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[ Please click on the banner to go to Downloads - Thanks to Andi ]

[ Thanks to Minna ]

According to the Official Howard Jones website the gig at Skegness Embassy Theatre on 16th November is off, and according to the Official ABC/Martin Fry website Skegness AND the gig at Tunbridge Wells Assembly Halls on 7th December are no longer going ahead either.

[ Sources: www.abcmartinfry.com / www.howardjones.com - 28th October 2006 ]

Quadrophenia : ITV4 - Tuesday 7th November : 10.00pm
The Who wrote and produced this energetic story of a young man disillusioned with his life in 1960s London. Phil Daniels excels as the alienated anti-hero Jimmy Cooper. Directed by Franc Roddam. Starring: Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Philip Davis, Mark Wingett, Sting, Ray Winstone and Toyah Willcox.

Proud Parents saw Toyah and her dad meet up on his boat to talk about Toyah's early life. Toyah's dad, Beric, remembered highlights from Toyah's career (Trafford Tanzi, playing live in Birmingham etc.), and talked about Toyah as a child. He is definitely a proud parent!

Running Time: 8.31secs : File Size: 35.3mb

[ Many thanks to Andi Westhorpe ]

The remainder of 2006 is busy for Toyah. She still has a number of dates of the 'Hitmakers Tour' to play throughout England in November and December, as well as a gig at Butlins.

There's also a guest appearance at the 'Collectormania' event at the Manchester G-mex, and panto in Brighton to round off the year.

Check back soon for more captures from the programme.

[ Thanks to Andi Westhorpe ]

Talking Shop: Toyah Willcox
Singer, actress and TV presenter Toyah Willcox is currently touring the UK with fellow 1980s stars Martin Fry of ABC and Howard Jones on The Hitmakers Tour, taking in venues across the UK. 

Toyah, 48, had hits with It's A Mystery and I Want To Be Free, in the 1980s, and has gone on to carve out an eclectic career in entertainment.

Click on the pics or link below to read the full interview.

[ Source: www.bbc.co.uk - Monday 23rd October 2006 - Thanks to Merx ]

'Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!' was originally released in 1980, on vinyl and cassette, by Safari Records. The album was reissued in 1990 (along with 'Sheep Farming In Barnet' and 'The Blue Meaning'), on CD and coloured vinyl, by the Great Expectations label, with slightly different artwork to the original.

This third issue, featuring bonus tracks, expanded artwork and sleevenotes, is another welcome Toyah CD reissue on the Cherry Red label.

Nicola's comments about Toyah are interesting. We have rarely heard anything from Toyah's family about her. Nicola talks about growing up with her sister, the various hair colours, going to Toyah's early gigs, her least-favourite Toyah moment, and her hopes for Toyah's future. Toyah also talks about growing up with Nicola.

[ Thanks to Paul Lomas for the pictures ]

Were you one of the many millions who grew up on SMASH HITS? Did you collect the stickers, pull out the posters, read the lyrics to La Bamba and suddenly realise it was a song about 'doing the goat'? (hmmm). If you remember catchphrases such as 'Uncle Disgusting' and 'sniiiip!', if you kissed your poster of Morten Harket before you went to bed or thrilled when a SMASH HITS journalist fearlessly asked David Bowie 'you're not very good at acting, are you?' - then this book is for you. In its heyday in the mid to late 1980s SMASH HITS enjoyed a circulation of over one million passionate readers. THE BEST OF SMASH HITS is for all those readers: a glorious, full-colour celebration of all the best (and some of the worst) bits. Including all the best features (Morrissey and Pete Burns' legendary joint interview!); the weirdest cover stars (Strawberry Switchblade!), the strangest song lyrics, the best 'black type' letters and more, it will also include memories from those who worked on the magazine. Genuinely engrossing, THE BEST OF SMASH HITS is a hugely entertaining jaunt back to a time when journalists asked irreverent questions and pop stars had to answer them. 

Proud Parents - Ch4 - Monday 23rd October : 1.25pm
Toyah Willcox: Proud Parents looks at a celebrity's life through the eyes of their parents. Performer, author and TV star Toyah Willcox visits her dad aboard his beloved boat.

The Most Fertile Man in Ireland : Sky Movies 3 - Tue 24th October : 02.45am
The Most Fertile Man in Ireland : Sky Movies 3 - Wed 1st November : 03.45am
Bedded by his town's good-time girl, Eamonn quickly acquires a reputation as a man who can make babies. While both sides of Belfast struggle with their sperm-counts, the lucky man becomes the hot property of both Catholics and Protestants. Crown jewel comedy. Director: Dudi Appleton. Starring: Kris Marshall, Kathy Kiera Clarke, Bronagh Gallagher, James Nesbitt, Kenneth Cranham, Toyah Willcox and Olivia Nash.

