An amazing photo of Toyah
during the 'From Sheep Farming To Anthem'
set at Sunday night's 'Wickham Festival'
in Hampshire. This has also been added to
our FSF-A
Gallery.
View a larger version here.
(Thanks to Claire for the photo. Visit
her 'flickr' page by clicking below)
I'd like to
dedicate this wonderfully joyful photo of
Toyah to all visitors to this website,
and all Toyah fans everywhere, but
especially those in the UK. Stay safe!
Rebellion
Festival 2011: Photos by Claire
10 August, 2011
More photos of Toyah, at
last Friday's 'Rebellion Festival' in
Blackpool, during the 'From Sheep Farming
To Anthem' set. These, and others, have
also been added to our FSF-A
Gallery.
Click on each photo below to view larger
versions at 'flickr'. (Thanks to Claire
for these amazing photos)
You
Tubing with 'Rebellion 2011':
Race Through Space
10 August, 2011
Toyah performing 'Race
Through Space' at the 'Rebellion Festival
2011'. (Thanks to Andy Spike)
Wirral
News: Toyah Willcox Bringing New
Tour To Wirral
10 August, 2011
Toyah
Willcox bringing new tour to Jack Rabbit
Slims in October Jack Rabbit Slims in
October
Toyah Willcox is returning to rock
Hoylake later this year. The singer will
perform at Jack Rabbit Slims on October
23 as part of her latest tour, From Sheep
Farming to Anthem: Classics revisited.
The tour will celebrate the 30th
anniversary of Toyah’s breakthrough
hit It’s a Mystery and include
tracks from her first three albums, Sheep
Farming in Barnet, The Blue Meaning and
the platinum-selling Anthem.
The singer is also promising to perform
material not heard since her early tours
in the late 1970s.
Tickets are £17 (£21 on the door,
subject to availability) from www.rspromotickets.co.uk
or telephone 07970 990774.
Wetherby
News: Harrogate Fringe Puts Town
On 'Cool' List
10 Aug, 2011
One
night in Harrogate two weeks ago at
exactly the same time, writes Graham
Chalmers, 'indie' singer Edwyn Collins
was performing with a quintet from the
Scottish Philharmonic Orchestra at an art
exhibition in Cold Bath Road, Toyah
Willcox was bounding on stage in an
outrageous costume at Harrogate Theatre,
a weird and wonderful post-rock band from
London called Teeth of the Sea were sound
checking at Katana bar at the back of
Debenhams and cult icon and author Howard
Marks was giving a talk about crime
writing and his drug dealing past at the
Old Swan Hotel.
At that precise moment Harrogate was
probably the most happening place in the
UK, outside of London. This unlikely
scenario was partly the result of the
Fringe and partly the result of Harrogate
International Festival which gave birth
to the Fringe.
• Read the full article at the
'Wetherby News' website, here.
Louder
Than War: The Playlist: Rebellion
2011
9 August, 2011
Excellent
feedback for Toyah's 'From Sheep Farming
To Anthem' set, at the Rebellion
Festival on Friday, from the
'Louder Than War' website.
The
Louder Than War Playlist
Each week we present ‘Six Of The
Best’ – the six tracks that are
getting our feet tapping here at LTW
Towers… They can be brand new; they
can be old – either way they are
vying for space on the stereo!!
This weekend LTW decamped to
Blackpool for the Rebellion Festival
– so this week the playlist is
comprised of ten bands (well six
wouldn’t be enough!) who provided
some festival highlights.
Playlist W/C 8th August 2011
Toyah ‘Ieya’ – Toyah took
to the stage Friday night and played a
set of predominately early material
including ‘Ieya’ which was
first released by Safari Records in May
1980 – none of the YouTube clips
adequately demonstrate just how good this
was.
You
Tubing with 'Rebellion 2011':
Bird in Flight
9 August, 2011
Toyah performing 'Bird in
Flight' at the 'Rebellion Festival 2011'.
(Thanks to Bud The Chud)
You
Tubing with 'Rebellion 2011': We
Are
9 August, 2011
Toyah performing 'We Are' at
the 'Rebellion Festival 2011'. (Thanks to
Bud The Chud at 'YouTube')
Shapers
Of The 80s: 'FSF-A'
9 August, 2011
The
'Shapers Of The 80s' website includes a
great "plug" for Toyah's
'FSF-A' tour via a mini news article.
