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Toyah Live 2024: Music In The Park

October 26th, 2023

Love really hurts without…Music in the Park!

The legendary Billy Ocean, the Aussie heartthrob, Jason Donovan and voice of a generation, Heather Small are confirmed to headline the brilliant Music in the Park 2024 alongside a stellar line up of amazing 80s and 90s acts.

Joining the incredible headliners are:

Katrina (formerly of Katrina and the Waves), Toyah, Sonia, Pat Sharp (DJ Set) – back by popular demand!!, Nathan Moore from Brother Beyond, Angie Brown, Bez (DJ Set) and Rowetta (Live), Boomin.

The amazing event will once again take place at Worden Park in Leyland on Sunday 26 May 2024.

Nearly 4,000 people came along South Ribble for the biggest party of the year in 2023 and tickets for the 2024 event are on sale now.

• Continue reading at South Ribble. See more details and book tickets at the Music In The Park website.

Reviews: Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch Tour – Liverpool

October 18th, 2023

Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
16th October 2023

Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp bring their Bonkers Web show Sunday Lunch to the stage and Del Pike is there to watch the madness unfold.

What started as a fun diversion from the horrors of Covid – Toyah and Robert’s Sunday Lunch has bloomed into an ongoing project with an army of cult followers – who’d have thought it?

Their appearance at Glasto cemented the idea that their online videos were more than a passing fad, and this was a piss-take that had actual legs.

The premise; Robert Fripp, he of King Crimson fame, stares intently at a static camera, seated in his kitchen, strumming along to a classic pop/rock hit, whilst his wife, Toyah Willcox frantically sings along, manically striking shapes and dancing feverishly around the domestic studio. And all this happens at midday every Sunday.

The results are hilarious mainly, unnerving often, but always entertaining. Toyah’s outfits, which are always comically revealing, are as much a feature as the songs and performances, and often there may be a masked collaborator to add a bit of meat to the musical bones.

• Continue reading at Louder Than War. Browse a gallery of photos from this concert at Record Collector.

Reader’s Digest: If I Ruled The World – Toyah Willcox

October 18th, 2023

Toyah’s full “If I Ruled The World” Reader’s Digest Q&A is now available online…

If you want to eat meat you should have to raise and respectfully take the lives of your own animals
I am very passionate that animals have souls, and most religions say that they don’t. Animals experience empathy, joy and pain. We do not have a right to kill them en masse.

I have never met an animal that does not have empathy. As you get older I think it’s a lot better for you to have a very dominantly vegetarian diet.

There will be a National Concert Day
I used to live in Menton in France and they would have a national concert day, but I don’t think that’s what it was called. Every school would take the school orchestra out into the square. They would play music and the dance classes would do dance. It was a very beautiful spectacle. I’ve seen it in Israel as well. On one day per week in Israel, most communities will go and dance in the square, with live musicians playing.

• Continue reading at Reader’s Digest.

Films: Weightless Wins NRFF Award

October 12th, 2023

Isle of Wight film starring Toyah wins film festival award

A short film, shot on the Isle of Wight and starring Toyah Willcox, has won an award at the New Renaissance Film Festival (NRFF) in London.

Weightless was produced by Ventnor’s Rowena Amos, through 9 of Cups Productions.

It was made on the Island in 2022 and Toyah was spotted filming on beaches here, in Freshwater and Ventnor.

The project also featured a host of well-known Isle of Wight names, including photographer Gianpaolo Mario Giancovich, and musicians JC Grimshaw and Angelina Grimshaw – the latter working with the crew on costumes.

This week, Weightless picked up the NRFF’s prize for Best Female-led Short.

The film was directed by Lois Norman and the music was by King Crimson, Toyah’s husband, Robert Fripp.

A trailer was released in May.

• Continue reading at the Isle Of Wight County Press. See also Yahoo! News.

Harrogate Informer: Toyah & Robert Live! – In Pictures

October 12th, 2023

In pictures: Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp at the Royal Hall in Harrogate

Toyah and Robert’s Sunday Lunch is a YouTube channel that they started during the days of Government lockdowns.

Toyah and Robert have been married since the mid-80’s. Robert is perhaps best know for being the founder of King Crimson, but has many, many other credits to how bow, such as playing on Blondies, Parallel Lines, and Bowie’s, Heroes.

