alongside
the clothes and the image they give her.
From
Sheep Farming... London: Five
Days To Go
12 June, 2011
There's
just five days to go until 'From Sheep
Farming To Anthem' hits London, at the
Leicester Square Theatre. Toyah has said
the gig will be "A true celebration
of 30 years of images!"
Many of Toyah's most memorable and iconic
outfits were designed/co-designed by
Melissa Caplan. It's anticipated that
one, or more, of Melissa's designs will
be worn by Toyah this Friday.
Melissa was interviewed by Toyah's
Official Fanclub, 'Intergalactic
Ranchouse', in 1982:
How did you and Toyah first get
together? We met at a party. I
asked her about the colour of her hair
and she asked me about a skirt. We were
the only two real freaks there.
Has Toyah ever said that she
doesn't like a design? Not yet.
There have had to be alterations. In
Dublin a sleeve got ripped off. I was a
bit upset. Another time she had a skirt
ripped off... Toyah's clothes get ripped
and battered so they get in a bad
condition. I build them to last though.
Which of your designs do you like
best? I did a royal blue suede
tunic for Toyah but my favourite one
changes as I progress.
FSF-A
Official T-Shirt: Make Your
Tribal Look
10 June, 2011
A brand new official Toyah
t-shirt celebrating the "From Sheep
Farming to Anthem Tour".... on sale
at gigs soon!
From
Sheep Farming To Anthem: 18 Dates
On Sale
10 June, 2011
From
Sheep Farming To Anthem: 18 UK dates on
sale now, including London (Leicester Sq
Theatre), Oxford, Harrogate, Bromsgrove,
Blackpool, Isle of Man, Southampton,
Surrey, Hertford, Wolverhampton, Hoylake,
Glasgow, Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester,
Leamington, Nottingham and London (
Islington o2 Academy).
Andi
Fraggs Joins 'FSF-A' UK Tour
10 June, 2011
Andi Fraggs was
recently announced as Toyah's opening act
on seven of the 'From Sheep Farming To
Anthem' tour dates later this year.
Andi will be performing at The Classic
Grand, Glasgow on 26th October right
through to the o2 Academy, Islington on
5th November, visiting Bristol, Cardiff,
Manchester, Leamington and Nottingham
along the way. As Toyah is one of Andi's
favourite musicians it makes this
exciting news even more special.
Andi Fraggs' new single,
'Reality', is available now. All profits
fron the sale of the single will be
donated to 'London Friend'. Visit Andi's
Official Website, here.
From
Sheep Farming To Anthem:
Leicester Sq Theatre
10 June, 2011
The
fourth 'From Sheep Farming To Anthem'
gig, at Leicester Sq Theatre, London, is
now just a week away. Various snippets of
info have been tweeted (by Toyah) and
posted online in recent weeks, most
notably:
Make-up artist booked for new surreal
image at Leicester Square show. A true
celebration of 30 years of images!
More
'FSF-A' London gig tweets: Just
re-learning Masai Boy......so excited!
"God's eye. Volcano Cry"... Up
at 4.30 this morn learning 6 new songs
plus revising 19 others for coming
weeks.... there's suprises in store
:-)... Some of my original costumes might
make a surprise appearance at Leicester
Square gig. Did i say might? ;-)... we're
putting 3 surprise songs to the
@lsqtheatre set list as most requested
from fans....... ;-) are you coming?
FSF-A: 18th
Date/Date Change/Toyah Tweets
15 May, 2011
The
18th 'From Sheep Farming To Anthem' tour
date was announced at the end of the
week. Toyah plays the Harlequin Theatre,
Surrey on 18th October. That's now nine
dates for October.
The recently confirmed Cardiff Globe date
has been moved to 28th October. Toyah tweeted
some very exciting news on Thursday: Make-up
artist booked for new surreal image at
Leicester Square show. A true celebration
of 30 years of images!
Tuesday 18 October 2011: Harlequin
Theatre, Surrey
Visit the Official 'FSF-A' page here,
and view all of Dreamscape's 'FSF-A'
news, here.
Official
Toyah: From Sheep Farming To
Anthem
8 May, 2011
The
Official 'From Sheep Farming To Anthem'
page has been revamped, with tour dates,
images, videos, music and more: Introducing
the new dedicated From Sheep Farming To
Anthem Tour page at the official
website... look out for further videos,
images & info as the tour goes on...
:-)
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: More Dates
8 May, 2011
Full
details of the three new 'From Sheep
Farming To Anthem', previously mentioned,
tour dates have now been confirmed: Toyah
has added gigs in Glasgow, Bristol and
Cardiff to the tour.
Wednesday 26 October 2011
Glasgow / Classic Grand
18 Jamaica Street, Glasgow G1 4QD
Saturday 29 October 2011
Cardiff / Globe
125 Albany Road, Cardiff, South Glamorgan
CF24 3NS
There are now 14 dates (eight in October
alone!) on sale: London (Leicester Sq
Theatre), Oxford, Bromsgrove, Blackpool,
Isle of Man, Southampton, Hertford,
Wolverhampton, Hoylake, Glasgow, Bristol,
Cardiff, Manchester, London ( Islington
o2 Academy).
See the revamped Official
FSF-A
page for further info, and the Official
Gigs
page for ticket booking details.
From Sheep
Farming... Update: More
Gigs/Toyah Tweets
6 May, 2011
Great
news! The Official
Toyah Facebook
announced yesterday: Glasgow, Bristol
& Cardiff gigs for the From Sheep
Farming To Anthem Tour in October will be
announced very soon..... Toyah tweeted on
Wednesday: Some of my original
costumes might make a surprise appearance
at Leicester Square gig. Did i say might?
