.Wednesday
30th September, 2009 • Thanks to
John Wain.......Magazines
Toyah is
the cover star of the October
2009 issue of 'GScene/Out &
About' supplement. She previously
appeared on the cover of the
Brighton magazine back in
November 2007. There is also a
half page article,
"Fangtastic Toyah!", in
the main 'Gscene' magazine. Both
publications can be viewed online
here.
.Leighton
Buzzard Online - Punk Queen Toyah
Makes Vampires Rock
Music
legend steals spotlight from
larger-than-life showman
Vampires are riding high in the
popularity stakes at the moment
– in fact there's never been
a better time to get your teeth
sunk into the genre whether it's
a movie, TV series or musical.
Because Vampires Rock is a
musical with bite. It's been
touring the country for the past
couple of years and is gaining
almost cult status among the bad
and demonic.
And for the first time locally it
had the endorsement of one of
music's great legends.
1980s punk queen Toyah decided to
join in the fun and the
51-year-old star soon showed she
had lost none of her edge as a
singer. She appeared at select
performances last year but we've
had to wait until now for the
Quadrophenia star to grace the
intimate (some would call it
snug) stage at The Stables.
Until now frontman Steve
Steinman, who originally found
success as a Meat Loaf tribute
act, has lorded over the
proceedings. It is, after all,
his show. But Toyah really is a
scene stealer.
Despite coming on in the most
outrageous fetish costumes and
ridiculous head gear that looked
like she'd raided Grace Jones'
dressing-up box Toyah's
appearances took the show to a
new level.
There is a
new Vampires Rock CD
available. Vampires Rock - The
Album 2009 Featuring Toyah is a
2CD recording of the hit
show/tour. It costs £10 and can
be ordered online at the Official
Vampires Rock
Merchandise store here.
Toyah will
be attending the charity preview
screening event of Three To
Tango at the Everyman
Belsize Park. There will be a
limited number of tickets
available for the screening. The
event, taking place on Tuesday
20th October, in support of
Breakthrough Breast Cancer, will
also include a Q&A session.
Three to
Tango: Charity Preview + Q&A
Everyman
Belsize Park is pleased to host
this exclusive preview in support
of Breakthrough Breast Cancer.
The historic
Hampstead Everyman features
prominently in this sparkling new
comedy set in Belsize Park and
Hampstead. Shot on location in
April all over NW3, Three to
Tango celebrates life, love,
laughter and the joy of
friendship and community.
Michelle, Olivia and Lizzie were
best friends at university. A
team. But that was 30 years
ago. One failed marriage, an
empty nest, stunted careers, and
a farewell to sex and
romance... Does the
approach of a critical birthday
mean an end to youthful
aspirations? Not on your life!
"You have to take risks in
life. And have some fun along the
way or what's the point?"
Michelle (Toyah
Willcox), Olivia (Brümilda van
Rensburg) and Lizzie (Robin
Craig) are the "fifty,
fierce and fabulous" trio
who reunite in London and take on
the world. Olivia longs for
freedom and a fresh start.
Lizzie's goal is love with the
right "bad boy". And
Michelle? Her dream is
impossible... or so it seems. She
can't succeed on her own. But
there's a bigger community out
there. In life as with lovers:
"One is impossible. Three's
a good start"
Also starring Margaret Nolan,
Shirley Anne Field, Kara Wilson,
Richard Bremmer, Hilton McCrae,
Ellen Collier and Jeremy
Sheffield. It is never too
late to go after your
dreams…
This
screening is in support of breast
cancer awareness month and
emphasising the themes of
community and the joys of
maturity, all proceeds of the
event are to benefit Breakthrough
Breast Cancer, a charity and a
cause to which the producers are
dedicated. To find out more about
Breakthrough Breast Cancer click here
This exclusive event
will be attended by well-known
celebrities, and will feature a
red-carpet champagne reception,
charity auction, first-ever
public screening of Three to
Tango and a Q&A session by
the stars and director.
Please click here for further details
on the Three To Tango
event.
Coleen Nolan is just
about to publish her
autobiography. It is currently
being serialised in 'The Mirror'
and today's extract includes a
short passage with Coleen
commenting on when she met Toyah:
"Next the cameras followed
me as I went to meet singer Toyah
Willcox, who has spent a small
fortune on her face.
Toyah openly admits that her
insecurities about her looks
culminated with her stint on I'm
A Celebrity..., when she was
upset by how old she appeared.
Afterwards she decided to have
surgery and write a book about
her experiences.
While Toyah looked amazing and
was really candid about going
under the knife, I could tell
she'd been seduced by it all. It
made me wonder if, once you start
tampering, you will ever be
satisfied or stop?"
• 'These Boots
Are Made For Walkin' is going
down a storm in New York, at The
Bunkhouse, the legendary Long
Island gay club. Clubbers have
been enquiring about a dance
remix. Maybe it's time to get
Ralphi Rosario, Benny Benassi, or
Victor Calderone to do some
humanising? (Thanks to Jimi
Lalumia)
• To the right - The four
photos of Toyah made available
from The Humans' 'Quicksilver'
video shoot.
• 'The Echoes Blog' ran an
article on The Humans version of
'These Boots Are Made For
Walkin', commenting: "Toyah
looks and sounds good at
51". Read the full piece here.
• There is now a Wikipedia
page on The Humans. Go here for that. Also,
Bill Rieflin's Wiki, here, gives a brief
overview of his career, including
some of the legendary bands he
has worked/played with over the
years: KMFDM, Ministry, Pigface,
Revolting Cocks, and Swans to
name but a few (we are not
worthy!!)
• Patricia Fripp gave The
Humans, and 'These Boots Are Made
For Walkin', a mention at
'Speaking Pro Central' last week.
Click here to view this.
• 'We Are The Humans' and
'Bootz' are both now available to
download via other online music
stores, as well as the ever
reliable iTunes.
• A very short, and so-so,
review of 'We Are The Humans' by
Viv Hardwick at 'The Northern
Echo'. Check it out here.
