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Guitar.Com: Robert Talks Toyah & Robert

September 6th, 2023

Robert Fripp on the future of King Crimson: “I’m committed to another band right now – Toyah and Robert”

Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox are set to tour their Sunday Lunch rock party across the UK this Autumn.

Robert Fripp has opened up on the future of King Crimson following the success of his Sunday Lunch YouTube series with his wife and fellow musician, Toyah Willcox.

The duo began performing a range of covers on Willcox’s YouTube channel during the COVID-19 lockdowns, which rose to popularity.

Off the back of the success of their online covers, which are recorded using just an iPhone, the pair are even set to take their Sunday Lunch covers on the road with a UK “Rock Party” tour starting later this month (September).

In a new interview with Guitar World, Fripp was asked if King Crimson is definitely over, or if there is any hope for a tour in the future now that he’s so busy with this new project: “I’ve learned from having attempted to get away from King Crimson in 1974, 1984, 2003 and 2008 that it’s probably hard to say!

• Continue reading at Guitar.Com. Browse all of Toyah & Robert’s Rock Party tour dates at toyahwillcox.com.

Turn Up The Volume: Cover Of The Week

September 6th, 2023

Toyah and Robert Fripp bring us fun, hilarity and music every Sunday for more than two years now from their kitchen with covers of pop & rock classics.

It’s not that they weren’t already famous before the Covid-19 lockdown started.

Toyah and Fripp have both remarkable careers on their résume and they’re definitely not done yet, as Toyah proved crystal clear with her 2021 Posh Pop album and Robert still touring with King Crimson, his band of a lifetime.

And regularly they leave their beloved kitchen to play live together, as happened last May at the Stone Valley South Festival in Great Amwell, England where they played, as part of their set, their vivid cover of David Bowie‘s 1977 mega-hit Heroes, on which Fripp played guitar back then.

Toyah and Robert recently celebrated their 37th anniversary together, cause they’re lovers, and that is a fact, yes they’re lovers, and that is that.

• Continue reading at Turn Up The Volume. Browse all of Toyah & Robert’s Rock Party tour dates at toyahwillcox.com.

Classic Rock: Toyah & Robert – Kashmir at Cropredy

September 1st, 2023

Toyah and Robert Fripp played an epic version of Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir as Robert Plant watched on at a festival three weeks ago and somehow we missed it

What happens when Toyah and Robert Fripp leave their kitchen behind and head out on the road

After three years cooped up in their kitchen releasing shabby yet loveable cover versions, it’s easy to forget that Toyah and Robert Fripp are professional musicians, with an audience to entertain and a crust to earn. So we hope you’ll forgive us for only just noticing that the pair performed a rather epic version of Led Zeppelin’s classic Kashmir during their set at Fairport Convention’s annual Cropredy festival earlier this month.

It was a set that relied heavily on the songs that have turned the King Crimson man and his post-punk bride into viral celebrities, with just a trio of Toyah originals – Thunder In The Mountains, It’s A Mystery and I Want To Be Free – finding their way onto the setlist.

• Continue reading at Classic Rock/Louder. Toyah & Robert’s Rock Party Tour – inspired by Sunday Lunch – begins at the end of this month. All the dates and ticket links available at toyahwillcox.com.

Newark Advertiser: Newark Festival 2023

August 29th, 2023

Carol Decker of T’pau, Toyah Willcox, Johnny Hates Jazz and Nik Kershaw all wow at Newark Festival in the castle grounds

The eighties were reborn against the fantastic backdrop of Newark Castle last night. The castle rocked and rolled to some of the best entertainers of the era. Hundreds enjoyed the relaxed and intimate affair as the hits were pelted out from the stage.

Carol Decker of T’pau fame kicked off a great night with the crowd dispensing with their picnic chairs and on their feet.

Then followed Toyah Willcox whose energy and zest for life hasn’t diminished one iota.

• Continue reading, and see more photos, at Newark Advertiser. (Photo © Newark Advertiser)

At The Barrier: Cropredy 2023 – Live Review

August 29th, 2023

Fairport’s Cropredy Convention 2023: Live Review

Fairport’s Cropredy Convention adds another year to its long list of great bills and festivals. It really is a festival to cherish.

