The Toy Dolls
From Fulwell to Fukuoka
Ronan Fitzsimons
Ardra Press
Sunderland 1979, an England with class divide arising from a punk revolution and the beginning of Maggie Thatcher. Three young men decide to start a band singing about life on the these streets, whether it’s the people living there or those they see from watching soap operas on tv. They call their band Toy Dolls
This book is the story from lead singer and only consistent member Olga’s perspective. It was written and published in 2004 to celebrate their 25th anniversary which in reality is Olga’s 25years in the band. It deals with the history in a clever concise way, each chapter covers a time frame which helps to build a picture of how the
We also get Chapters on Olga’s inspiration for lyrics which generally feature celebrities but ones that are very British, be it from soap operas or football teams. People who were in the spotlight and had their reputation tarnished. Olga was ready to write a song when they showed a kink in their armour, ready to capitalise when the nation saw these as themselves, flawed humans.
It is an interesting story of a very British band, whose inception coincided with punk rock and maybe its existence continued with the growth of the genre. They were and still are, as they play an odd time, a comedic new wave band. This book copperfastens that and if you’ve any interest in how punk evolved then this is worth being in your collection.
niallhope
