Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

King’s Heath in Birmingham might not be that well known to anyone outside of the second city, but it has produced an astonishing number of people to whom art and sport have been fortunate to have graced the suburb, to have been influenced by the leafy green former village and the possibility of being part of a new breed of hero for the post-war generation.

Part of that incredible rebellious, heroic stance comes from Toyah Willcox, the chameleon look ever changing, a woman to whom no was just a two letter word that deserved a choice set of words in return, and who was perhaps the most wonderful sense of anarchy that anyone could ever hope to find in a period that produced the most exuberant of punk, this was the crowned Queen for Birmingham’s youth.

Following on from the Cherry Red boxset release from 2025 of Chameleon: The Very Best Of Toyah, the brand have really gone to town and brought to the public’s attention a set of CDs in Revelations detailing a huge swathe of tracks that were lost, unreleased, hidden away, and now lovingly restored to their rightful place in the Toyah pantheon of music.

For the woman of Birmingham, truth is all, and the sense of exposed certainty and precision in the detailed release, as well as a tremendous live set from the Anthem Tour, is to be celebrated and cherished by any fan of the artist.

The boxset includes a B-Sides collection which includes Walkie Talkie, Street Addict, Voodoo Dool, and Laughing With The Fools, an incredible instrumentals set which explores the depth of sound impeccably, a set of alternate versions which thrill with legitimacy, and the rare, a fundamental restoration of songs such as Clapham Junction, Television, Dropped Earring, and Neon Womb, and the aforementioned live set which frames the sheer pace of the idea of rebellion and refusal to bend the knee to anyone in a position of authority.

Revelations is a boxset full of heart and stamina; it is a glory of the disclosure and the understanding that music, any art, should never be buried away.

Ian D. Hall