Toyah and Robert Fripp
It was back in 2015 that Toyah Wilcox last had the Cropredy stage to herself. She wowed us then, and -by heck – she certainly delivered the goods this year! Armed with a top-notch band, led, of course by husband Robert Fripp, figurehead of the mighty King Crimson, she left us breathless – and glamour-struck as she blasted through set of favourites from the couple’s hilarious – some might even say ‘notorious’ Sunday Lunch podcast series. The band was on top form, and Toyah had the whole field captivated as she rocked, twirled, enchanted and, of course, sang her way through a set that was thoroughly familiar and contained something for absolutely everyone.

• Continue reading at At The Barrier.

Toyah & Robert’s Weekend: Sat Song/UM/Sunday Lunch + Press

August 29th, 2023

Saturday Morning Song: Rebel Yell (Toyah & Robert – Live At Isle Of Wight Festival 2023) – Watch… • Toyah & Robert: UpBeat Moments – Watch… • Toyah & Robert’s Sunday LunchHate To Say I Told You SoWatch…

Press for Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch – This week covering The Hives. (Image © Toyah Willcox)

• Guitar.Com: Robert Fripp and Toyah return with cover of The Hives’ Hate to Say I Told You So for Sunday Lunch: A buzz-worthy performance for sure – Continue…

NME: Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp cover The Hives for Sunday Lunch: The version of ‘Hate To Say I Told You So’ is the first new entrant into the series in months – Continue…

Consequence: Robert Fripp and Toyah Cover The Hives’ “Hate to Say I Told You So”: The couple deliver a buzz-worthy performance of the Swedish garage act’s signature song – Continue…

Brooklyn Vegan: Watch Toyah & Robert Fripp cover The Hives “Hate To Say I Told You So” – Continue…

Brave Words: Robert Fripp & Toyah Perform The Hives Classic “Hate To Say I Told You So! For Sunday Lunch – Continue…

Official Toyah TikTok: A brand new Sunday Lunch, Hate To Say I Told You So – The Hives! – Continue…

DGM Live: Toyah & Robert’s Weekend – Continue…

Threads: Follow Toyah’s official account – Continue…

Mail On Sunday: It’s A Mystery

August 22nd, 2023

Toyah and Robert were featured in the Mail On Sunday this past weekend, with a comprehensive feature/review of Cropredy Festival 2023.

Classic Rock/Prog: Nice Moves, Robert!

August 15th, 2023

Nice moves, Robert! Watch Fripp and Toyah’s backstage dance-off

Robert Fripp’s a 21st-century dancing man in new footage shared ahead of his autumn live dates with Toyah

We’re used to seeing Toyah Willcox throwing shapes onstage and in Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch series, but now her husband Robert Fripp has been captured getting his groove on backstage.

Filmed by Willcox just moments before the pair were due to perform at Wickham Festival in Hampshire on August 6, the footage shows the King Crimson guitarist getting lost in Rod Argent’s rather splendid extended Mellotron solo in The Zombies’ classic She’s Not There.

• Continue reading at Classic Rock/Prog.

Velvet Thunder: Live at The Rainbow/Drury Lane Reviews

July 24th, 2023

TOYAH – LIVE AT THE RAINBOW / LIVE AT DRURY LANE (CHERRY RED)

These two releases now available form a perfect set of stepping stones leading from the club-venue rawness of Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! to the theatrical, large scale Changeling shows which birthed Warrior Rock. They have been a long, long time coming, and they are most welcome to say the least.

Continuing the excellent Toyah reissue series comes the bonus of two albums, both originally recorded in 1981, to follow up the slightly earlier Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!, recorded the previous year. Interestingly, however, these two albums – which nicely bridge the gap between the raw Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! album and the later more populist Warrior Rock double – are less reissues than they are entirely new releases. Live At The Rainbow, of course, from a February 1981 show, was a popular video release back in the day, but oddly enough has never seen the light of day in audio form until now. Live At Drury Lane, on the other hand, is a show from the latter end of that same year, originally broadcast by the BBC on the annual Old Grey Whistle Test Christmas In Concert programme, and has only ever been available, for a relatively short time in incomplete form, on a BBC videotape called Good Morning Universe. The differences between the two releases really highlight how much was going on within a few months of this highly successful year, and is a large part of what makes these releases a fascinating back-to-back listen for fans.

