Find the Lady. Our
favourite crumpled private eye
investigates the reported murder
of a seaside beauty queen. More
vintage crime cracking with
Trevor Eve. Starring: Michael
Medwin, Doran Godwin, Christopher
Biggins, Toyah Willcox and Gary
Holton.
Shoestring :
Alibi - Sat 12th Sep : 12.00pm
Shoestring : Alibi +1 - Sat 12th
Sep : 1.00pm
Shoestring : Alibi - Sat 12th Sep
: 6.00pm
Shoestring : Alibi +1 - Sat 12th
Sep : 7.00pm
Click to the left to
watch Toyah's stonking 1979
performance of 'Danced' from Shoestring,
at YouTube.
Another chance to
catch Cash In The Celebrity
Attic, with Toyah auctioning
off some goodies for Macmillan
Cancer Support.
80s pop icon and
actress Toyah Willcox invites the
team into her home to raise money
for MacMillan nurses. She even
gets on the podium herself to
sell some of her items.
Cash In The
Celebrity Attic : Watch - Sat
12th September : 6.00am
Cash In The Celebrity Attic :
Watch +1- Sat 12th September :
7.00am
Cash In The Celebrity Attic :
Watch - Sat 12th September :
11.00am
Cash In The Celebrity Attic :
Watch +1- Sat 12th September :
12.00pm
We
mentioned Junglophilia
earlier this month. The spoof,
pastiche, mockumentary, whatever
you care to call it, borrows more
than a little from the 1980 TOYAH
documentary made by ATV. If
nothing else, someone has paid
close attention to detail. Here's
a contrast and compare of the
opening titles.
Junglophilia is a
comedy based around Val Hallah, a
spoof new-punk singer, and her
visit to WOMAD festival in 1982.
Directed by Jacqueline Wright and
starring and written by Alice
Lowe, Junglophilia also co-stars
Barunka O'Shaughnessy and Jordan
Long. The film was commissioned
by Peter Gabriel to celebrate 25
years of WOMAD.
More TOYAH/Junglophilia
contrast and compare, with the
end credit sequence. Please click
on both sets of captures for
larger versions. You can watch Junglophilia
online here.
Great short from
Alice Lowe and Jacqueline Wright.
Anyone old
enough to remember Toyah,
Siouxsie Sioux, 'Babooshka' era
Kate Bush or Kim Wilde's
'Cambodia' will adore this - and
even if you're not, the 80s are
the new 'now'- I read it in on
the internet.
A reminder that
Toyah's recent interview with the
'Retro Sellers' website is still
available to read.
An entertaining interview, with
Toyah talking about her musical
influences, punk, nostalgia,
reality television, balancing her
diverse career, and more.
Jubilee
is playing at Curzon Cinemas next
month as part of their 75th
Anniversary celebrations:
Curzon Cinemas is 75 years young
this year and in September, we
celebrate in style.
Throughout the month, we will
have special screenings of key
films from across our history,
whilst our membership schemes are
relaunched, becoming better than
ever. Plus with discounted
tickets on Mondays, Jameson
cocktails on offer and two
special exhibitions, it’s
never been a better time to visit
one of our cinemas.
Saturday 19 September
1.00pm: RENOIR
JUBILEE: Derek Jarman’s
classic punk dystopic vision:
Opening the Gate 2 in 1978 was
Jarman’s visual trip about
Queen Elizabeth I being magically
transported four hundred years
into the future and finding
herself surveying the bleak urban
landscapes of the punk
generation. A frenetic sprint,
Jubilee features cameos from Adam
Ant, Toyah Willcox and Siouxsie
Sioux.
The recent,
long-awaited, release of Urgh!
A Music War on DVD has been
reported on numerous music and
entertainment websites and blogs
over the last few weeks. Below is
a collection of screenshots from
just a few of them.
While on the subject
of Three To Tango (see
the article below!), there are
*unconfirmed* reports that the
film will hit cinema screens on
20th October. Whether this is
true or not is unclear,
especially as the 20th is a
Tuesday and films usually
premiere on Thursdays.
Three To Tango (aka The Power
of Three), a comedy starring
Toyah Willcox, Brümilda van
Rensburg, Shirley Ann Field and
Robin Craig. Set in London the
film deals with the reunion of
three best friends, each one
having an unfulfilled dream and
their own personal quest.
What do you do when
you turn 50 and find that no one
is making feature films for you
anymore? Yvonne Deutschman, Ann
Cameron and Thereza Snyman
decided they’d make a film
for themselves. Filming on their
low budget feature, The Power of
3, has now completed principle
photography and will be premiered
in London in the Autumn.
Back in 2004 Canadian Ann
Cameron, British Director Yvonne
Deutschman and South African
entrepreneur Thereza Snyman
discussed the fact that no-one
was making movies for older
female audiences. “We
realised that no one was making
movies for people like us”,
Ann says, “so the inevitable
question was - what are we going
to do about it?”
They turned an original idea into
a script, while Yvonne started
canvassing support amongst her
contacts in the UK. “It was
really exciting to talk to people
about our concept” says
Yvonne. “Women immediately
related to the story, became
excited about our idea and
started asking how they could be
involved."
Thereza Snyman was tasked with
putting the business side of
things together.“No-one in
the traditional film-funding
market was going to fund a
project like this –
everybody was going to tell us
why it couldn’t be done, so
we decided to do it our
way,” said Thereza. And
“their way” – is a
very simple concept. They’ve
gathered a dynamic group of film
professionals and given them a
share of the proceeds according
to the contribution they make.
Sharing equity in the film has
appealed to like-minded Baby
Boomer spirits, attracting
well-known actors and film
professionals alike.
“Everyone involved takes
ownership of the project, because
they are the project” states
Thereza. - “The enthusiasm
and commitment is amazing”
One of Britain’s biggest
household names Toyah Willcox is
starring in the film along with
Brumilda van Rensburg, a
multi-award winning actress from
Johannesburg and Robin Craig, an
award winning Canadian actress.
