THE HUMANS LIVE DATES POSTPONED UNTIL SPRING 2013
07 June 2012 »

A huge apology but due to circumstance out of our control, the work permits for The Humans live dates in July cannot be processed in time. Anyone holding tickets for these three shows can obtain a refund from the point of purchase or can use them to gain access to the Birmingham Ballroom on the 31st October to see the Toyah The Changeling Resurrection II. The rescheduled live dates for The Humans will be announced this autumn and are likely to take place in spring 2013 to coincide with the release of the band's third album. Apologies for any inconvenience and we will bring you news fo the re-scheduled show ASAP.

THE HUMANS CONFIRM TRIO OF SPECIAL, INTMATE GIGS
9 May 2012 »

Renowned and celebrated performer Toyah will step out onto the stage with her transatlantic rock band THE HUMANS this July. Following the acclaimed album Sugar Rush, highly praised international concerts in the UK, America and Estonia, THE HUMANS present their hybrid of haunting and sweet in a trio of intimate, exclusive UK live dates.

THE HUMANS - LIVE, UP CLOSE & PERSONAL

Friday 27 July : BIRMINGHAM Ballroom

Saturday 28 July : DERBY Flowerpot

Sunday 29 July : MANCHESTER Ruby Lounge

Birmingham/Manchester £9.50, Derby £10, on sale now.

Comprising TOYAH WILLCOX, BILL RIEFLIN (REM), CHRIS WONG and IGOR ABULADZE, the band will perform their intriguing "audio fairy tales for adults" at Birmingham Ballroom (27 July), Derby Flowerpot (28 July) and Manchester Ruby Lounge (29 July).

Songs from their albums We Are The Humans and Sugar Rush will feature in these up close and personal live dates plus surprises as the band prepare material for their third album. After receiving 4-star reviews (Financial Times) and standing ovations in New York, USA for their headline gig last autumn, this is a chance to experience a powerful, commanding performance in an intimate setting.

"the musical equivalent of a drive through a part of town you've never seen" * "an intriguing, often terrific, show" * "that record we might have gotten if Tori Amos & Trent Reznor had ever come together for a full album.

See LIVE page for further details and ticket links.

THE HUMANS SPECIAL LIVE ANNOUNCEMENT
7 October 2011 »

Thank you for your wonderful support of the new album SUGAR RUSH and HUMANS tour. I am pleased to let you know that on Monday 10 October you can gain entry to Birmingham HMV Library at 3pm with your HUMANS ticket stub (from Bush Hall, Derby or West Brom) for HUMANS gig filming for podcast. Toyah x

Tickets are available for this weekend's tour dates at:
SAT 8 OCT DERBY Flowerpot 01332 834438 / Online
SUN 9 OCT WEST BROMWICH The Public 0121 533 7161 / Online

THE HUMANS CONFIRM ALBUM SIGNINGS ON UK TOUR
6 October 2011 »

The Humans will sign copies of their new album Sugar Rush before their trio of UK gigs commencing Thursday 6 October 2011. The band will sign at 7.30pm at both Bush Hall, London on Thur 6 October and Derby Flowerpot on Sat 8 October. A signing session will take place at West Bromwich Public 6pm on Sunday 9 October. Tickets for all three gigs can be bought by telephone from the numbers below or visiting the live page. Fans are encouraged to keep hold of their tickets stubs from any of three concerts for an exclusive engagement on the afternoon of Monday 10 October in Birmingham. Further confirmed details of this will be announced soon.  This website will also bring you exclusive official video footage from the Bush Hall concert soon.

THU 6 OCT LONDON Bush Hall 08444 771 000
SAT 8 OCT DERBY Flowerpot 01332 834438
SUN 9 OCT WEST BROMWICH The Public 0121 533 7161 

THE HUMANS KICK OFF UK TOUR AFTER TAKING NYC BY STORM
1 October 2011 »

After 4-star album reviews, and standing ovations in New York, USA for their east Coast tour, Bill Rieflin, Toyah Willcox and Chris Wong hit the road in the UK for the SUGAR RUSH TOUR. The new material which will be heard live on this tour combines haunting soundscapes, edgy experiments and sweet melodies. Toyah has described Sugar Rush as the energy of original Toyah meets space punk crossed with American grunge. Pearl Jam and Soundgarden have recently let Bill Rieflin know that the band's debut album We Are The Humans as one of their favourite albums. A recent review also described the album as "that record we might have gotten if Tori Amos and Trent Reznor had ever come together for a full album."