• Continue reading at Velvet Thunder. Live At The Rainbow and Live At Drury Lane are available in both CD+DVD and colour 12″ vinyl from Cherry Red Records.

Dereham Times: Toyah To Headline Reepham Festival

July 24th, 2023

80s star Toyah to headline Reepham Festival in August 2023

An 80s “pop princess” has been announced as this year’s headliner for one of Norfolk’s most popular music festivals.

Toyah Willcox, who has had eight top 40 singles across her 20-album career, will be headlining Reepham Festival’s main stage on August 12.

The festival features two stages with a line-up that includes the Buster James Band – an “East Anglian favourite” – and The Black Shucks.

• Continue reading at Dereham Times.

Super Deluxe Edition: Toyah / The Changeling Reissue

July 12th, 2023

1982 album remastered and expanded

Cherry Red continue to work through Toyah’s Safari Records output and, in September, will reissue the band’s 1982 album, The Changeling, across a number of formats.

The album was produced by Steve Lillywhite and featured just the one single, ‘Brave New World’, which peaked at No 21 in the UK. The album has been newly remastered for this archive release.

Like Anthem, The Changeling is being made available as a big super deluxe edition box set, in addition to a 2CD+DVD package and a coloured vinyl LP version.

The 2CD+DVD version probably offers the best bang for your buck, with a whopping 31 bonus tracks including work-in-progress mixes, instrumental outtakes and demos. 20 of these are previously unreleased and three are new-to-CD. The NTSC, region-free DVD offers a 2023 interview with Toyah Willcox and her track-by-track commentary along with loads of TV appearances from back in the day.

• Continue reading at Super Deluxe Edition.

Kent Live: Sittingbourne’s Party In The Park

July 12th, 2023

Punk princess Toyah was left singing along with the crowd when the sound failed at Kent gig

The star was playing Sittingbourne’s Party In The Park in Kent with her guitarist husband Robert Fripp

Punk princess Toyah was left singing along with the crowd when the sound failed at her latest gig. The 65-year-old singer, fresh from appearing at the Isle of Wight and Glastonbury festivals, is now on a summer tour and was playing Sittingbourne’s Party In The Park in Kent with her guitarist husband Robert Fripp, 77, and their band on Saturday (July 1).

But halfway through their final song – a version of David Bowie’s Heroes which Fripp had originally played on – the PA cut out. Undeterred, Toyah and the band carried on although no one could hear them except for the beat of the drum. But it didn’t stop the 2,200-strong from singing along, too.

• Continue reading at Kent Live.

NME: Toyah & Robert Cover Heroes at Glastonbury 2023

June 30th, 2023

Watch Toyah and Robert cover ‘Heroes’ by David Bowie at Glastonbury 2023

The King Crimson guitarist featured on the original recording

Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp performed a cover of David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ at their recent set at Glastonbury.

The married couple — who both have extensive music careers and came together to form a musical duo in 2020 — took to the stage on Sunday (June 25), and performed renditions of some of their favourite classic rock hits.

A highlight of the set came with their cover of a David Bowie classic, as they put their own spin on his 1977 fan favourite, ‘Heroes’. For the performance, Willcox took the microphone and handled the vocals, while Fripp remained seated and played the guitar through the track.

• Continue reading at the NME. See also :  Enter Sandman … Heroes … It’s A Mystery … Are You Gonna Go My WaySchool’s Out.

NME: Toyah & Robert Talk Sunday Lunch at Glastonbury

June 28th, 2023

Toyah and Robert Fripp talk the future of Sunday Lunch at Glastonbury 2023

The duo also talk about what David Bowie would have made of music in 2023, and how their upcoming tour is all about “keeping our clothes on and doing fantastic rock music”

Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox — known as Toyah & Robert — caught up with NME backstage at Glastonbury 2023 to tell about the future of their successful Sunday Lunch series, plans to hit the road, and how they handle hateful comments.

Since starting off the series as a bit of light-hearted relief during the pandemic, no one was more surprised by the sudden momentum than the couple themselves. Now, over three-years since they began Sunday Lunch, the duo have ventured out of the kitchen taken the show to the stage.