A few
screen caps from yesterday's,
rather spookesome, Celeb
Experiences, which aired on
the Unexplained Channel. Toyah,
along with a host of other
well-known faces, talked about
her favourite horror films, books
and writers. She also revealed
what scared her most
("fans"), I think Toyah
was meaning the type Stephen King
wrote about in Misery,
rather than us lot. Maybe ;)
.Inverness
Courier - Toyah Gets Teeth Into
Vampire Tale
Another
new interview with Toyah, from
the 'Inverness Courier'. With
lots of talk about The Humans:
Taking to the stage in the guise
of "The Queen of Hell"
is hardly the expected behaviour
of a former "Songs of
Praise" presenter —
surely Dame Thora Hird would
never have done anything like
this?
Yet Toyah Willcox, who returns to
Eden Court as the infernal
monarch next Thursday in the
horror-musical "Vampires
Rock", has always prided
herself on the diversity of her
career which has taken her from
early starring roles with
independent film-maker Derek
Jarman, to mainstream pop success
as a solo performer in the late
1970s and '80s, to becoming a
regular face on our television
screens as both actress and
presenter, ranging from "The
Teletubbies" to "The
Good Sex Guide" and
"Secret Diary of a Call
Girl".
She has also lodged herself in
the bestseller charts with her
autobiography "Living Out
Loud" and a book about her
experiences of cosmetic surgery,
"Diary Of A Facelift".
If pressed to define herself,
Willcox opts for seeing herself
as a singer and writer and an
actress.
"That's a very wide umbrella
and I don't narrow it down to any
one thing and I never have
done," she said.
"I've always been interested
in diversity and I also like to
shock in my choices, so I'm not
snobby in what I do."
As if to emphasise her varied
career, the "Vampires
Rock" tour, on which she is
"just an employee",
coincides with the release of the
new album by her latest band The
Humans, while in a couple of
weeks time she will also be seen
on screen in BBC 1's
"Casualty".
"The whole point of calling
the band The Humans, is that
humans are contrary and that sums
up my work ethic as well,"
Willcox explained.
"I really love
having variety and 'Vampires' is
a lot of fun. I think where it
works is that everyone in it is
very good at what they do —
great singers, great dancers and
absolutely stunning musicians
— which means we can have a
lot of fun with it. One of the
reasons it works so well is that
we do deliver great music and
there's a lot of fun in
between."
Celeb
Experiences : Unexplained Channel
- Sunday 27th Sep : 5.30pm
A range of celebrities talk about
their paranormal experiences and
beliefs. Featuring John Thompson,
Toyah Willcox and Nicholas
Parsons.
The Unexplained Channel was
previously known, and launched,
as The Paranormal Channel last
year. It was rebranded last
month. Find it on Sky at channel
number 201.
A new
interview with Toyah, just
published by the 'Bournemouth
Daily Echo':
Toyah story: Faith Eckersall
talks to Toyah Willcox about
facelifts, age perception and
spray-on devil suits
Is Toyah Willcox a busy woman?
Does Michelle Obama love a
cardigan? The pop
star/actress/writer/performer
never seems to stop.
Twenty albums, 40 singles,
movies, musicals, pantomime,
Shakespeare, Songs of Praise;
just reading about it is enough
to make the rest of us feel like
idle, useless slugs.
“I’ve been in the
business for 32 years so
I’ve managed to cram a lot
in,” she says, modestly.
And cram it she has. Since her
first appearance all those years
ago in Jubilee, Derek
Jarman’s chronicle of
everyday punk folk (via the days
of Elizabeth I to London in the
1970s... hmmm...) Toyah has
enjoyed a diverse and
fast-flowing career, as well as
becoming one of those celebrities
about whom few have a bad word to
say.
“People think they know me
which is absolutely fine,”
she says. “People are very
friendly and I don’t think
I’ve ever done anything
which is questionable, or wildly
offensive. I think people feel
familiar with me. It’s very
rewarding.”
We are familiar with her
appearance on everything from
I’m A Celebrity, through to
her blockbusting album, Anthem,
her appearance in Quadrophenia
and her happy marriage to
Wimborne boy and King Crimson
legend Robert Fripp. If we go
along to the Pav-ilion next month
we can become familiar with her
all over again as the Devil Queen
in the rock musical Vampires
Rock.
Toyah loves it. The musical has
been going for around five years
and is already a cult, she
explains. This is partly due to
its exuberant costumes and
staging but also because of the
music – banging favourites
from the likes of Queen, Meat
Loaf, Bon Jovi and Suzi Quattro.
“I love the music, it’s
a great show, doesn’t cut
any corners, it has wonderful
production values and is very
visually exciting,” she
enthuses. “I took Vampires
Rock because it allowed me to
slot my imagery into the show. I
just brought in all my own
costumes; 10 inch shoes, that
kind of thing.”
Images of Toyah’s outfits
include one of her dressed in
spray-on red devil costume for
her role as the Devil Queen.
“When you make your entrance
in that outfit, the audience rise
to their feet,” she says.
Casualty
– Comfort Zone
Saturday 10th October 2009
9.25 - 10.15pm: BBC ONE
www.bbc.co.uk/casualty
Ruth makes an unsettling
discovery, which could have
important consequences for her
career, as the medical drama
continues. And Jordan receives
some unwelcome news about his
future as a doctor.
Rushing through her ward rounds
with Sarah Evans, Ruth slips out
to take a pregnancy test –
which confirms her worst fears.
On their rounds, Sarah advises
Ruth that trying to make it as a
female surgeon is hard and there
can be no room for error. Ruth
later goes to the pharmacy and
collects a pill to terminate the
pregnancy.
Elsewhere, a baby is brought into
casualty with head injuries
resulting from a fall with his
sick mother, Hazel. Ruth
impresses Sarah during surgery on
the baby and, to Jay's pride,
Sarah invites her to the
surgeon's dinner. Torn between
her ambition and her feelings,
will Ruth take the pill?