;-)
A different view of Toyah
onstage at HMV Institute, Birmingham last
Saturday night. (Thanks to Merx for this
great shot of Toyah and the 'From Sheep
Farming To Anthem' audience)
FSF-A: HMV
Institute: Junction10 Photos @
Flickr
20 April, 2011
Junction10
Photography have a set of photos from
Toyah's HMV Institute, Birmingham gig at
their 'Flickr' page.
Click here,
or on the image to the left, to view
these fantastic photos from the third
'From Sheep Farming To Anthem' gig.
(Thanks to Andi)
Midlands
Rocks: Toyah @ HMV Institute:
Review
19 April, 2011
Toyah +
Deadfilmstar + Drag @ HMV Institute,
Birmingham - April 16th, 2011:
Review by J McGowen
Birmingham pop punk sweetheart, Toyah
Willcox returned to her beloved Midlands
to celebrate 30 years since her
breakthrough album, Anthem was released.
The performance promised dark and quirky,
cult classics not often heard live and it
beckoned diehard fans to the HMV
Institute Library venue.
Toyah appeared on stage to rapturous
applause and proceeded into tracks like
Victims of the Riddle and Race through
Space which really exposed her prowess
and range - dipping from operatic to the
whining punk vocal. She pranced about on
stage in skirt with flowing tutu-like
organza material down the back. She
really embodied hypnotic witchy qualities
- Kate Bush meets Stevie Nicks - and
there was no doubt that she retains a
mature sexiness that many of the men (and
women) in the audience appreciated.
Read the full review at the
'Midlands Rocks' website, here.
View a selection of great photos
from Saturday's Birmingham gig at
'Contact Music', here.
YouTubing
with FSF-A @ Birmingham: Elusive
Stranger
18 April, 2011
Lots of cool
footage,
from Saturday night's FSF-A
Birmingham gig, already appearing at
'YouTube', including the wonderful
'Elusive Stranger'. Click below to watch
at 'YouTube' (Thanks to Andy Spike)
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: Dreamscape
News
17 April, 2011
Check out all of our FSF-A
news by clicking below. Collected
together because it makes sense :)
FSF-A: HMV
Institute Birmingham: More Photos
17 April, 2011
More Brumtastic photos from
last night. Toyah looks... atomic!! Check
out all of our 'From Sheep Farming...'
news here.
(Thanks to Greg Fowler for these great
photos - click on each for larger)
FSF-A: HMV
Institute Birmingham: Photos
17 April, 2011
Toyah, looking amazing, last
night at her old dance school (aka HMV
Institute, Birmingham). There's been
excellent feedback for the gig.
Currently, the next FSF-A concert is
Leicester Square Theatre, London on 17th
June. (Thanks to Richard Smith for the
great photos - click each for larger)
FSF-A: HMV
Institute Birmingham: Toyah
Tweets
17 April, 2011
Toyah
has just
tweeted
about last night's gig: Bham HMV was
such a cool show!Audience erupted when we
launched into Elusive Stranger! Queues
around block,even ticket touts had great
night.
Toyah's
Official Facebook
will have photos from the gig soon. The
Official Toyah website will also be
launching a page dedicated to documenting
the 'FSF-A 2011' tour dates.
FSF-A: HMV
Institute Birmingham: Set List
17 April, 2011
Lots
of news
filtering through
about last night's, long awaited and
anticipated, 'From Sheep Farming To
Anthem' gig at Birmingham's HMV
Institute.
The additional new/old song to the set
list, that Toyah tweeted about on Friday
night, was the mighty 'Elusive Stranger'.
Sadly this meant that, the equally
mighty, 'Angel and Me' was removed. There
will probably be some song swapping
through the year so it might be played
again at some gigs?
Toyah tweeted
again yesterday: I've
been thru my 80s costume archive.5hrs!
Found an orig melissa caplan I never
wore.It's weird! I'm thinking leicester
sq theatre in June - Interesting or
what?
Many thanks to Merx for
the Birmingham set list photo.
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: Live!
Tonight!!
16 April, 2011
'From Sheep Farming To
Anthem' gig number three tonight, at HMV
Institute, Birmingham. Toyah tweeted
last night: Can't
wait to play B'ham HMV. Really rockin'
venue...it's my old dance school! Adding
new(old) song to set, tryin' out new
look. C u there x - Have a great gig
Toyah and fans!
Official
Toyah: Toyah Brings Special
Concert To Birmingham
15 Apr, 2011
Toyah
plays a special gig this Saturday 16
April at the HMV Institute, Birmingham
which sees her revisiting songs from her
first three albums.
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of her
platinum-selling album Anthem, the
concert includes some songs not heard
live for thirty years alongside the
classics hit singles It's A Mystery and
Thunder In The Mountains.
Concert tickets are available here
and special aftershow party tickets are
now available to buy now
with access to a green room, bar and DJs
before and after the headline concert.
FSF-A: The
Horn, St Albans: Photos
15 April, 2011
A stunning selection of
photos from 'From Sheep Farming To
Anthem' at The Horn on Thursday 7th
April. Please click on each for a larger
version. (Thanks to Andrea Solomon for
these excellent photos - View more photos
from The Horn @ www.acsphotos.co.uk)
YouTubing
with FSF-A @ St Albans: Blue
Meanings
15 April, 2011
'Blue Meanings' from The
Horn, St Albans. (Thanks to Simon Booth
at 'YouTube')
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: St Albans
15 April, 2011
A great photo of Toyah eight
days ago at the second 'From Sheep
Farming To Anthem' date in St Albans. The
set list that night was the same as The
Cavern gig. Will tomorrow's be the same
also? (Thanks to Andrea Solomon for the
photo - View more from The Horn @ www.acsphotos.co.uk)
Check out
all of our 'From Sheep Farming To Anthem'
news here.
