Look: Toyah Willcox’s Kings Heath walk of fame star is dug up
Only plaque laid on tribute pavement put into storage as Ritz Ballroom site is redeveloped
The only star laid on Kings Heath’s walk of fame has been dug up and put into storage. The tribute, to singer Toyah Willcox, was removed from its spot outside the old Ritz Ballroom in York Road after the iconic venue was gutted in a fire.
And two other stars, commissioned in honour of musician Trevor Burton and the late Olympic cyclist Tommy Godwin, have never been laid at all. Bob Prew, from the Walk of Stars scheme, said: “We were advised to remove Toyah’s star for safekeeping after the fire.
• Deep Space Works: PJ Crook: Art galleries and private collections worldwide exhibit the paintings of PJ Crook. There is a series of work that has been used for the album covers for the band King Crimson and many from the music world namely Robert Fripp, Toyah Willcox, Peter Gabriel, Billy Joel, and Holly Johnson collect her work.
• Vintage TV: The music channel is helping support Toyah’s forthcoming ‘Love Is the Law & More’ Tour by including a report and the dates, along with a recent live photo, at their website.
• King’s Heath Walk of Fame: Laying Toyah’s Star: The video of the story of Toyah’s star has been reposted at ‘You Tube’. Watch here. (Thanks to Bob Prew)
• Fandor: Punk Films, Revisited: Famed British Derek Jarman found a muse in the music when he directed his second feature Jubilee, a denatured fantasy about Queen Elizabeth I being transported to an apocalyptic future.
• Quadrophenia: Not only are Toyah and Robert on Australian TV this week in Love & Marriage (see below) but Quadrophenia also aired “Down Under” last night on ABC. More info from Guide TV. (Thanks to Richard Featherstone)
• Live 2013: Toyah made her second live (music) appearance of the year on Saturday, a full band concert at the Bunn Leisure entertainment complex in Selsey, West Sussex. Toyah tweeted: “First gig of year with band 2nite. Can’t wait. It will b fun! And it will b very hot!”
• Yeah Synthpop!: A couple of posts for Toyah at the synthpop page.
Further news reports and articles on the fire, and aftermath in King’s Heath earlier this week. To summarise; the building was detroyed beyond repair and will be demolished. The Civic Society Musical Heritage Plate and Toyah’s star both have survived the blaze, seem to be in reasonable condition and will be removed from the site today and tomorrow. (Thanks to Bob Prew)
• BBC News: Kings Heath remembers Ritz Ballroom following fire.
• Birmingham Mail: Kings Heath Walk of Stars to go ahead despite savage fire at famous former music venue: Kings Heath resident Trevor Burton, a founding member of 1960s rock band The Move, is due to be the second celebrity inducted onto the Walk in June, following Toyah Willcox.
• Leicester Bangs: Legendary gig venue destroyed in Birmingham Kings Heath fire: A Kings Heath Walk of Fame, honouring the area’s musical and comedy heritage, had also been planned to start outside the building with a star marking singer Toyah Willcox.
Toyah’s Star gets laid in King’s Heath’s York Road
Toyah’s star has now been laid in King’s Heath’s York Road. The marble star, which is set in the frontage of Maurice Robinson’s Sports Shop, is the first of many that will make up King’s Heath’s very own Walk of Fame.
Bob Prew and Ken Whittaker who came up with the idea of the Walk of Fame said, “This is the start of a major new attraction for King’s Heath. Toyah’s star has taken longer to manufacture than we had originally hoped but future stars should now take a lot less time to appear. We hope that there will eventually be at least 20 stars stretching down York Road and encouraging more visitors to King’s Heath”.
Toyah’s star on the King’s Heath Walk Of Fame, in York Road, has been laid. Congratulations to Toyah. There will eventually be at least 20 stars. View the full star by clicking below.
• As mentioned a couple of times last week, Toyah guested on In Conversation with Steve Allen on LBC yesterday morning. The half-hour programme is available to listen to as a podcast from the radio station’s website. (NB. There is a charge to download LBCs podcasts – full info at their website)
• A great retro Toyah article/interview from 1980, Sunday Times: A Life In The Day Of…, was added to The Toyah Willcox Interview Archive over the weekend.
• Toyah is supporting “Acupuncture Awareness Week”, which began today and runs until 3rd March. There have already been a number of recent Toyah interviews and articles focusing on this, lots of tweets too over the last few days linking to her video interview, and no doubt there will be more over the next seven days.
• King’s Heath Walk Of Fame: Toyah Willcox’s star is due to go outside this shop (Maurice Robinson Sports) sometime in March 2013 (the part of the pavement that belongs to the shop, not to the council). View photo at flickr.
The site has a couple of pages on Toyah. including videos from last year’s Hare & Hounds gig, which took place after Toyah was awarded her ‘Walk Of Fame’ star, plus a photo of Toyah receiving her star from Bev Bevan (in the “About Us” page).
There’s also updates on future recipients of stars and other related news.
• Visit the website. View all of Dreamscape’s ‘Walk Of Fame’ news here.