Jordan's condition continues to
improve but the news is not good
about his future as a doctor.
Frances believes he will be able
to return to work, but only in an
administrative capacity.
Neglecting her work to see Jordan
yet again, Zoe is confronted by a
furious Adam. Hitting back, she
reveals to a shocked ER team that
Jordan is in recovery and that
his tumour has been downgraded.
Meanwhile, down-and-out Alistair
yet again fakes symptoms to call
out the paramedic team in the
hope of seeing Polly.
Ruth is played by Georgia Taylor,
Jordan by Michael French, Sarah
by Julia St John, Hazel by Toyah
Willcox, Jay by Ben Turner,
Frances by Josette Simon, Zoe by
Sunetra Sarker, Adam by Tristan
Gemmill, Alistair by Joe McFadden
and Polly by Sophia Di Martino.
• Vampires
Rock played The Anvil in
Basingstoke last night. Tonight
Toyah, Steve and VR play the
Stafford Gatehouse, and tomorrow
night they are at Cambridge Corn
Exchange. Both these shows are
sold out.
• The latest update to The
Official Vampires Rock
news reveals that there are new
songs in the 2009/10 tour. They
also report that the 2008/09 DVD,
filmed Halloween '08 and
featuring Toyah, is on sale at
every venue.
• Steve Steinman will be
giving away a free pair of
tickets for every Vampires
Rock show from 1st October.
This will be via Twitter. See the
Newsletter at
www.vampiresrock.com for further
info on this.
• 'Wrexham
Chronicle' published a short news
article on Vampires Rock
on Wednesday. It is available to
read here.
• Our interview with John
Wain will be added to the site
next week.
• Keith George, aka The Boy
George Experience, talked about
Toyah in the August issue of 'QX'
magazine: "May found me
performing at Gran Canaria Pride
2009. This year, Toyah Willcox
and Hazel Dean were on the same
night as me, and I have met Hazel
a few times before, but never met
or seen Toyah! Needless to say, I
got more than I wished for - not
just meeting her, but singing and
being touched by her too (check
out the video on YouTube, she
hits my nuts and then hits me in
the head, all by accident, it's
very funny)."
• Check out Dean Stockings' MySpace for another unseen
Toyah photo from the
'Quicksilver' video shoot.
A small
selection of screen caps from the
'These Boots Are Made For Walkin'
video. Please click on the caps
for larger versions. The,
brilliant, video can be viewed at
YouTube here, and the single can
be downloaded from iTunes here.
Toyah's
regenerated Devil Queen for the
2009/10 Vampires Rock
tour. Please click on the picture
for a larger version. The next
show is at The Anvil in
Basingstoke this Thursday. Many
of the forthcoming Vampires
Rock shows have sold out,
please check www.vampiresrock.com for further info.
A selection
of Dreamscape ads, inspired by,
and for, 'We Are The Humans' and
'These Boots Are Made For
Walkin'. Both are digitally
released today. Please click on
the ads for larger versions.
'These Boots Are
Made For Walkin', the debut
single by The Humans (featuring
Robert Fripp), is released as a
digital download today.
The Humans are three people:
Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin (REM)
and Chris Wong. On their first
single release, These Boots Are
Made For Walkin' due for digital
release on Monday 21 September,
they are joined by legendary
guitarist and musician Robert
Fripp.
This new cover version, a 21st
century twist on the Nancy
Sinatra classic, is very much the
sum of the disparate parts. Its
deconstructed style, taken still
further on their new album, is a
radical departure for Toyah who
conceived the band.
'These Boots Are Made For Walkin'
will be available via iTunes,
Amazon, 7digital, Play.com, HMV,
Tesco and other digital music
vendors.
Click on the cover
to go to iTunes.
.The Humans -
We Are The Humans - Digital
Release Today
'We Are The Humans',
the debut album by The Humans, is
released as a digital download
today.
The Humans are three people:
Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin (REM)
and Chris Wong.
Produced by Bill Rieflin, the
band's 10-song debut album was
mixed in Seattle by Rieflin and
Don Gunn and mastered by Simon
Heyworth (Tubular Bells, Brian
Eno) in Devon, UK.
Previously available only as a
limited edition in Estonia, 'We
Are The Humans', is released
digitally on 21 September
alongside 'These Boots Are Made
For Walkin'. The digital releases
will be available via iTunes,
Amazon, 7digital, Play.com, HMV,
Tesco and other digital music
vendors. A new edition of the
album featuring the single as a
bonus track will be available to
buy from remembertheeighties.com
from October.
There's
just two days until The Humans
single and album will be
available to download. Here are
three videos from the band at
YouTube: 'We Are The Humans',
'Quicksilver' and the new single
'These Boots Are Made For
Walkin'.
.Three To
Tango - PR Releases
.Friday
18th September, 2009 • Thanks to
Sharyn Wortman...............Film
The PR Releases for Three
To Tango were issued today,
in anticipation of the Press
Preview screenings taking place
over the next few weeks. To the
right is a great new Three To
Tango photo, and below some
info from one of the Releases.
Once upon a time when actresses
turned 50 they were destined for
character parts - or no parts at
all. After the phenomenal success
of Calendar Girls and Mamma Mia
big studios are belatedly waking
up to the potential of portraying
older women. The producers of
Three to Tango have been aware of
this audience for years and are
about to shoot a low budget
feature film with three 50+
actresses who are fifty, fierce
and fabulous.
Toyah Willcox -
“Michelle” - is a
household name with a
multi-faceted career as an
actress, singer, author and TV
host. Toyah has had 13 top 40
singles, recorded 20 albums,
written 2 books, appeared in over
40 stage plays, made 10 feature
films and presented hundreds of
television programs.
Brümilda van Rensburg
– “Olivia” - is a
multi award-winning actress from
Johannesburg. She currently stars
in the South African drama
"Egoli" and has
appeared in over 70 different
theatre, film and television
productions.