Toyah Talks
Music: Interview Now Online
7 April, 2011
Our interview with Toyah is
now online. I hope you enjoy it. Thank
you to John Wain, Lärwi, and a big
thanks to Stephen Bennett for his input.
Mostly, thank you to Toyah for taking the
time!
Unfortunately this is the last update for
the next 10 days or so. Normal service
will, hopefully, resume before the third
'From Sheep Farming To Anthem' gig at
Birmingham HMV Institute.
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: Live!
Tonight!!
7 April, 2011
It's gig number two of the
'From Sheep Farming To Anthem' tour.
Tonight Toyah will rock St Albans.
FSF-A:
Leicester Square Theatre, London
30 March, 2011
The announcement yesterday
of the newest date, at Leicester Square
Theatre, London, has heightened the
excitement for From Sheep Farming To
Anthem. Book tickets by clicking
below.
Official
Toyah: London Concert Of Cult
Classic Songs
30 March, 2011
Great
news, announced by Toyah's Official
website last night.
TOYAH ANNOUNCES SPECIAL LONDON
CONCERT OF CULT CLASSIC SONGS
We are pleased to announce a very special
Toyah concert is now confirmed for
London. Fresh from rave reviews for its
debut performance at Liverpools
legendary Cavern Club, Toyah will perform
From Sheep Farming To Anthem
in Londons
Leicester Square Theatre on
Friday 17 June 2011 - tickets are on sale
now.
Celebrating 30 years since her
breakthrough platinum-selling album
Anthem, this live concert will include
selections from her first three cult
charting albums, Sheep Farming In Barnet,
The Blue Meaning and Anthem. Toyah, and
her full live band, will be performing
the dark and quirky anthems which put her
at number one in the indie charts for the
charts first twelve months. Toyah
was then a constant in the top 10 for the
following three years before her
breakthrough single "It's A
Mystery" went to number four in the
mainstream chart. Her first three albums
have been sited as the beginnings of
Goth. Anthem also won the finest accolade
of being performed live on the "Old
Grey Whistle Test" at Drury Lane
Theatre on Christmas Eve 1981 for the
BBC, attracting 12million viewers.
Expect a special evening of cherry-picked
songs with a substantial sprinkling of
material not heard live since
Toyahs very earliest tours
including the cult classics, Victims Of
The Riddle, Race Through Space, Blue
Meaning, Bird In Flight and Angel &
Me.
Toyah/FSF-A
@ The Cavern: Now & Then!
30 March, 2011
An absolutely fantastic
photo of Toyah, now and then, at
The Cavern on the first 'From Sheep
Farming To Anthem' date. It sums this
tour up perfectly. (Thanks to Shel Mackay
for this photo)
YouTubing
with FSF-A @ Liverpool: Pop Star
27 March, 2011
'Pop Star' at The Cavern.
Click to watch at 'YouTube' (Thanks to
WhichWay)
From Sheep
Farming: 'The Cavern' News
25 March, 2011
We've added a News page
dedicated to Toyah's From Sheep
Farming To Anthem gig at The Cavern.
There's photos, videos, set list and
more. View here.
This was the first FSF-A gig of,
hopefully, many, especially after the
great reaction to Sunday's gig. View our
full FSF-A news here.
There's some excellent
footage surfacing from Sunday's first From
Sheep Farming To Anthem gig at The
Cavern. Here is the amazing 'Blue
Meanings', not played live since 1980.
(Thanks to Paul Lomas - cleverly mixing
footage from Sunday's gig with 'Blue
Meanings' from the ATV documentary)
YouTubing
with FSF-A @ Liverpool: It's A
Mystery
24 March, 2011
'It's A Mystery' from The
Cavern (Thanks to themachman @ 'YouTube')
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: Dreamscape
News
23 March, 2011
Check out all of our FSF-A
news by clicking below. Collected
together for your convenience :)
YouTubing
with FSF-A @ Liverpool
22 March, 2011
Check out WhichWay's
'YouTube'' channel for four excellent
uploads from Sunday's gig at The Cavern:
'Ieya', 'Our Movie', 'Danced' and , the
sublime, 'Bird In Flight'. Click below to
go there.
The Blue
Meaning: By Mark Satchwill
21 March, 2011
The era/album between 'Sheep
Farming' and 'Anthem'... 'The Blue
Meaning' is a formidable period in
Toyah's timeline, and Mark Satchwill's
incredible "Blue Meaning"
artwork captures the mood of the album
perfectly. FSF-A = a great
"excuse" to feature this
amazing Toyah art here again. View more
of Marks work at his website here.
The site includes another Toyah painting,
War boys.
FSF-A: The
Cavern, Liverpool: Photos
21 March, 2011
Four Caverntastic
photos of Toyah from last night's From
Sheep Farming To Anthem premiere
gig. Please click on each for a larger
version. (Many thanks to Glyn Whelan for
these great photos)
FSF-A: The
Cavern, Liverpool: Set List
21 March, 2011
What an utterly
stunning set of songs. 'Pop Star', 'Bird
In Flight' and 'Blue Meanings' live in
2011!! Bliss! Not that I'm counting but,
that's six from 'Sheep Farming In
Barnet', two from 'The Blue Meaning', six
from 'Anthem'. Plus 'Bird in Flight', and
four songs "post-Anthem":
'Thunder In The Mountains', 'Good Morning
Universe', the awesome 'Angel and Me',
and a nice surprise, one of the best
songs of the Noughties, 'Little Tears of
Love'.
