Introducing the
excellent cover... Introducing the
tracklist... Introducing... Sugar
Rush.
The Humans recently completed recording
and mixing their second album, entitled
Sugar Rush. The twelve-track LP, produced
by Humans band member Bill Rieflin,
includes the songs Sweet Agitation,
Fragment Pool, Put A Woman On The Moon
and the title track, all of which which
were previewed live on The Humans'
February 2010 UK tour. Sugar Rush was
recorded in the UK and features guest
guitar on all tracks by Robert Fripp.
Details of the album release will be
announced on www.thehumansofficial.com
soon. In the meantime preview clips of
four tracks from the album can be heard
in the Multimedia section of the website.
1. Titanium Girl; 2. Love In A Different
Way; 3. Sea Of Size; 4. Pebble; 5. Small
Town Psychopath; 6. Sweet Agitation; 7.
Playing In The Dark; 8. Snow At 10:23; 9.
Sugar Rush; 10. This Reasoning; 11.
Fragment Pool; 12. Put A Woman On The
Moon
• All
information from The Humans Official
website | Visit here.
New Song
Preview: 21st Century Super
Sister
28 October, 2010
The
first new Toyah music since 2008's
amazing 'In The Court Of The Crimson
Queen' album can be heard at the all-new
Official Toyah website.
'21st Century Super Sister', recorded for
the film Power Of Three, is
written by Toyah and Simon Darlow, and a
preview can be listened to at
toyahwillcox.com, here.
The All-New
Official Toyah Willcox Website
28 October, 2010
The all-new
Official Toyah Willcox website launched
on Monday, and it's wonderful! Tons of
new stuff to explore, including Toyah's
October blog. Read that here,
and click below for the new site.
Wirral
Globe: Blistering Toyah Rocks
Hoylake Bar
28 October, 2010
A
great report, on Toyah's Hoylake gig, by
'Wirral Globe', includes three excellent
photos.
Toyah
Willcox and her band put in a blistering
performance at Hoylake's Jack Rabbit
Slim's on Sunday.
Tight, funky and truly hard-rocking, they
didn't put a step wrong in a high-octane
show of strength that left the rammed
venue exhausted and demanding more.
Memorable anthems from the 80s like
Mystery and Neon Womb combined seamlessly
with new material, such as the powerful
Latex Messiah, to produce a perfectly
crafted set.
Speaking after the end of her many
encores - and following an autograph
signing session which the star was happy
to do for almost an hour - Toyah said:
"The intimacy of a venue like Jack
Rabbit's is great, we loved it. The night
felt really good, the audience loved it
and so did we.
"We've spent a lovely day in Wirral
and people we met have been so nice to
us. We will definitely come back if
they'll have us."
Promoter Roy Shuttleworth, from Meols,
said "It's great to have a star like
Toyah playing in Hoylake. We will
absolutely be inviting her to
return."...
...Toyah's forthcoming
second album Sugar Rush, which sees a
further development of the band’s
songs and sound, will be released
worldwide in winter 2010. The album
features guest guitar on all tracks from
Robert.
• Read the full report at the
'Wirral Globe' website, here.
The Humans:
New Official Website
28 October, 2010
Not only is there a brand
new Toyah site but The Humans now have an
official online presence also, with
'Sugar Rush' previews, the new video for
'Sea of Size', discography, biography and
more.
Toyah Live
2010/11: New Gigs/Appearances
Confirmed
28 October, 2010
A
number of new Toyah gigs and appearances
for the remainder of 2010 and into 2011
have been officially confirmed.
Tuesday 16th November 2010
The Hazel O'Connor Collective Single
Launch Gig
Assembly Rooms, Leamington Spa
Tel: 01926 523001 [ www.leamingtonassembly.com [
Saturday 20th November 2010
Live PA: Nightingales, Birmingham
Tel: 0121 622 1718 [ www.nightingaleclub.co.uk ]
Saturday 29th January 2011
Live PA: The Kremlin, Belfast
Tel: 028 9031 6061 [ www.kremlin-belfast.com ]
Sunday 20th March 2011 |
Full Band: The Cavern Club, Liverpool
Tel: 0151 236 1965 [ www.cavernclub.org ]
Sunday 23rd October 2011
| Full Band: Jack Rabbit Slims, Hoylake,
Wirral
Tel: 0151 632 7545 [ www.jacksbar.co.uk ]
In addition to these, www.kingsplace.co.uk
are also advertising another, slightly
different, live appearance for Toyah in
early 2011
Weekend Guitar Trio with Toyah
Willcox and Jan Bang
Date: Saturday 26th February 2011
A meeting of musical mavericks brings
Eesti Fest to an unforgettable close. The
Weekend Guitar Trio's music (composed and
improvised) for three electric guitars
and live electronics captivates jazz and
contemporary classical music audiences.
Robert Jürjendal, Tonis Leemets and Mart
Soo bring their dazzling effects and
ideas together with legendary vocalist
Toyah Willcox adding her poetry. Joining
them for the first time is Norway's live
sampling guru Jan Bang.