The supporting cast is just as
impressive. Shirley Anne Field -
(My Beautiful Laundrette, Hear My
Song); Margaret Nolan -
(Goldfinger); Kara Wilson - (Jane
Eyre); Ellen Collier - (The
Office) and with Hilton McCrae
and Richard Bremmer appearing as
the “male interest”
– all share the “can do
buzz” that this film is
creating.
The Power of 3 is a light-hearted
feel-good comedy that follows the
adventures of 3 friends who pool
their strengths when the going
gets tough. “The story is
all about our shared
experiences,” says Ann,
“we’ve all been there,
and we all look at life in the
same way“ Yvonne Deutschman
concludes, “The Power of 3
follows in the wake of Calendar
Girls and Mama Mia. If we’d
been doing this two years ago we
wouldn’t have had as much
interest, but now the over
50’s is rapidly becoming a
proven film going audience.“
What follows is a feel-good
comedy in which three friends set
out to prove that age truly is
only a state of mind.
.Thursday
27th August, 2009 • Thanks to
Kate/Shaun/Psycloud.........Music
Three video
clips of Toyah, performing 'Latex
Messiah (Viva La Rebel In You)',
'It's A Mystery' and 'Sweet Child
'O Mine', at last Saturday's 80's
Rewind Festival, Henley. Watch
mini versions here or click on
any to view at YouTube.
[ Thanks also to
Paul Lomas. ]
.Songs Of The
4-Track - Kittenish EP - Toyah
Wilcox
.Thursday
27th August, 2009 • Thanks to
Marcus...............................Music
Hailing from
Inverness in Scotland, Songs Of
The 4-Track is a low key one man
band. Songs Of The 4-Track
started out back in the year 2003
recording a lot of nonsense
before settling for a few noises
that made a bit of sense. A great
deal of the music you will hear
from him sees influences drawn
from Mogwai, Aphex Twin and My
Bloody Valentine. Two EPs have
been built to date - Kittenish EP
and The Last Thing We Need Are
Dogs In A Tunnel EP.
Why am I telling you this? Songs
Of The 4-Track have recorded a
song titled "Toyah
Wilcox" on the
aforementioned 'Kittenish' EP.
One
HELL Of A Show! -
With just over a fortnight until
the 2009/2010 UK Tour opens, the
flyer/promo leaflet for Vampires
Rock is a colourful affair,
featuring three great images of
Toyah as The Devil Queen.
While on the subject
of Vampires Rock, there
is a fantastic overview of
Toyah's performance, 'A Phantom
At The Opera', from the 2008/09
Tour, at the "Writing... Or
Just Practicing" blog here.
We will be bringing you a great Vampires
Rock magazine cover, another
we missed last year, around the
time the new tour launches.
.Psychic
Therapy - Advert Screen Caps
.Wednesday
26th August, 2009 • Thanks to
Paul Lomas............Television
Screen caps
from the longer version (30
seconds) of the Bio ad for Psychic
Therapy. This premieres on
3rd September on Bio, at 9pm. You
can view the clip at Toyah
Willcox Fans Club.
"Oh! I love
doing these festivals. I mean,
you never get bored of them. I've
been in the business for 32 years
and one of those decades, the
Eighties, just happened to keep
going and keep going and keep
gong.
I love these festivals, because
you see 80-year-old people, you
see 50-something people. And you
see people under the age of 20.
Psychic
Therapy is now being listed
in online TV guides:
Psychic Therapy : Bio -
Thursday 3rd September : 9.00pm
Psychic Therapy : Bio - Friday
4th September : 00.00am
Toyah Willcox. Psychic medium
Gordon Smith reveals some of the
star's innermost secrets, delving
into her past and predicting her
future with help from the spirit
world.
Two preview adverts
are currently airing on Bio.
There is also a mini feature on
Toyah at the Bio website here.
Toyah's PA
at Manchester AXM this Friday
has, unfortunately, been
cancelled... Toyah was recently
namechecked in an article in 'The
Oxford Times', you can read Going
With The Flowhere... Another
namecheck in the 'Kingston
Guardian'. Read Charity Gig:
Kitty Hudson, Junk Time Party and
Tenyson at The Ship, Croydonhere... The 'Birmingham
Mail' reported on the Teletubbies
returning and, of course, Toyah
received a mention. Read the
article here... After numerous
reports on the 'Here & Now'
concert, one final namecheck for
Toyah in the 'News & Star', here, though this
article wasn't about the
concert... There's a Quadrophenia:
The Musical mention, here, at the 'Chester
Chronicle'... and a Vampires
Rock one, here, at the
'Huddersfield Examiner'.
Toyah
played at Temple Island Meadows,
Henley on Thames last Saturday,
as part of the '80s Rewind
Festival' concert. Also on the
bill: Kim Wilde, Bananarama,
Heaven 17, Belinda Carlise, China
Crisis, Rick Astley and more.
'BBC
Berkshire' got into the 80's
Rewind Festival groove in the
lead up to the big concert on
Saturday. Please click on either
screenshot to check it out.
Known as much
for her outlandishly punky hair
as her pop stardom, Toyah swooped
on commercial success in 1984
with live album Toyah! Toyah!
Toyah!. Smash hits include It's A
Mystery and I Want To Be Free.
Tens of thousands of
pop fans will descend on Henley
this weekend for the Rewind
Festival.
Organisers are expecting 30,000
people at Temple Island Meadows
for the biggest Eighties music
event in the world and traffic
restrictsions will be in place.
Most of the visitors will be
camping at the site from this
afternoon (Friday) with the acts
performing on Saturday and
Sunday.
The line-up includes Carol
Decker, who lives in Henley, Kim
Wilde, Rick Astley, Bananarama,
Billy Ocean, Belinda Carlisle,
Kid Creole, Heaven 17, Doctor and
the Medics, Cutting Crew, Toyah,
The Real Thing, China Crisis,
Gloria Gaynor, Sister Sledge,
Paul Young, Go West, Midge Ure,
Howard Jones, Nik Kershaw, The
Christians, The Blockheads with
Phil Jupitus, Chas ’n’
Dave and ABC.