Toyah also has an established history in music with It’s a Mystery, Thunder in the Mountains and I Want to Be Free – to name a few.

They were a welcome addition to the Royal Hall in Harrogate, on Saturday 7 October 2023.

• Continue reading at the Harrogate Informer.  Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch Tour is on the road now – Browse venues at toyahwillcox.com.

Facts.Net: 11 Mind-Blowing Facts About Toyah Willcox

October 12th, 2023

If you’re a fan of the music, film, and theater industry, you’ve likely heard of the iconic British singer and actress, Toyah Willcox. With her unique style, powerful voice, and dynamic stage presence, she has captivated audiences for decades. But there’s much more to Toyah than meets the eye. In this article, we’ll delve into 11 mind-blowing facts that shed light on her incredible career, personal life, and enduring influence on the entertainment world. From her early beginnings in Birmingham to her chart-topping hits and iconic film roles, get ready to discover the fascinating journey of Toyah Willcox and learn why she continues to be an indomitable force in the industry.

• Continue reading at Facts.Net.

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Reviews: Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch Tour – Cheltenham

October 5th, 2023

A second review of Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch Rock Party Tour – this one for the second concert at Cheltenham. Again, this review includes spoilers.

Gig Review: Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp
“Sunday Lunch” Cheltenham 1st October 2023

Accompanying me for this gig was a friend who started his musical journey at the same moment in time as myself – late 70s to early 80s – and aside from our ailments, all we talk about is music. However, little did I know the entire night was to be all about relationships…

The grandiose setting would have seemed incongruous a few decades ago for the Punk-pixie Toyah Willcox. The galleried space and Corinthian columns are very much of the classic style. However, I guess the contemporary Toyah too is very much the classic heritage act.

Together with her husband Robert Fripp, the duo have been framing their love of music with regular “Sunday Lunch” uploads on YouTube. The covering of classic songs has amassed a huge following and even bigger reactions. The premise is one of fun and self-parody. Tonight was no different…

As the statesmen of the stage, Fripp took to his stool, after offering an unconditional kiss for his iconic guitar. Although, for the remainder of the gig the guitarist’s unflinching gaze was reserved, hereon in, for his wife of 37 years. Unapologetically, their relationship was at the crux of the show.

• Continue reading at Slap Mag. Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch Tour is on the road now – Browse venues at toyahwillcox.com.

Reviews: Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch Tour

October 4th, 2023

A comprehensive review of the opening – sold out – date of Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch Tour. Please note, this review includes spoilers, such as the full set-list etc.

Wimborne, Tivoli Theatre
Saturday 30 September 2023

This is where it started, during lockdown. It’s had 120 million views. Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox broadcasting totally unexpected duo renditions from home. It went viral. People looked forward to it.

The Tivoli sold out in hours rather than days. Wimborne, Dorset is Robert Fripp’s home town. As explained tonight he first went to the Tivoli when it was a cinema with his sister (who was running the lobby sales stand tonight) when he was five. He proposed to Toyah thirty-seven years ago just along the road. He is the local hero. They could easily have sold out Bournemouth Pavilion judging by the way tickets flew off the shelf. I expect they could have sold out the cavernous BIC, but no, it’s a home town gig in the Tivoli. While it’s a small venue, I have seen such as Robert Plant, Judy Collins, Albert Lee and The Manfreds there.

For many of us in this audience Robert Fripp goes back to The League of Gentlemen and Giles, Giles and Fripp as well as King Crimson. As I increasingly realised working on the record labels on my Around & Around site, we were privileged to live in 60s Bournemouth. (The ‘Greater’ Bournemouth area includes Poole, Christchurch and Wimborne). Robert Fripp, John Wetton, Greg Lake, Michael Giles, Richard Palmer-James, Gordon Haskell (just to name King Crimson connections first), Lee Kerslake (The Gods, Uriah Heep), Zoot Money, Andy Somers (Police), Tim Mycroft (Sounds Nice), Al Stewart, John Rostill (The Shadows), Bob Jenkins (Room, Be Sharp), Pete Ballam (Bram Stoker), Dave Anthony’s Moods, Trendsetters Ltd, The Dowlands. Check out the Bournemouth Beat Boom website for the most detailed information on all of these. As a booming tourist town, Bournemouth simply had far more venues than most places so spawned bands who could actually find plenty of gigs.