Andi Fraggs:
Feed Your Addiction
28 October, 2010
If
you haven't heard of Andi Fraggs, you
definitely soon will. Andi is a huge
Toyah fan and his work is certainly
influenced by her, especially the video
for 'November'.
He has a single and album out soon, and
he topped the Play.com pre order mp3
chart at the weekend! Great news for him.
I'm sure that Toyah will be mentioned
during press, tv and radio interviews
over the coming months.
Andi's single Addiction/November is out
on November 1st and he plays Madame
JoJo's, Soho on November 3rd.
• Visit Andi's excellent website,
for news, gallery, song previews &
more. Thanks to Greg Fowler.
Malvern
Gazette: Festive Plans Revealed
28 October, 2010
Toyah
will switch on Malvern's Christmas lights
at the beginning of December.
Organisers of Malvern’s Christmas
celebrations have released full details
of what to expect when the town’s
festive lights are switched on. On
Saturday, December 4, Church Street and
Abbey Road will be closed off from 10am
until 7pm to accommodate a huge variety
of entertainment for all ages.
At 5.30pm, the town’s Christmas
lights will be switched on by Malvern
Town Council chairman Paul Tuthill and
Malvern Theatres panto star Toyah Willcox
- who will get the crowds in the festive
mood by singing Christmas songs.
• Read the full report at the
'Malvern Gazette' website, here.
Toyah Newsy
Bits & Pieces!
28 October, 2010
•
So... who would like Toyah live dates
with *just* songs from the first three
albums..? Quite a lot
of people.
•
Ari Up: 1962 – 2010. I was sad to
hear last week that Ari Up of, legendary,
The Slits passed away. View an overview
of her life via this article, here.
• An interesting interview with Bill
Rieflin: Steering R.E.M. Into Harder
Waters. Toyah and The Humans are
mentioned. This was originally published
in the May 2008 issue of 'Drum!'
magazine. Read it here.
• You Tubing with Quadrophenia!
- The trailer,
from an Australian Thorn EMI Home Video.
• A collection of brilliant photos
from Toyah's Jack Rabbit Slims/Hoylake
gig. Three of these were used in the
'Wirral Globe' article. View them at
flickr, here.
• Toyah has been
popping up on BBC2 during the early
hours, guesting on the Talk German
series. These were filmed in 2002.
Toyah Live
2010: JRS, Hoylake: Photos
28 October, 2010
Toyah, and Chris Wong,
onstage at Jack Rabbit Slims, Hoylake
last Sunday night. Larger versions of
each photo are here, here,
and here
• Thanks to Myke Crombleholme for
the great photos.
Toyah Live
2010: Beat, Blackpool: Offstage
Photos
28 October, 2010
More photos of Toyah at
Beat, Blackpool last Saturday night,
meeting those ever faithful fan-boys Paul
Lomas, Michael O'Brien and Andrew Hay :)
• Thanks, as always, to Michael for
the photos.
Toyah on TV
28 October, 2010
Hole
In The Wall : BBC HD - Saturday 30th
October : 5.55pm
Toyah throwing shapes in a shiny costume
in HD! What more can you ask for on a
Saturday tea-time? Who said Daleks?!
Kavanagh QC : ITV3 - Sunday 31st
October : 1.40pm
Kavanagh QC : ITV3 +1 - Sunday 31st
October : 2.40pm A Family Affair (1995). Legal
drama series, starring John Thaw, with
Holly Aird, Robert Ashby, Toyah Willcox
and Lisa Harrow.
Dreamscape
News Archive: September 2010
28 October, 2010
Dreamscape's
Toyah news for September 2010, plus a
July/August catch-up, has now been
consigned to history. Read up on Toyah,
utter stunna Gayle Tuesday and much more
by clicking to the left!
Toyah Live
2010: Beat, Blackpool
24 October, 2010
An incredible looking Toyah
at Beat in Blackpool last night. Onstage,
and with Darren Lee. Larger versions are here
and here
• Thanks to Glyn Whelan for these
amazing photos.
Toyah Newsy
Bits & Pieces!
24 October, 2010
• Toyah played
a blistering live gig at Beat in
Blackpool last night (see Glyn's groovy
photos above). Tonight it's the turn of
Jack Rabbit Slims in Hoylake to
experience Toyah!
•
Toyah is mentioned in today's 'Sunday
Mercury', in the article: Sunday Mercury
campaign: Roy Wood to win star on Broad
Street at Christmas. Read it here.
When does Toyah get her star?
• There seems to have
been a recent mini explosion of Toyah
being playlisted on various online retro
radio stations. There are now very
regular plays on 'Flashback
Alternatives', 'XperienceRewind' are
doing similar and there have been
numerous tweets over the last few weeks
of plays on other stations. All good!!
• The 'Best
Kept Secrets' Toyah interview was aired
on Radio Preston FM on Friday night. The
full interview, via various clips, can be
listened to at the 'Best Kept Secrets'
website here.
• What's that coming
over the hill? ... is it a new album?...
is it a new website??