All three
of Toyah's 'Remember The
Eighties' interviews, from 1998,
'Hitmakers' 2006 and the recent
'Crimson Queen', are now back
online and available to read at
the website. Search for
"Toyah" in their
interviews section.
A recent
article on 'In The Court Of The
Crimson Queen', the album that
just keeps going:
'In The Court Of The Crimson
Queen' changes my mind about
Toyah. Some of the songs make me
think of the '80s, but most are
fresh and confident, the songs of
a woman with something to say and
not afraid to re-invent herself
again. She's still got the
out-there image going for her
with some great guitar thrash
fronted by her voice and words.
Toyah has now joined the ranks of
'70s/'80s women heroes making
good new music. In the last few
years we've had new albums from
Suzi Quatro ('Back To The
Drive'), Kate Bush ('Aerial'),
Cyndi Lauper ('Bring Ya To The
Brink'), Donna Summer
('Crayons'), Annie Lennox ('Songs
Of Mass Destruction') and Lene
Lovich ('Shadows And Dust') as
well as others, with other icons
like Siouxsie and Madonna and
Patti who've never stopped making
new music. And, of course, Buffy
Sainte-Marie's 'Running For The
Drum' (I couldn't leave her out
of a list like this).
I've only listened to it a couple
of time, but favourite songs from
'The Crimson Queen' so far are
'Sensational', 'Latex Messiah
(Viva La Rebel In You)', 'Love
Crazy', 'Lesser God' and 'Come',
all best played loud.
Another great photo
of Toyah, onstage at Copeland
Stadium. 'Whitehaven News', 'News
& Star', 'Cumberland News',
and 'Times & Star' all
reported on the concert. A
special mention must go to
Gillian Ellison:
It was a night of pure pop
nostalgia in Whitehaven and the
partying 5,000-strong crowd got a
big thumbs up.
The guitarist playing with Here
and Now headline act, Rick
Astley, told local organisers
that the audience was fabulous
and clearly up for having a great
time. And feisty pop powerhouse,
Toyah, addressed the crowd,
saying: “How beautiful is
Whitehaven! I am 51 years old and
this is the first time that I
have been here.”
Dressed in black and gold, with a
smattering of glitz, Toyah proved
she could rival today’s
young stars as she bounced across
the stage belting out numbers
such as It’s a Mystery and a
rocking cover of Sweet Child Of
Mine. Just before she sang I Want
To Be Free, she told the
audience: “I wrote this when
I was 12 years old and I
didn’t think I would be
singing it in my fifties!”
Enjoying
the music was an audience of all
ages – although the majority
were probably over 30!
Kay Florey, of St Bees, said:
“Toyah was in a fantastic
outfit and has a great voice. She
really knows how to work a
stage.”
Zoe Milburn, of Whitehaven, Guy
Bickerton, of St Bees, Irene
Potts, of Low Moresby, Sue Burns,
of Whitehaven and Jackie Merner,
of Whitehaven, were all having a
great time. Jackie said: “I
am really enjoying the concert. I
really enjoyed Midge Ure, he can
still sing really well.” Sue
added: “Toyah was brilliant,
it brought back lots of
memories.”
Ruth Birkett, of Egremont.
“Midge doing Fade To Grey
was excellent,” said Clive.
Lee said: “Highlight so far
is Toyah and Midge Ure was
good.”
Copeland Council leader, Elaine
Woodburn, was having a good time.
“I have been a fan of
Toyah’s since the eighties
and she was fantastic tonight.
It’s great to see people
aged 30 plus come out and have a
really good time.”
It was a night to
remember for 5,000 music fans as
major stars of the Eighties
played on our doorstep on
Saturday night.
There was something for everyone.
Toyah strutted her stuff, Midge
took us back to those Ultravox
magical days; and Rick charmed us
with those stunning vocals.
It was once again thanks to
Whitehaven Festival Company for
bringing this live music to our
town.
It was a night of pure pop
nostalgia and we look forward to
whatever next year holds.
Sheffield
City Hall have updated their
website with information on
Toyah's 2009 panto. Snow
White & The Seven Dwarfs
plays at Sheffield Lyceum this
Xmas.
.Meanwhile...
In The 90's
.Wednesday
26th August, 2009 • Thanks to
Paul Lomas................Pictures
A couple of
rare, and lovely, photos of Toyah
from the very early 1990's. For
larger versions please visit the Toyah
Willcox Fans Club Facebook.
.News &
Star - Here & Now That’s
What We Call The 80s
Five
thousand people relived the best
of the 1980s in a night of pure
nostalgia in Whitehaven on
Saturday.
The town played host to some of
the biggest names of the decade
including Toyah, Midge Ure, Paul
Young, Belinda Carlisle and Rick
Astley.
Copeland’s athletics stadium
was transformed into a major
concert venue for the Here and
Now gig, organised by volunteers
from the Whitehaven Festival
Company. And Saturday’s rain
passed to make way for a night of
blue sky.
Pop powerhouse Toyah proved she
could rival today’s young
stars as she bounced across the
stage belting out iconic numbers
such as It’s a Mystery and I
Want To Be Free.
Dancing and singing all night,
people from all over Cumbria and
beyond enjoyed a great party
night.
Sue Burns, of Whitehaven, said:
“Toyah was brilliant, it
brought back lots of
memories.”
Photos of
Toyah onstage at Copeland
Stadium, Whitehaven in Cumbria on
Saturday evening. Toyah has been
playing 'Here & Now' shows
for over seven years now and this
stadium concert, attended by many
thousands, was yet another
successful gig for her and the
numerous other bands who played.
Please visit the
'Whitehaven News' website here for more photos.
Dean
Stockings was interviewed in the
June 2009 issue of 'Bent'
magazine
This month sees something
old, something new and something
photographic.
We start with an interview with
photographer Dean Stockings, and
how he got his start in the
business by blagging the
opportunity to create an album
cover for punk goddess Toyah.