Toyah
Willcox’s 21-date From Sheep Farming
To Anthem Tour celebrates the 30th
anniversary of her hit single It’s A
Mystery and album Anthem, and continues
through the summer and into autumn,
ending at London’s O2 Academy Nov 5
— and she’s wearing those
classic Melissa Caplan outfits.
'Shapers Of The 80s' also
feature 'Here & Now' at Ascot.
Toyah
@ 'Rebellion Festival 2011':
Photo
8 August, 2011
An amazing photo of Toyah
during the 'From Sheep Farming To Anthem'
set at Friday night's 'Rebellion
Festival' in Blackpool. This has also
been added to our FSF-A
Gallery.
View a larger version here.
(Thanks to Barry Delaney for the photo.
Visit his 'flickr' page by clicking
below)
Toyah
Live 2011: FSF-A @ Wickham
Festival: Today!
7 August, 2011
The
'Wickham Festival 2011' runs from 4th to
7th August. Already this weekend Mary
Coughlan, Richard Thompson, John Otway,
Jools Holland and the, legendary, Rolf
Harris have all played the festival.
Toyah plays a 'From Sheep Farming To
Anthem' gig this evening, with an
advertised onstage time of 6pm. Other
artists appearing today include: The Men
They Couldn't Hang and Eddi Reader.
This is the ninth 'FSF-A' gig of the
year-long tour. What a busy and eclectic
weekend this has been for Toyah!
• Check out
all of Dreamscape's 'From Sheep Farming
To Anthem' news by clicking above.
Dreamscape
FSF-A Section Updated
6 August, 2011
Our 'From Sheep Farming To
Anthem' section has been updated, with an
additional third news page. The 'FSF-A'
Gallery doesn't have any photos from the
Harrogate, Bromsgrove or, last night's,
Rebellion Blackpool gigs, if anyone has
any from these they would like added
please email me.
Toyah
@ 'Rebellion Festival 2011'
6 August, 2011
Toyah's
Official
Facebook
posted this morning: Victims Of The
Riddle kicked off the set at last night's
Rebellion gig.
Toyah also tweeted
today: "Rebellion was fantastic!
Now to rock ascot with Here & Now :-)".
If anyone has any photos from Rebellion
they would like added here, please get in
touch.
More
Toyah Newsy Bits & Pieces!
5 August, 2011
• Another
'Rebellion Festival' tweet
from Toyah: "Sheep Farming To
Anthem at Rebellion onstage 2nite at
23:45.....4000 punks in
blackpool......fab atmosphere, can't wait
:-)"
•
'Lytham St Annes Express': What’s
On Friday 5th August: REBELLION
FESTIVAL 2011. The punks are back in
town. Bands today include The Exploited,
The Damned, The Vibrators, Pink Hearse,
Peter and The Test Tube Babies, Choking
Susan, Toyah and GBH. Winter Gardens,
Church Street, Blackpool. View here.
• 'Maidenhead
Advertiser': The Weekend Starts
Here...: Saturday: ASCOT: Ascot
Racecourse hosts 1980s concert from
5.15pm featuring top 1980s stars
including Toyah and Jason Donovan. It
follows a family racing afternoon.
Tickets start at £26 a person available
on www.ascot.co.uk on 0870 7271234. View here.
Toyah
Live 2011: FSF-A @ Rebellion
Festival: Tonight!
5 August, 2011
Toyah plays the
'Rebellion Festival 2011' tonight, with a
'From Sheep Farming To Anthem' set. Toyah
tweeted earlier today: "On my
way to REBELLION, the sun is out! Hip!
Hip! Hurray!"
The massive Punk festival runs for four
days, 4th to 7th August, in Blackpool,
with over 200 bands playing on six
different stages. Toyah headlines the
Bizarre Bazaar stage tonight with
showtime being advertised on the website
as 11.45pm. Seems quite late?, though the
festival does play till 2am every day.