Somewhere In
The Distance: Hit Parade (1984)
21 October, 2010
Hit
Parade (1984) A 35 year
perspective of the pop performer through
the photography of Harry Hammond &
Gered Mankowitz
Toyah:
Actress turned pop star - she appeared in
two Derek Jarman films, Jubilee
and The Tempest and had three
Top 10 hits in 1981. 'Very nice to work
with - she used herself as a palette. I'm
always delighted to work with someone
this image conscious, because you know
you're going to get something from them.
She dominates this shot, even though the
rest of the band are in it. I wanted
lighting that was slightly surreal, and
there were lots of technical problems -
depth of field, trying to keep the
lighting from weakening the strength of
the background. I suppose the fashions
were pre-Blade Runner
holocaust-survivor chic.' 1981
• View a larger version
of Toyah in 'Hit Parade' (1984) by
clicking above, and an extra page here.
Somewhere In
The Distance: Pop Styles (1984)
21 October, 2010
Pop
Styles, by Ted Polhemus & Lynn
Procter (1984) An A-Z Guide
To The World Where Fashion Meets
Rock'N'Roll
Crazy Colour: Perhaps
the most important pendulum swing in the
history of pop styles is that between
nature and artifice. One of the best ways
to join the against-nature school of
thought is to dye your hair a bright
colour or better still a whole collection
of colours which nature never intended to
appear on the head of a human being.
Historical examples are few, however, as
the technology has only been widely
available a short time. Only impermanent
vegetable dyes were available before the
seventies and it was punks who first
combined an anti-natural attitude with
the new chemicals. Special credit
therefore goes to Wee Willie Harris who
caused a furore in the fifties when he
dyed his hair so pink it dripped down his
collar in the rain, Roy Wood who fronted
Wizzard behind a mass of multicoloured
locks and of course David Bowie.
Ultimately, however, the first prize must
go to post-punk Toyah Willcox who with
dyes and hair spray has resculpted her
head into a homage to artifice which even
the most daring of science fiction films
have failed to equal.
• View a
larger version of Toyah in 'Pop Styles'
(1984) by clicking above.
Coventry
Telegraph: NSPCC Ball Raises
£30,000
21 October, 2010
Coventry
NSPCC ball and auction raises £30,000
for Boole House
Generous guests had a
“fang-tastic” night as they
helped raised almost £30,000 for charity
before enjoying a vampire-themed musical
at the Ricoh.
About 400 people raised funds during the
NSPCC annual ball before watching Steve
Steinman’s Vampires Rock.
Toyah Willcox, who plays the Vampire
Queen, was a special guest at the ball
which was sponsored by Jaguar Cars and
the Chamber of Commerce.
Auction lots included a portrait of Toyah
and dinner at Gordon Ramsay’s
restaurant in London.
• View the full report at the
'Coventry Telegraph' website, here.
Coventry
Telegraph: Time To 'Re-Joyce' In
A Good Cause
21 October, 2010
A
new article by the 'Coventry Telegraph'
on the forthcoming Christmas single by
The Hazel O'Connor Collective.
On Tuesday, November 16, The Hazel
O’Connor Collective will launch
‘Re-Joyce’ a song that is a
sure fire box ticker in every way.
It’s superbly poignant (and you
can’t say that about many Christmas
singles), celebrating as it does the gift
of life. Proceeds from the sales will
raise money for Coventry Myton Hospice,
and to top it off, it’s packed to
the rafters with top names.
Featured artists include: Hazel
O’Connor, Toyah Willcox, Carol
Decker, Pauline Black, Ranking Roger,
Vince Hill, Moya Brennan, Neville Staple,
Kid Creole, Bob Brolly, The Subterraneans
and others. It’s produced by Grammy
Award winning producer Roger Lomas.
I had the pleasure to be in the studio as
it was being recorded, it’s one of
those songs that doesn’t come around
too often, superbly produced by Roger
Lomas,
“All of the participating artists
were an absolute joy to work with.”
reveals Roger,”
• View the full article at the
'Coventry Telegraph' website, here.
Toyah Newsy
Bits & Pieces!
21 October, 2010
• A retro edition of Celebrity
Ready Steady Cook, from April 2001,
with Toyah and Midge Ure guesting aired
on Tuesday night on Challenge.
• Toyah is briefly mentioned in a
new Steve Steinman interview with the
'Echo News': As well as producing it,
Steve takes pride of place in the show,
as Baron Von Rockula. Although he was
happy to stand back from the limelight
when a certain Toyah Willcox joined the
show in 2008, in a brand new role created
just for her. She obviously enjoyed it,
because she also signed up for last
year’s tour. [ Read the full
interview here ]
• A short clip of Toyah at Sparkles
Showbar last weekend. View it at
Facebook, here.
You may need to be a member. [ Thanks to
Michael O'Brien ]
The Hazel
O'Connor Collective: Re-Joyce
20 October, 2010
The Hazel O'Connor
Collective... Christmas Single Launch
Party RE-JOYCE (IN THE BLEAK
MID-WINTER) | Released 6th
December 2010
Performances by; Hazel O'Connor, Toyah,
Carol Decker, Pauline Black, Ranking
Roger, Vince Hill, Neville Staple, The
Subterraneans, The Bluja Project and Bob
Brolly MBE.
