Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

Some rare-ish footage of Toyah at the British Rock & Pop Awards 1983 has just been uploaded to You Tube. Toyah is presenting Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon with the award for Best Male Vocalist of 1982. This was the year Toyah starred in Trafford Tanzi at London’s Mermaid Theatre, filmed The Ebony Tower in France with Laurence Olivier for ITV, and released the sublime Love Is The Law album. The Rock & Pop Awards is now The BRITS! Click on the screenshots below to watch.

On This Day 24.2.1982 the British Rock & Pop Awards (now The Brits) was broadcast on BBC One. Toyah received the award for Best Female Singer presented by Leo Sayer. These stunning shots (left) were taken earlier in the day when the ceremony was filmed. (Images © Official Toyah – See the anniversary British Rock & Pop Awards posts at Toyah’s Official Instagram)

• See Dreamscape’s British Rock & Pop Awards related posts here. Here’s a fantastic shot of Toyah and Joel performing I Want To Be Free at the awards show.

Three from the 80s: The ‘Anthem Tour’, 1981; Toyah and Hazel O’Connor at The British Rock & Pop Awards, 1982; and Toyah, Maril Wilson and Kim Wilde at the launch of ‘Just Seventeen’ magazine, 1983. Please click on each to zoom. (Thanks to Andi)

A short news article on Toyah, by the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, ahead of the Crimson Queen/ Greatest Hits…Live! gig in Holmfirth next Friday.

Seventies and 80s pop star Toyah is set to play a live show at the Picturedrome.

In a career spanning over 30 years she has amassed 13 top 40 singles, recorded 20 albums and toured the world. She first emerged in 1977 and by 1979 Toyah’s band was gaining critical success with the debut single, Victims of the Riddle.

A platinum album Anthem followed and in 1981 she featured on the famous Old Grey Whistle Test Christmas Special. The following year saw her winning Best Female Singer at the Rock And Pop Awards.

• Continue reading at the Huddersfield Daily Examiner.

Numerous overseas websites are reporting on The Humans’ forthcoming gigs, taking place in Estonia next Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

THE HUMANS live show is song based but the songs are deconstructed down to the bones of raw experience exposing human nature and irony. Comparisons are always misleading but if The White Stripes met with the vocal adventures of Lou Reed, Kate Bush, Gabriel and Beefheart then you might get a flavour of things to come…

Toyah Willcox began her public life as a stage and television actress, but it is her musical activities that brought about her first real fame. In 1978 she founded the band Toyah. Her singing career took off with hits such as “I Want To Be Free” and “It’s A Mystery”. In 1983, she was voted Best Female Singer at the British Rock and Pop Awards and in 1986 she married avant-garde musician, Robert Fripp.

William “Bill” Rieflin is a contemporary musician and is currently drumming for R.E.M.. In the past he has worked with Ministry, the Revolting Cocks, KMFDM, Pigface, Swans, Chris Cornell, Nine Inch Nails and many others. He is one of the founders of the independent music label First World Music.

Chris Wong is a professional guitarist, bass guitarist, arranger, orchestrator, composer, and musical director. He has worked with artists such as Phil Watts, Mark Rattray, Rox Clayton Scott, and many others. Currently he is Toyah Willcox’s musical director and guitarist.

The most unusual concerts of Jazzkaar’s Autumn Jazz bring together rock musicians from the USA, UK and Germany – Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin and Chris Wong as The Humans and Pat Mastelotto and Markus Reuter as Tuner.

Thursday 25th October – Tallin Rock Cafe, Estonia
Friday 26th October – Tartu, Jaani Church, Estonia
Saturday 27th October – Viljandi, Estonia

Source: www.jazzkaar.ee

“Thank You Steve Wright for being the kindest, brilliant, incredibly entertaining legend in radio. You always welcomed me in and I love you for that. Heaven has gained an Angel xxx”

Toyah shared the above message and a photo taken at The British Rock & Pop Awards on 8th February 1982 at the London Lyceum, in memory of Steve Wright, who died this week.