Inside Out : BBC1 Midlands - Mon 30th October : 7.30pm
Surprising real-life stories from familiar places. East: The transplant tourists prepared to risk everything to avoid a life on dialysis, and John Holmes reveals the link between cult film Quadrophenia and the East Midlands. West: Jess Whittaker meets the women determined to sell their eggs to childless couples and Matt Gull uncovers new evidence about the Midlands' worst mining disaster.

Eighties pop princess Toyah Willcox joined like-minded fans of complementary medicine at the Natural Living show in Cheltenham.The actress and presenter, who lives in Pershore, opened the two-day show at Pittville Pump Room.

Fans asked her about her spirituality. She said: "We're all here because we believe that nature has the power to heal and help us.

"There's so much pollution in our lives today what with cars and machines.

"This is a chance to discover how we can use nature to make a positive change."

The show drew more than 50 complementary health and mind body spirit practitioners and 1,000 visitors.

They found out about skin care and nutrition, tried therapies such as reflexology and reiki and heard talks on how to find peace in a hectic world.

Food intolerance tester Bob White, from Whittington, said: "It shows the many natural ways people can improve their lives."

Chrissie Barker, from event sponsors the Cheltenham-based Isbourne Foundation, said: "It gives people the opportunity to see a lot of different techniques."

There was the chance to stock up on books, ambient music, belly dancing, clothing and gifts.

Mandy Dudfield, from Tewkesbury, said: "It was amazing. It looked brilliant and was inspiring."

[ News Source: www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk - 18th October 2006 ]

• Toyah Willcox and her sister share family secrets. Toyah & Nicola tell how the years have brought them closer together in a two-page feature, with photos.

Toyah is also pictured at Le Caprice 25th Birthday Party, mentioned on Dreamscape on 5th October (see below).

[ Thanks to John, & Penny Andrew ]

Toyah talks about her early life, career, and performs 'Little Tears Of Love'. Please note, this file is quite large in size to ensure quality.

Download the second part by right clicking on the link. Part One is still available for anyone who hasn't yet downloaded it. These won't be added to the Downloads section as they will only be available for a limited time.

[ Many thanks to Andi Westhorpe ]

80s hitmaker Toyah hits the road

Singer Toyah Willcox has joined other stars from the 1980s on the Hitmakers Tour, taking in several UK venues.

Toyah, who had hits with 'It's A Mystery' and 'I Want To Be Free', says the music is a hit with everyone: "My generation are the generation that did not grow up", says the 48-year-old musician, actress and presenter. "Obviously we have the original fans and their children as well, but the audience is getting younger, thanks to things like MTV."

The Hitmakers Tour comes hot on the heels of a resurgence in the popularity of 80s music and fashion - something Toyah is revelling in.

"The music has come up big time with a younger generation," she says. "They can remember the 80s but can't remember the bad days of politics around then. They just remember the music."

Toyah, who rose to fame in the late 1970s and 1980s, says she is enjoying her music career as she begins the Hitmakers Tour of the UK.

"These days I just go out and enjoy it," says Toyah, who has scored several Top 40 hits. "In the last 12 months I have had 10 re-released albums and they are now in all the major record shops. It's more fun now because I'm not having to churn out hit after hit... it was back breaking."

Toyah starred in ITV's I'm A Celebrity... in 2003. "I was expecting a bit of a rest, a bit of sunshine, but it was freezing. I was starving and covered in leeches. I'm sure the audience think we go off to a hotel for a meal every night and have a nice bath. You don't. You stink. it was tough. I don't envy anyone going on it now - In fact I get a thrill out of knowing what they are going to be going through!"

Toyah says she enjoys the fame her career has brought. She has been in the public eye since the laste 1970s when her music and film career first took off.

"I'm a big fan of attention and I don't have a problem with being in magazines, and I play the celebrity game anyway. But I'm a woman over the age of 30, and I have an established career, so don't have that terrible intrusion."

Toyah says she would not want to be starting today: "I think it's different today. in my day there were independent record labels and you could be very successful with them. To have longevity these days you have to be very talented, and I'm not sure the labels are promoting longevity.

"The music industry is going through a huge change, and I don't think anyone is sure how it is going to play out."

[ News Source: BBC Ceefax - 16th October 2006 - Thanks to Zoe Clow ]

As well as being included on their Toyah page the CD is also currently pictured on the website's front page.