The Assembly, Spencer Street, Leamington
Spa CV31 3NF
www.leamingtonassembly.com | Box Office
No. 01926 523001
Tickets also available online from
www.thesubs.co.uk and in person from
Myton Hospice (Warwick) and Coventry
Market.
• More info at
Hazel O'Connor's Facebook, here. [
Thanks to Stephen Bennett ]
Best Kept
Secrets: Just 5 Days To Toyah!
20 October, 2010
Ahead
of her two gigs this weekend, the
concluding part of Toyah's interview with
'Best Kept Secrets':
Continuing
our countdown to the live Toyah gigs at
Beat in Blackpool and Jack Rabbit Slims
in Hoylake this coming weekend, you can
hear Toyah looking ahead to the gigs and
also about when she did the voice-over
for the Teletubbies tv programmes!
• Go here to
listen. Go here to
listen to part one, and here
for part two.
Blackpool
Gazette: Win Yourself Toyah
Tickets
20 October, 2010
Former
punk star and actress Toyah Willcox and
her full new band headline a show at Beat
Nightclub in Blackpool next Saturday and
Duke's Diary has three pairs of tickets
to win for the show.
She
will be in concert at the Corporation
Street venue, above The Rose and Crown,
on Saturday, October 23. Doors open
7.30pm with the show starting at 9pm.
There will also now be a limited number
of tickets available on the door on the
night.
Duke's Diary has three pairs
of tickets to win. Just correctly answer
the following question and you could be a
winner.
Where was the Sheep Farming
on Toyah's early six track EP?: (a)
Brentford (b) Barnet (c) Bradford
E-mail your answers together
with name and address to
robin.duke@blackpoolgazette.co.uk by 10am
Thursday, October 21.
Toyah Newsy
Bits & Pieces!
20 October, 2010
•
Catch Toyah live this weekend... full
details at www.rspromo.co.uk
•
(R)Evolutionary Touch Guitarist: An
interview with Markus Reiter, who
collaborated with Toyah on 'This Fragile
Moment', from 'All About Jazz'. Markus
talks This Fragile Moment, Toyah, Tovah,
Tuner and much, much more. Read the
interview here.
•
Another mention of Toyah in fiction -
this time in 'Storage Stories' by Jim
Bob. [ Thanks to Chris Limb ]
• 'Angels and Demons' was included
on the playlist for Dark Night of the
Soul with Julie (An emotional
trainwreck in fluffy bunny slippers) on
'WFMU' last night. Visit wfmu.org here.
• Toyah continues to be regularly
played on 'Flashback Alternatives', with
the original version of 'Neon Womb' and
the 'Looking Back' version of 'I Wanna Be
Free' both played in the last couple of
days. Visit 'Flashback Alternatives' here.
Toyah Live
2010: Gran Canaria
17 October, 2010
Photos of Toyah's visit to
Gran Canaria, including performing
onstage at Sparkles Showbar at the Yumbo
Centre, Playa del Ingles, meeting fans
and gifting a signed promo poster to
Michael O'Brien.
• Many thanks
to Michael for taking the time to send
the photos and info about Toyah's Gran
Canaria adventure. Please click on the
photos for larger versions.
Toyah on TV
17 October, 2010
Never Mind The
Buzzcocks : Dave - Monday 18th October :
2.00am
Never Mind The Buzzcocks : Dave ja vu -
Monday 18th October : 3.00am Mark Lamarr hosts a special
anniversary edition of the long-running
pop quiz, with Phill Jupitus and Bill
Bailey. Guests include 80s pop icon Toyah
Willcox and Sumon Sunyal.
Changing Faces: :
Living - Monday 25th October : 1.00am
Changing Faces : Living +1 - Monday 25th
October : 2.00am Madonna. Unique new series that
delves into the lives and looks of the
hottest celebrities using archive footage
and digital aging technology. The queen
of pop is also the queen of reinvention.
Changing Faces charts Madonna's many
looks. Also airing on Living HD.
Bargain Hunt Famous
Finds : Home – Wednesday 27th
October : 8.00am
Bargain Hunt Famous Finds : Home +1
– Wednesday 27th October : 9.00am
Bargain Hunt Famous Finds : Home –
Wednesday 27th October : 1.00pm
Bargain Hunt Famous Finds : Home +1
– Wednesday 27th October : 2.00pm 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.
Toyah Live
2010: Sparkles Showbar Set List
16 October, 2010
Toyah played a live
PA at Sparkles Showbar, Playa del Ingles,
Gran Canaria last night.
The set list was: School's Out, Rebel
Yell, Echo Beach, Thunder In The
Mountains, Sweet Child 'O Mine, It's A
Mystery, I Love Rock N Roll, I Want To Be
Free, Latex Messiah (Viva La Rebel In
You), River Deep, Mountain High.