• Continue reading at Peter Viney’s Blog. Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch Tour is on the road now – Browse venues at toyahwillcox.com. (Photo © Peter Viney)

Retropop: Toyah – The Changeling

September 28th, 2023

Released: September 29

Cherry Red Records is delighted to announce the remastered release of Toyah’s 1982 Silver certified-selling album “The Changeling”. The Changeling is the darker, more grown-up sequel to the previous year’s Platinum-selling album Anthem. The Changeling entered the UK Top 40 in June 1982, peaking at No. 6.

Produced by the acclaimed Steve Lillywhite, the album features a line-up of Toyah Willcox (vocals), Joel Bogen (guitar), the late Phil Spalding (bass) and the revered Simon Phillips (drums). The album also features guest synthesizers/keyboards from Andy Clark (David Bowie’s Super Monster (And Super Creeps, member of Be Bop Deluxe) and Simon Darlow. The brass section from Haircut 100 also features on Street Creature.

For the tenth overall release of the Toyah Safari Records catalogue on Cherry Red, Toyah’s archivist Craig Astley has dug deep to expand the album with a treasure trove of previously unheard bonus tracks, previously unseen footage and unseen, previously thought-lost, imagery.

• Continue reading at Retropop.

Basingstoke Gazette: Win Toyah & Robert Tickets

September 28th, 2023

Win: Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp coming to Basingstoke

Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp are going on tour and will be in Basingstoke in October – and you can win free tickets with the Gazette.

The married pair are bursting out of the kitchen and going on tour with Toyah’s full ‘Posh Pop’ band.

Enjoy an evening of Sunday Lunch reminiscing and full rock music, familiar from their hit YouTube series, with Robert on guitar.

With the exciting artistic twists that both Robert and Toyah are renowned for, they’ll perform Toyah’s hits such as It’s A Mystery and I Want To Be Free, plus many much-loved songs, including My Generation, Heroes, Teenage Kicks, Rebel Yell, Slave To The Rhythm, Smoke On The Water, Are You Gonna Go My Way, Paranoid, and more.

• Continue reading, and enter the competition to win gig tickets, at the Basingstoke Gazette.

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

September 28th, 2023

Saturday Song: In The Fairground (Live 1982 Vintage) – Watch… • Toyah & Robert: UpBeat MomentsWatch… • Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch – Silverchair! – Watch…

Press for Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch – This week covering Freak by Silverchair. (Image © Toyah Willcox)

Brooklyn Vegan: Watch Toyah & Robert Fripp cover Silverchair’s “Freak” – Continue…

Brave Words: Robert Fripp & Toyah Get Their “Freak” On With Silverchair Cover: New Sunday Lunch Video Streaming – Continue…

Far Out: Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp cover Silverchair’s ‘Freak’ in new ‘Sunday Lunch’ video – Continue…

Official Toyah TikTok: Freak – Continue…

DGM Live: Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch – Continue…

Evesham Journal: Partying In Burford

September 24th, 2023

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen party with Toyah Willcox and Jilly Cooper

Rock and roll royalty, authors and artists all congregated at an art gallery in Burford to see the opening night of Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen’s first solo painting exhibition.

The interior designer – who lives in Siddington with his wife Jackie and is best known for appearing on BBC programme Changing Rooms – has recently turned his back on presenting to pursue more creative aspirations.

• Continue reading at the Evesham Journal. See also Wilts & Gloucestershire Standard.

Great British Life: At Home In The Cotswolds

September 21st, 2023

At Home In The Cotswolds with Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp

Fancy a delicious treat? Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp are taking their stonkingly popular Sunday Lunch rock video-performances on tour. Katie Jarvis asks all the important questions, including which of them does the washing up

It’s the first week of lockdown: a Sunday in April 2020. Six-am and a warm sun is rising.

In the outside world (whatever that might mean in April 2020), everyone is feeling unnerved; scared, even. The pandemic has started; people are prisoners in their own homes; time on their hands but – in a possible first – no one has the slightest idea what to do with it.

Oh – except for Toyah Willcox, that is.