Robin Craig
– “Lizzie” - is an
award-winning Canadian actress
well known for her TV, film and
stage performances seen in Canada
and the U.S. She won a Gemini
award (best supporting actress)
for her role in the
internationally acclaimed series
"Wind at My Back" and
was nominated three times for the
Dora Mavor Moore award.
Three to Tango
demonstrates just how interesting
and capable older women can be
when the film is launched this
Autumn. Listen out for these more
experienced female voices -
we’ll be hearing them loud,
clear, and more often
from now on. For more information
visit www.threetotango.com
Fan,
friend, and cameo star of the
fantastic 'These Boots Are Made
For Walkin' video by The Humans,
John "Ruby" Wain.
Dreamscape will be bringing you
an exclusive interview with John
very soon. Thanks to Dean &
John for the exclusive photo
below. The full version will
accompany John's interview.
• Check out
Robert Fripp's Online Diary here and here for a preview of
Toyah's silver Devil Queen
costume. The third show of the
2009 Vampires Rock tour
is this Friday at Southend Cliffs
Pavilion. (Thanks to PJ)
• To the right - My best
birthday present - One of my
friends made me a wonderful
Toyah/'Rolling Stone' mock
magazine cover. I totally love
it. Especially the beautiful
photo used - Thanks Andi :)
Please click on it for a larger
version.
• Steve Riley's solo art
show opens in New York on 4th
October. Steve has said this will
include some Toyah influenced
pieces - www.steverileyart.com
•
www.remembertheeighties.com
include Toyah and The Humans in
their latest News update.
Euphonix.com have an
interesting Artist Profile on Don
Gunn at their website.
Don is an engineer, mixer,
producer, and musician from
Seattle, USA. He recorded and
mixed 'We Are The Humans'.
Don Gunn is a recording
engineer/mixer, producer and
drummer who has been recording
artists and bands for over 14
years in the Seattle area. Don
started Gropius Mastering in
1997, but recently returned to
the more creative side of
producing, recording and mixing.
He primarily works at Two Sticks
Audio in Seattle, a brand new
room built by Jason McGerr from
Death Cab for Cutie, but also
Studio Litho and other fine rooms
around Seattle. Don has also
written an instructional book on
Apple's Logic Pro DAW.
Toyah Willcox,
renowned singer, writer and
actor, speaks out about rabbits
and adds her voice to the Make
Mine Chocolate! campaign.
What about Toyahs own rabbit? A
lovely white rabbit called
Willyfred who is loved beyond
anything else in the world..
Toyah Writes...
Rabbits are beautiful, responsive
and intelligent creatures.
Like human beings, rabbits
respond to sensitive, intelligent
and instinctive love. They enjoy
company, revel in being given
attention and love to be clean
and well fed.
Please, please don't believe a
rabbit is a pet for a child
unless you, as an adult are
prepared to love and care for the
precious creature too.
Too many rabbits suffer
abandoned, lonely and sometimes
brutal lives. A rabbit is one of
gods creatures too, so please
don't buy one on an impulse just
for a child.
Added to
The Official Toyah You Tube last
night, the online video for
'These Boots Are Made For Walkin'
by The Humans (featuring Robert
Fripp), with Toyah looking
fantastic! The full-length Lips version of the
video is also online.
The
Humans are featured at AWAL,
complete with an interesting new
photo of the band.
THE HUMANS are three people:
Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin (REM)
and Chris Wong. On their first
single release, These Boots Are
Made For Walkin’, they are
joined by legendary guitarist and
musician Robert Fripp.
This new cover version, a 21st
century twist on the Nancy
Sinatra classic, is very much the
sum of the disparate parts. Its
deconstructed style, taken still
further on their new album, is a
radical departure for Toyah (who
already has 20 albums and 13 Top
40 singles to her credit) who
conceived the band. It is due for
digital release on iTunes on
Monday 21st September, alongside
the album, We Are The Humans.
Toyah's
September blog has been added to The Official
Toyah MySpace and www.toyahwillcox.com. Toyah speaks
further about her dad, plus lots
of news on The Humans, including
gigs for 2010, Three To Tango,
a new song called '21st Century
Supersister', Vampires Rock,
and much more.
News at The
Official Toyah website has been
updated today, with confirmation
that the debut single by The
Humans, 'These Boots Are Made For
Walkin', will be released as a
digital download next Monday,
21st September. Not only that,
but the album 'We Are The Humans'
will also be given a digital
release on the same day. Both
will be available from iTunes,
Amazon, 7digital, Play.com, HMV,
Tesco and other digital music
stores.
A new edition of 'We
Are The Humans', featuring 'These
Boots Are Made For Walkin' as a
bonus track, will be available at
www.remembertheeighties.com from
October.
.Bury Free
Press - Toyah’s Loving A Job
Which Is ‘Such A Laugh’
A new
Vampires Rock interview with
Toyah, from the 'Lifestyle'
section of 'Bury Free Press':
Versatile is the word Toyah
Willcox must have on her CV. From
her days as a pop star in the
1980s to her stage turn as
Calamity Jane and her latest
foray into the dark world of
vampires, there’s probably
nothing she can’t or
won’t to.
And even your average toddler
will recognise her distinctive
voice as she voices the titles
for the popular
Teletubbies programmes –
uttering the immortal words
‘The sun is setting in the
sky, Teletubbies say
goodbye’.
Toyah heads to Cambridge at the
end of the month and stars as the
Devil Queen in Vampires Rock.
The show pays homage to massive,
loud songs from the likes of
Meatloaf, AC/DC, Bon Jovi and
Guns and Roses and tells the
story of Baron Von Rockula (Steve
Steinman) and his bid to rid
himself of his wife, Toyah’s
2,000-year-old Devil Queen.
“It’s a loud, brilliant
show and we’ve got a 55-show
run until February next year.
“You know, people fell in
love to these songs. They’re
passionate, awesome and
loud.” When pressed about
whether there is a little bit of
Toyah in the Devil Queen, she
laughs her distinctive laugh.