Other bands over the weekend include: The
Damned, The Exploited, UK Subs, Anti
Nowhere League, The Beat, Get Cape Wear
Cape Fly, Splodganessabounds, Vice Sqaud,
GBH, The Boys, Slaughter & The Dogs,
The Vibrators and Captain Sensible to
name just a few.
A very busy weekend for
Toyah approaches; with two festivals and
a huge 'Here and Now' concert to be
played. Tomorrow night Toyah brings 'From
Sheep Farming To Anthem' to Blackpool and
the 'Rebellion Festival 2011'; on
Saturday evening she plays the 'Here and
Now' 80s Concert at Ascot Racecourse; and
on Sunday evening the 'Wickham Festival'
will be treated to 'From Sheep Farming To
Anthem'. Phew! Please click below to
visit the websites for further details on
the festivals/concert.
Club
i: Celebrating 'Girl Icons' +
Toyah Goodies
4 August, 2011
Club i's 'Girl Icons' event
takes place tomorrow night. Not only does
this look likely to be a great night, but
there's a shedload of Toyah/The Humans
goodies to be given away too, to mark
Toyah's fantablulous 'From Sheep Farming
To Anthem' tour. To be in with a chance a
chance of winning the bumper bundle
you'll have to be at Club i and dressed
to the nines as your favourite "Girl
Icon".
PHIL
MARRIOTT PRESENTS: GIRL ICONS @ Club i Friday
5th August 2011
For their third outing into the
nightlife, London’s most vibrant
alternative club night will pay tribute
to some of the best female vocalists of
our generation.
On Friday 5th August, Club i will be
celebrating the very best of Bjork, Kate
Bush, Goldfrapp, The Knife, Siouxsie
Sioux, Toyah, and many other unique
female artists who have made alternative
music what is today.
Club i will once again be positively
encouraging you to DRESS UP. Come dressed
as your favourite female icon, and there
may be a surprise for you on the night!
HOST: DOLLY DISCOTITS: OPENING TIME:
10PM-4AM at Factory (Vauxhall, London).
Blackpool
Gazette: Punk's Back Again
3 August, 2011
The
punks are back in town... with the
world’s biggest punk festival
returning to Blackpool from Thursday
until Sunday this week.
Organisers claim it’s the best bill
yet for the annual event – with
around 200 bands and other acts taking
over the entire Winter Gardens complex.
And with a line-up including punk legends
Cock Sparrer’s only UK appearance
this year as well as The Adcits, Jello
Biafra from the Dead Kennedys, Toyah,
Pennywise, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly and The
Damned heading to the resort, the
Rebellion festival is as diverse as ever.
Proving that punk rock is a varied genre
linked by a common cause, Rebellion is
the only punk festival which sees 1977
legends sharing the stages with the likes
of Rancid member Lard Frederiksen’s
new side project Old Firm Casuals and a
whole raft of young up coming punk bands
– and even Eric Faulkner’s Bay
City Rollers.
• View the full article at the
'Blackpool Gazette' website, here.
The
Kula News Blog: If You Weren't
There...
1 August, 2011
What
a week – four of the finest concerts
we’ve ever held: Toyah, Steve
Harley, Claire Martin OBE & Sir
Richard Rodney Bennett, Julian Cope.
TOYAH: What a lovely
person who came with a great band.
Toyah’s fans turned out to witness a
stunning performance which included ALL
her hits. The two biggest highlights
(along with the six costume changes!)
were a fantastic rendition of It’s A
Mystery and a climatic encore of I Wanna
Be Free. Many thanks also to the support
Maeve O’Boyle who travelled all the
way down from Glasgow to put in an
excellent performance too. Shame on you
if you missed this one!
From
Sheep Farming...: New Dates...
Plus!
26 July, 2011
Two
more new confirmed dates for the 'From
Sheep Farming To Anthem' Tour 2011.
14th
October at The Factory, Porth in Wales,
and 15th October @ Ropetackle Arts
Centre, Shoreham-By-Sea.
Toyah's set at Wickham Festival, on
Sunday 7th August, will also now be a
'From Sheep Farming To Anthem' set (set
duration: 1hour & on-stage time:
6pm).