There's a chat with model turned
pop-star American Billy Dortch, a
good looking guy we think may
well be huge in the not too
distant future. Those 80s
hit-makers Kajagoogoo are
reforming to undertake a huge
tour and we catch up with
frontman Limahl and ask him what
it's been like to be out of the
public eye for over 25 years. Two
DJs, Mark Picchiotti and Junior
Vasquez both have pearls of
wisdom for their many fans and
the strangely enchanting Sandra
Bernhard tells us what it's like
being Madonna’s friend...
she isn't!
“I have had a
face lift,” she also
admits that she’d like a
tummy tuck, Toyah, the
formal high priestess of punk
likes to shock. She is, by
her own admission, a bit of an
attention-seeker.
Now happily married,
she had a horrific childhood
blighted by illness. She was
born with a twisted spine, one
leg two inches shorter than the
other, a clubbed right foot,
clawed feet, and no hip sockets,
she endured years of painful
operations.
Five years ago, she
recorded in her
book “diary of a
facelift “ account of
the cosmetic surgery she had.
.Urgh! A
Music War - DVD Release Update
.Monday
17th August, 2009 • Thanks to
Jimi Lalumia..................Releases
Toyah's
iconic performance of 'Danced' IS
included on the first official
DVD release of Urgh! A Music
War (see news item from
Friday for further details).
'Danced' was filmed at the ICA in
London on 5th September, 1980.
Urgh! A
Music War (DVD) /
Widescreen: Warner Archive /
Director: Derek Burbridge /
Running Time: 121 minutes /
Release Date: 4th August 2009
It’s live and loud.
It’s urgent and proud.
It’s more than two-dozen
young, energetic bands caught in
the act and making the music and
moments matter in hot, crowded,
amped venues scattered across
L.A., London, New York City and
elsewhere. It’s big hair,
little hair, guys, girlz –
with music styles ranging from
minimalist electronica to reggae
to theatrical camp to mosh-worthy
mayhem. It’s catchy,
it’s topical, it’s
angry, it’s playful,
it’s live. And it lives on
in a rocking, throbbing,
sights-and-sounds showcase
featuring The Police, Devo, The
Go-Gos, Oingo Boingo, X, The
Cramps, Surf Punks, Joan Jett,
Pere Ubu and more. Turn it on,
turn it up, this means war: Urgh!
A Music War.
The Police - Driven to Tears,
Wall of Voodoo – Back in
Flesh, Toyah – Danced, John
Cooper Clarke – Health
Fanatic, OMD – Enola Gay,
Chelsea – I’m on Fire,
Oingo Boingo – Ain’t
This the Life, Echo & the
Bunnymen – The Puppet, Jools
Holland – Foolish I Know,
XTC – Respectable Street,
Klaus Nomi – Total Eclipse,
Athletico Spizz 80 –
Where’s Captain Kirk?, The
Go-Go's – We Got the Beat,
Dead Kennedys – Bleed for
Me, Steel Pulse – Ku Klux
Klan, Gary Numan – Down in
the Park, Joan Jett & The
Blackhearts – Bad
Reputation, Magazine – Model
Worker, Surf Punks – My
Beach, The Members –
Offshore Banking Business, Au
Pairs – Come Again, The
Cramps – Tear It Up,
Invisible Sex – Valium, Pere
Ubu – Birdies, Devo –
Uncontrollable Urge, The Alley
Cats – Nothing Means Nothing
Anymore, John Otway –
Cheryl’s Going Home, Gang of
Four – He’d Send in the
Army, 999 – Homicide, The
Fleshtones – Shadowline, X
– Beyond and Back, Skafish
– Sign of the Cross, UB40
– Madame Medusa, The Police
– Roxanne, The Police–
So Lonely, Klaus Nomi –
Aria.
.Times &
Star - Thousands Enjoy
Star-Studded 80s Concert
Thousands
of people flocked to Whitehaven
on Saturday night for the big
Here & Now eighties pop
concert.
Massive names Midge Ure, Toyah,
Rick Astley, Paul Young, Belinda
Carlisle, Curiosity Killed The
Cat and Johnny Hates Jazz all
performed at the gig.
Rick Astley headlined the final
slot at Copeland Stadium.
Promoter Gerard Richardson said:
"This was one of the most
complex events we have done
technically, the video
specification and the sound and
lighting were top notch,”
added Gerard. “It’s
been a dreadful year but this is
yet another big night for
Whitehaven, on the back of a
fantastic festival weekend,"
Another
quick update to say a huge thank
you to everyone who messaged me
and commented on the 'In The
Court Of The Crimson Queen'
feature. Much appreciated! Please
click below to take a look if you
haven't already done so.
She is
no longer an angry young woman,
but at the age of 51 Toyah
Willcox can still be riled.
The spark is Nightlife’s
innocently-intended query.
Toyah’s last hit single came
in 1985, her most recent top 10
album in 1982.
Does she ever feel frustrated
that her recent work is less
widely known than the music she
made in her early 20s?
“That’s not true,”
she says, with a touch of frost.
“My last album went to
number six in the iTunes chart.
I’m in a band with the
drummer from REM.”
These are valid points. The album
was last year’s In The Court
Of The Crimson Queen. The band is
The Humans, in which Toyah
appears with REM’s tour
drummer Bill Rieflin.
Whether either of these projects
has eclipsed the public’s
image of Toyah with spiky red
hair and paint-factory explosion
make-up is a matter for debate.
What’s certain is that the
Cumbrian crowd on Saturday will
be expecting to hear
Eighties’ anthems like
It’s A Mystery and Brave New
World.
Toyah trained as an actress and
has played many parts in tandem
with her pop career. Ask if the
angry young woman was really her
or just another role and the
answer is unequivocal.
“That was me. In those days
there was a scarcity of women in
the profession. They had to fit a
certain mould, a very feminine,
sexualised mould.
“We were much more
tomboyish. [‘We’ being
Toyah and people like Hazel
O’Connor and Siouxsie
Sioux].