[ Thanks to Michael O'Brien & Paul
Lomas ]
Total
Production Magazine: Human
Resources
16 October, 2010
An
interesting feature on The Humans, and
interview with sound engineer Paul
Nicholson, from the April 2010 issue of
'Total Production' magazine.
On the recent debut tour by Toyah
Willcox's new outfit, The Humans, The foh
and monitor mixes - and the live
recording - were all engineered by Paul
Nicholson who explained all to Mark
Cunningham at London's Scala...
In February, The Humans - the new outfit
featuring singer Toyah Willcox, Bill
Riefl in of R.E.M. and Chris Wong, with
honorary member Robert Fripp (of King
Crimson fame) on spaced-out guitar -
played their first UK live shows in the
wake of their début album, We Are The
Humans.
After
intimate warm-up shows in West Country
churches, the four-piece astonished
audiences at The Assembly in Leamington
Spa, Cambridge’s The Junction and
The Scala in London’s Kings Cross,
where TPi saw them in all their
experimental glory.
Inspired covers of Nancy Sinatra’s
‘These Boots Are Made For
Walking’ and Hendrix’s
psych-rock classic ‘Purple
Haze’ were the only vague nods to
Toyah’s 1980s pop past. With Mr.
Fripp onboard - her husband of 24 years
and a globally-worshipped God of Prog -
there was never going to be anything
mainstream about these gigs.
Their intriguing sound has been variously
described as ‘art rock’,
‘twisted funk’ and
‘complex’. Arguably, all three
labels stand up and though not
comfortable listening, the audience -
with exception of one individual who
clearly bought his ticket to hear the
singer reprise her 1981 hit
‘It’s A Mystery’.
•
Read the full feature at the 'Red Square
Audio' website, here.
Record
Collector: Dreamchild: Special
Edition Review
14 October, 2010
Genre-hopping
from punk’s high priestess
No matter how well you think you know
Toyah and what’s she’s all
about, the reality is that you don’t
know her at all. That vivid, brassy
character from her breakthrough material
is only a momentary snapshot. The reality
is far more intricate and intriguing than
I Wanna Be Free could possibly suggest.
Here’s
a juxtaposition: Toyah is bubbly,
ubiquitous and taken for granted; Kate
Bush withdrawn, full of mystique and
lauded. The more creatively varied of the
two? Ms Willcox has a fair claim. Take
this interesting diversion from 1994,
full of sweeping electronic dance rhythms
where Toyah is more of an ensemble cast
member than at any time in her musical
career.
Evolving out of the aborted stage musical
Cindy X (some demos originally intended
for the show are added here), the
compositions are written by The
Fall’s producer Mike Bennett.
Toyah’s contribution is an
understated and haunting vocal
performance, the least input she’d
have on any record under her own name. It
successfully added another facet to her
work before swerving off into an unlikely
Dreamchild acoustic tour that’s far
from suggested by the material. But then,
delivering the unexpected is central to
Toyah’s creative value.
Cherry Red | CDMRED 451 | Reviewed by Ian
Abrahams. 'Record Collector' (#381,
November 2010) is on sale now • A
couple of Dreamscape 'Dreamchild' ads.
Please click on either for larger
versions.
Celebrity
Cook Book: Supporting The Princes
Trust
14 October, 2010
Toyah
has contributed a recipe to 'The
Celebrity Cookbook'. The book is in aid
of The Princes Trust and was published
last Friday (8th October).
As well as the regular print edition, it
is also available as an e-book for Kindle
from Amazon here,
and also for iPad.
Raising
money for The Prince’s Trust: The
Celebrity Cookbook
“Who is your role model, and what
would you cook for them if they came
round for dinner?”
We’ve asked over 60 celebrities this
question, and the result is a fantastic
collection of recipes, often giving an
intriguing (indeed often surprising!)
insight into the role-models that have
influenced our celebrities on their road
to success.
With contributions from celebrities such
as Michelin and 5AA Rosette award winning
French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli,
former England International Gary
Lineker, A-list Hollywood action
star/California State Governer Arnold
Schwarzenegger and Prime Minister David
Cameron - this makes for an interesting,
and mouth-watering read – and will
make a welcome addition to any kitchen or
bookshelf.
• View further info about 'The
Celebrity Cookbook' here,
and read the related press release here.
Best Kept
Secrets: Toyah Audio Interview
14 October, 2010
Paul
& Lucy's 'Best Kept Secrets' website
has a two-part interview, with Toyah
talking about her forthcoming live dates
in Blackpool and Hoylake, plus much more.
80s music legend Toyah Willcox plays
2 special live dates in the north west at
the end of October - at Beat nightclub in
Blackpool on Saturday 23rd and Jack
Rabbit Slims in Hoylake on Sunday 24th.
• Go here to
listen to part one, and here
for part two.
Daily
Mail/Femail: Feature & New
Photo
14 October, 2010
From
Toyah's Official Facebook yesterday:
Watch out for a great new photo of Toyah
and a piece on the 1970s written by her
in tomorrow's Femail (in the Daily Mail).
