Seeing Toyah and Robert Fripp live is always an experience, and their set at the Firestation was no exception. An evening of pure entertainment—blending musical brilliance, theatrical energy, and an undeniable sense of fun. Toyah has always been a powerhouse performer, and Fripp, well… he’s one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Together, they make for an unlikely but utterly compelling duo.
I first saw Toyah perform in the early ‘80s, at the height of her punk/new wave fame, when she was a force of nature on stage. I remember being struck by her sheer presence commanding the crowd with “It’s a Mystery” and “I Want to Be Free”, two anthems that still resonate today. Fast forward to more recent years, and I saw her again with Robert Fripp as they began touring together, blending their respective musical worlds. That show was a surreal mix of Toyah’s theatricality and Fripp’s intricate, almost otherworldly guitar work a partnership that, despite seeming like an odd pairing on paper, works brilliantly in practice.
At this most recent gig, the duo took to the stage with their signature blend of high-energy rock, nostalgia, and cheeky humour. Toyah, ever the performer, was full of charisma, striding across the stage in a dazzling outfit, engaging with the crowd like she was born to do it (which, of course, she was). Fripp, sitting in his usual composed stance, let his guitar do the talking—delivering those unmistakable King Crimson-style flourishes with effortless precision.
I first saw Robert Fripp in King Crimson in 1974 at Newcastle Odeon, at which he performed the Red album, along with the encore “21st-century schizoid man” I saw him perform with the magnificent Crimson many years later at the Usher Hall Edinburgh. The lineup was very different but his guitar playing remained impeccable.
From the opening number “Rebel Yeah”, it was clear this was going to be a set full of fan favourites. “Thunder in the Mountains” sounded just as thrilling as it did back in the day, was delivered with a theatrical grandeur that few performers could pull off quite like Toyah.
Of course, the real joy of a Toyah & Fripp show is the unexpected moments, and this gig delivered plenty. Their now-infamous Sunday Lunch covers have given them a whole new audience, and it was fantastic to see them incorporate some of those into the set. Their version of Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” was as fun as it was ferocious, while “Heroes”, a song close to Fripp’s heart, given his guitar work on the original Bowie track, was simply spellbinding.
The partnership is somewhat bizarre, but it somehow works: Toyah the punk Queen and Robert the quiet guitar hero. I believe that for part of the year he lives in New York and she in London. Yet when they come together their partnership is stronger than ever. This is clearly the case when you see them perform such as this evening.
Then came the crowd-pleaser of all crowd-pleasers, “It’s a Mystery”. The moment those opening notes rang out, the audience erupted. It’s a song that has remained iconic for over 40 years, and seeing Toyah belt it out with such energy and enthusiasm made it feel as fresh as ever.
Toyah closed the evening with a great version of Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll ”. And the girl clearly does. Many thanks to Jackie for the photographs and Laura and to Chris for helping me put together the blog entry. Treated myself to a couple of signed prints. Toyah & Robert Fripp continue to prove that music should be fun, fearless, and, above all, full of life. Long may they keep bringing their unique brand of rock and theatricality to the stage!
Setlist: (something like) Thunder in the Mountains; Are You Gonna Go My Way (Lenny Kravitz); Echo Beach (Martha and the Muffins); Paranoid (Black Sabbath); It’s a Mystery; Fashion (David Bowie co written by Fripp); Sunshine of Your Love (Cream); Heart of Glass (Blondie); Sweet Child o’ Mine (Gunz and Roses); Roses in Chains; Sharp Dressed Man (ZZ Top); Enter Sandman (Metallica); Rockin’ in the Free World (Neil Young); Rebel Yell (Billy Idol); I Want to Be Free; Merry Xmas Everybody (Slade); Heroes (David Bowie co written by Fripp); I Love Rock’n’Roll (Joan Jett / The Arrows).
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Unbeknown to me, during the Covid lock down, Toyah and Robert started their own Sunday lunch video stream, every Sunday, where they would perform a cover version of one of their favourite songs, largely rock classics, in which they had some sort of connection to the artist. They have now started touring the show with a full band. This is another surprise, I always had Robert Fripp down as a very quiet shy individual.
However it seems that I was wrong, and/or Toyah has succeeded in bringing him out of his shell. So Toyah does most of the talking but there is some playful banter between both of them, and Fripp sits on a stool playing absolutely impeccable Les Paul guitar. The rest of the band consists of a couple more guitarists, bass, keyboards and drums.
So, the concert starts 7:30 PM prompt, with a short interval and finishes quite early at 9:45 PM. This allows ample time to cram in a great selection of songs; a mix of covers (as aforementioned, usually with some connection to the artist) and some of Toyah’s own hits. We start with Toyah’s “Thunder In the Mountains”, followed by Blondie’s “Heart of Glass”, Toyah revealing that her husband played guitar on the Parallel Lines album, a fact that I was not aware of. It seems Fripp has many more streams to his bow that I realised.
Toyah is dressed in a lovely red frock and does some wonderful dance moves. Next up is Lenny Kravitz and “Are You Gonna Go my Way”; apparently King Crimson supported Lenny on a US tour and Toyah went along for the ride. Then Martha and the Muffins “Echo Beach” which Toyah covered and had a hit with, another fact that had somehow passed me by. Back to a Toyah favourite and “It’s a Mystery”. Brings back memories of seeing Toyah at Newcastle City Hall several times during the 1980s and even earlier when she first emerged from punk at Newcastle Mayfair. Happy days. I did wonder if she would perform any punk classics such as something by Sex Pistols. But this wasn’t to be. I guess I can’t have everything.
Toyah explained that she went to gigs in Birmingham from an early age and saw Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep and Black Sabbath: “a concert which changed my life”, leading us into “Paranoid”. Cream’s “Sunshine of your Love” is followed by “Tainted Love” and a story of how Toyah shared the bill on an 80’s tour with Mark Almond. Finally the first set concludes with Led Zeppelin and the sprawling, mystical imagery that is “Kashmir”. Toyah explains that this particular rock god visits them at their home quite often. But does she mean Plant or Page? I suspect Robert Plant?
The 2nd set begins with Metallica and “Enter Sandman”, followed quickly by “Schools Out” Toyah wielding a baseball bat and explaining how the song meant so much to her at the time of its release: “I hated school”. She also explained how Alice Cooper came online and watched her and Robert perform “Poison” from their kitchen! “Sweet Child o’ mine” is followed by “Fashion” and an explanation that Robert had a close collaboration with David Bowie and played guitar on that track. Another fact I was unaware of. The guy is clearly world-class, as of course I always knew. After a couple more great rock songs from ZZ Top and Neil Young Toyah relates another interesting story.
Trevor Horn contacted the pair recently and asked them to rerecord “Relax” and it will be released very soon. She explained how Fripp is 77 and she is 65 and the sentiment and lyrics of the song may seem a little bizarre in that context. Having said that, she sang the song directly to her husband. Billy Idol had invited Toyah to support him on his recent arena tour and hence “Rebel Yell” follows. Back to Toyah and “I Want to Be Free”.
Time for the encore and another surprise. Apparently Bowie and Eno invited Robert to travel to Berlin and play guitar on the next song “Heroes”. Classic. The closing song is the Arrows (does anyone else out there remember the TV show? I used to love it!) and Joan Jett classic “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”. A great show performed by a well-established front person and her enigmatic husband, a true rock god and guitar genius. Thanks to Elaine for the photography for the evening. Bought a signed programme during the interval. Day 3 of 3 concerts. Time for some rest.
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