• The first of the BBC’s two-part Queens Of British Pop series airs again tonight on BBC Four at 11pm. Toyah was, inexplicably, left out of the television series when it first aired in March 2009. Dreamscape and other fans were suitably outraged at the time. However an online vote after the series aired placed her 7th in the BBC Queens Of British Pop poll: 1. Kate Bush, 2. Annie Lennox, 3. Kim Wilde, 4. Kylie Minogue, 5. Dusty Springfield, 6. Leona Lewis, 7. Toyah, 8. Geri Halliwell, 9. Siouxsie Sioux, 10. Kirsty MacColl. It’s an interesting programme all the same, featuring Siouxsie, Kate Bush, Dusty Springfield and Marianne Faithfull, among others, in this first part, which will be available to watch at BBC iPlayer post broadcast.
• Twitter: Toyah tweeted yesterday that “”My guilty pleasure has arrived in the post…rabbiting on magazine….heaven”
• King’s Heath Walk Of Stars: Two new plaques will be joining Toyah on the King’s Heath Walk Of Fame later this year. The Birmingham Post reports that the organisers are “creating new plaques for Fuzzbox’s Jo Dunne and The Move guitarist Trevor Burton following on from the first last year for Kings Heath-born Toyah Willcox.”
• Total Bliss: Define Colour: It’s hard to imagine a world without hair color… This photo feature includes a great shot of “redhead” Toyah from Parkinson in 1981 – the one that was also used in a hairstyles article in Vogue last year.
• Worcestershire Life: 2012 Christmas Quiz Answers: A question about Toyah was included in this festive quiz and the answers have now been revealed… and may just surprise you! 46. Who is Worcestershire actress Toyah Willcox married to? a) Robert Plant.
• NME: Elton John’s Top 10 Batshit Crazy Concert Outfits: Toyah Willcox called – she wants her hair back.
Toyah’s ‘Walk of Fame’ gig in King’s Heath in July has been named one of Birmingham’s Top Gigs Of 2012.
Let’s hear it for B-Town… the best of the rest: Some of the biggest music acts in the world have played Brum this year – after the top ten, here’s our selection of the highlights
Toyah Willcox, who not only was inducted on Birmingham’s walk of fame this year, she also played a home-coming gig at the Ballroom.
BReview: “Congratulations on your star in the Kings Heath ‘Walk of Fame’. How does it feel to be awarded this accolade?”
Toyah: “It’s wonderful. It’s such an honour, and so good for people to remember me in this way. I lived in Birmingham for 18 years, until I left for London and got my career going. I was born and conceived here. I used to shop on the high street everyday with my mother.
It’s very kind of the business people of Kings Heath, to include me in the names of those associated with the suburb. Amazing people have played here, like Led Zeppelin and Jerry lee Lewis (at the Ritz Ballroom, now Cash Convertors, on York Rd). I think I am the only other woman apart from Helen Shapiro; it’s an absolute honour.”
After a day of all things Toyah Willcox (star receiving Toyah, interview giving Toyah, buffet lunch eating Toyah), I was finally going to see her in, arguably, her most natural habitat – on stage.
The Hare and Hounds provided the venue for Toyah Wilcox’s one off homecoming gig.
And, although this lady’s musical, stage and acting career has spanned some thirty plus years, I was still surprised to see Venue 2 packed out with die-hard Toyah fans; many having donned their Toyah memorabilia t-shirts and raided wardrobes for their best Goth-like attire.
After her rainy day ramble down nostalgia lane to receive her Kings Heath Walk Of Fame badge of honour earlier today at The Hare, Toyah Willcox got down to the serious business of reminding us just how and why her Princess of Post-Punk/Goth-lite song-writing and stage theatrics undoubtedly caught the 80s zeitgeist.
More photos from Toyah’s ‘Walk Of Fame’ day in King’s Heath last month. A great shot of Toyah with her framed star and pictures from the Hare & Hounds gig later in the evening. All have now been added to Dreamscape’s Gallery. (Thanks to Paul at PAC Photography for these)
More excellent Hare & Hounds gig photos have now been added to Dreamscape’s Gallery. Click below to view. (Thanks again to Ray Sears, Chris Cox and Angus Turner)
I’m off on my Summer hols so this is the last update for now. Have a great rest of July!!
…and Walks the King’s Heath Walk Of Fame @ The Hare & Hounds, Birmingham, UK – 16th July 2012
There’s s good selection of photos, from Monday’s ‘King’s Heath Walk Of Fame’ event at Gig Junkies, including Toyah, Robert Fripp and Melissa Mailer-Yates (with the fantastic ‘Changeling’ painting – more on that here).
Neon Womb, It’s A Mystery , Thunder In The Mountains, Brave New World? Are bells ringing down memory lane?
More Toyah, live at Hare & Hounds, photos. Please click below to view the full versions at Dreamscape’s Gallery. More soon! (Thanks to Ray Sears for these great shots)
Our second batch of Toyah, live at Hare & Hounds, photos. Please click below to view the full versions at Dreamscape’s Gallery. (Thanks to Chris Cox for these great shots)
Coming Soon: A great selection of photos from last night’s Hare & Hounds gig, courtesy of Ray Sears and Chris Cox. Check back to DTN later to view fantastic shots of Toyah onstage.
Look: Toyah Willcox’s Kings Heath walk of fame star is dug up