Check out Toyah's
Official Facebook
for photographs, numerous mini reviews
and comments on last night's gig. (Huge
thanks to Merx for the set list
Thanks also to Paul Lomas and WhichWay)
Official
Toyah: Toyah Rocks The Cavern
Club
21 March, 2011
TOYAH
ROCKS THE LEGENDARY LIVERPOOL CAVERN CLUB
Toyah triumphed with a long-awaited
performance at Liverpool's legendary
Cavern Club last night, kickstarting a
tour which celebrates her unique songbook
and thirty years since It's A Mystery hit
the singles charts.
Performing a special concert at the
renowned venue, Toyah delighted the
audience with a set list taking in the
hits Thunder In The Mountains, Good
Morning Universe and I Want To Be Free
alongside songs Pop Star and We Are from
her Platinum-selling album Anthem.
Material not heard live since Toyah's
early tours also made it to the set list,
including Blue Meanings, Bird In Flight
and her very first single, Victims Of The
Riddle. In addition, Liverpool Cavern
Club cast Toyah's name into brick which
will be displayed on Liverpool's Wall of
fame cited next to the music venue
alongside other music legends Robert
Plant, Jimi Hendrix and Robert Fripp. The
"Sheep Farming To Anthem: Classics
Revisited Live" tour continues with
dates in St. Albans and Birmingham in
April. Click here
for full live dates.
Toyah Newsy
Bits & Pieces!: FSF-A +
21 March, 2011
Someone
'borrowed' Toyah's handwritten lyrics
from the stage and she needs them back.
If you would rather keep them then a
photocopy of the originals will do.
(Info from John Wain)
The world famous Cavern Club
Liverpool has cast Toyah's name into a
brick which will be displayed on the
Liverpool Wall of Fame next to the Club
& the Beatles Museum. Respect! :-)
(Source: Toyah's
Official Facebook)
Toyah wore a black sparkly dress with
matching jacket, she said the reason
'Bird in Flight' was rarely done live is
because "it's a bastard to
sing", this was only the second time
she has played 'Pop Star' live, and she
said 'We Are' "should have been a
single". (Thanks to Paul Lomas)
From Toyah's
Official Facebook:
"you never know...... there might be
a live album of it. Cross those
fingers."
Toyah was mentioned in yesterday
morning's Stiff At The BBC on
Radio 4. They did a Top 9(!) rundown and
'Thunder In The Mountains' was "up
three to number five..." (Thanks to
PJ)
Just 24 hours before hitting
Liverpool's The Cavern, Toyah played her
first full band set of the year in
Southport at the 80s 48 Hr Party,
alongside Go West. It was by all accounts
a great gig and even had David Van Day,
of Dollar, tweeting about how good it
was!
YouTubing
with From Sheep Farming To Anthem
@ Liverpool
21 Mar, 2011
An amazing 'Ieya' from last
night's Cavern gig. Click to watch at
'YouTube' (Thanks to WhichWay)
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: Counting Down
#7
20 March, 2011
The
countdown is complete, the first gig is
tonight, and I'm ending this with a
slightly controversial choice. Is this
song part of the FSF-A era? It came with
'FlexiPop' number 8, published around the
time of the release of 'Anthem' (the
magazine even includes a review) so, yes.
FOR YOU: This is Toyah's
"lost" gem. The second song on
a flexi disc given away with a
short-lived pop magazine, and yet this is
a fantastic song, with beautiful lyrics (Secure
as a clifftop in wind and snow...),
great melody and vocals by Toyah. Of
course it won't be included on the set
list but in an ideal world it would be.
DID YOU KNOW: Toyah
forgot she wrote and recorded this
wonderful song? In 1998, just before
'Anthem' and 'The Changeling' were
reisuued on CD, and 'For You' was finally
liberated from its flexi-disc tomb,
"Remember The Eighties"
interviewed Toyah and asked her about it
and she said :"I don't know it!
Oooooh, I must go and listen to it! But
I'd forgotten about 'Stand Proud' too,
and 'Sphinx' and all of those... I'm
going to go back and listen to it!".
Sheep
Farming In Barnet Era: Three Rare
Photos
20 March, 2011
Three, fairly, rare photos
of Toyah from around the time 'Sheep
Farming In Barnet' was released in 1979.
Please click below for larger versions.
(Thanks to Andi)
Counting
Done!
20 March, 2011
The final
"Countdown" page will be online
shortly. I wonder how many of these,
magnificent, seven will be played
tonight? Knowing my powers of prediction,
I'll take a guess at... none! :)
If
I had to choose just one it would be the
one the final songwords page is dedicated
to. A song that definitely has zero
chance of being played.
PS. Thanks for the nice
comments about the mock ad. There's just
something incredibly iconic about those
three Toyah images, isn't there!
This Week..
Today.. Right Now.. We Are Mostly
Listening To..
20 Mar, 2011
... But then we always
have... It's been the soundtrack to our
lives!! Thanks Toyah!
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: The Tours
20 March, 2011
Three years, six tours: From
'The Ressurrection Tour 1979' to the
'Anthem Tour 1981'.
FSF-A:
Overseas Features & Relea
20 March, 2011
Of
course it wasn't just the UK that was
obsessed with Toyah From Sheep
Farming To Anthem...
Just
a small selection of overseas Toyah
articles and releases from that 1979 -
1981 era.
Please click to the left to
view a larger version.
(Thanks to Andi for the
articles scans - if anyone wants larger
versions of the articles let me know)
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: Live!
Tonight!!