• Other live Toyah news: A new PA
has been confirmed at New Forester's gay
club on Saturday 17th September. Toyah's
third PA, in as many years, at this
venue.
Visit the Gigs
page at The Official Toyah website for
more info and links to buy tickets for
all of the above new dates.
Express:
Still Shocking In Pink, Toyah
Willcox At 53
25 July, 2011
Toyah
Willcox has gone back to her shocking
pink, punk roots.
The
performer, who famously sang
“don’t want to be told what to
wear” in her 1981 hit I Want To Be
Free, donned a pink, fan-shaped hairpiece
on stage in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire,
at the weekend.
Still fresh-faced at 53, Toyah, who has
admitted to plastic surgery, has decided
to wear all her original stage costumes
on her latest tour, Sheep Farming To
Anthem, celebrating her three decades in
the music business.
She said: “These costumes have sat
in storage for 30 years. They deserve a
new spark of life. It is rather nice to
be groping around in the dark again doing
quick changes.”
Known for her theatrical
style, the actress and singer enjoyed a
string of hits with 13 Top 40 singles.
In 1977, aged 19, Willcox starred in the
violent punk film Jubilee directed by
Derek Jarman.
From
Sheep Farming To Anthem:
Harrogate
25 July, 2011
Click below to view a clip
of Toyah performing 'Neon Womb' from the
gig. 'From Sheep Farming To Anthem'
headlined the Harrogate Fringe Festival
last Friday night. (Thanks to Howie)
From
Sheep Farming To Anthem: Oxford @
'You Tube'
25 July, 2011
Check out Godsholytrousers' channel at
'You Tube' for extensive, great quality,
footage of 'From Sheep Farming To Anthem'
at The Regal, Oxford, from the beginning
of July.
From
Sheep Farming... Bromsgrove:
Live! Tonight!!
23 July, 2011
More Excitment!! Toyah
brings 'From Sheep Farming To Anthem' to
the Artrix, Bromsgrove tonight...
From
Sheep Farming... Harrogate: Live!
Tonight!!
22 July, 2011
Exciting!! Toyah brings
'From Sheep Farming To Anthem' to the
Harrogate Theatre tonight...
• Thanks again
to Lärwi & Damon King for their
FSF-A London photos, above in our banner.
Wetherby
News: All Change For Hitmaker
Toyah!
21 July, 2011
Flamboyant
hit 80s singer Toyah Willcox is planning
not one but six changes of costume for
her forthcoming Harrogate Theatre show.
Toyah, who appears this Friday, July 22
as part of Harrogate international
Festival Fringe, said: “We start at
year 1981 with quite grounded theatrical
songs and regress towards the punk era,
with the show building in intensity and
sheer exuberance, back to the music of
1978! It feels quite odd exiting stage
for a quick change, there’s six in
all!”
The show is part of TV celebrity
Toyah’s year-long From Sheep Farming
To Anthem Tour which has been receiving
plaudits across the internet and social
media.
The striking Toyah visuals which she
created in the 1980s were an innovative
forerunner of the styles and approaches
adopted by the hitmakers of today
including Lady GaGa and Gwen Stefani.
• Read the full article at the
'Wetherby News' website, here.
Tickets
available at Harrogate Theatre Box Office
on 01423 502 116 or at harrogatetheatre.co.uk.
WFMU's
Beware Of The Blog: It's A
Mystery
20 July, 2011
Julie
Bennack of 'WFMU', who interviewed Toyah
in May and met up with her in London in
June has this week blogged about both.
This spring I excitedly told friends and
family that I'd be interviewing one of my
childhood idols, singer/actress Toyah
Willcox. This announcement was met with
blank stares and silence from those who
assumed they didn't know her due to their
age or a "Who's that?" from the
unembarrassed. At least one responded
with, "Oh, Robert Fripp's
wife." When I explained she was a
household name in the UK, with huge hits
like "I Wanna Be Free," and
"It's a Mystery," they may have
thought I exaggerated her fame because of
my excitement.
So why don't people in the U.S. know
Toyah Willcox? Her biggest claims to fame
here, aside from the Fripp connection,
may perhaps be her appearance in the film
"Quadrophenia," or her
narration of "Teletubbies."
