The Humans, Scala, London
By Ludovic Hunter-Tilney

The Humans are an art-rock band featuring two bassists – one, confusingly, is REM’s drummer Bill Rieflin – and Fripp on guitar. Willcox, in a black PVC top, a memento of her 1970s punk roots, led the line with expressive vocals, twirling dances and stylised stage movements: Stevie Nicks meets Brechtian cabaret.

The twin bass players, occasionally complemented by programmed beats, played sinewy, rumbling rhythms, a kind of twisted funk, with Fripp contributing a range of guitar effects, from gnarly riffs and a pounding cover of Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” to delightfully subtle chimes.

On this basis the work of Mrs Robert Fripp and Mr Toyah Willcox, as Willcox introduced herself and her husband, deserves a far wider audience.

Read the full review at 'FT.com/Arts' here.

'SwimathonPete's Blog' offers an interesting perspective of the Bishops Cleeve warm-up show in his Toyah Toyah Toyah post. Read that here.

Meanwhile, today's 'Mirror' features a news story on Toyah - the interesting aspect is that it is a report on/reaction to a review of The Humans' set at the Haiti Fundraiser by 'The Times' newspaper;

The Mirror: Toyah's Shock & Bore | The Mirror/Celebs: Toyah Gets Fans Seeing Red And Not Because Of Her Hair This Time: Singer Toyah Willcox's hair may have changed from electric pink to stylish blonde but the ex-punk still has some people seeing red.

Her performance at a fundraiser for the Haiti quake was panned by The Times critic Pete Paphides.

He described it as: "A succession of songs so uniformly awful that the applause they elicited stemmed from the realisation that mere silence would heighten the sense of communal embarrassment."

Clearly the 51-year old singer still has the power to shock.

Bargain Hunt Famous Finds : Home - Wednesday 3rd March : 5.00pm
Bargain Hunt Famous Finds : Home +1 - Wednesday 3rd March : 6.00pm
Toyah Willcox v Kiki Dee. The bargain-spotting continues, here with rock queens Toyah Willcox and Kiki Dee shopping for hidden gems at an antique centre in Farnham, Surrey.

Brum : BBC2 - Thursday 11th March : 6.35am
Brum and the Football Hero. The adventures of a little car who lives in a motor museum, narrated by Toyah Willcox. Brum scores the winning goal when he comes on as a substitute during a football match.

In Your Dreams : Channel 4 - Friday 12th March : 12.05pm
In Your Dreams : Channel 4 HD - Friday 12th March : 12.05pm
In Your Dreams : Channel 4 +1 - Friday 12th March : 1.05pm
Acclaimed dream analyst and psychotherapist Brenda Mallon in conversation with personalities discussing their dream life. Toyah Willcox has had an eclectic career spanning four decades and is renowned for her rebellious spirit. She's always had an extremely dramatic dream life and, in this episode, discovers one particular dream that has significantly altered the course of her life.

Psychic Therapy: Toyah Willcox : Bio - Friday 12th March : 4.00pm
Psychic medium Gordon Smith reveals some of Toyah's innermost secrets, delving into her past and predicting her future with help from the spirit world.

There are further fan opinions at The Official Toyah MySpace and The Humans MySpace, and, as previously mentioned, The Assembly website, here, has a great selection of photos from the Leamington Spa gig.

• DSD, who reviewed 'We Are The Humans' at the end of last year, have also given a grudgingly positive-ish review to 'These Boots Are Made For Walkin'. Read the review here.

..

The Humans are a three piece, four when Robert Fripp joins them as a special guest. The band has two bass players and no drummer.

The Humans played all of the tracks from their "we are the humans" along with a reprise of "We are the humans" at the end. This was followed by an encore comprising of excellent versions of "These Boots Were Made For Walking" and "Purple Haze".

Chris Wong's bass playing on "Is It Wrong" stood out for me. You can hear this track on Toyah's MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/toyahofficial). It reminded me of Mick Karn (Japan / Dali's Car / Rain Tree Crow) although Chris may not appreciate me saying that!

I personally liked it so much that I am hoping to be able to make it to the Cambridge gig on Tuesday.

Review by Symon Payne

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After re-watching this I've decided that after our "We Demand Toyah In Doctor Who... NOW!" campaign is successful, we will move onto "Bring Back Light Lunch With Mel & Su Immediately" with similar gusto!! :)

Please click on the pictures for larger versions.