The, expanded, Special Edition 'Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!' CD is available to buy from next Monday (23rd October).

SATURDAY ROOM 1: 10.30am - 11am - Meet Toyah Willcox
Actress, singer, writer and broadcaster Toyah Willcox will be taking a break from her UK tour to open the Natural Living Show on Saturday 14th October. Alongside her work as a performer Toyah has managed to embrace the world of complementary health and spirituality. 

To celebrate the day Toyah will be doing a Question and Answer session which will cover how homeopathy plays a part in her life right through to her belief in the power of angels.

SAT 14TH / SUN 15TH Oct 2006 10am-5pm
Pittville Pump Room, Pittville Park, Cheltenham GL52 3JE
Admission £3.50 / £2.50 concessions / Weekend Ticket £6
Accompanied Children U.14 FREE

Click on the image to download the full brochure (in PDF format).

[ Source: www.naturalhealthshows.co.uk ]

Toyah will also be discussing her allegiance to therapies such as homeopathy.

A host of activities including workshops, demonstrations, tarot reading, psychics and healers will be attending the show.

Organiser Tim Marlowe said: "Cheltenham has a remarkably large representation of people interested in healing and mind and body spirit activities which generates an incredible buzz.

"Last year's show attracted 1,000 people and we expect that number to swell this year."

A member of the Prince of Wales Foundation for Integrated Health, the event aims to bridge the gap between the NHS and complimentary medicine. Now in its 11th year, it has become a major event on the holistic exhibition circuit.

[ News Source: www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk - 12th October 2006 ]

The Hitmakers Tour @ Opera House
by Glenn Meads, 12/10/06

The Hitmakers Tour is yet another attempt at nostalgia from an era when waffle trousers, two-tone mullets and safari suits where all the rage. Toyah Willcox, Howard Jones and ABC have a combined total of 280 weeks in the charts and they attempt to bring the '80s back to an enthusiastic audience, eager to turn back the clock.

Toyah opens the set with a really embarrassing cover of 'Are you Gonna Go My Way?' Dancing like Kate Bush used to in 1977, announcing that she is “two months older than Madonna” doesn’t really let her off.

Her performance is very ‘cruise-ship.’ A cover of 'Echo Beach' is above average followed by the ex-punk’s hits. After a while though, you are tempted to shout at the former jungle star: “I’m a music fan; get me out of here.”

A twenty minute interval follows to allow Howard Jones time to fill the stage with hi-tech equipment. Keyboards, screens and huge loud speakers make you believe that this set could be ‘the one.’ 

But it is evident early on that Jones’ weak vocals make him sound like a parody of his old self. Watching this hitmaker sing his back catalogue including 'What Is Love?' is about as exciting as watching a computer programmer live on stage. 

No amount of smoke and mirrors can mask his lack of connection with the audience. His equipment may be plugged in, but he sings on empty.

It’s almost 10pm by the time ABC step on to the stage. Martin Fry has the charisma and the hits to turn this gig around. It’s a shame then that many of the audience members have gone home through boredom. 

With classic pop songs like 'Poison Arrow' and 'The Look Of Love' an '80s fan gets exactly what they came for. Looking youthful and energetic, Fry strides onto the stage showing the others how it should be done. 

The audience who have stayed are on their feet, thinking back to those hazy days when burgundy trousers were the in thing!

This is a strange night. The acts are not really well suited and the evening is so eclectic and poorly paced that you feel slightly cheated. The audience came looking for blasts from the past but were kept waiting for any signs of life. 

Toyah’s lyrics to 'It’s A Mystery' are really quite apt.

[ News Source: www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk - Friday 13th October 2006 ]

The 100 Greatest Songs Of The 80s : VH1 - Sunday 15th October - 9.00am
This airs from 9.00am till 5.30pm. Toyah presents number 50 to 26 and will be onscreen from approximately 1.00pm. 

This is also scheduled to re-air on Sunday 5th November, again starting at 9.00am. The programme will also be broadcast on The Music Factory (TMF) channel at some point over the coming weeks.

Sun 10th to Thu 14th December 2006
The Tempest (1979)
Director: Derek Jarman
Starring: Heathcote Williams Christopher Biggins, Peter Bull, Neil Cunningham, Claire Davenport, Kate Temple, Richard Warwick, Toyah Willcox

Punky Shakespeare that's a plank of Jarman's saintly reputation, and a godsend for A-level English teachers desperate to convince unwilling students that Shakespeare is cool. Toyah Willcox's lisping, bruising Miranda is the principal point of interest in Jarman's skittish adaption, and Sonnaband's art direction is much more focused and vivid than the dreary fuss of Peter Greenaway's Prospero's Books. A fine performance from Heathcote Williams as Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan commanding the spirits on a remote island, brings out the character’s shadows-and-light ambiguities. Derek Jarman’s take on Shakespeare’s dreamlike play shocked audiences in 1979, if only for the moments of high camp when ageing diva Elizabeth Welch sings ‘Stormy Weather’.

