TOYAH ON
SHIELDS GAZETTE
SOUTH TYNESIDE
SUMMER FESTIVAL
5.7.2009

HOST: Welcome to South Tyneside. How are you finding it?

TOYAH: I think it’s beautiful. I arrived last night and I texted the band and I said it's absolutely gorgeous here. I played here two years ago

But I must’ve just come in, done the gig and left. I stayed the night, went for a curry, had a walk along the beach. It was really really cute

HOST: Got a big crowd here for you today as well. Do you still get nervous when you do performances or?

TOYAH: I do get nervous, yeah. Funnily enough, probably the smaller the crowd the more nervous I get because they’re usually much more intimate. I like big crowds. I really enjoy the atmosphere and it’s always a privilege to play in front of that many people

They think there’s going to be over 10 000 today, and that’s exciting. I believe in doing stuff that people know so obviously there’s my hits and not everyone knows my hits so we do a lot of cover versions as well because I want to be a really lively event

I like that people can join in or get up and dance. So with me it’s always about energy and playing songs that influence my life. I like to do Alice Cooper’s “Schools Out” because when I was at school that kept me going. I hated every minute of school so to have a rock song about school is just great so we put that in the set

 

HOST: There’s a lot of families out there as well - it will be the mums and dads, half the kids as well -

TOYAH: It’s a free festival. I love the free festivals because it means that you get such an incredibly eclectic mix of audience. Personally I think we should have free festivals all over the country all year round. Because it does allow people to experience music who otherwise think that a concert isn’t for them

But it is eclectic, the first 50 feet of people are going to be sitting in deckchairs and I’ve warned my band that this is going to be quite an unusual experience because we’re used to sea of faces dancing and rioting and stuff like that

There’s going to be quite a sedate feeling from the immediate front row. Which doesn’t mean that we’re sedate. We’ve got to get over the heads to reach the back. It’s a very interesting experience when you’re playing to people - some are going to be in the 80’s, 70’s, as you’ve said some will be there with their children. And there’s going be punks there so you’ve got to kind of encapsulate the whole experience and not leave anyone out

HOST: Sure. We’re going to get them rocking out of their deckchairs this afternoon -

TOYAH: I hope so! I think you’re going to have a lot of people with sunstroke! But we put in cover versions of things that I hope meet all the generational needs

HOST: How much fun is it for you?

TOYAH: It’s great fun! It’s astonishing fun and it’s a really privileged way to earn your living. You can’t better it because there is a party atmosphere from beginning to end

HOST: Do you still get the same old groupies you used to get back in the day or not?

TOYAH: Oh, I wouldn’t say they’re groupies but (host laughs) there’s a lot of the old followers out there