This week there has been wild excitement that from the 21 June outdoor concerts can happen…. AND possibly indoor too!
Within hours of this announcing Festivals across the UK practically sold out.
I am appearing at 8 of the LET’S ROCK events, plus many smaller festivals and when I look out over the audience it will be like seeing family again, I just cannot wait.
I was both shocked, overjoyed and slightly embarrassed two Fridays ago when Alice Cooper and his wonderful band had their band “meet up” online for their fans and played a clip if TOYAH AND ROBERT’S SUNDAY LUNCH: POISON. I felt like I’d been caught out by the teachers at school, doing something naughty.
Alice and the band laughed their heads off…..then came a communication a few days later for me to do an hour special online with the team who put Alice’s broadcasts together, this is planned for April.
We even made it into KERRANG, which not only is an honour but has seriously impressed my guitar teacher………a younger devoted hard core rocker, who now views Fripp and I as the leading grandparents of Rock!
With the events of the outside world coming closer to being part of our working life again, Frippy and I realise we need an incredibly strict, time efficient regime, our home life has been anything but quiet in the past 12 months and we intend to keep brand TOYAH AND ROBERT growing.
Presently, in lockdown my week looks like this:
MONDAY:
9AM Social Media filming for coming week as a safety precaution if I can’t film close to day of broadcast because of TV commitments.
10AM: two hours of press
12AM: Talk to agents, Record Label, promoters and future film producers, read film and TV synopsis linked to work offers.
1AM: Lunch, if time.
2AM: photo and video shoots for POSH POP.
5PM: 2 hours of guitar lessons
7PM: remote cameras arrive from CH5, set up cameras ready for next day.
TUESDAY:
9AM: CH5 Filming. Pack up remote cameras for pick up.
1PM: set up lunch for POSH POP photo and video shoot.
2PM: film and shoot till its dark.
7PM: Complete the lyric artwork orders for that week.
WEDNESDAY:
10 AM: Studio all day.
5PM: rehearse TOYAH AND ROBERT’S SUNDAY LUNCH, and rehearse AGONY AUNTS.
THURSDAY:
10AM: Studio all day
5PM: Guitar lesson
7PM: Shoot Sunday Lunch and Agony Aunts.
FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY.
Prep for the following week.
Check all photo and video footage for POSH POP and check all edits for Social Media.
Both Frippy and I have decided that our output on social media is really important, it has given us a connection with our audience that we don’t want to lose.
This means a lot of future planning as to how we will communicate when the two of us are on opposite sides of the world later in the year. It is of course totally possible thanks to technology, but the time differences will be the challenge, sound checking, being on stage at different times and the constant travel will inevitably test us.
But ZOOM will keep us together.
Many ideas are being discussed, for example when I am on a film shoot, I hope I will be able to broadcast a “film Diary”. When Robert is in a hotel for more than two nights we can film TOYAH AND ROBERT’S POSTCARD HOME….we are on it, we will make it happen but for now we will continue as normal until the new normal is possible. Also we are going to introduce a new concept, an added member of the team soon.
In 2021 Robert will only be away for 6 weeks, we can get around that easily.
In 2022 I have 4 tours planned. I’ve not done this amount of specific “themed” touring in decades. Robert will only have one major commitment in this year.
My mind set is 100% committed to continuing everything we have built in lockdown, its all I have ever wanted and for the first time in 36years I will have a team with me, my priority being creative content….. gone are the days of sitting at my desk negotiating contract after contract before driving myself to a show…..it’s crazy when I think back at the amount of office work I did before major shows!
One of the loveliest things about the new team is they are all within walking distance of our front door!
This week I shot the cover for POSH POP and the artwork is now being compiled. I also shot the first of what I intend to be a 10 video concept so PP will be a video album too.
In the studio Simon and I are on our last song, it is all so close and we love the entire album it is both different and familiar for all the right reasons.
Robert and I watched FRAMING BRITNEY this week.
Both Robert and I have experienced great things in the music business and gross dishonesty between management/ record labels and the artist over our collective 97 years working as artists, sadly it is all too common. To see a beautiful, hard working, talented, young woman and mother be denied her independence and financial rights in the broad daylight of the modern world is heartbreaking and we wish Britney Spears everything she desires her life to be. She’s worked hard enough for it.
I WISH YOU ALL HEALTH, HAPPINESS , LOVE AND YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE.