Gulp!! Very exciting news today, via a tweet from Toyah: “Dear Crimson Queen fans, many exciting things happening with Simon Darlow. Watch this space 4 C.Q. 2“. A lot of Toyah fans have been waiting for this. In the meantime, please visit Dreamscape’s ‘In The Court Of The Crimson Queen’ 2009 feature and comprehensive news feed.
Two more utterly excellent photos of Toyah from ‘The Changeling Resurrection’ tour. These are also from The Robin2, Bilston, Wolverhampton, and both have been added to the TCR gallery at Dreamscape. (Thanks to Ray Sears for these great photos)
Renowned and celebrated performer Toyah will step out onto the stage with her transatlantic rock band THE HUMANS this July. Following the acclaimed album Sugar Rush, highly praised international concerts in the UK, America and Estonia, THE HUMANS present their hybrid of haunting and sweet in a trio of intimate, exclusive UK live dates.
THE HUMANS – LIVE, UP CLOSE & PERSONAL
Friday 27 July : BIRMINGHAM Ballroom
Saturday 28 July : DERBY Flowerpot
Sunday 29 July : MANCHESTER Ruby Lounge
Birmingham/Manchester £9.50, Derby £10, on sale now.
• Continue reading at The Humans Official and/or The Official Toyah Website.
A marvellous announcement this morning for fans of The Humans. A trio of live UK dates at the end of July: Birmingham Ballroom, Friday 27th July; Derby Flowerpot, Saturday 28th July; and Manchester Ruby Lounge, Sunday 29th July. Visit The Humans Official for further information, and the Gigs page at toyahwillcox.com for direct links to book tickets.
A couple of news reports on Sunday’s marathon five-hour-plus Dave Lee Tribute Show, at The Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, have been published today:
• This is Kent: Stars shine in tribute show for Canterbury panto star Dave Lee: Toyah starred with Dave Lee in four panto seasons. (Photo: Tim Stubbings)
• Kent News: Poignant Dave Lee tribute show raises a massive £30,000.
• Toyah is also namechecked in a new interview with Paul Hendy, of Evolution Pantomimes. Read Panto production is a family affair for Paul at, ‘This is Kent’, here.
Toyah’s official Facebook confirmed yesterday that Toyah’s set, at this Saturday’s Let’s Rock The Moor 2012, “is all Toyah classics”. Great news for fans attending.
Toyah tweeted: “Weather 4 saturday 15• & sunny. Yipee! Let’s Rock The Moor. I might wear summer clothes at last“.
• View all of our ‘Let’s Rock The Moor 2012’ news here.
The three remaining Saturdays, and final Sunday, of May see Toyah playing three festivals and a live PA in various parts of the country.
This Saturday is Let’s Rock The Moor 2012, an Eighties festival in Cookham, Berkshire. Other bands include Heaven 17, China Crisis and Nick Heyward. This is a full band gig.
On Saturday 19th May Toyah appears at The Stroke Association’s 20th Anniversary Ball in County Durham. The information on this that was previously available at TSA’s website has been removed. There was a tweet yesterday advising that only one table was still available, so this possibly means the fundraiser has now sold out.
On Saturday 26th May Toyah plays another festival. Decades in Workington, Cumbria. This is another PA and Toyah will play at Club Ice, headlining the Saturday night of the event.
There’s another full band gig the following night: The ‘Here and Now’ Weekender at Minehead. Toyah is headlining the final night, Sunday 27th May. Visit the official Gigs page at toyahwillcox.com for more details on all these dates and many others.
• Exciting news for fans of The Humans: “The Humans are stirring. Keep an eye out for an announcement by the end of this Friday”: The Official Toyah Facebook, yesterday.
• Kent Online: Stars shine to honour panto legend Dave Lee.
• Toyah Playlisted: ‘Good Morning Universe’ was included in Dark Night of the Soul with Julie (8 May) on WFMU. Toyah is being played all over the place at the moment. Twitter seems to update by the hour with info on Toyah on another playlist.
• Coming Soon: Toyah: Thru A Photographer’s Eye – A new FTE Toyah feature.