“There probably is a tiny
bit as we’re both little
exhibitionists and very
energetic.”
Energetic is right. As well as
Vampires Rock, Toyah is busy with
her band, The Humans, has a
feature film coming out next year
called Three to Tango and is
appearing in an episode of
Casualty on BBC1 on October 10.
Commenting on her various roles,
she says she’s enjoyed every
minute. “The eighties were
mad. I mean I was young and
famous and met so many brilliant
people. It was a great time and I
was so glad to be part of it.
“Then there’s theatre.
Calamity Jane was terrific,
it’s such a great story
about the power of women, I
really love her character.
“My job is such a laugh, I
never really want to take any
time off because there’s
always something different to
do.”
Vampires Rock is at Cambridge
Corn Exchange on September 26.
For tickets go to
www.cornex.co.uk or call the box
office on 01223357851.
.New
Foresters PA - It's A
Mystery/Sweet Child
.Sunday
13th September, 2009 • Thanks to
The Twins :)...................Music
Two clips
of Toyah, performing 'It's A
Mystery' and 'Sweet Child 'O
Mine', from her New Foresters PA,
Nottingham on Friday 4th
September. The New Foresters
website has confirmed that Toyah
will be back next year.
.Tanks For
The Memory! (ouch!)
.Sunday
13th September, 2009 • Thanks to
PJ..........................TV/Internet
At last!
After all this time! Unseen
footage from the scrapped 'World
In Action' video!! OK, it's not.
It's Toyah, and a tank, on Game
For A Laugh in the mid
1980's. This has recently been
uploaded, via two clips, to
'YouTube', and I thought I'd post
some screen caps as Toyah looks
so good here. Click on the caps
for larger versions, and go here and here to view the clips.
Another new Toyah
interview. This one, just
published, by the 'Basildon
Recorder'. Vampires Rock
plays Cliffs Pavilion, Westcliff,
next Friday:
Casting directors are
often left with a difficult task
on their hands.
Take, for example, Steve
Steinman’s Vampires Rock, a
high-octane show featuring
blood-sucking creatures, an
undead band, jaw droppingly
revealing costumes, all set to a
soundtrack of classic rock
masterpieces.
So who on earth would you cast as
the Devil Queen, the wife of the
evil Baron Von Rockula?
Well, isn’t it obvious?
Toyah Willcox of course.
“It makes sense for me to be
a part of this,” says the
51-year-old star.
“It’s a great show,
very lively, very loud and
it’s rock, so I’m used
to the genre. I also have a cult
following, much like
vampires.”
“I love the rock music we
do. It’s all classic
stuff,” says Toyah,
excitedly. “The band are
very young and are on stage for
three hours without dropping
energy, which adds a lively
element to the show.”
The show sees Toyah don some
flamboyant and figure-hugging
outfits, reminiscent of those she
wore during her years as a
musician.
“I have taken all the
costumes from my solo work and
put them into Vampires Rock with
a few changes,” says Toyah.
Read the full Toyah interview at
the 'Basildon Recorder' here.
.Eternal
Spirit - Toyah Magazine
Cover/Interview
.Saturday
12th September, 2009 • Thanks to
Paul Lomas.........Magazines
We mentioned at the
time of its publication that
Toyah was the cover star of the
Winter 2008 issue of 'Eternal
Spirit' magazine. The magazine
features a three-page interview
with Toyah, which is accompanied
by some nice Crimson Queen
pictures.
Unfortunately, as the magazine is
still available for sale, I can't
reproduce the interview here but
I thought you might like to see
scans of how the feature looks
(and a quick quote).
As you'd expect from a magazine
called 'Eternal Spirit' the
interview covers topics such as
ghosts, spiritualism, the
afterlife etc. They also ask
Toyah how she made the transition
from punk to presenting BBC1's Songs
Of Praise:
It was at a time when the BBC was
looking for personalities to
front Songs Of Praise. Aled Jones
was one chosen and I was another.
It was strange being asked to
present a show like that because,
at the time, I was presenting a
programme called The Late Sex
Show. It was a bit of a gamble
for them but not for me because I
grew up watching Songs Of Praise.
I presented The Heaven and Earth
Show as well.
NB: While
on the subject of magazines,
Toyah was interviewed in a July
issue of The Telegraph's 'SEVEN'
magazine. The issue had Ralph
Fiennes on the cover. Could
anyone please provide a scan or
transcript of this?
The Vampires
Rock 2009 tour opens tonight
with a sold out show at the
Majestic Theatre in Retford. The
second show, at the Milton
Keynes' Stables tomorrow night,
is also sold out.
The tour goes all over the UK
until early December, with
further dates in late January and
February 2010. Extra dates at
various venues along the way have
been added due to high demand.
To the right is a great 'Ipswich
24' cover photo of Toyah as the
Devil Queen from the very
successful 2008/09 tour. Toyah
has revealed that she has new
costumes for this tour, and that
her opening outfit is
"completely silver and
reflective from head to
toe".
Good luck to Toyah, Steve, et
al., for a successful tour. Visit
the Official Vampires Rock
website here.
.The Humans -
These Boots Are Made For Walkin'
.Friday
11th September, 2009 • Thanks to
PJ....................................Music
What came first? The
chicken or the egg? Check out
Robert Fripp's Diary entry from
27th August to see a sneak
preview of the digital cover for
'These Boots Are Made For Walkin'
by The Humans.
.The
Sentinel - It's Such A Devil Of A
Job Says 50-Something Toyah
A new
Toyah interview, from the
'Staffordshire/Stoke Sentinel':
With a career spanning 30 years,
Toyah knows a thing or two about
the glamour of showbiz. She talks
to Zita Collinson about vamping
it up for her latest role –
as the Devil Queen.
Toyah Willcox isn't exactly what
you might call the shy and
retiring type.
Just as well, because for her
latest role, as the villainous
Devil Queen in Steve Steinman's
musical, Vampires Rock, it's PVC
all the way.