The latest of which included a debut slot at Glastonbury 2023 this weekend, where they delivered their brand of classic rock covers on the Acoustic Stage. Shortly before they took to the stage, they had a quick catch-up with NME…

NME: Welcome to Glastonbury! Let’s start by taking a look back to when you first started Sunday Lunch. Did the response catch you off guard? It seemed to get a lot of momentum very quickly…

Toyah Willcox: “It did surprise us. We were going for about eight months and it was growing and growing and growing. It started with one very simple post: 28 seconds of us jiving. Within five minutes it got about 100,000 replies from across the world. At that point, we realised that we’d posted something that basically cheered people up who were alone in lockdown.”

“NME almost championed us in a way, and what we loved about NME was they were linking the songs we were covering with the actual artists, and it had a phenomenal effect. Judas Priest wrote to us and said, ‘Thank you so much’ and we’d given them the best tour publicity they could have had when we covered ‘Breaking The Law’. They loved it!

• Continue reading at NME. (Image © Toyah Willcox)

Official Toyah: The Changeling Announcement

June 27th, 2023

The Changeling Toyah At Home announcement on Saturday 1 July

You’ll want to be “sitting comfortably” when you tune in to Toyah At Home at 11am on Saturday 1 July 2023.

It’s a special episode as Toyah will be announcing details of the much-anticipated reissue of the classic 1982 album “The Changeling” on Cherry Red Records. The Changeling can be pre-ordered from 10am on Monday 3 July 2023.

For collectors it’s worth marking your calendar now to secure limited edition exclusives from Cherry Red’s webshop!

• Continue reading at toyahwillcox.com. (Image © Toyah Willcox/Cherry Red)

Toyah & Robert’s Weekend: Sat Song/UM/Sunday Lunch + Press

June 27th, 2023

Saturday Morning Song: Echo Beach (1987) from Desire (Toyah & Robert – Live At Isle Of Wight Festival 2023) – Watch… • Toyah & Robert: UpBeat MomentsWatch… • Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch – Cream and lots of it – Watch…

Press for Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch – This week covering, and covered in, Cream. (Image © Toyah Willcox)

NME: Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox douse themselves in cream while performing ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’: “It’s Cream all round” – Continue…

Guitar.Com: Robert Fripp and Toyah cover themselves in cream while covering Cream: The latest installment of Sunday Lunch is as ridiculous as we’ve come to expect – Continue…

Classic Rock/Louder: Toyah and Robert Fripp perform Cream cover, cover themselves in cream: Things get extremely literal in the Fripp-Willcox kitchen, with a cream-enhanced cover of Cream’s Sunshine Of Your Love – Continue…

Consequence: Robert and Toyah Cover themselves in Cream with “Sunshine of Your Love”: The frisky couple take on the Cream classic for their latest “Sunday Lunch” performance – Continue…

Brooklyn Vegan: Watch Toyah & Robert Fripp cover “Sunshine Of Your Love” with extra Cream – Continue…

Yahoo!: Robert and Toyah Cover Themselves in Cream with “Sunshine of Your Love” – Continue…

Guitar World: Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox cover Cream – as they get covered in cream: The couple take on Sunshine of Your Love with the help of dairy products – Continue…

Brave Words: Robert Fripp & Toyah Perform Cream Classic “Sunshine Of Your Love” – Continue…

Far Out: Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox cover Cream’s ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ – Continue…

Official Toyah TikTok: Cream – Continue…

DGM Live: Toyah & Robert’s Weekend – Continue…

Classic Rock: Toyah & Robert on BBC Breakfast

June 24th, 2023

“We realised during lockdown that classic rock changes people’s lives…”

Toyah and Robert Fripp on the healing powers of music: “We should live every year of our lives as if it’s the best year of our lives”

Robert Fripp and Toyah appeared on BBC Breakfast news this morning, 21 June, to promote their forthcoming appearance at Glastonbury, the first time either of them have played the Worthy Farm festival.

Asked about the Toyah and Robert’s Sunday Lunch videos “which spread such joy” during lockdown, Toyah gave a bit of insight into the thinking behind them.

“We realised during lockdown that classic rock changes people’s lives and it gives people the chance to visit really good memories. For me, it will be David Bowie’s Life On Mars, which I first heard when I was 12. Every time I hear that song, I’m taken back there. And very much the concept of what we are doing is taking people back to classic rock, but also introducing new generations – who’ve just come from the dance tent – to Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, or even introducing them to classic Blondie.”