20 March, 2011
It's finally here! Toyah
premieres "From Sheep Farming To
Anthem" tonight! For those of you
not lucky enough to be in Liverpool or
heading in that direction stay tuned
today to Dreamscape for our FSF-A
updates. Have a great night Toyah and
fans. (Awesome photo by Mick Mercer)
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: Counting Down
#6
19 March, 2011
It's
the penultimate countdown song page!
Toyah plays The Cavern, Liverpool
tomorrow night on the very first
"From Sheep Farming To Anthem"
gig.
BLUE
MEANINGS: This probably seems
like an obvious choice (whaddya mean all
my choices are? :)) but it would be
incredible to hear this song live in
2011. It's intrinsic to the band's early
era, and its inclusion in the 1980 ATV
TOYAH docu is probably one of the reasons
(along with Toyah's force-of-nature
personality back then) Toyah moved onto
massive success mere weeks after the docu
aired on ITV. View the sixth countdown
page here.
DID YOU KNOW: The
reason for 'The Blue Meaning' title is:
"I called it "The Blue
Meaning" because there are a lot of
sexual innuendoes in the album songs and
also it's depressing in places, so I
called it "The Blue Meaning"
which meant whatever the colour blue
triggers off." (Toyah
explaining the album's title in
'Intergalactic Ranchouse' #1).
Toyah in
Liverpool 1979/2011
19 March, 2011
Toyah plays The
Cavern, Liverpool tomorrow night. Toyah
first played the city on 14th April 1979
on 'The Resurrection Tour', supporting
The Damned at Eric's. The venue closed in
March 1980 so its legend ties in with the
FSF-A era. The "new" Cavern is
across the road from where Eric's once
was.
Tickets for the
Cavern gig can be bought online at www.rspromo.co.uk.
Toyah
Interviews: Post Sheep/Pre Anthem
19 March, 2011
A couple of post-Sheep
Farming/pre-Anthem tabloid interviews
with Toyah. Please click on either for
the larger, original versions. (Thanks to
Andi - who sent me these for the site
many years ago)
IOM Today:
Toyah Willcox Heads For Villa
19 March, 2011
Toyah Willcox will
perform at the Villa Marina in September
during a tour of special live gigs
throughout the British Isles this year.
From Sheep Farming To Anthem: Classics
Revisited Live! celebrates the 30th
anniversary of her breakthrough hit
Its A Mystery and the platinum LP
Anthem. The show will include selections
from her first three albums, Sheep
Farming In Barnet, The Blue Meaning and
Anthem. It is on Friday, September 30, in
the Promenade Suite. Doors open at 7.45pm
and Toyah is expected on stage at 9pm.
Tickets are £17.50 if bought before May
1.
Visit www.printaticket.co.uk
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: Counting Down
#5
18 March, 2011
Counting
down to Sunday's premiere
"From Sheep Farming To Anthem"
gig at The Cavern, Liverpool.
Through until Sunday we're dedicating a
page a day to a classic Toyah song that
should, though not necessarily will, be
included in the FSF-A set list.
ELUSIVE
STRANGER: What can be said about
this song... ? People have, for over 30
years now, enthused about 'Danced', 'Neon
Womb', 'Ieya'... and yet 'Elusive
Stranger'... I think the adjective
"epic" was possibly invented
just to be used to describe the sixth
track on 'Sheep Farming In Barnet' ...
maybe :). View the fifth countdown page here.
DID YOU KNOW: Toyah
"revisited" the Elusive
Stranger four years after originally
recording the song for 'Sheep Farming In
Barnet': Elusive stranger, come on
lay it on the line, alone in the madness,
I'm alone for all time, I'm alone for all
time... she sang on 'I Explode' from
the 1983 album 'Love Is The Law'.
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: The Bands
17 March, 2011
The Toyah band 2011 have
been rehearsing their socks off fine
tuning the forthcoming 'From Sheep
Farming To Anthem' set list... Meanwhile,
here are the three original FSF-A bands,
circa '79 - '81!
The Official
Toyah Facebook: FSF-A
17 March, 2011
Some tantalising 'From Sheep
Farming To Anthem' updates @ Toyah's
Official Facebook
over the last few days:
So the set list for FROM SHEEP
FARMING TO ANTHEM: Live at the legendary
Cavern Club is amazing. Let's have some
bets on what the opening song is...
"i am not part of the old movement
called punk; i am part of the
future." (Toyah, ATV Documentary,
1980)
32 years ago this month, Toyah
kicked off The Resurrection Tour
(27/03/79) which went on to play Eric's
in Liverpool. This Sunday, "Sheep
Farming To Anthem: Classics Revisited
Live" premieres at Liverpool's
legendary Cavern Club.
A week tonight, the original 1980s
"POP STAR", Toyah takes to the
stage of the world famous Cavern Club in
Liverpool for the premiere gig of FROM
SHEEP FARMING TO ANTHEM: CLASSICS
REVISITED LIVE.
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: News Page
17 March, 2011
We now have a
dedicated news page for "From Sheep
Farming To Anthem".
View all the related news, charting the
first mention of the dates last December
right through to this week's build up to
this Sunday's first gig.
Counting
down to Sunday's premiere
"From Sheep Farming To Anthem"
gig at The Cavern, Liverpool.
Through until Sunday we're dedicating a
page a day to a classic Toyah song that
should, though not necessarily will, be
included in the FSF-A set list.
BIRD
IN FLIGHT: The third single from
Toyah, released on 1st February 1980, and
a non-album track. This is raw, yet
melodic, with emotive lyrics and a great
vocal delivery from Toyah. This didn't
appear on any Toyah album for almost 15
years (Best Of Toyah, first CD
compilation, 1994), and is certainly one
of the early band's finest moments. View
the fourth countdown page here.