Toyah plays
at Copeland Stadium, Whitehaven
in Cumbria today, as part of the
'Here & Now: The Very Best Of
The 80's' concert. Also on the
bill: Midge Ure, Paul Young, Rick
Astley, Curiosity Killed the Cat,
Belinda Carlisle and Johnny Hates
Jazz. Doors open 5.30pm - Get
Ready To Party!!
In Your
Dreams, the 15-minute
programme featuring Toyah that
first aired in June 2006, is
being repeated at the end of this
month by Channel 4.
In Your Dreams : Ch4 - Thursday
27th August : 12.30pm
In Your Dreams : Ch4 Plus 1 -
Thursday 27th August : 1.30pm
In Your Dreams sees acclaimed
dream analyst and psychotherapist
Brenda Mallon in conversation
with personalities discussing
their dream life. Toyah Willcox
has had an eclectic career
spanning four decades and is
renowned for her rebellious
spirit. She's always had an
extremely dramatic dream life
and, in this episode, discovers
one particular dream that has
significantly altered the course
of her life. [Also showing on
Channel 4 HD]
Dreamscape News
Archive: June 2006 has a full
transcript, plus screen caps,
from the programme's original
broadcast.
.News &
Star - Eighties Pop Stars Set For
Whitehaven Concert
Work is
underway for Cumbria’s big
Eighties pop concert this
weekend.
Names including Midge Ure, Toyah,
Rick Astley, Paul Young, Belinda
Carlisle, Curiosity Killed The
Cat and Johnny Hates Jazz will
all be performing at the Here and
Now gig in Whitehaven tomorrow.
Rick Astley will be headlining
the concert at Copeland Stadium.
One of the organisers, Gerard
Richardson, said: "Ten years
ago we would not have anything
like this concert. Now we have
had the Whitehaven Festival and
the concert within a week of each
other. This is a cracking line-up
of stars who will all be playing
their top hits."
.Friday
14th August, 2009 • Thanks to
Jimi Lalumia.....................Releases
The classic 1981
concert film Urgh! A Music
War, which captured dozens
of punk, New Wave and post-punk
bands live on stage, received its
first-ever DVD release last month
as part of the new Warner Archive
on-demand catalog.
The Miles Copeland-produced film
is available in widescreen format
directly from Warner Archive,
although the DVDs only can be
shipped to the U.S. Warner also
reports that while "this
film has been manufactured from
the best-quality video master
currently available, it has not
been remastered or
restored."
Toyah, of course, was included in
the movie and soundtrack album,
performing an incredible version
of the classic 'Danced'.
It’s unclear, however,
exactly what is on this newly
released DVD. The Warner Archive
site does not include a
tracklist, and the DVD’s
116-minute runtime is longer than
the 94-minute theatrical release,
but shorter than the original
124-minute VHS and LaserDisc
editions. Television airings over
the years have both added and
omitted footage.
Punk icon Toyah
Willcox has paid tribute to her
“wonderful” and
“inspiring” father who
has died at the age of 88.
Beric Willcox, of Wyre Piddle,
died on Wednesday, July 29, after
suffering a stroke.
Writing in her online blog,
Pershore resident Ms Willcox said
her heart was full of both
immense pain and joy. “Part
of me says ‘thank God! I
knew him for 51
years!’,” she said.
“He was the most wonderful,
inspiring, wise, infuriating and
compassionate man.
“He was almost 89, but the
other part of me recognised his
frailties were becoming more
painful and debilitating with
every day.
“I miss phoning him to tell
him how things are going and I
miss sitting with him over the
meal table, and I’m sure
this pining will get worse for a
while yet.”
The singer and actress, who is
married to King Crimson guitarist
Robert Fripp, has just returned
from Seattle where she spent a
short time song writing following
her father’s death.
.Toyah PA @
Manchester Pride **NOW
CANCELLED**
.Thursday
13th August, 2009 • Thanks to
Paul Lomas..................Live/Gigs
Toyah will be
playing a live PA as part of
Manchester Pride celebrations
later this month.
She will be appearing at AXM on
Friday 28th August, the first day
of Pride, and is scheduled to be
onstage at approximately 1.00am
(so, technically, very early
Saturday morning!).
For further
information on Manchester Pride
2009 there is the official
website.
Toyah's confirmed
live dates for the remainder of
2009 are as follows:
• Saturday 15th August: Here
& Now - Copeland Stadium,
Whitehaven
• Saturday 22nd August: 80's
Rewind Festival, Henley
• Friday 28th August: AXM
Bar, Manchester - Live PA
• Friday 4th September: New
Foresters, Nottingham - Live PA
Stage Is
Set For Town's Big Star-Studded
80s Concert
It's said to be the biggest stage
ever built in Cumbria – and
it’s in Whitehaven for this
Saturday’s big eighties pop
concert.
Massive names Midge Ure, Toyah,
Rick Astley, Paul Young, Belinda
Carlisle, Curiosity Killed The
Cat and Johnny Hates Jazz will
all be performing at the Here and
Now gig.
And the running order has just
been released, with Rick Astley
headlining the final slot at
Copeland Stadium.
“This is a cracking line-up
of stars who will all be playing
their top hits,” said
promoter Gerard Richardson.
“The range of talent on
display on Saturday night will be
breathtaking and the fact that
it’s in Whitehaven is
unbelievable.”
Ticket sales have stepped up
another gear recently.
“Every ticket purchased is
an investment in future
events,” said Gerard.
“We want to continue to do
these events in the future so
don’t miss the opportunity
because if we cannot make a
success of this then there is no
one else that will do it.”
In fact the Whitehaven Festival
Company is already planning ahead
for next year.
Toyah
Willcox and Other Musical Stars
Lined-Up For Here & Now
Punk icon Toyah was edgy, vibrant
and outspoken in the Eighties
and, you’ll be pleased to
know, she is still as feisty as
ever.
The multi-talented singer, actor,
television presenter and author,
now 51, was a pleasure to talk to
and she can’t wait to come
up and perform in Whitehaven as
part of the star-studded Here and
Now concert.