The presenter commented that the age range of people entering Glastonbury for the festival was huge. “Let’s face it,” said Toyah, “we should live every year of our lives as if it’s the best year of our lives and age should not be something that we judge.”

• Continue reading at Classic Rock/Louder/Prog. (Photo © BBC)

Classic Rock: Robert & Toyah… On Tour!

June 21st, 2023

If you were wondering what Robert Fripp and Toyah are like on tour, wonder no more

Much to humanity’s delight, pro-shot footage of Robert Fripp and Toyah performing Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell at the Isle Of Wight festival has emerged

Over the last few years, Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox have built a new, enthusiastic and unexpected audience, with the entire internet seemingly in thrall to their long-running-although-currently-dormant series of Sunday Lunch videos.

Could they cut it on the road? That was surely the question on everyone’s lips when the frisky duo announced a series of ‘Rock Party’ dates, during which they’d perform many of the songs that have so enriched our lives.

In late May the first audiences bore witness to the pair’s live antics, as the King Crimson man and his bride played a pair of local shows at Worcester’s Huntingdon Hall. Amongst the songs performed were Metallica’s Enter Sandman, Black Sabbath’s Paranoid, ZZ Top’s Sharp Dressed Man, and, perhaps most remarkably, Kashmir by Led Zeppelin.

• Continue reading at Classic Rock/Louder. See also Metal Sucks, Ultimate Guitar and Ultimate Classic Rock.

County Press: Toyah & Robert/Isle Of Wight Festival

June 20th, 2023

YouTube hits Toyah and Fripp at Isle of Wight Festival in Photos

The husband and wife musical partnership of Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp — both from strangely different but equally experimental musical backgrounds — performed their popular Sunday Lunch Live show in the Big Top.

It was enjoyed by the musically nostalgic and those of younger generations perhaps searching for their own musical roots to follow.

Sunday’s afternoon show was, as you would expect with Fripp, musically precise, while Toyah showed infectious, punk-rooted enthusiasm with her performance.

She performed a set which included some of her solo classics, It’s a Mystery and I Want to Be Free, together with some great pop standards, such as Bowie’s Heroes and Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell.

• Continue reading at Isle Of Wight County Press. Toyah & Robert were also included on Sky Arts’ Isle Of Wight Festival Highlights 2023, with further airings this week. See videos of Toyah & Robert at the Isle Of Wight at Toyah’s official Instagram.

The (Portsmouth) News: Swanfest 2023

June 20th, 2023

Swanfest 2023: 73 pictures from Swanmore College with Toyah Willcox, Artful Dodger, Blazin Squad and Ben Haenow

Here are dozens of pictures of families enjoying themselves at Swanmore College’s annual festival Swanfest.

This year the line-up saw 1980s icon Toyah Willcox perform with her husband Robert Fripp, early 2000s hip hop act Blazin Squad, garage act Artful Dodger and X Factor winner Ben Haenow.

Hundreds of people enjoyed a warm day on the school playing fields on Saturday – and photographer Keith Woodland filled his camera’s memory card with plenty of great pictures.

• Continue reading at The News. See photos from Swanfest 2023 at Toyah’s official Facebook.

Official Toyah: Toyah & Robert @ Glastonbury

May 31st, 2023

We’re thrilled to announce that TOYAH & ROBERT are playing the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury 2023 on Sunday 25 June!Toyah Willcox

Glastonbury announced the full line up on 24 May:

The Acoustic Stage is a festival within a festival. For the last thirty years or so, people have been trooping up to the hill to the haven of the Acoustic field. The crowds visit the Acoustic Stage to either avoid the rain and, maybe even, the sun – in the sanctuary of super-duper circus tent – or, to hear acoustic, song-based music. Mostly it’s blues, folk, contemporary or country music, but…..it’s not always played on acoustic instruments.

The Acoustic Stage has had the pleasure to welcome Ray Davies, Christy Moore, Joan Baez, Jackson Browne, The Waterboys, Robert Plant, The Moody Blues featuring… Michael Eavis, John Prine, Art Garfunkel, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Keane and The Bootleg Beatles, amongst many others.

• Continue reading at toyahwillcox.com.