DID YOU KNOW: After
Mark Henry left the band following the
'Sheep Farming In Barnet' UK tour in late
1979, Toyah auditioned over 80 bassists
before deciding on Charlie Francis, who
co-wrote and played bass on this single,
before heading out on the 'Bird In
Flight' UK tour in January 1980.
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: Mock Ad
16 March, 2011
Unfortunately this, mock
"From Sheep Farming To Anthem"
ad, didn't go exactly to plan, but I've
always loved these three Toyah images so
I thought I would add it here anyway...
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: Counting Down
#3
16 March, 2011
We're
counting down to Sunday's
premiere "From Sheep Farming To
Anthem" gig at The Cavern,
Liverpool.
Through until Sunday we're dedicating a
page a day to a classic Toyah song that
should, though not necessarily will, be
included in the FSF-A set list. Though,
every song from the first three albums
are utter classics anyway.
OBSOLETE:
The second song on 'Anthem', and
it couldn't be more different to the
first: Frantic and driven, never losing
pace, and a brilliantly sudden end. I
first heard this when I was 12 and I
still love it as much today!View
the third countdown page here.
DID YOU KNOW: The lyrics in the
second verse of 'Obsolete': We
scanned their skies with stardust eyes,
and kissed their rainbow minds, so we
jumped right down and played the clown,
to their glittering kind, they clapped
and cheered, it was mighty weird, but we
had to go back home, so we went to the
ship for our cosmic trip, right through
their dome... is part of a poem
Toyah wrote when she was aged just 12?
Sheep
Farming In Barnet: Wallpaper
15 March, 2011
Counting down to the
first "From Sheep Farming To
Anthem" gig this Sunday...Here is a rare 'Sheep Farming In
Barnet' era photo of Toyah from 1979.
Please click on it if you'd like to
download a larger wallpaper version,
without the FSF-A logo. (Thanks to Andi
for this great picture)
Official
Toyah: Toyah Kicks Off Concert
Dates
15 March, 2011
TOYAH
KICKS OFF CONCERT DATES AT LEGENDARY
CAVERN CLUB
Hot on the heels of her performance in
the final of Lets Dance For Comic
Relief, Toyah kicks off a series of
hotly-awaited, special live concerts this
coming Sunday, 20 March at the legendary
Cavern Club in Liverpool.
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of her
hit single Its A Mystery and the
platinum-certified album, Anthem, the
concerts will see Toyah perform her
greatest hits and a cherry-picked
selection of songs from her first three
albums and early singles many of
which havent been performed live
since the early Eighties.
In addition, Toyah will perform alongside
Nik Kershaw, Jimmy Somerville, Hazel
O Connor & Rick Astley at the
special Mencap charity concert, Our
Friends Acoustic, at Londons The
Grand on 12 May. To see Toyahs full
gig diary for 2011 with links to buy
tickets click here.
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: Counting Down
#2
15 March, 2011
We're
counting down to Sunday's
premiere "From Sheep Farming To
Anthem" gig at The Cavern,
Liverpool.
Over the next week we are going to
dedicate a page a day to a classic Toyah
song that should, though not necessarily
will, be included in the FSF-A set list.
Though, every song from the first three
albums are classic Toyah.
LOVE
ME: Has always been one of my
favourites; incredible vocals, incredible
band, awesome production from Steve James
& Toyah. View the second countdown
page here.
DID YOU KNOW: The house
on the cover of 'The Blue Meaning' is
Wykehurst Manor/Place situated in
Wykehurst Park in Bolney, West Sussex? It
was famously used for location filming in
the 1973 horror movie The Legend Of
Hell House as well as a number of
other films (The Eagle Has Landed,
Oh! What A Lovely War),
including a few Hammer Horror's. Built
between 1871 - 74, it was most recenty
used as a hotel.
TV Times
1980: Toyah - Rebel Without A
Pause
14 March, 2011
Counting
down to the first "From Sheep
Farming To Anthem" gig this
Sunday...
Here's an interview with Toyah from 'TV
Times' in October 1980.
She's been a Hell's Angel, a waitress and
a go-go dancer. She used to sleep in a
coffin and believes the next Antichrist
is due in 1982. She is now, aged 22, a
post-punk singer and actress who has
played the National Theatre. On Thursday,
in a Minder episode, All Mod
Cons, she plays Kate, a girl about
to be married, whose future home, a gify
from a relation, contains squatters. Her
name is Toyah Willcox, and her hair is
bright red (it's been through about 30
colour changes so far), her clothes
(tights, top and tiny cloak) are black,
and among her jewellery are bird-claw
ear-rings and a false eye made into a
ring.
Read the
interview via full scan here.
(Thanks to Andi)
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: Counting Down
#1
14 March, 2011
The
countdown has begun! The 'From
Sheep Farming To Anthem' *Premiere* gig
takes place on Sunday, 20th March at The
Cavern, Liverpool.
Anticipation for Toyah's "Classics
Revisited Live 2011" dates has been
growing and now the first gig is almost
here.
The set list is, of course, being kept
secret, only helping to build even more
excitement, but over the next seven days
we are going to dedicate a page a day to
a classic Toyah song that should, though
not necessarily will, be included. Every
song from the first three albums is a
classic.
COMPUTER: A song written
over 30 years ago and yet far more
lyrically relevant than much of the music
clogging up the charts in 2011! View the
first countdown page here.