Derek Jarman’s 1979 film The Tempest, with Toyah as Miranda, will be part of a study day, focusing on Shakespeare on film, at The British Museum later this year. This role gained Toyah a nomination for Best Newcomer at The Evening Standard Film Awards in 1980.
Tony Howard, University of Warwick, introduces extracts from Macbeth films made in Britain, Madagascar, Japan, Australia, Brazil and the USA, exploring how they have mapped the play’s politics, psychology and ethics. The afternoon session will place Derek Jarman’s 1979 reimagining of The Tempest in the context of other film adaptations. Producer Don Boyd and actor David Meyer will relate their experiences of Jarman’s version.
Filming Shakespeare’s Magic
Saturday 17 November 2012, 10.30–16.30
Stevenson Lecture Theatre, TBM, London
I Love 1979 is repeated on BBC2 this weekend. Toyah guests in this retrospective documentary, which originally aired in September 2000, talking about Gloria Vanderbelt (!!) Jeans and the ‘film phenomenon’ of 1979, Quadrophenia, in which she of course starred.
I Love 1979: BBC2: Saturday 12th May: 9.00pm
Bo Derek, star of the film 10, presents a look at the last year of the decade, including reminders of classic TV series The Dukes of Hazzard and Monkey, which was a kung-fu favourite in the playground. The must-have toy was Holly Hobbie, and Gary Numan made the ultimate picture disk. As far as fashion went that year, stretch jeans and crimped hair were essentials, although film of the year Quadrophenia saluted Mod style.
Tallulah, in Stephen Poliakoff’s American Days, was Toyah’s second theatre role, two years after Tales From The Vienna Woods. The play opened at The ICA, London on 12th June 1979 and also starred Phil Daniels as Gary, and Caroline Embling as Lorraine. American Days unfolds in the sterile London offices of an international entertainment conglomerate. Three would-be punk rock stars audition for a record company executive…
• The complete issue three of Grinding Halt fanzine has been made available online at the fanzine’s Facebook page. This includes great retro Toyah content: a review of a gig from the ‘Bird in Flight’ tour, at Bulmerche College, Reading, plus an interesting interview with Toyah. She talks about meeting Joel, forming the band and a lot more. This issue dates from February 1980.
• Toyah, Shaun Williamson, Bradley Walsh, John Altman, Richard Digance, Bobby Davro, Jim Davidson and numerous others, including 10 panto dames and circus performers, paid tribute to the late Dave Lee at The Marlowe Theatre on Sunday night in a celebration of his life and career. The comedy gala raised money for Dave’s Happy Holidays charity.
• The Blitz Kids: Toyah by Richard Sharah: “I look like a bushbaby!”. View another shot from this 1981 photo session here.
• The Toyah Timeline has been rebooted. A visual reference guide to Toyah’s career. Not everything, as that would take until the end of time, but all the key moments: music releases, tours, theatre, television, film, books…
• A trio of ‘The Changeling Resurrection II’ dates, for Manchester, London and Newcastle in October, were included in “Today’s Top Tour Announcements” in The Guardian last Thursday.
• I feel like I’ve been moaning a lot recently (not like me atall lol), sorry! One last word: There are a zillion and one fan websites populating the internet. The www would be a dull place without them. Some of these offer tittle-tattle and intrusion into an artist’s private life, and some offer relatively intelligent, respectful career coverage in appreciation of a band, artist or actor’s work… I’d rather chuck, Quadrophenia style, my computer off a cliff (He runs to the water’s edge…) than be thought of as the former!
Toyah’s debut single ‘Victims Of The Riddle’ was released in April 1979. A brave choice as the first release as it was hardly a commercial sounding, radio friendly, song. The single reached number one on the Indie Chart in the UK and spent many months of 1979 there. The sleeve featured an intentionally disturbing image. At the time of release few knew the gruesome story behind the photo and assumed it was a doll. ‘Victims Of The Riddle’ was also released later in Spain, with the far more appealing ‘Sheep Farming In Barnet’ artwork. The beginning of an amazing music career and a brave choice to get started with.