The lady in the thigh-high boots and flaming basque-cum-breastplate is unmistakably Toyah Willcox – the stack-heeled wench with her back to camera requires a tad more explanation.

“Ah yes,” says Toyah, “that’s John Wayne! He’s actually a transvestite who owns a nightclub in Stoke-on-Trent – I met him because he’s a Toyah impersonator and now he’s my PA.

“He was there when we were making our video and the director said ‘right John, get your gear on, we’re filming you’.”

Toyah (the surname has been superfluous since It’s A Mystery provided her breakthrough hit in 1981) supplies the information in a matter-of-fact tone which confirms that the bizarre is perfectly normal in her world...

... Artists can sometimes get decidedly sniffy if interviewers attempt to pin down their sound, but Toyah, fortunately, warms to the suggestion that there is a Brechtian feel to The Humans’ music.

“That’s a nice comparison,” she says. “It’s not 100 per cent because there’s a lot of energy and we’ll be playing some new stuff which is very Seattle grunge, but it is a listening experience rather than the ‘come on everybody sing along’ when I’m out there as Toyah. And, yes, it is a bit dark and bleak – the Humans’ world is permanently in winter!”

That being the case, long-term fans expecting a quick chorus of Thunder In The Mountains or Brave New World will be disappointed.

“We will be doing some hits, but they’re not Toyah hits,” she says. “That’s not a possibility because we are so peculiar – it’s not a band set-up – it’s two bass players and a guitar and vocals.”

Read the full interview online at 'Coventry Telegraph' here.

Steve Tomlin talks to Toyah Willcox about her latest musical project: The Humans

Toyah Willcox first came into the public conciousness 30 years ago as a flame haired pop-punk songstress bouncing around the Top Of The Pops stage to songs such as 'It's A Mystery', a single I own to this day. You may think her flirtation with fame was brief, but that is not the case. This is a woman of many talents. Apart from continuing to record solo albums, the most recent of which came out in 2008, she has pursued a successful acting career on both stage and screen, remember 'Quadrophenia'? She's also been a regular on our TV screens as a presenter and contestant on 'reality' shows. As well as all of this, she has undertaken possibly her most difficult challenge, being the wife of Prog Godfather, the reputedly difficult Robert Fripp.

Now she has formed a new band, The Humans, who have an album and single out and are touring the UK in February. I managed to find 10 minutes in the lady's busy schedule to find out more about this and everything else in her ridiculously busy schedule.

Read the full interview at Toyah's Official Facebook, here. You may have to register.

Much more information on these gigs at The Official Toyah Facebook. If, like me, you aren't a Facebooker further details are also available at Toyah's other official webspaces; The Official Toyah MySpace, The Humans MySpace, and The Offical Toyah Willcox website.

Prior to their first live performances in the UK, The Humans with their
special guest Robert Fripp will be playing two warm-up dates. These shows
will offer a unique opportunity to see The Humans in very intimate and
beautiful surroundings. The warm-up concerts will take place on

Saturday 20th February at St. Michael's & All Angels' Church, School Road,
Bishops Cleeve, Gloucestershire, GL52 8BA.

Sunday 21st February at St. Anne's Church, Church Street, Wyre Piddle,
Pershore, Worcestershire, WR10 2JD

Doors 7pm, Performance 7.30pm.

To reserve tickets, please e-mail info@moriartymusic.com with the subject of "The Humans at Bishops Cleeve" or "The Humans at Wyre Piddle" stating how many tickets you require and include your contact details.

Tickets for both shows are VERY limited. If you arrive without a confirmed reservation we cannot guarantee you admission!

Admission is FREE but there will be a collection for the local parish community.

The album itself is a startling work. Startlingly brave and ambitious - and startlingly different from the general public perception of what a Toyah album is, despite her own creatively diverse body of work since the ‘glory’ days of the early ‘80s. Spacerock

Remember the way Bowie deconstructed pop in Low and Lodger? Toyah pulls off the same trick, only more so. Sunday Mercury

Quicksilver is a genuine score, however, with Labyrinth a close contender. Both capture a genuine sense of other-ness without seeming as arch as the other tracks. Die Shellsuit Die

Toyah’s bitter-sweet, rasping vocals are always appealing. Northern Echo

Queen Mania : ITV2 - Sunday 21st February : 4.00am
Queen Mania : ITV2 +1 - Sunday 21st February : 5.00am
Zoe Ball presents a celebration of the music of Queen. With performances from Melanie C, G4, Lesley Garrett, Heather Small, Tony Christie, Toyah Willcox, Myleene Klass and Russell Watson, and a special version of I Want To Break Free by stars of Coronation Street. Plus classic archive footage of Queen, and celebrities talking about the band.