Toyah Newsy
Bits & Pieces!
14 October, 2010
•
The current issue of 'Record Collector'
(#381, November 2010) includes a review
of 'Dreamchild: Special Edition'.
•
Would the real Mrs Fripp please step
forward! Check out Toyah's Official
Facebook
for a great photo of not one, not two,
not three, but SIX Toyah's!!!
• Toyah arrived in Gran Canaria
yesterday ahead of her appearance at
Sparkles Showbar tomorrow night. [ Thanks
to Michael O'Brien ]
• Dannii Minogue
namechecks Toyah, on page 276, in her
recently published autobiography, 'My
Story'. [ Thanks to Kevin Mcnamara ]
• 'BBC Wales - Music' is currently
using that, very famous, photo of Toyah
from Top Of The Pops in their
"How to... work in music TV".
Visit ' BBC Wales' here.
Be Proud Be
Loud (Be Heard)
11 October, 2010
You!
Give! Me! Fire!! This
week 28 years ago Toyah entered the UK
charts with their 12th single, 'Be Proud
Be Loud (Be Heard), the song that became
Toyah's personal motto, closing numerous
fanclub letters, web missives and blogs
over the years.
'Be
Proud Be Loud (Be Heard)' was written by
Toyah and Joel Bogen, as was the b-side
'Laughing With The Fools'. Neither were
available on any album until the release
of 'Proud, Loud & Heard: The Best Of
Toyah' in 1998, the hits compilation that
took inspiration, and its title, from 'Be
Proud'.
Listen to the world premiere of the
single on BBC Radio One's Studio B15 in
late Summer 1982, here;
watch Toyah perform the single, on Top
Of The Pops in October 1982, at
'YouTube' here;
and listen to the excellent b-side,
'Laughing With The Fools', via a fan-made
video for the song, at 'YouTube' here.
Celebrity
Fantasy Homes: Screen Caps
11 October, 2010
A selection of screen caps
of househunters Toyah and Gaby Roslin
from last week's Celebrity Fantasy
Homes. Please click on these for
more captures plus larger versions of
those below.
Toyah on TV
11 October, 2010
Casualty
: Watch - Tuesday 12th October : 8.00am
Casualty : Watch - Tuesday 12th October :
11.00am Comfort Zone (Season 24, episode
6 of 49). Ruth's pregnancy fears are
confirmed, leaving her torn between her
ambition to be a surgeon and
strengthening feelings for Jay. Jeff
takes an instant dislike to his new
paramedic partner, who spends the shift
making inappropriate comments about
Polly, while Zoe again abandons work
after agreeing that Jordan can be
discharged into her care. Toyah Willcox
guest stars as a woman who accidentally
injures her baby son. Also airing on
Watch +1
Never Mind
The Buzzcocks : Dave - Thursday 14th
October : 1.10am
Never Mind The Buzzcocks : Dave ja vu -
Thursday 14th October : 2.10am
Never Mind The Buzzcocks : Dave - Monday
18th October : 2.00am
Never Mind The Buzzcocks : Dave ja vu -
Monday 18th October : 3.00am Mark Lamarr hosts a special
anniversary edition of the long-running
pop quiz, with Phill Jupitus and Bill
Bailey. Guests include 80s pop icon Toyah
Willcox and Sumon Sunyal.
Cash In The
Celebrity Attic : Watch - Sunday 17th
October : 6.15am
Cash In The Celebrity Attic : Watch +1 -
Sunday 17th October : 7.15am 80s pop icon and actress Toyah
Willcox invites the team into her home to
raise money for MacMillan nurses. She
even gets on the podium herself to sell
some of her items.
The Toyah
Willcox Interview Archive
11 October, 2010
The Toyah Willcox Interview
Archive now has full transcripts of
Toyah's recent radio interviews on The
Andrew Easton Show on 'BBC Radio
Hereford & Worcester', and The
Lorna Milton Show on 'BBC Radio
Three Counties'. There's also a Celebrity
Fantasy Homes feature.
Toyah Live
2010
11 October, 2010
Beginning
a busy month for gigs and PA's, Toyah
played the Big 80s Madness Weekend on
Friday night at Butlins Bognor Regis.
Also playing over the weekend were Bad
Manners, Dr & The Medics, Go West,
Jaki Graham and many others.
Further live dates are taking place
through October. See Toyah's Official My
Space, Facebook and www.toyahwillcox.com
for further details. [ Thanks to Paul
Cable ]
Friday 15th October:
Sparkles Showbar, Gran Canaria Saturday 23rd October:
The Beat Club, Blackpool Sunday 24th October: Jack
Rabbit Slims, Hoylake, Wirral
BBC Radio
Three Counties: The Lorna Milton
Show
04 October, 2010
Toyah
will be guesting on The Lorna Milton
Show this afternoon on 'BBC Radio
Three Counties'.
Toyah Willcox takes us on a journey
of her life from music to TV, the
paranormal and facelifts.
Listen live to the show, here.
