This weekend, Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox – or Toyah & Robert, since many have come to know of them that way as well – released the latest installment of their ongoing cover-songs series, Sunday Lunch.
Given that they’ve tackled tracks by everyone from Michael Jackson to Metallica, it’s hard to say that anything that the husband and wife duo decide to cover is truly a surprise, but to hear them offer up a version of Blink-182’s “Dammit,” well, let’s just say that it definitely wasn’t something that we saw coming.
Toyah's 'Sunday Lunch' covers series with husband Robert Fripp has been ongoing since the pandemic.
The whole Sunday Lunch thing came about during the pandemic, and Fripp has always given his wife full credit for the idea.
“Toyah was very insistent on lifting spirits,” Fripp told Guitar World in 2023. “That’s what we set out to do. A good way of doing it was for me to strap on a guitar, pick a song and have fun. Our kitchen performances have been described as ramshackle, which I think is very fair and generous! It’s very clear that we don’t put too much time into, shall we say, high-definition performances. The key to it is, ‘Are we having a good time?’ And I’ve noticed in retrospect that the absurdity is rampant!
“There are two extreme responses to my part in Sunday Lunch," Fripp continued. "The first is, ‘This is below him: Robert is King Crimson and a serious guitarist,’ which I say is horses--t! Fundamentally, I’m a working player. When we engage with any of the music on Sunday Lunch, it is always with respect. We’re not taking the piss, playing silly rock riffs. That is a preposterous suggestion. I work hard to honor the original player or players on the famous recordings. The other extreme response is ‘Fripp can’t play rock and roll!’ which is the more accurate out of the two perspectives. When we’re doing songs by players like Tony Iommi, Jimmy Page or Ritchie Blackmore, I have to think these are classic players that need attention to detail.”
Blink-182, whose song "Dammit" was performed by Toyah & Robert in this week's edition of their ongoing 'Sunday Lunch' series.
As we've said before: it was always a bit of an unexpected turn of events for the man who brought you King Crimson and the woman who brought you "Thunder in the Mountains" becoming viral sensations by teaming up on YouTube to deliver a series of covers ranging from Green Day to Motorhead and the Beastie Boys. But the duo's success has been so profound that - as cited earlier this year - they're planning to embark on a series of holiday dates later this year.
"We've done individual dates, like festivals," Fripp told Q last year. "We've done Isle of Wight, we've done Glastonbury, we've done the Cropredy Festival, for example, and a few other shows. But those are the three major festivals we've done. And we've just come back from a one-month tour around England which completed a week ago last Sunday at the Birmingham Town Hall, where - 50 years earlier - King Crimson had played with John Wetton, Bill Bruford, David Cross, and myself. So the Toyah and Robert tour was surprisingly successful. We had lots of fun, and we're currently discussing work next year. Toyah has plans for this. She sings it, she drives it, I support it!"
Here are those dates, should you be in a position to attend:
DECEMBER
16 – Edinburgh, Queens Hall
17 – Sunderland, The Fire Station
19 – Bath, Komedia
20 – London, Indigo At The O2
22 – Wolverhampton, Wulfrun Hall
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