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Toyah In The Press - A virtual scrapbook, with numerous Toyah clippings and pictures from music papers, magazines, and newspapers - set to the soundtrack of 1987's "lost" classic, the 'Desire' era Toyah song, 'Re-Entry Into Dance'.

View the Toyah-fest by clicking above. Double click if you'd rather watch the larger version at YouTube. Please click on the clippings collage for a larger version.

As well as all that, I spotted, to my eyes anyway, a rare photo of Toyah. I can't remember ever seeing this one before, or if I have I've forgotten!.

• Vampires Rock played the Belfast Waterfront last Saturday. There are two shows remaining; The Playhouse, Weston Super Mare this Thursday, and the Octagon Theatre, Yeovil on Friday.

• The Devil Queen and Vampires Rock will be back... on Saturday 17th July at the Rock N Bike Festival, Derbyshire.

• See www.vampiresrock.com for further info and ticket details.

• 'Is It Wrong' featuring Robert Fripp, recorded live in Estonia (May 2008) is now streaming on the Official Toyah MySpace... a taster of what's to come from the gigs. Take a listen at www.myspace.com/toyahofficial.

• The Humans webpage now updated at www.toyahwillcox.com/thehumans.

• The Humans, with details on their gigs and Haiti Fundraiser, are included in the latest news update at www.remembertheeighties.com. The site will also be running an exclusive competition on the band soon.

Toyah says of the new Humans songs, 'Sugar Rush', 'Sweet Agitation', 'Fragment Pool', and the gloriously titled 'Put A Woman On The Moon', "They are lively little numbers, slightly non-age-appropriate, in the vein of silver surfer rage." Hear some, if not all, of these at The Humans gigs later this month.

Further news on The Humans, from Official Toyah Facebook: With only three weeks to go until The Humans embark on their UK tour things are gearing up... The set list for the concerts will include some new songs which may include some or all of the following: 'Sugar Rush', 'Put A Woman On The Moon', 'Sweet Agitation' and 'Fragment Pool'.

Melissa Mailer-Yates describes how the Toyah portrait came to be:

"Thus St Pauls Gallery introduced me to Toyah. Happily Toyah lives quite close to my Mothers house so those first meet nerves were diminished somewhat by plenty of time for preparation, instead of my usual trek from the deep and distant wilds of Herefordshire. In fact I was early for goodness sake unheard of!

I had nothing to worry about as I met with the most gracious, welcoming person I have had the good fortune to meet in a long time. Perhaps being the same age helps a little, but I found I could have stayed all day and talked about everything. Moving up to Toyah's beautifully french furnished drawing room, I found someone a natural in front of the camera, and soon I had what I wanted, together with a real sense of a woman bubbling over with her enthusiasm for life.

Once home I found I had everything I needed, the essence of a truly beautiful woman, inside and out. She was made for my New York Treatment, that is the style of work I first formulated for my New York exhibition in 1997. A combination of representational portraiture together with the abstract interpretation of her emotional self, the dance of life."

Date: June 2008
Signed By: Toyah Willcox & Melissa Mailer-Yates In Pencil
Edition: 20 released World Wide
Dimensions: Image 440 x 540mm, Paper 640 x 770mm
Atelier: Dekkel Fine Art Publishing Ltd
Condition: New - Mint condition
Medium: Giclee On 330gsm Fine Art Paper

Clout Communications have an updated Toyah career bio at their website.

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 Britain’s iconic household names – an award-winning rock legend as well as a much-loved actress and music composer...

...Musically, Toyah has remained fresh, uncompromising and ground-breaking. In 2007 she signed a new worldwide publishing deal with Zomba Music and released her first digital single - Latex Messiah (Viva La Rebel In You) from the 2008 album In The Court Of The Crimson Queen, written and produced in collaboration with Simon Darlow. Alongside this Toyah began a collaboration with Bill Rieflin (REM) and Chris Wong on the band project, The Humans. Described as “European experimental meets West Coast American grunge", The Humans debut live performances took place in Estonia in 2007. Their debut album, We Are The Humans, was recorded in Seattle in 2008 and released in Estonia in May 2009 to coincide with the band's return to play before the country's president at Tartufest. It received a UK digital release on Sept 2009, along with a Humans’ single, These Boots Are Made For Walkin’.

Go here to read the full bio at Clout Communications.