Toyah

Toyah Willcox formed her band in Birmingham in 1977, right as punk was giving way to something else. Their first album, 'Sheep Farming in Barnet,' came out in 1979 and didn't sound quite like anyone else. It wasn't strictly punk or glam, but had pieces of both, along with a theatrical bent that came from Willcox's own background and striking look.

By the early 1980s, songs like 'Ieya' and 'Thunder in the Mountains' found a wider audience. The music kept shifting, from the synth-driven 'It's a Mystery' to the more experimental work on later albums like 'Minx.' You can hear some of that range in tracks like 'Bird In Flight' and 'Jungles Of Jupiter.'

The band put out a steady stream of records through the '80s and into the '90s, with Willcox always at the center. The lineup included players like guitarist Joel Bogen and bassist Phil Spalding. They weren't trying to fit a mold, which meant they gathered a dedicated following without ever settling into one sound for too long.