“Whitehaven will be new
territory for me, I have
performed in Ambleside and
Carlisle before,” said
Toyah. “Here and Now is
incredibly successful around the
world. It is hit after hit of
pure nostalgia.
“And the audiences are
getting younger and younger
because Eighties music is so
popular, the audience is always
smiling from beginning to
end.”
So what makes it appealing to a
younger audience? “I think
that teenagers have discovered
Eighties music for themselves.
People have knocked the Eighties
and that’s done nothing but
make them want to know more about
it. It was written for teenagers,
by teenagers. It was a decade of
image and the songs were very
strong, as was the fashion - for
men and women.
“I do think that the songs
were made for stadiums and
because of that the open-air
arenas work very well with this
music - it’s very anthemic
and very personal.”
Toyah’s Eighties career was
phenomenally successful,
resulting in hit records
including It’s A Mystery and
I Want To Be Free. In fact, she
has had a total of 15 Top 40
singles and four gold and
platinum albums.
“It was a fabulous
time,” she says. “When
you are young and have that kind
of fame, it is everything that
you want. It is extraordinary
because you could not go anywhere
without being mobbed. There
weren’t many women doing
what we did then. We were on a
crest of a wave, we were making
women strong and
opinionated.”
'The Post Punk
Progressive Pop Party' and
'Lullaby Online' both recently
marked the 30th anniversary of
the release of Toyah's debut
single, 'Victims Of The Riddle'.
On this date in 1979, Toyah
released their debut single,
"Victims Of The
Riddle". The B side was
"Victims Of The Riddle
(vivisection)". Both tracks
appeared on the full album
version of Sheep Farming In
Barnet, originally released as an
EP which did not carry either
track. The Birmingham, England
post punk/new wave band was
fronted by Toyah Willcox. She
stepped away from music in 1997
to concentrate more fully on her
acting career but has resurfaced
with her band in recent years.
.New
Foresters - Celebrating 8 Years
With Special Star Guest
Toyah plays
a live PA at New Foresters in
Nottingham, on Fri 4th September.
The New Forester
website assures visitors with
this message: Please Note
that Toyah Willcox is the real
thing, check out Toyah's official
website. (Not a Drag Queen)
Tickets are selling very quick,
so please dont leave it too long,
because you might be
disappointed.
New Foresters, 18 St. Anns
Street, Nottingham, NG1 3LX
Tel: 0115 958 0432 / Email:
debbie@newforesters.com
www.newforesters.com
Quadrophenia
on Sky Movies Modern Greats,
1.40am on Friday 14th August...
Toyah plays Copeland Stadium in
Cumbria as part of the 'Here
& Now: The Very Best Of The
80s' concert on Saturday 15th
August... A new single and video
by The Humans - Coming Soon!...
Toyah plays at the huge Henley
'80's Rewind Festival' on
Saturday 22nd August... Psychic
Therapy: Toyah Willcox
premieres on Bio: The Biography
Channel at 9.00pm on Thursday 3rd
September... Psychic Therapy
re airs a number of times over
the following days... Toyah plays
a live PA at New Foresters in
Nottingham on Friday 4th
September... Vampires Rock
mammoth 2009 UK Tour starts on
Friday 11th September in Retford
at the Majestic Theatre.
Gordon Smith journeys
into the remarkably diverse
career of Toyah Willcox - singer,
actress, presenter, writer and
businesswoman.
Exclusively for The Biography
Channel, Gordon Smith takes
leading British celebrities to
the places that mean the most to
them: the towns in which grew up,
their first school, first theatre
or the first house they bought.
Gordon Smith journeys into the
remarkably diverse career of
Toyah Willcox - singer, actress,
presenter, writer and
businesswoman. Her first notable
film was Derek Jarman's seminal
punk epic Jubilee. She later
starred alongside Katharine
Hepburn in The Corn Is Green, as
well as playing 'Monkey' in the
cult film Quadrophenia, and she
won a nomination for Best
Newcomer at the Evening Standard
Awards for her portrayal of
Miranda in The Tempest.
In 1984, she was voted Best
Female Artist, and in 1986, she
married UK guitarist Robert Fripp
from the rock band King Crimson.
.20th Century
Toyah - Remembering Marc Bolan -
Quotes
.Monday
10th August, 2009 • Thanks to
Paul Lomas..................Magazines
In February I
mentioned that Toyah was featured
in issue 26 - Spring 2009 - of
the Marc Bolan fanzine 'A
Thousand Mark Feld Charms'.
The feature, "20th Century
Toyah", was based on two
Toyah radio interviews, from 2008
and 1983.
'In The Court Of The
Crimson Queen' was Toyah
Willcox's first full length
studio album in fourteen years
when it was released last
September. Her own page on
'Facebook' describes it as
"a contemporary rock album
with nods to glam rock and the
highly influential Marc Bolan and
David Bowie - both referenced and
revered by today's pop/rock
artists including Scissor Sisters
and Mika".
Toyah, on Gary Crowley's BBC
Radio London Show in August 2008,
said of T Rex's 'Ride A White
Swan': "This was the first
serious rock single I bought and
I do think Marc Bolan was a
serious rock musician. I was
still at school and I left school
and got changed into my loon
pants and my smock top and put
the glitter tear drop on, and
this is about 1972 I think. He
just predated David Bowie so this
is a really exciting period in
the early Seventies Glitter
Rock."
Back in November 1983 Toyah was
interviewed by Bolan fan, Janice
Long, on her BBC Radio 1 Show:
Toyah said: "At school I was
terribly into ghost hunting and
terribly into motorbikes and
absolutely obsessed with death. I
was really obsessed with it.
I created a language called
"Squelch" and only I
kept the translation for it, so
all my poetry went into this
language at one point. For my
mock English exam I wrote a poem
about Marc Bolan's death, even
though I think it was about six
years premature to his death,
called the 'Bolan Rock'. Marc
Bolan used to spread rumours he
was dying of cancer when I was
about 12 so I also wrote a poem
called the 'Electric
Funeral'."