This will also be available to listen to
at BBC iPlayer post-broadcast.
Celebrity
Fantasy Homes: Trailer Caps
04 October, 2010
A few screen caps
from the trailer for the new series of Celebrity
Fantasy Homes. This begins tonight
with shows each night this week. Toyah's
edition airs at 9.00pm tomorrow night on
Home, with numerous repeats through this
week and over the weekend.
100 Hits:
Electric Eighties: Out Today!
04 October, 2010
'100 Hits: Electric
Eighties' - 100 Classic Tracks and
Alternative Hits, the 5CD set,
featuring Toyah's 'It's A Mystery', is
released today.
Other artists include: New Order, Aztec
Camera, Madness, The Jesus & Mary
Chain, Echo & The Bunnymen, John
Foxx, Strawberry Switchblade, Primal
Scream, The Adventures, World Party, That
Petrol Emotion, Dead Kennedys,
Bananarama, Fuzzbox, Kirsty MacColl and
many many more.
This is the third "100 Hits"
compilation Toyah has been included on.
The
Birmingham Press: Totally Toyah
04 October, 2010
Student
rebel Richard Howarth recalls those early
days away from home, tropical fish, and
his ‘discovery’ of a Kings
Heath girl who defied the critics to
become an icon of the times...
... Now it’s a traditional student
obsession to look for something out of
the ordinary and it was only a short step
from Quadrophenia to discover Toyah was
also part of a band – and their
Sheep Farming in Barnet EP, also released
in 1979, perfectly fitted the bill of
something a little different.
There were echoes of my beloved Siouxsie
but also hints of the poppier style that
was to bring chart success eventually,
wrapped up with the theatrical style no
doubt honed at the Old Rep Drama School
back home in Brum.
Listen to Neon Womb, Indecision or Danced
and they still have an edge both in the
music and in Toyah’s lyrics that
deserve to be part of a re-examination of
her musical career.
• Read Richard's full article at
'The Birmingham Press' here.
Somewhere In
The Distance: The Disputation
02 October, 2010
It's
the return of, the very infrequent, Somewhere
In The Distance: It's screen
caps, it's 1986, it's The Disputation,
it's Toyah as Conseulo opposite
Christopher Lee... Please click below for
larger caps! • Huuuge thanks to Paul
Lomas
In Barcelona,
Spain, in 1263, the Jews are forced by
the Dominicans to defend their faith. The
famous Rabbi Moses ben Nachman, in a
tense confrontation, wins the friendship
of King James the Conqueror.
The
Disputation; starring
Christopher Lee, Bob Peck, Helen Lindsay,
Alan Dobie, Toyah Willcox and Bernard
Hepton.
Made in the UK, directed by Geoffrey Sax,
an Electric Rainbow production in
association with Channel Four.This
remarkable, tense drama, is based on the
Barcelona Disputation that took place in
the court of King James of Aragon in
1263.
Finely acted by an
extraordinarily distinguished cast, the
story examines the disputation between
the Christians and the Jews where
Nachmanides used his unparalleled
knowledge of sacred literature and the
power of his oration to defend his faith.
The Stage:
Features: TV Review
01 October, 2010
Gayle Tuesday makes
a welcome return to the screen in Gayle
Tuesday: The Comeback. Oh come on, you
remember Gayle, the page three stunna and
uber-bimbo who graced TV screens back in
the nineties?
It was Gayle who memorably introduced the
phrase “Oi, tits first! I’m not
a slag”, to British television. A
decade on we find Gayle, the comic
creation of actress Brenda Gilhooly, in
denial of middle age and intent upon a
return to the world of celebrity.
It is all highly enjoyable and
consistently funny, but at an hour in
length each episode rather over stretches
itself.
Toyah Willcox, Paul O’Grady, Ainsley
Harriott, Harry Hill and Heston
Blumenthal are among the famous faces
sending themselves up, with Toyah winning
the acting honours.
• Read the full article at 'The
Stage' website, here.
This airs again on Living, this Sunday.
The
Comeback : Living - Sunday 3rd October :
8.00pm
The Comeback : Living +1 - Sunday 3rd
October : 9.00pm Gayle Tuesday.
Outrageous original documentary-style
comedy created exclusively for Living.
Page 3 babe Gayle Tuesday is determined
to claw her way back to the top by
exploiting the reality show circuit.
Featuring guest appearances from Harry
Hill (who also script edited the pilot),
Heston Blumenthal, Ainsley Harriot, Toyah
Willcox, Paul O'Grady, Louie Spence and
Hollyoaks star Roxanne McKee.
Toyah Newsy
Bits & Pieces!
01 October, 2010
Gary
Shail, aka Spider from Quadrophenia,
and to us 80s kids as, Steve in Metal
Mickey, recently gave an interesting
interview to 'Portsmouth Today'. He
recalls the Quadrophenia
auditions and mentions Monkey (aka
Toyah!)
Gary on life, Metal Mickey and
Quadrophenia
Gary's first audition for Quadrophenia
was alongside punk legend Johnny Rotten
and Toyah Willcox. He reveals: 'I had to
pretend I wasn't from drama school
because the director Franc Roddam wanted
it to be very real.
