TOYAH AND ROBERT ON
VECTIS RADIO
ISLE OF WIGHT
WITH NIK AND KIEREN
18.6.2023

KIEREN THOMSON: We’re in the quite a wet marquee, on Sunday afternoon. Myself and Nick are speaking to the amazing Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp. Good afternoon

TOYAH: Hello! How are you?

KIEREN: I'm very well. How are you?

TOYAH: We're good! We’re pretty high spirited at the moment, which is fantastic

ROBERT: Superb audience. I very much enjoyed playing. I was in the mood to rock out today and I think got the chance to do so

TOYAH: Yes, we're a guitar band and the audience totally got it, which was lovely. We saw people, who looked as if they travelled from all over the world. Robert is really big in Japan and (to Robert) you didn't see this but I think most of the front row had come from Japan see you (laughs)

ROBERT: Ah!

TOYAH: I get to see these things

ROBERT: You see, I'm really focused on my wife, the playing and the band. Toyah interacts directly with the audience for me. It would distract me from my counting and the next bars. So I listen to my wife afterwards and she tells me whether we went down or not

NIK ATTFIELD: You've always had such an amazing energy on stage. I saw you many years ago and you were such an influence on my young life. I'm so amazed. It's brilliant that you guys are together -

TOYAH: That I can still move! (laughs)

NIK: No, not at all. It's so brilliant that you're still bringing new things musically etc. You performing together came about because of lockdown?

TOYAH: Lockdown was so successful for us with the “Sunday Lunch” brand (on YouTube) Over 111 million people visiting. We're touring the “Sunday Lunch” in October. We’re playing music that we feel plays us. This is music we grew up with. Music we love

We discovered through “Sunday Lunch” that the audience loves it too. So we're going out on the road doing classics that really fire us up. We're having as much a party as the audience is

NIK: Which is amazing, great fun. Do you think if it hadn't been for “Sunday Lunch” you would've ever done this together?

TOYAH: No

ROBERT: I don’t think so, no

NIK: You’ve got one of the most famous marriages in rock and roll. You've been together a long time and had a lot of time apart, I imagine, travelling the world in your separate careers

TOYAH: I think we’d still be having time apart if it wasn't for lockdown. Robert is on the road at least three times a year. I work mainly UK, some parts of Europe but we're never in the same country

NIK: So a great opportunity to bring you together and see that talent together

ROBERT: (shouts) Yeah! Yeah! Did I sound enthusiastic? Yeah!

NIK: Yeah, absolutely!

KIEREN: You're doing “Paranoid”, “Are You Gonna Go My Way". An amazing track “Rebel Yell”

ROBERT: Oh, there’s a few you haven’t heard yet

TOYAH: “Enter Sandman”, "Kashmir”. We didn't have long enough today  

KIEREN: You've got the tour, the opportunity to do a little bit more. You're playing around the UK. You're excited to do that?

TOYAH: Yeah

KIEREN: Maybe less wet?

TOYAH: Glastonbury next Sunday

KIEREN: In a more wet month

TOYAH: Yeah, but we're in a tent. Then October is the “Sunday Lunch” tour. So we're optimistic

NIK: Thank you so much. It's been such a pleasure to meet you. And we just love you on Vectis Radio

TOYAH: Thank you

ROBERT: Thank you

LISTEN to the interview HERE