Tickets for the
Saturday of Henley’s
Eighties Rewind Festival have
sold out.
Sunday and weekend tickets, plus
camping tickets are still
available, but they are selling
out fast. Festival organisers had
to make a further 10,000 tickets
available because demand has been
so great.
Launched in February, organisers
expected 20,000 visitors to
Temple Island Meadows for the
weekend of August 21 and 23. Now
they anticipate about 30,000 over
the weekend.
David Heartfield, promoter for
Eighties Rewind, said:
“We’ve had a fantastic
response to the festival,
Saturday tickets have now sold
out and we have another two weeks
left to go with Sunday and
weekend tickets selling fast.
“The festival promises to be
a great weekend and anyone who
wants to come along and relive
the eighties should get their
tickets soon.”
To cope with the demand,
organisers have added more bars
and attractions, including a
Kidzone, a fun area for younger
festival-goers and the
Pimm’s double-decker bus.
There will also be Bodean’s
restaurant and The Comedy Store.
Stars performing at the festival
include Carol Decker, who lives
in Henley, T’Pau, Kim Wilde,
Rick Astley, Bananarama, Billy
Ocean, Belinda Carlisle, Kid
Creole, Heaven 17, Dr and the
Medics, Cutting Crew, Toyah, The
Real Thing, China Crisis, Gloria
Gaynor, Sister Sledge, Paul
Young, Go West, Midge Ure, Howard
Jones, Nik Kershaw, The
Christians, The Blockheads with
Phil Jupitus, Chas ’n’
Dave and ABC.
As well as the main stage
line-up, the festival will
include a host of other
entertainment, including
funfairs, fireworks and Eighties
discos.
Massive
increase in Here and Now Gig
Sales for the 15th August
Whether it's the Festival Factor
or the fact that the best Gig
ever planned for the County is
now less than two weeks away, we
don't know and don't care. All we
know is that ticket demand for
the Here and Now Gig at the
Copeland Athletic Stadium in
Whitehaven on the 15th August has
soared in the last few days.
With an incredible array of
talent on stage performing some
of the most popular music ever
written and doing it live, who
could resist?
The awsome line up of Midge Ure,
Paul Young, Rick Astley, Toyah,
Curiosity Killed the Cat, Belinda
Carlisle and Johnny Hates Jazz
will grace the stage at the
Copeland Athletics Stadium for 3
hours belting out their top hits
live.
Dreamscape's
Toyah news for June 2009 has now
been archived. Quite a busy month
for Toyah updates. Look back at
Toyah on the cover of 'Lifestyle'
magazine, the release of three
DVDs featuring Toyah: Anchoress,
Vampires Rock, and
Sparkles Showbar, the
'Quicksilver' video preview
photo, 'FlyBe' magazine
interview, the Press Call for Snow
White in Sheffield, and much
more.
.30 Years Of
Music - In The Court Of The
Crimson Queen
Dreamscape's
'In The Court Of The Crimson
Queen' feature is now live. I
hope you enjoy my little tribute
to a fantastic album, by a
fantastic artist, released almost
30 years into a fantastic
recording career. Thank You,
Toyah!
Teletext recently
asked viewers to submit their
suggestions for favourite album
covers.
A variety of responses have been
posted on their ITV pages and
website over the last few days.
Thanks to Helen, Toyah also
received a nomination.
All of Toyah's album covers
were amazing. Helen,
Basingstoke
Teletext, formerly ORACLE, the
information and entertainment
service, provided by ITV is,
sadly, closing in January 2010
after 36 years of keeping us
updated.
.itd Magazine
- Rare Toyah Yugoslavian Cover
1983
.Wednesday
5th August, 2009 • Thanks to
Andi.........................Magazines
Another,
very rare, Toyah magazine cover
has recently appeared on eBay. A
Yugoslavian magazine, 'itd',
featuring Toyah in full 'Love Is
The Law' mode, from 1983. She
previously was their cover star
in 1981. Please visit
Dreamscape's comprehensive Toyah
Magazine Covers feature here, or by clicking
below.
.30 Years Of
Music - Two Rare Photos 1986
.Tuesday
4th August, 2009 • Thanks to
Andi..................................Pictures
Two rare
photos of Toyah, from October
1986. Click on them for larger
versions.
.High Spirit
- Soul Searching With Toyah
Willcox
.Monday
3rd August, 2009 • Thanks to
Andrew..........................Magazines
We are
used to hearing about celebrities
careers and lifestyles, but what
about their spiritual beliefs?
Dawn Mellowship chats to Toyah
Willcox about religion, the
paranormal, our fear of death and
the future of mankind.
It's another of
those "missed it at the
time, but too good not to
mention" Toyah interviews.
It seems fitting, considering the
subject matter of the interview,
to include this here today on
this sad day.
Toyah was interviewed in a
four-page feature in 'High
Spirit' magazine last year. The
piece was titled "Soul
Searching With Toyah
Willcox" and appeared in the
July 2008 issue of the magazine.
Please see below for the link to
read the full interview. Huge
thanks to Andrew for letting me
know about this.
.High Spirit
- Soul Searching With Toyah
Willcox - Scans
.Monday
3rd August, 2009 • Thanks to
Andrew............................Interview
Scans of
the four-page 'High Spirit'
magazine feature. Please click on
them to read the full interview,
in pdf format, at
www.dawnmellowship.co.uk. It was
Dawn who interviewed Toyah for
the issue of 'High Spirit' from
July 2008.
.High Spirit
- Toyah Willcox - A Snapshot
.Monday
3rd August, 2009 • Thanks to
Andrew.........................Press Clips
Date of
Birth: 18/05/1958 Star Sign:
Taurus Favourite Things: Colours
mean a lot to me. I have to be
close to either cerise, yellow or
orange. If you are surrounded by
good colours, you can keep a good
state of mind. Pet Hates:
Elitism. I hate elitism in
religion, spirituality and
everywhere else. It makes people
outsiders. I believe in inclusion
and honesty. People are
judgmental. I refer to people as
either asleep or awake and
sometimes the awake people curse
the sleeping people, when all you
have to do is feed the sleeping
people little tit-bits and slowly
they wake. Inspiration: I
admire people who genuinely work
hard in their community for
nothing. Favourite Complementary
Therapy: I believe they
all function well together from
chiropractory to acupuncturists.