This was sad news, I grew up in the eighties and remember listening to Steve Wright In The Afternoon on Radio 1. (Photo © Barry Plummer)

• Toyah At Home: I Want To Be Free/British Rock & Pop Awards – Watch… • Robert At Home: Episode 18 – Watch… • Toyah & Robert – Upbeat Moments Of The Week – Watch… • Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch – My Favourite Game – Watch…

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

• Guitar.Com: Toyah And Robert Fripp Back With Chill Cover Of The Cardigans’ My Favourite Game For Sunday Lunch: Plus an ending you wouldn’t expect – Continue…

• NME: Toyah and Robert Fripp cover The Cardigans’ ‘My Favourite Game’: The husband-and-wife duo offer a pared-back rendition of the 1998 hit – Continue…

• Brooklyn Vegan: Watch Toyah & Robert Fripp cover The Cardigans’ “My Favourite Game” – Continue…

• Far Out: Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp share cover of ‘My Favourite Game’ by The Cardigans – Continue…

• Brave Words: Robert Fripp & Toyah Perform The Cardigans’ “My Favourite Game” – Continue…

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

Four More From Toyah is reissued on Special Neon Violet Vinyl by Cherry Red Records on Friday 9th December 2022.

PRE-ORDER NOW

Limited quantity of limited edition postcard available from Cherry Red Records whilst stocks last. (NB. These sold out almost immediately)

The release expands the 1981 EP ‘Four More From Toyah’ into an eight- track mini-LP, compiled by Craig Astley and newly remastered from the original master tapes.
Originally released in late November 1981 and lead by the track ‘Good Morning Universe’, the EP was the fourth top 20 charting single for the band in that year, following the ‘Four From Toyah’ EP (lead by ‘It’s A Mystery’), ‘I Want To Be Free’ and ‘Thunder In The Mountains’.

The EP was the first material to be studio-recorded since the departure of drummer Nigel Glockler who was replaced by Simon Phillips. This EP contains eight tracks recorded by the line- up of Toyah Willcox (vocals), Joel Bogen (guitarist, co-writer and co-founder of the Toyah band), Adrian Lee (keyboards), Phil Spalding (bass) and the newly recruited Simon Phillips (drums).

Side A contains all four of the tracks from the original EP.

Side B opens with the previously unreleased, studio recorded tour intro track ‘Go Berserk’, including new vocals and snatches of lyrics from ‘Neon Womb’ and ‘Urban Tribesmen’ plus new dialogue that leads to a chilling crescendo. ‘Go Berserk’ was played before the band walked on stage on the European Tour of winter 1981. It is swiftly followed by the newly remastered ‘Stand Proud’ which often featured as the first song played live (directly after Go Berserk had finished). The track originally appeared on a flexi-disc with initial copies of the ‘Four More From Toyah’ EP.

The third track is ‘Clapham Junction’, an out-take that began in the session for the single ‘Thunder In The Mountains’, was finished with new drum parts from Simon Phillips and vocals/ lyrics from Toyah.

The final track is the last session recorded by this line-up and hails from February 1982. This previously unreleased re-recording of the hit single ‘I Want To Be Free’ was produced by Steve Lillywhite in the Roundhouse Studios and went on to be used as the basis of the band’s television performance on the British Rock & Pop Awards when Toyah was awarded Best Female Singer in early 1982. This track has not previously been released.

All eight tracks are remastered by Nick Watson at Fluid Mastering and approved by Joel Bogen. The sleeve contains an out-take of the EP photography from the Safari archives plus full lyrics on a newly designed inner bag. Initial quantities come with an exclusive postcard.

• Pre-Order Four More From Toyah on Neon Violet Vinyl at Cherry Red (The limited edition with postcard sold out almost immediately!). Read the press release – and see the full tracklist, which includes two previously unreleases tracks – at toyahwillcox.com.

Toyah – Main Stage, Sunday

Singer, TV presenter, actress, producer… is there any limit to what Toyah Willcox can do? She started out in Derek Jarman’s punk epic Jubilee in 1977 and also starred in Quadrophenia. Then she broke in to singing with her first album becoming a Top 40 hit, producing singles that captured the feeling of the eighties; It’s a Mystery and I want to be free. In 1982 she won the Best Female Singer at the Rock & Pop Awards. Over her 30 year career, Toyah has had 13 Top 40 singles and recorded 20 albums.

She’s taken artistic risks and shown her many talents as a singer songwriter and stage performer as well as writing books, making feature films and presenting a wide range of TV programmes. Currently there are more movies in the pipeline and of course live performances coming up for her many die-hard fans.

