In the liner notes to this reissued live album (recorded in Wolverhampton in 1980), Toyah claims it represents 'one of the last gigs I did as a club act. Three months later I was the biggest thing in England since sliced bread'. The diminutive singer-cum-TV presenter was never one to hide her light under a bushel, but this claim is as fatuous as it is conceited. OK, she made a crust from the odd chart hit, but it was crumbs in comparison to 1981's real breadwinners (Adam Ant, The Police, Human League... Shakin' Stevens, even). 

Ego-related niggle aside, this comprehensive reissue will delight fans by adding eight tracks to the original 10-track release. It's a crisply-recorded (though undeniably dated and somewhat lacking in crowd dynamic) live effort showcasing much of the singer's then-current Blue Meaning album. Single Ieya is probably the best-known song of the lot, and Toyah takes to it in suitably anthemic fashion. 

By the time It's A Mystery made the Top 10 the following year a new backing outfit was in situ. As a result, Toyah initially dismissed this live album as irrelevant, though completists revelling in the additional live tracks (two originally appeared on B-sides) and 1982, will doubtless disagree. Steve Adams. 
 

Record Collector
February 2007/Issue 333