On this day in music history… In 1955 Bill Haley and his Comets, entered the UK chart for the first time with “Rock Around The Clock”, who will be rocking up to be our No.1 this week? In this week’s show, our artists include The Rolling Stones, Engelbert Humperdinck, Owen Paul, Carla Olson, Deniece Pearson, Allan Clarke & Laurence Juber, The Korgis, The Jive Aces, Classix Nouveaux & Phil Hendriks. And from the Heritage New Year charts of 2021, 2022 & 2023 Toyah, Paul Weller & Bruce Foxton & Russell Hastings. (• Browse previous Sensationalnews… )
The new ‘Posh Redux’ version of Sensational featuring Robert Fripp on guitar, was released on Friday as a preview digital single to stream and download.
Following her Top 30 hit album Posh Pop and Isle of Wight Festival performance Toyah unveils details of the new ‘Rhythm Deluxe Edition’ of studio album In The Court of The Crimson Queen, presented as a prequel to Posh Pop.
The definitive version of the album now contains Toyah’s unique interpretation of the iconic song Slave To The Rhythm, featuring Robert Fripp on guitar and produced by Simon Darlow, co-writer of the original track. The album also contains three brand new remakes of Sensational, Heal Ourselves and Latex Messiah featuring the Posh Pop Three of Toyah, Simon Darlow and Robert Fripp. Plus exclusively revised artwork and lyrics for the album.
• Watch the video below or at You Tube. Yesterday’s Toyah At Home was a Sensational special, watch here, and today’s Sensational Magical Sunday Lunch, here. Stream/download Sensational (Posh Redux)here.
Tomorrow’s Toyah At Home brings the premiere of the new single – and accompanying video for – Sensational (Posh Redux). The single features Robert Fripp.
Coming this Friday! Toyah’s new digital single Sensational (Posh Redux) featuring Robert Fripp.
Produced by Simon Darlow, the single is a follow-up to Slave To The Rhythm and previews the forthcoming Rhythm Deluxe Edition of In The Court Of The Crimson Queen.
• Toyah At Home – Sensational: This week we take a look at the story behind the hit – Sensational, and Toyah pops into the world of Virtual Reality! – Watch here…
• Toyah & Robert – Objects Of Desire: Toyah and Robert take a look at some of the objects that surround them in middle England, direct from social medias most famous kitchen! – Watch here…
Edition 1 of That Was Then… This Is Now! airs from 7pm this evening Thursday 5th November.
It features exclusive performances and a fascinating interview from Toyah herself.
She gives a stunning performance of I Wanna Be Free and as well as the standout track from her most recent album “In The Court Of The Crimson Queen”, the utterly brilliant “Sensational.”
Toyah also joins host Mike Read to give insights into her experiences of life and family under lockdown and about getting even with her husband Robert Fripp regarding the title of a new album
Edition 1 also features exclusive performances from The Fizz and Chesney Hawkes and a video from Nik Kershaw who is number one on the Heritage chart this week and much more, hosted by broadcasting legend Mike Read and Sky TV’s Hayley Palmer.
EARLY BIRD OFFER SERIES ONE OFFER ENDS TODAY
As a special introductory offer all 5 editions can be ordered now with a 20% saving applied at checkout. Featuring exclusive performances and appearances from Cliff Richard, Nik Kershaw, Limahl, Paul Young, Johnny Hates Jazz and many many more.
That Was Then… This Is Now! was devised by production legend Mike Stock in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis which has seen all live music events cancelled leaving some of our most respected music artists unable to perform. The government has not been able to offer sustained support so the team behind the show will share all profits generated from the streaming of the show with the artists equally. As Mike suggests “…the objective is to create an opportunity moving forward that will provide a viable business alternative for artists as we face the hugely uncertain future of the music industry in these Covid times…’
Look out for Toyah on Edition 1 of That Was Then… This Is Now! on Thursday 5th November , with The Fizz and Chesney Hawkes. Tickets available here. See the Toyah trailer below!
Just like this universe, you are sensational…Toyah’s new video for Sensational, taken from the forthcoming vinyl, 2CD and digital releases of In The Court Of The Crimson Queen, premiered last night. Watch the promo – by Dean Stockings and Leigh Carter – by clicking below.
The brand new Sensational video will premiere on Monday. Taken from the album In The Court Of The Crimson Queen, which is out on 12th April. There’s an Official Toyah five-day countdown to the new video. Follow it at Twitter.