• Continue reading/Book tickets at the Wychwood Festival 2019 website.

A slightly strange, but interesting, article about Steve Strange: The day I met Steve Strange – after he invited me to his birthday party, has been published by the Mirror. The article includes a selection of photos of Steve, including this one of Toyah and Steve at the British Rock & Pop Awards in 1982. (NB. The post title isn’t a quote by Toyah, they just include a photo of her!)

• Sounds Of The 80s: Toyah’s ‘I Want To Be Free’ was included on the playlist of Sounds Of The 80s on BBC Radio 2 at the weekend, and repeated in the early hours of today – Listen to the show, for the next four weeks (BBC iPlayer, the TV and radio catch-up service, has just extended its programme availability from one week to 30 days), at BBC iPlayer…

• The Talent Zone: Toyah Willcox showcased her home on Through The Keyhole: The actress and eighties music legend, allowed Lemon to roam around her home getting up to all sorts including allowing Toyah’s pet rabbit to break her rather expensive guitar – Continue reading…

• Music For Stowaways: British Rock & Pop Awards 1979-1981: From 1982 (confusingly the 1981 ceremony thanks to the year numbering) onwards, the British Rock & Pop Awards were happening concurrently with the British Record Industry Awards (later the BPI Awards, and even later the BRIT Awards) – Continue reading…

• John’s Look-Out: Reboot…1981 No.49… Here you go with another issue, it’s No.49 – A classic Toyah ‘Look-In’ cover from 1981 – View here…

Pay a visit to Dreamscape’s shiny new Facebook page, and please give us a “like” while you are there.  Over the last few days we’ve been posting lots of Toyah bits & pieces, as well as various “collections”, including The Blue Meaning, Thunder In The Mountains, Brave New World, The Ieya Tour 1980, Rock & Pop Awards 1982 and Melissa Caplan.

More great Toyah photos from the early 80s, both rarely seen shots from well-known photo sessions. The first is from the famous 1981 “leopard print” shoot and the other from thw ‘Daily Mirror’ British Rock & Pop Awards shoot in 1982. Click below to zoom. (Thanks to Kev Tucker and Ray Sears, and also Andrew York for colouring the 1981 photo)

Just three days to go…

A short excerpt from Toyah’s autobiography, published in August 2000, ‘Living Out Loud’.

Toyah talks about ‘The Changeling’, and some of the events of 1982: Winning ‘Best Female Singer’ at The British Rock & Pop Awards, sacking her manager, feeling that her images and hairstyles were becoming outdated etc.

Toyah also mentions the reasons why herself and Joel decided to record an album with much darker themes after the huge success of ‘Anthem’ the year before.

• Listen to ‘The Changeling’ set of Toyah interviews and audio, at ‘Soundcloud’, here.

The 1-14 April, 1982 issue of ‘Smash Hits’ has just been added to the ‘Like Punk Never Happened – Smash Hits Archive’.

Just a small news article (in Bitz!) on Toyah this fortnight, accompanied by this great photo from the 1982 Rock & Pop Awards: If you haven’t managed to secure tickets for Toyah’s forthcoming tour, here’s a flicker of light on the horizon. The 32 year old has just added an extra show at Sheffield City Hall on June 18th and two extras at London’s Hammersmith Odeon on July 17 and 18. Tickets cost £5, £4.50 and £4.

In addition to the tour she’s recording a new album for release in June. On April 25 she appears on telly in a play called “Blue Marigolds” which kicks off the new teeth-chattering series of Tales Of The Unexpected. This girl deserves a holiday.

View scans of the full issue, and every previous issue of ‘Smash Hits’, here.

The 18-31 March 1982 issue of ‘Smash Hits’ has just been added to the excellent ‘Like Punk Never Happened – Smash Hits Archive‘.

This issue features a plethora of various Toyah content, including:

Free huge poster (Toyah on one side, The Human League on the other), photo from the ‘Rock & Pop Awards 1982’, a full-page advert for the VHS release of Urgh! A Music War, and Toyah as a toddler on a donkey in the ‘From The Cots’ photo feature.

View scans of the full issue, and every previous issue of ‘Smash Hits’, here.