DID
YOU KNOW: The iconic cover shot
of Toyah on 'Sheep Farming In Barnet' was
taken at Fylingdales Radar Base in
Yorkshire? It almost didn't happen as
security guards chased Toyah and
photography crew from the high security
site. The three "golf balls" no
longer exist, they were removed in the
early 90's.
View more details and
book tickets for The Cavern gig, here.
Visit The Official 'From Sheep Farming To
Anthem' page, here.
Toyah Newsy
Bits & Pieces!
12 March, 2011
There's lots of excellent online
promotion for Toyah's 2011 live gigs, in
particular the "From Sheep Farming
To Anthem" dates. There's a great
page at The Cavern's website, where the
"From Sheep Farming..."
premiere gig takes place a week tomorrow.
View the page here,
and book tickets for The Cavern gig, here.
'Atrix' have also just added a new
page at their website on the, just
announced, "From Sheep
Farming..." gig taking place there
in July. View their page here.
Chesney
Talks Toyah,
and much more, in a new interview with
'Digital Spy'.
Thanks to everyone for their 11th
Birthday messages. Very much appreciated,
as always!
the better the currently announced
FROM SHEEP FARMING TO ANTHEM dates sell,
the better chance there is of more being
added incl. London; time for the faithful
to show the sign of the Voor & extra
support :)
1 song not heard live since 1980.
1 song not heard live since 1981. 1 song
not heard live since 1982. These &
more will be on the SHEEP-ANTHEM set list
folks..
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: Two More Dates
8 March, 2011
Two
more 'From Sheep Farming To Anthem' dates
have been confirmed for July and
September.
There
are now nine confirmed dates in total.
Although these dates, obviously, aren't
being promoted as a "tour" I
know from speaking to people that many
are thinking of the gigs as a tour of
sorts!
Saturday 23 July 2011:
Artrix, School Drive, Bromsgrove: www.artrix.co.uk
[Tickets on sale soon] Friday 30 September 2011:
Villa Marina Promenade Suite, Isle Of Man
[ Tickets ]
With just 12 days until the
first concert, at The Cavern in Liverpool
on Sunday 20th March, rehearsals are in
full swing. Tickets for The Cavern are
available here.
Crave Metal:
Toyah Returns To The Neon Womb
3 March, 2011
She was one of the
original pioneers in the punk rock
movement, but with a prolific career
spanning over 30 years, 2011 welcomes
Toyah Willcox back onstage in an audience
approved trip back in time, and return to
her outrageous roots. With a number of
special gigs throughout the up and coming
year, including a one off home-coming
show in Birmingham, Toyah will be
performing hits from her popular and
iconic early albums Sheep Farming
In Barnet, The Blue
Meaning, Toyah! Toyah!
Toyah! and Anthem. Her
stamp in the world of music sets her
firmly into the immortal realm of rock
legends, with 13 top 40 singles, and 20
albums since her breakthrough single
Its A Mystery first hit
the charts back in 1981.
Toyah is also currently working on new
material with writing partner Bill
Rieflin, (who was a member of Ministry
and Nine Inch Nails), and so eclectic as
her full house audiences are, from our
perspective its great to see her
embrace the alternative scene again,
which saw what many would say, her most
favored and ground breaking releases to
date.
Toyahs Birmingham show is at The
HMV Institute on 16th April 2011, and
features her full live band, plus support
from special guest goth/rock outfit,
Deadfilmstar
Toyah Newsy
Bits & Pieces!
19 February, 2011
'Wolves Civic' have recently added a nice
Toyah page, promoting her "From
Sheep Farming To Anthem" gig at The
Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton on Saturday
22nd October.
We have mentioned previously that
'Flashback Alternatives' plays a fair bit
of Toyah. 'Baldy Radio' ("Home to
Eighties and Rarities!!!") plays
even more. Check them out here.
(Thanks to Gregory)
Dreamscape:
Coming Soon!
14 February, 2011
Coming soon to Dreamscape:
With just weeks to go until the first
"From Sheep Farming To Anthem"
gig we will be bringing you some very
rare 'Sheep Farming' era Toyah photos. (
Thanks to Andi )
Toyah Live
2011: Gigs Updated
8 February, 2011
Toyah
at 'Here and Now' Ascot, August 2011, has
now been officially confirmed. Upcoming
live dates for Toyah are being added to
her Gig Diary all the time. View full
details of all the confirmed appearances
at the Gigs page, here.
Saturday 26th
February: Weekend Guitar Trio with Toyah
& Jan Bang: Kings Place, London
Saturday 19th March: 48 Hour Party: 80s
Weekender: Pontins, Southport
Sunday 20th March: From Sheep Farming To
Anthem: The Cavern Club, Liverpool
Thursday 7th April: From Sheep Farming To
Anthem: The Horn, St Albans
Saturday 16th April: From Sheep Farming
To Anthem: HMV Institute, Birmingham
Friday 22nd April: Live PA: The
Canterbury City Faerie Ball
Saturday 2nd July: From Sheep Farming To
Anthem: The Regal, Oxford
Saturday 16th July: Toyah comperes at The
Rock & Bike Festival (Non music)
Sunday 31st July: Rewind Festival, Scone
Palace, Perth
Friday 5th August: From Sheep Farming To
Anthem: Rebellion Punk Music Festival,
Blackpool
Saturday 6th August: Here & Now:
Ascot Racecourse
Saturday 20th August: Flashback To The
80s: Clumber Park, North Nottinghamshire
Sunday 21st August: Rewind Festival,
Henley-On-Thames
Saturday 22nd october: From Sheep Farming
To Anthem: The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton
Sunday 23rd October: From Sheep Farming
To Anthem: Jack Rabbit Slims. Hoylake,
Wirral
Toyah is included on
the latest Cavern Club flyer. View here,
and see The Best of the '80s comes to
Ascot for the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup
at 'Ascot Insider', here.
