Toyah - 'In The Court Of The Crimson Queen'

I had an urge today. I wanted some new music, something loud, fast, brash and dirty. I had a session with The Stooges last week so I couldn't really return to them so soon. I sampled a bit of Guns 'n' Roses - I never could be bothered with them in the '80s - but they're too pomp rock for me, too stadium. So I went a-hunting...

... and found Toyah. Now, Toyah doesn't really fit the bill for what I wanted but counts as new music and some of the songs from her latest album, 'In The Court Of The Crimson Queen' are loud and fast and dirty-ish. The album came out last year as a download only and it totally missed me. But then again I'm not a fan so she's not been on the radar.

I've never really bothered with Toyah and because of that I probably think of her as an actress first and pop star second. I recall her as the vicious punk in Derek Jarman's 'Jubilee' and the cheeky girl in 'The Corn Is Green' (with the great Katherine Hepburn), as the woman wearing extraordinary make-up, wigs and clothes in the '80s and, more recently, as the voice of the Tellytubbies. I recall the pomp and posing of her hits in the early '80s, but it all went by me without a second thought.

'In The Court Of The Crimson Queen' changes my mind about Toyah. Some of the songs make me think of the '80s, but most are fresh and confident, the songs of a woman with something to say and not afraid to re-invent herself again. She's still got the out-there image going for her with some great guitar thrash fronted by her voice and words.

Toyah has now joined the ranks of '70s/'80s women heroes making good new music. In the last few years we've had new albums from Suzi Quatro ('Back To The Drive'), Kate Bush ('Aerial'), Cyndi Lauper ('Bring Ya To The Brink'), Donna Summer ('Crayons'), Annie Lennox ('Songs Of Mass Destruction') and Lene Lovich ('Shadows And Dust') as well as others, with other icons like Siouxsie and Madonna and Patti who've never stopped making new music. And, of course, Buffy Sainte-Marie's 'Running For The Drum' (I couldn't leave her out of a list like this).

I've only listened to it a couple of time, but favourite songs from 'The Crimson Queen' so far are 'Sensational', 'Latex Messiah (Viva La Rebel In You)', 'Love Crazy', 'Lesser God' and 'Come', all best played loud. Take a look at 'Latex Messiah' below:

I think I'll need to explore Toyah's back catalogue now...