The Humans live show has won critical acclaim and a standing ovation in New York on 27 Sept. The Humans now bring this tour to the UK with a chance to see the performances in intimate venues in the UK. For full box office ticket links click here.

THU 6 OCT LONDON Bush Hall 08444 771 000
SAT 8 OCT DERBY Flowerpot 01332 834438
SUN 9 OCT WEST BROMWICH The Public 0121 533 7161

NEW YORK GIG REVIEW:
“Songs like Fragment Pool and Pebble had a flow to it that drew you in and held your attention. Sea Of Size was one of the highlights of the set - a piece that drifted through the air and oozed a quiet sort of power. Wong, Rieflin, and the Igor with no last name created an interlocking tapestry for Toyah Willcox to glide over. Most impressive. Quicksilver and Telekinesis, both from the 1st Humans disc, were audio fairy tales for adults - bizarre little tales of life, slightly skewed. Twisted Soul led to the massively electric Put A Woman On The Moon, and the show ended with the caffeine rush of Demigod. The fun romp that was their cover of These Boots Are Made For Walkin' served as encore. An incredible evening! Bring this band back as soon as humanly possible!”

SUGAR RUSH ALBUM REVIEWS: 
"Sugar Rush is the group's second release, and it is a big one. This record sound like it could have escaped from the John Cale archives. With the attitude of Tori Amos' best work (but not the raw emotion), Toyah's voice lays over these compositions that sound almost like Trent Reznor on The Fragile."

"A hybrid of haunting and sweet, this album intrigues from start to finish. The Humans’ new 13-track album, Sugar Rush, is experimental, edgy in the simplest of ways, and nothing you can ready yourself for. It’s the musical equivalent of a drive through a part of town you’ve never seen, and just when you think you’ve got the area figured out, you pass a sign welcoming you to the nearby town with restaurants of a different vibe, and even the sky looks a bit different. But don’t consider driving back now, because you’re on a one-way and the scenery stays intriguing."

THE HUMANS DELIVER WORLDWIDE RELEASE OF SUGAR RUSH ALBUM
27 September 2011 »

THE HUMANS – Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin, Chris Wong - release their second full length album SUGAR RUSH on 27 September in USA/Canada on The End Records and in the rest of the world on 2 October on Toyah's own Vertical Species label. The 13-track album has already received critical acclaim, with a 4-star review proclaiming it "a hybrid of haunting and sweet, this album intrigues from start to finish".

Sugar Rush is available now in USA/Canada on physical CD and digital download and is available to rest of world on physical CD from www.burningshed.com (available to pre-order now) as well as at gigs on UK tour and digitally from Sunday 2 October 2011.

Both releases coincide with The Humans' Sugar Rush Tour which includes the band's American live debut with East Coast dates culminating in a headline gig at Highline Ballroom in New York City on 27 September.

They follow the US concerts with a seven-date UK tour which sees The Humans play Scotland and Wales for the first time alongside headline dates in London, Manchester and Sheffield. The Humans received a 4-star concert review for last year's debut London live date which Financial Times called "programmed beats, sinewy, rumbling rhythms…. a kind of twisted funk". Full tour dates and box office details for the Sugar Rush UK Tour can be found here.

The band has dedicated three years to establishing their sound, songs and performance. Crystallizing what is at the core of The Humans' manifesto, the album Sugar Rush bears a cinematic density with stirring moments of exhilarating energy (Sugar Rush) tender contemplation (Love In A Different Way) and brooding soundscapes (Sea Of Size). The album also features guest 'Human' Robert Fripp on all tracks. Sugar Rush sees further maturity in the band's material and a solid set of songs which are experimental yet accessible, grungy yet vocal-led and as delicate as they are unnerving.

The physical Sugar Rush CD album will be available to buy from all dates of the band's Sugar Rush UK Tour and to buy online from the Burning Shed webstore. Those buying the UK/Worldwide physical edition of the album (for the tour dates or from Burning Shed) will find a code inside the album which allows access to download three live tracks for free, all recorded at Scala London in February 2010.