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: Band Line-Up
28 January, 2011
The "From Sheep Farming
To Anthem" band has been announced:
Toyah Willcox: Verbals +
Unusual Sounds Chris Wong: Guitar Tim Rose: Bass Andy Doble: Keyboards Shan Chana: Drums
Throughout 2011 a special series of Toyah
concerts, "From Sheep Farming to
Anthem", will take place.
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of her
breakthrough hit It's A Mystery these
live dates will include selections from
Toyah's first three albums, "Sheep
Farming In Barnet", "The Blue
Meaning" & the platinum-selling
"Anthem". This period includes
some of Toyah's biggest hits and greatest
songs. The set list for these gigs will
celebrate the hits but feature a a
sprinkling of material not heard since
some of Toyah's early tours from the late
70s and early 1980s.
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: 7th Date
Announced
28 January, 2011
A
seventh "From Sheep Farming To
Anthem" date has been announced:
Saturday 22nd October 2011
The Slade Rooms: Broad Street,
Wolverhampton Tickets
Best Kept
Secrets: Toyah "Sheep
Farming..." Live Dates
28 January, 2011
Perennial
punk goddess Toyah Willcox is playing a
special series of concerts during 2011 to
celebrate the 30th anniversary of her
breakthrough hit "It's A
Mystery".
These live dates will include selections
from Toyah's first three albums,
"Sheep Farming In Barnet",
"The Blue Meaning" & the
Platinum-selling "Anthem". This
period includes some of Toyah's biggest
hits and greatest songs.
The set list for these gigs will
celebrate the hits but feature a a
sprinkling of material not heard since
some of Toyah's early tours from the late
70s and early 1980s.
And to to celebrate, in the run up to the
first date at the Cavern Club in
Liverpool, we will be reposting clips
from the fascinating intevriew that we
recorded with Toyah last year where she
talks about her early career and some of
the many interesting things she has been
invloved with.
Read the full report at the 'Best
Kept Secrets' website, here.
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem: Official Promo
25 January, 2011
The great new official promo
for Toyah's upcoming "From Sheep
Farming To Anthem" dates. Please
click below to view the fantastic full
larger version at Toyah's Official
Facebook.
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem @ The Cavern
23 January, 2011
Very
recent news from The
Official Toyah Facebook:
Rehearsals are being lined up for the new
set.... the first From Sheep Farming To
Anthem gig will be Sunday 20 March live
at the legendary Cavern Club.
The Cavern Club: 10 Matthew Street,
Liverpool L2 6RE
0151 236 1965 | www.cavernclub.org | Tickets
From Sheep
Farming To Anthem *Updated*
21 January, 2011
There
are now six confirmed "From Sheep
Farming To Anthem" gigs, the
exciting live music event of 2011 that
every Toyah fan is talking about! Classics
Revisited Live with full band.
Sunday 20th March 2011: The Cavern Club,
Liverpool
0151 236 1965 | www.cavernclub.org | Tickets
Thursday
7th April 2011: The Horn, St Albans
01727 853 143 | www.thehorn.co.uk
Saturday 16th April 2011:
HMV Institute, Birmingham
Digbeth, West Midlands, B5 6DY | Tickets
Saturday 2nd July 2011: The Regal, Oxford
300 Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 2AF | Tickets
Friday 5th August 2011: Rebellion Punk
Music Festival
Winter Gardens, Blackpool, FY1 1HL | Tickets
Sunday 23rd October 2011:
Jack Rabbit Slims
www.jacksbar.co.uk | Tickets
Keep checking the gigs
section of toyahwillcox.com for further
dates.
Toyah Live
2011
15 December, 2010
The first (at this stage)
scheduled 'From Sheep Farming To Anthem'
gig at HMV Institute, Birmingham has had
to be moved by the promoter to Sat 16
April 2011. Ticket info here.
Toyah Live
2011: From Sheep Farming To
Anthem
15 December, 2010
All
good (good?, make that utterly amazing!)
things come to those who wait... Is this
just the best news to end the year on?
Thanks to Toyah for such awesome news and
toyahwillcox.com for < that amazing
photo/promo image!
Toyahwillcox.com can exclusively reveal
Toyah will perform a series of special
gigs, From "Sheep Farming" To
"Anthem": Classics Revisited
Live throughout 2011.
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of her
breakthrough hit It's A Mystery and the
platinum LP Anthem, these live dates will
include selections from her first three
albums, "Sheep Farming In
Barnet", "The Blue
Meaning" , "Anthem". This
period includes some of Toyah's biggest
and greatest hit singles. This series of
concerts will celebrate the hits but
feature a a sprinkling of material not
heard since some of Toyah's early tours
from the late 70s and early 1980s.
One of the first From "Sheep
Farming" To "Anthem" gigs
is confirmed to take place on 26 March at
the HMV Institute, Birmingham and tickets
are on sale now.
There will be further details and
confirmed date list announced on the Gigs
page at www.toyahwillcox.com soon. Keep
an eye on the official Toyah facebook
page too for updates and to talk about
the concerts.
Live Brum:
Toyah at HMV Institute 2011
1 December, 2010
HMV
Institute, Birmingham: 26th March 2011
From punk princess to high priestess of
TV, Toyah Willcox is a uniquely gifted
performer. Charismatic, outspoken and
impossible to categorise, she is one of
Britains iconic household names
an award-winning rock legend as
well as a much-loved actress and music
composer. This is a one off home town
show. Toyah will perform her Sheep
Farming album.