Starting Time: 8.30pm, Tickets: £3.95
Booking essential. Seating strictly limited to 30 persons.

The Place Samber Sands
New Lydd Road, Camber
Rye, TN31 7RB
enquiries@theplacecambersands.co.uk
Tel: 01797 225 057

[ Source: www.theplacecambersands.co.uk/events ]

Stand & Deliver: The Autobiography
by Adam Ant 

"My own first memories of Adam stem from my teenage years in Liverpool, when I went to see Derek Jarman's paean to punk, Jubilee. Named after the Queen's 25th jubilee, it starred the style icon Jordan, a beehive blonde who came to fame working in Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren's fetishist shop Sex (later Seditionaries), which made the King's Road into a mecca for the hip young gunslingers of the day. In lesser roles were Toyah Willcox and Adam. Adam, billed as "Kid", looked good in his Seditionaries bondage jacket and eye make-up, singing about "Plastic Surgery" to a future pop mogul in an X Factor-style audition. The film was slated by the music press as "hippie trash" but the accompanying soundtrack album was to provide Adam with his first release."

[ Source: www.books.guardian.co.uk - Saturday 14th October 2006 ]

[ Thanks to Angus Turner for the picture ]

While on the subject of Manchester, Toyah didn't guest on Granada Reports last night. 

[ Many thanks to Paul Lomas, pictured with Toyah, for the pictures & info ]

Are You Gonna Go My Way (Lenny Kravitz)
Echo Beach
Jungles of Jupiter
Thunder In The Mountains
Sweet Child 'O Mine (Guns 'N Roses)
She Sells Sanctuary (The Cult)
I Want To Be Free
It's A Mystery

'Danced' was played at the North Wales Theatre. I'm not sure if this was at the gig or the soundcheck.

[ Thanks to Martyn Hampton, pictured with Toyah, for the pics ]

Great Toyah quotes from the programme: "If I walk in someone's house and I can smell a dog I feel like I don't wanna stay there!"

And... "I try to see my home from a stranger's point of view, and I get a nasty shock everytime." 

The second date of the tour is tonight at the Manchester Opera House. If anyone going along takes a pic please send one to Dreamscape and I'll add it here (and later to the 'Hitmakers 2006' page @ the Gallery) - Thanks!

[ Thanks to John Wain - aka Ruby - aka Tintin @ the Forum for the great pics ]

We can now confirm that the following dates are cancelled and will definitely not be happening due to the promoters ceasing trading: 

Sheffield (19 Oct)
Carlisle (20 Oct)
Newcastle (21 Oct)
Grimsby (22 Oct)
Cardiff (1 Nov).

Howard, Martin and Toyah have taken over the tour from Bristol onwards and will be playing as many dates as possible.

The following dates are currently confirmed as going ahead, but are subject to change. 

Oct 12 Manchester Opera House - Tel: 0870 401 9000
Nov 2 Bristol Colston Hall - Tel: 0117 922 3686
Nov 3 Ipswich Regent Theatre - Tel: 01473 433 100
Nov 9 Reading Hexagon Theatre - Tel: 0118 960 6060
Nov 10 Peterborough Broadway - Tel: 01733 316 100
Nov 11 Birmingham Alexandra Theatre - Tel: 08701451163
Nov 15 Derby Assembly Rooms - Tel: 01332 255 800
Nov 16 Skegness Embassy Theatre - Tel: 01754 768 333
Nov 23 Folkestone Leas Cliff hall - Tel: 01303 288 600
Nov 30 Eastbourne Congress Theatre - Tel: 01323412000
Dec 1 Portsmouth Guild Hall - Tel: 023 9282 4355
Dec 7 Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall Theatre - Tel: 01892 530 613 

We apologise for any inconveinience and have been reassured that all ticket holders will be refunded by the theatre, point of sale or online vendor.

[ News Source: www.toyahwillcox.com - Thursday 11th October 2006 ]

Take the leap... over to www.toyahwillcox.com for news on... a photo session with Suggs, Toyah talks Chico!, the coincidences in life, more on her writing sessions with Simon Darlow, MySpace, the 'Hitmakers' stage outfit (Toyah's and the band), and more.

[ News Source: www.toyahwillcox.com - 11th October 2006 ]