Out in the garden of her Pershore home, she’s doing what she feels to be The Obvious. ‘If we’re stuck in this house for weeks,’ she thinks, ‘I’m going to put a ball gown on.’

Which she does. Pearlescent, fishtail, clingy, strappy, sheer; one of those inspired charity-shop buys.

• Continue reading at Great British Life.

Guitar.Com: Sunday Lunch – The Movie… More Press!

September 16th, 2023

Toyah Willcox says a Sunday Lunch movie is in the works

She says there’s a documentary crew following her and her husband Robert Fripp and “quite a big” production company working on an idea.

According to a new interview with Toyah Willcox, a Sunday Lunch movie is in the works.

Willcox and her husband, King Crimson‘s Robert Fripp might be accomplished musicians in their own right, but they shot to prominence with a new audience at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when they began uploading videos to YouTube.

Entitled Toyah and Robert’s Sunday Lunch, their videos feature covers of well-known songs, with their cover of Metallica‘s Enter Sandman receiving over 8.4 million views to date.

They’ve been on tour with it, and now it looks as though there’s even going to be a movie too. Speaking to eonmusic, Willcox explains, “Well, the Sunday Lunch phenomenon, which is a worldwide phenomenon which a movie’s being made about, it’s basically, we picked up on classic rock, and our treatment of rock is; if you can teach Mozart and Beethoven in schools, then why can’t you teach classic rock? Because that’s what it is now; rock from Led Zeppelin, rock from Black Sabbath; it’s classic, it’s never going to go away. And it’s something that I think, kids would really love learning about.”

Continue reading at Guitar.Com. See also: NME, Far Out Magazine, Metal Injection.

Photogroupie: Toyah Interviewed At Rewind South

September 16th, 2023

“WE ARE PRESENTING THE SHOW WITH WHAT WE REGARD AS CLASSIC MUSIC NOW” TOYAH TALKS SUNDAY LUNCH

Toyah is an 80s culteral icon. From punk princess to film and stage actor, presenter, author, and torch carrier for those who relish being an outsider. Aside from her 80s hits including ‘It’s A Mystery’ and ‘Thunder in The Mountains, Toyah and her husband Robert Fripp have transcended generation gaps and brought us great music and performances with their legendary Sunday Lunch shows on social media.

We caught up with Toyah at Rewind South

PHOTOGROUPIE
How does it feel to be back at Rewind?

TOYAH
I love it. I do 20 minutes. Every other night I’m doing two and a half hours, so this is really lovely. It’s fun. I can give it 150% and not worry about act two.

PHOTOGROUPIE
Now I know you’re on the road with Robert tell us about that.

TOYAH
I’m on the road now. I’ve been on the road since March. The Sunday lunch official tour starts at the end of September through October.

• Continue reading at Photogroupie.

Classic Rock/Louder: Sunday Lunch – The Movie

September 15th, 2023

“It’s a worldwide phenomenon!” Toyah reveals that talks have begun to make Toyah and Robert’s Sunday Lunch: The Movie a reality

Who’s ready for Toyah and Robert Fripp’s Sunday Lunch on the ‘silver screen’?

Toyah has revealed that discussions have begun on making a movie of the hugely popular YouTube series Sunday Lunch she hosts with her partner, Robert Fripp.

The series, which sees the former punk heroine and King Crimson’s leader cover songs from their kitchen in Pershore, Worcestershire, started life during lockdown, and has grown into a “phenomenon”, according to the singer. There are currently 147 videos filed under the Sunday Lunch banner.

Toyah made the revelation while speaking to eonmusic’s Eamon O’Neill ahead of her performance at Rewind South in Henley-on-Thames in August.

On how the YouTube series has taken off, Toyah says, “Sunday Lunch came about because we posted one clip, 28 seconds, something like 19th of April 2020, and we had 100,000 replies within five minutes from people who were just desperate, absolutely desperate. They were on their own. They were in lockdown. They didn’t know when they’d be able to leave their apartments, and we, Robert and I realised that this was at that particular time, a very lonely and frightened world. So we decided to keep posting, and it grew from there.

• Continue reading at Classic Rock/Louder. See also: Ultimate Classic Rock, Loudwire, Brave Words, Metal Sucks.

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.