"I have fabulous
costumes," says the
51-year-old. "It allows me
to dress totally inappropriately
for my age. I've got some really
out-there, very revealing designs
to wear. My opening number is
completely silver and reflective
from head to toe.
"It tends to be a lot of
PVC, a lot of jewellery and very
high heels, but really taking it
to the far end of the
spectrum."
Toyah's return to the show, a
Rocky-Horror-esque homage to the
music of AC/DC, Meatloaf and
Queen among others, follows the
production's sell-out tour of
theatres last year.
"The cast all have to wear
fangs," she continues.
"We've all been to the
dentist and we've all been fitted
with our vampire teeth. It kind
of adds to my lisp.
"We have to sing in them,
and eat and drink in them. I tend
to forget they're in. I've even
driven home with them in and when
you go and get petrol you forget.
I've walked into petrol stations
off the M1 and I've just been
stared at.
"I stand in the wings and I
watch the whole thing and I enjoy
it from beginning to end every
night," she confesses.
Read the full Toyah interview at
'This Is Staffordshire' here.
BFBS (British Forces
Broadcasting Service) has added
some fantastic 80's Rewind
content to their website. The
huge festival, which Toyah played
at, as opening act, on Saturday
22nd August, was a massive
success with over 30,000 people
attending.
There's a three-part video
special about the festival. Toyah
features in part one, with a clip
of her onstage performing 'It's A
Mystery' and there's also a short
interview with her. See the news
item below on this.
There's also BFBS Radio Rewind.
This is available at their
"Listen Again" section,
and is also in three parts. The
Toyah video interview is included
in part one of this. Plus they
play the original 1981 version of
'It's A Mystery'. Go here to listen to these.
Finally, there's a Gallery of
photos from the festival. This
includes one of Toyah. Click here to view their
gallery.
Screen caps
of Toyah from part one of the
BFBS 80's Rewind Festival video.
This includes a clip of Toyah
onstage, performing 'It's A
Mystery' and a short interview
backstage after her set. Please
click on the screen captures to
view larger versions of the
smaller caps!!
Part one of
the BFBS video report from the
80's Rewind Festival at Henley.
In this part there are interviews
with Toyah, Billy Ocean and Nick
Van Eede plus live clips from
Toyah, China Crisis, Cutting
Crew, Billy Ocean, Belinda
Carlisle and Heaven 17. Click here to watch the video
at BFBS, or here at You Tube.
Screen caps
of just about all, minus a couple
too bright to capture, of the
Toyah photos used in last week's Psychic
Therapy. A nice selection,
and good to have a photo of Joel,
taken the day Toyah signed to
Safari, on TV on his birthday.
Please click on these for larger
versions.
• Toyah was
mentioned in a 'Times Online'
feature, on make-up artist, Alex
Box, last week: How To Choose
Make-Up That Makes A Statement:
Inspiration “View my book as
you would an album cover - just
be inspired,” Box says.
“I used to look at the old
Toyah albums and think, ‘I
can’t possibly make myself
look like that, but I want to be
part of it, try to make it my
own’. Open your mind to
think about make-up in a new
way.” Read the full article here.
• Toyah is namechecked in a
'Shields Gazette' article on
Chris Phipps: Chris Proud To
Document The North East Beat - Chris
himself has worked on various
shows which are now part of TV
folklore. The first of these was
Look! Here! from 1978 to 1982,
where he was a co-presenter with
Toyah Willcox. Read the full
article here.
• Retford Guardian -
Vampires Are All Set To Rock
Retford's Majestic Theatre:
Entertainment for everyone is
coming to Retford's Majestic this
September with a diverse range of
shows. Why not take the chance to
watch the hilarious Vampires Rock
– which promises to be a
show like no other. With special
guest, Toyah Willcox as the devil
queen, there is a twist of rock
and a hint of comedy at every
step at the show on Friday 11th
September. Jam-packed with great
anthems like We Will Rock You and
Bat Out Of Hell that you’ll
know and love, the audience is
guaranteed to be on their feet in
the aisles. Tickets are all £19
• Brighouse Echo - A Feast
Of Comedy, Music and Fun: The
brochure for the new season's
entertainment at the Victoria
Theatre, Halifax, is now
available. Rock', starring Toyah
Willcox, returns with a tribute
to some of the greatest rock
anthems ever made on November 19.
.Gainsborough
Standard - Vampires All Set To
Rock Majestic
Retford's Majestic
Theatre has a rocking start to
its autumn season on Friday 11th
September with the return of
Steve Steinman's Vampires Rock
with special guest star Toyah
Willcox as the Devil Queen.
Vampires Rock is a show like no
other. With a twist of rock and a
hint of comedy and jam packed
with the greatest anthems you
know and love you're guaranteed
to be on your feet!
Along with Steve Steinman and
Toyah Willcox, a full cast of
superb singers and dancers
together with a formidable band
blast their way through some of
the greatest ever rock anthems
including; We Will Rock You, Bat
Out Of Hell, Highway To Hell,
Since You've Been Gone, Total
Eclipse Of The Heart, Devil Gate
Drive, I Love Rock 'n' Roll,
Sweet Child Of Mine and many
more!
All teamed with an amazing stage
set and pyrotechnics to blow your
mind, this rock spectacular is
not to be missed! All tickets are
£19. Tickets for all shows at
The Majestic are available from
The Box Office or by calling
01777 706866.
A new radio
interview with Toyah, from BBC
Radio Suffolk. Toyah talks Vampires
Rock and Quadrophenia.
The interview was also included
in the "Click Of The
Day" feature at the website.
1980s hitmaker Toyah Willcox
is coming to Ipswich. She's in
the musical Vampires Rock which
is coming to The Regent. James
Hazell's been talking to her.
Visit the BBC Suffolk website here, or listen to the
interview directly here.