An incredible photo of Toyah, taken during ‘The Changeling Resurrection’ gig at The Robin2, Bilston, Wolverhampton the weekend before last. This has been added to the TCR gallery. Click below to view a larger version there. (Thanks to Ray Sears for this great photo)
An excellent new interview with Toyah, from the latest issue of Worcestershire Living magazine.
How did Toyah Willcox transform herself from the original Punk Princess to Proud Resident of Pershore? Deirdre Shields finds out.
There is something very endearing about Toyah Willcox. She is one in a long tradition of creative – sometimes downright cussed – free spirits, who mellow into a kind of national treasure with the passing years. Say what you like about Toyah, you could never pigeon-hole her. She is the original wild child Punk Princess, credited with starting the Goth movement, who voiced Teletubbies, champions the National Trust, and is a staunch supporter of her local community in Pershore.
Being Toyah, she challenges the word ‘mellow’. ‘I don’t think I’m mellowing,’ she says, ‘though I do find things that freaked me out in the past don’t bother me anymore. I’m working harder than ever.’ She certainly is. She is about to embark on a spring tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of her albums The Changeling, and Warrior Rock. The tour is billed as a treat for ‘Toyah diehards, 1980’s fans, and Goth’rock lovers.’
• Continue reading at Worcestershire Living.
A really good friend reminded me yesterday about the history of Dreamscape, the reason why it was started, all the hard work, vast content (much of which has been lifted wholesale and plonked into a variety of Facebook profiles with zero credit back to toyah.net :)) and dedication. What began as a horrible, negative, stressful day ended on a completely different note. I could write a book (Chapter 2007: Annus Horribilis) about my experiences of running these sites, and the (in)famous forum. Don’t worry, I won’t. I never sat on my laurels that’s for sure. It’s great that some who visited the site on its first day still visit so many years later. Dreamscape always was (and is) for, and about, Toyah and the true fans…
Fantabulous shots of Toyah from last night’s final ‘Changeling Resurrection’ gig in Bishop’s Stortford. These have been added to the TCR gallery. (Huge thanks to Angus Turner)
Two more rare-ish photos of Toyah. These are from 1980 and were taken during the filming of, and as publicity for, the ATV documentary TOYAH. Please click on each to view a larger version. (Thanks again to the incredibly generous Andi)
Apologies for my previous post. This is probably not the best place to let off that sort of steam. I’ve removed it.
I have a couple of anniversary posts for tonight, but I thought I’d start with this one, which is of no real relevance to anyone but me. Sorry!
Tonight, Toyah is playing down the road (10 minutes walk) in Bishops Stortford. The occasion is ‘The Changeling The Resurrection 2012 – Celebrating The 30th Anniversary of The Changeling and Warrior Rock (Toyah On Tour)’
This made me smile, seeing Toyah was one of my first gigs. Brighton Centre 29th June 1982. This was the original Changeling tour.
I loved ‘Anthem’ at the time, but even moreso the more punky ‘Sheep Farming In Barnet’, but this was my first opportunity to see the band. I was 13 and a bit wee!
• Continue reading at Aural Sculptors (The Stranglers Live Archive).
The free PDF magazine “The Mick”, from Mick Mercer, this month contains his review of ‘I Was A Teenage Toyah Fan’ as well as over 100 pages of music reviews and ruminations from 2011… Well worth a download.
(News Source: I Was A Teenage Toyah Fan Facebook)
• View all of FTE’s ‘I Was A Teenage Toyah Fan’ news.
Just a reminder that Episode 1 of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, with Toyah in the title role, airs today and early tomorrow on ‘BBC Radio 4 Extra’.
Listen online at the station’s website, ar later at BBC iPlayer. Each episode will be available for one week.
J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan: BBC Radio 4 Extra: Sunday 6th May: 9.00am/4.30pm
J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan: BBC Radio 4 Extra: Monday 7th May: 5.00am
Away to Neverland. A strange visitor transforms the Darling household one bedtime. Stars Toyah Willcox, Ron Moody and June Whitfield. Episode 1 of 4.