The digital edition of the album will also be released worldwide (excluding USA/Canada) via iTunes, Amazon MP3, Play.com and all major digital music vendors from Sunday 2 October 2011. The (non-US/CAN) digital edition features the full 13-track studio album with two live bonus tracks from the Scala London concert in addition to an exclusive Digital Artwork Booklet.

THE HUMANS KICK OFF FIRST US TOUR & RELEASE NEW ALBUM
23 September 2011 »

The Humans kick off their first ever American East Coast live dates with the Sugar Rush Tour, starting at Portland’s Empire Dine & Dance on Saturday 24 September. The tour continues to Boston, Philadelphia and New York City. The live outing sees Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin and Chris Wong, with guest Igor Zarbzan, present material from the new album Sugar Rush. Keep checking Toyah’s official twitter feed for reports from the Sugar Rush US Tour.

The Humans’ sophomore album Sugar Rush is released on Tuesday 27 September in USA/Canada on The End Records label. The album is garnering acclaim including Kelsey Valadez’s 4-star review which concludes Sugar Rush is “A hybrid of haunting and sweet, this album intrigues from start to finish.”.

ALBUM REVIEW The Humans’ new 13-track album, Sugar Rush, is experimental, edgy in the simplest of ways, and nothing you can ready yourself for. It’s the musical equivalent of a drive through a part of town you’ve never seen, and just when you think you’ve got the area figured out, you pass a sign welcoming you to the nearby town with restaurants of a different vibe, and even the sky looks a bit different. But don’t consider driving back now, because you’re on a one-way and the scenery stays intriguing.

The opening track “Titanium Girl”, is gritty, with even grittier lyrics. Things slow down a bit on the second track, and steadily picks back up through “Sea of Size”. A lot of the album has a deep, almost dark feel with primal drums that are never too complicated, and grungy guitars, with unforgiving vocals. But then the listener meets a track like “Put a Woman On the Moon”, which features fast synth sounds, sounding like the soundtrack to a sci-fi movie about robots and space. Continues...

Read the full review at Everything But Urban
Check out full tour dates here
Watch the video for Sea Of Size here
Buy the USA album release on CD or on iTunes USA

UK release details will be announced soon.

THE HUMANS READY FIRST INTERNATIONAL TOUR
09 September 2011 »

The Humans – fronted by Toyah Willcox and incl. Bill Rieflin (REM/Ministry) - have confirmed three additional concert dates on their autumn Sugar Rush Tour 2011. The tour will now kick off in Portland, USA on 24 September and wrap in Glasgow, UK on 11 October. The tour will see the band’s first ever American tour dates in support of the Sugar Rush album’s US release on The End Records. The Humans’ second album is released physically and digitally in America on 27 September, with an exclusive pre-order bundle including a Humans T-shirt.

The concerts are tipped to include performances of the Sugar Rush album in its entirety alongside some material from The Humans’ repertoire. For the live dates, Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin and Chris Wong will be joined by a drummer to add further texture and colour to the band’s exciting, sonic palette. The Humans then embark on seven UK dates to coincide with the UK digital release of Sugar Rush on 2 October, and physical copies available to order online from Burning Shed.  The live dates include headline gigs in intimate venues in London and Manchester in addition to Scottish and Welsh dates. Physical copies of the album will be available to buy on all US and UK tour dates.

For full tour dates including venues, box office and links to buy tickets, see the LIVE page.

Saturday 24 September - Empire Dine & Dance, Portland, USA
Sunday 25 September - Church of Boston, Boston, MA, USA
Monday 26 September - The World Café, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Tuesday 27 September - Highline Ballroom, New York, NY, USA
Tuesday 4 October - Ruby Lounge, Manchester, UK
Wednesday 5 October - Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, UK
Thursday 6 October - Bush Hall, London, UK
Saturday 8 October - Flowerpot, Derby, UK
Sunday 9 October - The Public, West Bromwich, UK
Monday 10 October - Corporation, Sheffield, UK
Tuesday 11 October - King Tut’s WahWah Hut, Glasgow, UK    

THE HUMANS ANNOUNCE UK SUGAR RUSH CONCERT DATES
19 August 2011 »

The Humans have confirmed they will follow their first-ever US concert dates with a UK tour in support of the album Sugar Rush. The band, the brainchild of Toyah Willcox and featuring Bill Rieflin R.E.M. will perform material from their new album in a series of intimate UK gigs in London, Cardiff, West Bromwich and Derby on sale from Friday 19 August 2011. (Cardiff on sale Monday 22 August) The UK dates will directly follow the band’s first ever American live concerts which see The Humans play New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Seatlle.