Toyah’s Acoustic, Up Close & Personal UK Tour resumes on Thursday 24th July at The Duchess in York. Click below for the full tour dates and links to buy tickets. Visit the Official Toyah Gigs page for an exclusive new live track – an acoustic version of ‘Sensational’.
As the label on the cover of the re-print of ‘In The Court Of The Crimson Queen’, included in the first Breaking Through newsletter a couple of weeks ago, suggested ‘Sensational’ by Toyah is played (not performed) in Hormonal Housewives.
• Victoria & Albert Museum: Jubilee @ The V&A: A fantastic photo of Jordan is included in the prestigious museum’s collection.
• Penny Black Music: Cheek of Her: Megaphonic EP: Toyah is mentioned in this new review… There are even spoken lyrics over what could be the harmonies of a choir of flouncy girls lead by the love child of Siouxsie Sioux and Toyah Willcox.
• Unofficial Toyah Top 20 2103: The results of the first part of James and Lärwi’s Toyah Song Poll are in, and the second part is now online. Toyah’s full back catalogue, excluding collaborations, was included and has been voted down to a final 28. 100 people participated in the fun poll so it’s hardly definitive but still interesting (and thanks to James for taking the time to organise it all). Vote here.
• First-Thoughts: A huge forum thread “discussing” Patsy Kensit, which over the last six weeks also includes Weight Watchers, Toyah and ‘Sensational’. To save you the bother of trawling through the, seemingly endless, posts I’ve cherrypicked the best one :) – “Giving serious thought to joining Weight Watchers. Mostly because I want to dance to Toyah’s Sensational with Patsy Kensit.”
It’s become a tradition over the years for Dreamscape to put together an “ad” for Toyah’s latest release… So, here’s one for ‘Sensational’. Available at iTunes, Amazon etc… Click here to view a larger version and below to watch the video at You Tube.
Rather than celebrating the fact that almost 40 years into her career Toyah is still making music, releasing videos and imagery, entertaining her fans (is there anybody else from the New Wave era that is still so busy and visible that a news website about them can be updated almost every day?) and much more, there seems to be even more negativity swirling around than usual, especially regarding the video for ‘Sensational’. Check out the video on You Tube for Toyah’s feelings on the matter!
Some people seemed quite excited yesterday that Pop Justice ran an article on Toyah and ‘Sensational’.
Toyah was a fairly big popstar in the early 1980s. It’s probably overstating things slightly to say that she was the Lady Gaga of her day because she didn’t really have the tunes, but you can’t argue with magazine covers like the one you see to your right. We reckon Toyah could probably have pulled off a fairly successful comeback on the back of this Weight Watchers ad appearance. You know the sort of thing – you find one or two up-and-coming acts who might be prepared to drop her name as an influence, Radio 2 play the single quite a bit, broadsheets do the usual ‘she was there at the dawn of the pop age now the original Gaga is back and she’s as colourful as ever’ pieces…
• The new video for Toyah’s Sensational has just been released. Here is another clip featuring the song, uploaded to You Tube a couple of years ago, featuring footage from The Sarah Jane Adventures. There’s also a SJA video set to It’s A Mystery, and a Doctor Who one too!
• Dangerous Minds: Punk Rock, Now More Than Ever: The Gospel According To Henry Rollins And Various Old Punks: I’m no Henry Rollins fan but when he’s good he can be very good, as he is in this short piece on punk rock, Is Punk Back From The Dead?, that was broadcast on British TV recently. The clip also includes some thoughts on punk from John Holmstrom, Tony James (Generation X), Mark Perry (Sniffin’ Glue) and Toyah Willcox. The consensus: punk now more than ever!
• Pun Based Name: Copy? Compliment? Coincidence?: For whatever reason, lots of album covers seem to pay tribute to lots of other ones… 15. Kate Bush – Never For Ever (EMI, 1980) & Toyah – Anthem (Safari, 1981): Anthem was probably Toyah’s best album; a nice mix of post-punk and new wave/synth pop influences.
• Leamington Courier: Family fun, theatre, comedy and music live in Leamington: Toyah Willcox will star in Hormonal Housewives, a comedy evening of sketches covering what makes women tick – or ticked off.
• In Concert 1981/Rebel Run Tour 1983: Low quality, but still really good, fan radio and concert recordings of War Boys, Neon Womb and I Explode at You Tube.
As the label on the cover of the re-print of ‘In The Court Of The Crimson Queen’, included in the first Breaking Through newsletter a couple of weeks ago, suggested ‘Sensational’ by Toyah is played (not performed) in Hormonal Housewives.