'Johnny was up for the lead part, but it
was right in the middle of the Sex
Pistols scandal and Frank and Pete
Townshend from The Who thought it might
overshadow the movie. So they went for an
unknown. Toyah got the part of Monkey and
I got Spider.'
• Read the full interview at the
'Portsmouth Today' website, here.
'Planet
Rock' has reported on the opening of the
'Memories in Music' exhibition.
Midlands Music Exhibit Opens Its
Doors
Memories In Music In The Midlands, a
brand new exhibit of nostalgic memories
and memorabilia representing and
celebrating a history of popular, rock
and blues based music in the Midlands
area, has opened its doors.
Several well known names associated with
the Midlands’ recent rich musical
heritage have offered support and
participation, including Blaze Bayley,
Steve Gibbons, Dave Pegg, Ric Sanders,
Trevor Burton, Carl Palmer, Steve
Winwood, Hartley Cain, Ray Froggatt,
Deborah Bonham, the late John Bonham (by
means of Deborah Bonham), Jem Brent,
Toyah Willcox, Joe Dignam, Albert Lee,
Nick Mason, Mike Sanchez, Theo Travis,
Clifford T Ward (by means of his official
fan club), The Marquee Club, Judas Priest
and Bev Bevan. These will be contributing
photographs, gold and platinum records,
stage clothing, and instruments from
their personal collections. The event is
destined to be of huge interest, not only
to fans of the participating artistes and
their bands, but also to music lovers in
the wide Midlands area.
• Read the full article at the
'Planet Rock' website, here.
Find the 'Memories in Music' website here.
'The
Toyah Willcox Interview Archive' now has
the full transcript of Toyah's interview
with The Vibe on 'CRMK Radio'.
This aired on Sunday 12th September and
is available to listen to at The Vibe
website, here.
Visit 'The Toyah Willcox Interview
Archive' here.
A
number of new Toyah gigs and appearances
for the remainder of 2010 and into 2011
have been officially confirmed.
Hole
In The Wall : BBC HD - Saturday 30th
October : 5.55pm
Hit
Parade (1984) A 35 year
perspective of the pop performer through
the photography of Harry Hammond &
Gered Mankowitz
Pop
Styles, by Ted Polhemus & Lynn
Procter (1984) An A-Z Guide
To The World Where Fashion Meets
Rock'N'Roll
• A retro edition of Celebrity
Ready Steady Cook, from April 2001,
with Toyah and Midge Ure guesting aired
on Tuesday night on Challenge.
Toyah played a live
PA at Sparkles Showbar, Playa del Ingles,
Gran Canaria last night.
Genre-hopping
from punk’s high priestess 
Here’s
a juxtaposition: Toyah is bubbly,
ubiquitous and taken for granted; Kate
Bush withdrawn, full of mystique and
lauded. The more creatively varied of the
two? Ms Willcox has a fair claim. Take
this interesting diversion from 1994,
full of sweeping electronic dance rhythms
where Toyah is more of an ensemble cast
member than at any time in her musical
career.
From
Toyah's Official Facebook yesterday:
Watch out for a great new photo of Toyah
and a piece on the 1970s written by her
in tomorrow's Femail (in the Daily Mail).
You!
Give! Me! Fire!! This
week 28 years ago Toyah entered the UK
charts with their 12th single, 'Be Proud
Be Loud (Be Heard), the song that became
Toyah's personal motto, closing numerous
fanclub letters, web missives and blogs
over the years.
'Be
Proud Be Loud (Be Heard)' was written by
Toyah and Joel Bogen, as was the b-side
'Laughing With The Fools'. Neither were
available on any album until the release
of 'Proud, Loud & Heard: The Best Of
Toyah' in 1998, the hits compilation that
took inspiration, and its title, from 'Be
Proud'.
Casualty
: Watch - Tuesday 12th October : 8.00am
Beginning
a busy month for gigs and PA's, Toyah
played the Big 80s Madness Weekend on
Friday night at Butlins Bognor Regis.
Also playing over the weekend were Bad
Manners, Dr & The Medics, Go West,
Jaki Graham and many others.
'100 Hits: Electric
Eighties' - 100 Classic Tracks and
Alternative Hits, the 5CD set,
featuring Toyah's 'It's A Mystery', is
released today.
It's
the return of, the very infrequent, Somewhere
In The Distance: It's screen
caps, it's 1986, it's The Disputation,
it's Toyah as Conseulo opposite
Christopher Lee... Please click below for
larger caps! • Huuuge thanks to Paul
Lomas
The
Disputation; starring
Christopher Lee, Bob Peck, Helen Lindsay,
Alan Dobie, Toyah Willcox and Bernard
Hepton.
'The
Toyah Willcox Interview Archive' now has
the full transcript of Toyah's interview
with The Vibe on 'CRMK Radio'.
This aired on Sunday 12th September and
is available to listen to at The Vibe
website, 