Tuesday 4 October - Ruby Lounge, Manchester, UK
Wednesday 5 October - Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, UK
Thursday 6 October - Bush Hall, London, UK
Saturday 8 October - Flowerpot, Derby, UK 
Sunday 9 October - The Public, West Bromwich, UK 
Monday 10 October - Corporation, Sheffield, UK
Tuesday 11 October - King Tut’s WahWah Hut, Glasgow, UK    

THE HUMANS LINE-UP AMERICAN ALBUM RELEASE & CONCERT DATES
06 August 2011 »

The Humans (ft. Bill Rieflin Of R.E.M.) will see the American release of the album "Sugar Rush" on 27 September 2011 via The End Records. The album release will be supported by The Humans' first-ever US concert dates and take in Boston, Seattle, Philadelphia and a hotly-awaited New York headline gig. The concerts are tipped to include performances of the Sugar Rush album in its entirety. Full details of all concert dates will feature at www.thehumansofficial.com and www.toyahwillcox.com

The Humans are an innovative, three-piece, contemporary rock band comprising Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin and Chris Wong. The group brings together three lifetimes of musical experience, experimentation and craftsmanship. The band are the brainchild of Toyah Willcox.  The band  have dedicated three years to establishing their sound, songs and performance.  Crystallizing what is at the core of The Humans’ manifesto, the album Sugar Rush bears a cinematic density with stirring moments of exhilarating energy (Sugar Rush) tender contemplation (Love In A Different Way) and brooding soundscapes (Sea Of Size).   The album also features guest guitar on all tracks from Robert Fripp. Visit www.thehumansofifical.com for more information on the band, the album and to see the video for lead track Sea Of Size. 

The album will be released digitally and on CD with an exclusive pre-order web-bundle including an exclusive Sugar Rush t-shirt featuring an illustration by Toyah Willcox from the album artwork. Produced by Bill Rieflin, the album's confirmed track list is as follows: 

The Humans: Sugar Rush  (TE213-2)

1. Titanium Girl
2. Love In A Different Way
3. Sea Of Size
4. Pebble
5. Small Town Psychopath
6. Sweet Agitation
7. Playing In The Dark
8. Snow At 10:23
9. Sugar Rush
10. This Reasoning
11. Fragment Pool
12. Put A Woman On The Moon
13. Small Town Psychopath (Version) [Bonus Track]

PRESENTING THE HUMANS' VIDEO SEA OF SIZE
25 October, 2010

Visit the Multimedia section to watch the striking and beautiful promo video to accompany  Sea Of Size which features on The Humans' forthcoming album Sugar Rush. Directed by Dean Stockings the video features beautiful footage of Toyah and Robert Fripp. Details of the album release will be made available in the near future. 

INTRODUCING SUGAR RUSH
24 October, 2010

The Humans recently completed recording and mixing their second album, entitled Sugar Rush. The twelve-track LP, produced by Humans band member Bill Rieflin, includes the songs Sweet Agitation, Fragment Pool, Put A Woman On The Moon and the title track, all of which which were previewed live on The Humans' February 2010 UK tour. Sugar Rush was recorded in the UK and features guest guitar on all tracks by Robert Fripp.

Details of the album release will be announced on this website soon. In the meantime preview clips of four tracks from the album can be heard in the Multimedia section of this website.  

The Humans: Sugar Rush
confirmed track list

1. Titanium Girl
2. Love In A Different Way
3. Sea Of Size
4. Pebble
5. Small Town Psychopath
6. Sweet Agitation
7. Playing In The Dark
8. Snow At 10:23
9. Sugar Rush
10. This Reasoning
11. Fragment Pool
12. Put A Woman On The Moon

THE SOUND OF THE HUMANS
24 October, 2010

Paul Nicholson, live sound engineer for The Humans was interviewed for a feature on the band's recent UK live dates for Total Production magazine. To read the article click here.