.Snow White
& The Seven Dwarfs - Promo
Flyer/Photo
.Monday
7th September, 2009 • Thanks to
Mark Whitney..............Theatre
A mini preview of
the promo flyer for Snow
White & The Seven Dwarfs,
Toyah's panto for 2009. Plus, a
new photo of Toyah as Wicked
Queen Morgiana. Please click on
the photo for a larger version.
There will be over
50 performances of Snow White
& The Seven Dwarfs
during its run over the
Christmas/New Year period.
Snow White & The Seven
Dwarfs: Lyceum Theatre Sheffield
Thursday 10th December 2009 to
Sunday 10th January 2010
Norfolk Street, Sheffield S1 1DA
- Box Office: 0114 249 6000
www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
.New
Foresters PA - More Photos
.Monday
7th September, 2009 • Thanks to
Julie/John.................Live/Gigs
A few more
photos of Toyah from Friday's New
Foresters PA. Click on these for
larger versions. The venue in
Nottingham want Toyah to return
next year.
.New
Foresters PA - More Photos
.Sunday
6th September, 2009 • Thanks to
Julie/John..................Live/Gigs
More
"sensational" photos of
Toyah from Nottingham. Keep an
eye on the New Foresters website, they may add some
Toyah photos to their Gallery.
.Nameless -
It's A Mystery - Zoe Lewis
.Sunday
6th September, 2009 • Thanks to
Weewaa..........................Music
'Nameless' is the
second album from Scottish
singer/songwriter Zoe Lewis.
The, recently released, album
includes a cover of version of
'It's A Mystery'. Keith Hale
wrote the song and Toyah made it
a massive hit in 1981. Almost 30
years later it is arguably still
the song most associated with
Toyah.
There have been a few cover
versions of Toyah songs over the
years, this is probably one of
the best.
Zoe hails from just outside
Kilmarnock and is currently
playing gigs around Scotland.
Listen to her version of 'IAM' here, and visit her
MySpace here.
Dreamscape's
Toyah news for July 2009 has now
been archived. Look back at
'Quicksilver' by The Humans, Power
of Three becoming Three
To Tango, Toyah's photo
feature in 'Celebs on Sunday'
magazine, 'RetroSellers'
interview, The Official Toyah
website's 9th birthday, 'Shields
Gazette' interview, Toyah
headlines the South Tyneside
Summer Festival 2009 and much
more.
More screen
caps from Thursday's Psychic
Therapy. I'll add some more
over the next few days. Please
click on these for larger
versions.
Psychic Therapy
airs again on Bio at the start of
October (see below).
.Toyah on TV
- Psychic Therapy
.Saturday
5th September, 2009 • Thanks to
Minna.....................Television
Psychic
Therapy : Bio - Thursday 1st
October : 8.00pm
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.
.New
Foresters PA - Set List
.Saturday
5th September, 2009 • Thanks to
John........................Live/Gigs
A brilliant set list
for last night's PA, including
three songs from 'In The Court Of
The Crimson Queen'. The first
time Toyah has ever performed
'Sensational' live - Lucky
Nottingham!:
Are You Gonna Go My Way
Echo Beach
Latex Messiah (Viva La Rebel In
You)
It's A Mystery
Lesser God
Thunder In The Mountains
Sensational
Sweet Child 'O Mine
I Want To Be Free
Encore: Bootz
Encore 2: It's A Mystery
Toyah, during last
night's PA in Nottingham,
revealed that The Humans' new
single, 'Bootz' (These Boots Are
Made For Walkin') would be
available to download from iTunes
on Monday 21st September.
.New
Foresters PA - Photos
.Saturday
5th September, 2009 • Thanks to
John........................Live/Gigs
A couple of
photos of Toyah taken during her
PA at New Foresters, last night,
in Nottingham. The venue was
celebrating its 8th birthday.
Daily
Cooks Challenge : ITV3 - Thursday
17th September : 4.00pm
Daily Cooks Challenge : ITV3+1 -
Thursday 17th September : 5.00pm
Merrilees Parker and Ed Baines
have to impress celebrity judge
Toyah Willcox with a
mouth-watering menu. Antony
Worrall Thompson hosts
proceedings as usual.
Toyah plays a Live
PA later tonight at New Foresters
in Nottingham. She is due onstage
at 12.30am at the venue which is
celebrating its 8th birthday.
This is likely to be Toyah's last
gig/PA of 2009 as the remainder
of the year is taken up with the
UK tour of Vampires Rock
and then Snow White & The
Seven Dwarfs in Sheffield.
If anyone is going to this PA: A)
Have a great time, and B) Please
send Dreamscape a photo :)
.Psychic
Therapy - The Biography Channel -
Tonight!
Psychic Therapy
airs tonight on The Biography
Channel, at 9pm.
The 60-minute
documentary on Toyah is then
repeated at Midnight, and also
airs at 10am and 3pm tomorrow on
Bio.
Gordon Smith
journeys into the remarkably
diverse career of Toyah Willcox -
singer, actress, presenter,
writer and businesswoman. Psychic
medium, Smith, reveals some of
the star's innermost secrets,
delving into her past and
predicting her future with help
from the spirit world.
Joel, guitarist with
Toyah between 1977 and 1983,
co-wrote numerous Toyah songs:
Neon Womb, Danced, Computer,
Elusive Stranger, Our Movie, Race
Through Space, Vision, Love Me,
Ieya, Bird in Flight, Jungles of
Jupiter, Castaways, The Packt,
Dawn Chorus, Brave New World,
Laughing With The Fools, Angel
& Me, Be Proud Be Loud (Be
Heard), Dreamscape, Martian
Cowboy, The Vow, Moonlight
Dancing and many others.
His awesome contribution can
never be underestimated. Thanks
Joel!
• The
'Henley Standard' article, Return
to the Eighties, reports on
the recent two day 80's Rewind
nostalgia-fest. Toyah, of course,
played at the festival, and is
mentioned in the report. Read it here.