Toyah blames her reluctance to tour
outside the U.K. for her relative
anonymity. But there are other English
performers who never played the U.S. --
Kim Wilde and Kate Bush for example --
who still managed to have American hits
in the '80s. So what is it about Toyah
that people here never picked up her
records? Why no airplay?
Celebrating
30 years since her breakthrough hit 'It's
a mystery' Toyah will be making her debut
on the Artrix stage in Bromsgrove later
this month.
Joined by her band the Worcestershire
resident will be belting out hits from
her first three albums - including the
platinum selling 'Anthem' - as well as a
sprinkling of material not heard since
some of her tours from the 1970s and
'80s.
The show, on Saturday July 23, starts at
8pm and tickets cost £17.50. To book
visit www.artrix.co.uk or call the box
office on 01527 577330. Please note this
is a standing and limited seating show so
early attendance is advisable.
Toyah Newsy
Bits & Pieces!
11 July, 2011
•
A couple more, 'FSF-A' @ London's
Leicester Sq Theatre, photos (including
this one) have been added to the 'FSF-A'
Gallery, which is now part of our new
'FSF-A' section. (Thanks to Mark Ulrich
for the great photos)
• 'FSF-A' plays The Classic Grand in
Glasgow on 26th October. Win tickets for
the gig. Enter here.
• Newsy bits from Toyah's recent tweets:
Toyah starts filming for Children In
Need this week; She has received gig
offers for Norway, Germany & the USA;
Toyah had a meeting last week with the Calendar
Girls director to discuss a
"poss fun part in his next
film"; She was filming at Croome
Park for the 'National Trust' last week,
tweeting this photo;
& played a gig to 2000 this morning
at 9am!
From
Sheep Farming To Anthem:
Dedicated New Section
11 July, 2011
Just added today:
Dreamscape's new 'From Sheep Farming To
Anthem' dedicated section, with
comprehensive 'News' pages, a 'Gallery'
of fantastic related photos and Lärwi's
excellent 'Review' of the London concert.
Please click below to spend some time
browsing all things 'FSF-A'!
FSF-A:
Official 'Blue Meanings' @
Leicester Sq Theatre
8 July, 2011
More, stunning quality,
official 'FSF-A' footage has just been
added to 'You Tube'. View 'Blue Meanings'
live from Leicester Square Theatre, here.
'War Boys' is also at the Official Toyah
You Tube channel, here.
Click on the caps, taken from the video
footage, below for larger versions.
FSF-A:
Official 'War Boys' @ Leicester
Sq Theatre
8 July, 2011
Toyah's Official website now
has fantastic footage, filmed by Simon
Booth, of Toyah performing 'War Boys' at
last month's 'FSF-A' concert at London's
Leicester Square Theatre. View the video
at ToyahWillcox.com here.
Click on the caps, taken from the video
footage, below for larger versions.
Toyah
Tribute @ 'You Tube': Live
1981-2011
6 July, 2011
Lärwi, of 'The Toyah
Willcox Interview Archive', has created
an excellent "audio &
slide" tribute to Toyah, just
recently added to her 'Toyah Fan Videos'
You Tube channel. Check it out here.
Lärwi
says: This is a tribute to
Toyah's amazing 30 + year career: The
song is from the legendary "Good
Morning Universe", Theatre Royal,
Drury Lane gig, London, 24.12.1981 and
the photos are from "From Sheep
Farming To Anthem", The Leicester
Square Theatre gig, London, 17.6.2011.
From
Sheep Farming... Oxford: Photos
By Manuel Seuwin
5 July, 2011
A selection of photos from
the fifth 'From Sheep Farming To Anthem'
gig, which took place last Saturday night
at The Regal, Oxford. View larger
versions by clicking on each. These
photos and more have also been added to
the FSF-A
Gallery.
(Huge thanks to Manuel for his great
photos)
YouTubing
with FSF-A @ Oxford: Ieya
5 July, 2011
Toyah sounding and looking
ruddy amazing: An awesome 'Ieya' from
Saturday night's 'From Sheep Farming To
Anthem' gig at The Regal, Oxford. (Thanks
to www.fv432.co.uk)
Toyah's
