Toyah

The English new wave group Toyah was born from the creative partnership between musician, actress, and TV presenter Toyah Willcox and guitarist Joel Bogen. Formed in 1977, the band played a handful of shows as a duo under the name Ninth Illusion and later renamed themselves Toyah after the addition of keyboardist Pete Bush, drummer Dave Robbin, and bass player Windy Miller. Following the release of the EP Sheep Farming In Barnet and the LP The Blue Meaning in 1980, Toyah jumped into the spotlight thanks to Willcox's appearance as the punk musician Toola in the detective drama Shoestring. This led to a hit documentary about the band, followed by the live album Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!, which climbed to Number 22 on the UK Albums Chart later that year. During this time, the band suffered several lineup changes and reached the peak of its popularity, with the albums Anthem (1981) and The Changeling (1982) both of which entered the Top 10 in the United Kingdom. In the years that followed, the group released another live album, 1982's Warrior Rock: Toyah on Tour, and disbanded shortly after the release of their final LP Love is the Law (1983). Following the band's breakup, lead singer Toyah Willcox embarked on a prolific solo career, releasing eleven albums between 1985 and 2021.