• Helen Baxendale was
interviewed by 'The Guardian'
last Saturday, in their regular
'Love Your Work' feature:First Job:
I was understudy to Toyah Willcox
in a production of Amadeus. It
was boring, although I did learn
all about Mozart. Read the
full article here.
• Toyah is mentioned in the
promotion of a new book 'The
Magic Of Angels' by John Blake:
Question: What do Noel Edmonds,
Toyah Willcox, Hilary Clinton,
Juliet Mills, Eva Longoria,
Carlos Santana, Shirley Maclaine
and Cerys Matthews all have in
common? Answer: They all believe
in angels. And for them, this is
a belief borne from a direct
personal experience of angelic
energy. 'The Magic Of Angels'
will be published in early 2010.
• Toyah is namechecked in a
recent 'Guardian' article on new
synth genius, Starsmith: On
the track I Am Not a Robot he
makes Marina of Marina and the
Diamonds semi-fame sound like La
Roux's mad older sister, or
Toyah's barmy little niece...
Read the full article here.
.Eight Wonders!
.Wednesday
2nd September, 2009 • Thanks to
Andi......................Internet
We have mentioned
these Toyah dolls before, but
they are just too amazing not to
be featured again. Jubilee
Toyah ('Rolling Stone' cover
star!), Ieya/The Blue Meaning
Toyah. Anthem Toyah, Good Morning
Universe Toyah, Brave New World
Toyah, The Changeling Tour Toyah,
Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard)
Toyah, and Rebel Run Tour/The Vow
Toyah. Phew!! These are art.
Andi, you are incredibly
talented. Please click on the
picture for a larger version.
.Jubilee
Forever?
.Tuesday
1st September, 2009 • Thanks to
Andi..................................Film
At last!
Toyah has made it on to the cover
of legendary American music
magazine, 'Rolling Stone'.
Seriously though, this
fantabulous mock magazine cover,
featuring a Sindy Doll
beautifully fashioned into
"Mad", the character
Toyah played in the punk movie
back in 1978, is just yet another
example of the fact that Jubilee
is one of those films that
refuses to go away. Indeed, Jubilee
has become far more than just a
film.
Initially disowned and denounced
by the "cool" punk
crowd on its release, it was
deemed a "sell out",
"too commercial", and
"corporate", but three
decades later Jubilee
has become the height of cool,
and a signpost, just like punk
itself, of a time when anything
was possible.
We've just recently reported that
it is included as one of the key
films in Curzon Cinemas' 75th
Anniversary celebrations taking
place this month, it regularly
still plays in cinemas and movie
theatres across the world, still
frequently pops up in TV
schedules, and Toyah is, more
often than not, asked about it in
the interviews she gives.
Over 30 years since it was first
released Jubilee is
still the focus of articles and
features, most notably by the
broadsheets, at least a couple of
times a year. The DVD's are out
there too, with the Region 1,
crammed to the gunnells with
extras, release from a few years
ago highly recommended.
Black is black, white is
white... Go here for an interesting
article on Jubilee.
Hullo!
I have been accused, on numerous
occasions, of not being very
communicative. So! Here I am...
communicating!
Basically, just to update, anyone
who is atall interested, in
what's happening with this
website.
Firstly. Apologies that
Dreamscape was unavailable for
just over a week recently. I
won't bore you with the finer
details, especially as we are
back and didn't really miss a
beat. Amazingly, the day after
the site returned we received
almost 800 unique visitors - A
huge thanks to everyone who still
enjoys coming here.
I said at the start of the year
that I wanted to go
"back-to-basics" with
the site and that's what has
happened. We have no forum, our
MySpace has closed, and
Dreamscape's brief relationship
with Facebook has also hit the
divorce courts (The Toyah Willcox
Fans Club & Official Toyah
Facebook are pretty much all
that's needed over there). All
this means that the site isn't
particularly interactive anymore
but I do hope you will still
continue to contribute Toyah news
anytime you see or hear of
anything. It is always very much
appreciated.
I'm proud to say that this site
has for many years now been the
number one source for up-to-date
Toyah news and as we approach our
10th birthday hopefully that will
continue. We have a massive
archive of Toyah news, over 100
months, each month with its own
page. There are also hundreds of
interviews, articles and reviews
from throughout Toyah's career
available to browse, making
Dreamscape one of the most
comprehensive fan sites on the
internet.
Anyway... enough of me. Here's to
the future and to Toyah and to
you. You are (all) sensational!
Coleen Nolan is just
about to publish her
autobiography. It is currently
being serialised in 'The Mirror'
and today's extract includes a
short passage with Coleen
commenting on when she met Toyah:
• 'These Boots
Are Made For Walkin' is going
down a storm in New York, at The
Bunkhouse, the legendary Long
Island gay club. Clubbers have
been enquiring about a dance
remix. Maybe it's time to get
Ralphi Rosario, Benny Benassi, or
Victor Calderone to do some
humanising? (Thanks to Jimi
Lalumia)
• Vampires
Rock played The Anvil in
Basingstoke last night. Tonight
Toyah, Steve and VR play the
Stafford Gatehouse, and tomorrow
night they are at Cambridge Corn
Exchange. Both these shows are
sold out.
A rare photo of
Toyah and Joel, with almost
matching make-up, pictured at the
1982 Rock & Pop Awards.
A brilliant set list
for last night's PA, including
three songs from 'In The Court Of
The Crimson Queen'. The first
time Toyah has ever performed
'Sensational' live - Lucky
Nottingham!:
Toyah, during last
night's PA in Nottingham,
revealed that The Humans' new
single, 'Bootz' (These Boots Are
Made For Walkin') would be
available to download from iTunes
on Monday 21st September.
Psychic Therapy
airs tonight on The Biography
Channel, at 9pm.
Happy Birthday to
Joel Bogen, who is 51 today.
At last!
Toyah has made it on to the cover
of legendary American music
magazine, 'Rolling Stone'.
Hullo!
I have been accused, on numerous
occasions, of not being very
communicative. So! Here I am...
communicating!
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