I also see a spiritual advisor
twice a year and I really value
my consultations with her. I try
to tell non-believers that it is
really good to have someone
mentor you. The Meaning of Life:
Life is simply a journey from the
moment you are born to the moment
you die.
The saddest
letter/blog Toyah has ever
written has just gone live at www.toyahwillcox.com and The Official
Toyah MySpace. My thoughts are
with Toyah and her family. Rest
In Peace, a wonderfully proud
father.
.30 Years Of
Music - Two European Poster Ads
1981
.Sunday
2nd August, 2009 • Thanks to
Andi...................................Pictures
Continuing
our celebration of Toyah's 30
years as a recording artist -
Here's two European poster
adverts from 1981. Please click
on them for larger versions.
•
London Evening
Standard and The
Independent both report on the
1234 Shoreditch Festival, with
both commenting on, the oddly
named, Polly Scattergood. Both
also liken her to Toyah:
• Evening
Standard:The
line-up made up for it —
almost — starting with
quirky Brit School singer Polly
Scattergood. Dressed in a silver
frock and pink feathers, she may
have been channelling Toyah, but
her am-dram pop, with
interpretive dancing, was at
least refreshingly uncool.
• The Independent:Over on the main stage, the
tweely named Polly Scattergood is
surprisingly decent, with her
pink marabou shoulder pads and
her Toyah-goes-techno tunes.
She's essentially a second-rate
Lovefoxxx, which might not be so
damaging were the real Lovefoxxx
not on the same bill (albeit in a
DJ capacity).
• Continuing the tradition
of Toyah being mentioned in
peculiar places - This from www.sbs.com, who are covering
The Ashes 09:
Brum
rebellion:Of all
the musicians produced by
Birmingham (Jeff Lynne, Nigel
Kennedy, Steve Winwood), Toyah is
undoubtedly the greatest. Despite
zero proof, we suspect her
greatest song might have been a
personal anthem for Greg Matthews
back in the day.
• Toyah is also
mentioned in Berrows
Journal, in an article on
the Wyre Mill Club in Pershore.
• Toyah also continues to be
namechecked in various articles
on Quadrophenia - The
Musical, which is still touring
the UK at present.
Junglophilia
- Inspired by Toyah? Parodying
Toyah? You decide! We are
undoubtedly going to be hearing
more about this short film over
the coming months. Watch it
online here. Visit the Junglophilia
Facebook here.
A new short
film from Alice Lowe and
Jacqueline Wright:
Val Hallah was a
prominent female singer, musician
and artist in the 1980s.
'Junglophilia' documents her
performance at WOMAD in 1982, the
peak of her fame, in what proved
to be a defining moment for her
career.We shot this in two days,
almost being thwarted by
knee-deep mud and the threat of
the festival's cancellation. It
was completely improvised and
stars Alice Lowe, Barunka
O'Shaughnessy and Jordan Long.The
film was funded by Peter Gabriel
and he has seen it. And approved
it. Apparently.
.Cotswold
Life - Celebrity Interview -
Toyah Willcox
“Some
women,” whispers the
photographer discreetly,
“just look better and better
as they get older.”
Toyah Willcox,
the once pink-tressed princess of
punk, has turned 50.The pin-up
anarchist – Helen of Troy
meets Vivienne Westward - who
sang of mystery and freedom does,
indeed, look wonderful... grown
up (wild hair-dyes now ditched
along with extravagant
make-up)… and beautiful...
Toyah's 'Cotswold
Life' interview, first mentioned
here last September and available
exclusively in the October 2008
issue of 'Cotswold Life'
magazine, is now available for
the first time, in full, online.
The article, originally titled
"Toyah: Fabulous at 50"
last year, is now simply billed
as "Celebrity Interview -
Toyah Willcox", complete
with a fantastic photo of Toyah
in her garden in Pershore.
This is a lengthy and interesting
interview with Toyah. During the
course of it she talks about her
home, the area she lives in and
why she chose to live there, Living
With The Dead, her
television career, punk, working
with Katharine Hepburn and
Laurence Olivier, why she didn't
"crash and burn", her
current work projects (as they
were in Autumn 2008), and more.
To read the interview please
click here, or the
screenshot/photo above.
Find the Lady. Our
favourite crumpled private eye
investigates the reported murder
of a seaside beauty queen. More
vintage crime cracking with
Trevor Eve. Starring: Michael
Medwin, Doran Godwin, Christopher
Biggins, Toyah Willcox and Gary
Holton.
Another chance to
catch Cash In The Celebrity
Attic, with Toyah auctioning
off some goodies for Macmillan
Cancer Support.
What do you do when
you turn 50 and find that no one
is making feature films for you
anymore? Yvonne Deutschman, Ann
Cameron and Thereza Snyman
decided they’d make a film
for themselves. Filming on their
low budget feature, The Power of
3, has now completed principle
photography and will be premiered
in London in the Autumn.
"Oh! I love
doing these festivals. I mean,
you never get bored of them. I've
been in the business for 32 years
and one of those decades, the
Eighties, just happened to keep
going and keep going and keep
gong.
Another great photo
of Toyah, onstage at Copeland
Stadium. 'Whitehaven News', 'News
& Star', 'Cumberland News',
and 'Times & Star' all
reported on the concert. A
special mention must go to
Gillian Ellison:
The classic 1981
concert film Urgh! A Music
War, which captured dozens
of punk, New Wave and post-punk
bands live on stage, received its
first-ever DVD release last month
as part of the new Warner Archive
on-demand catalog.
In February I
mentioned that Toyah was featured
in issue 26 - Spring 2009 - of
the Marc Bolan fanzine 'A
Thousand Mark Feld Charms'.
Date of
Birth: 18/05/1958
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