30 Years Of The Toy Dolls Early in 2004 I was sitting with Olga in a pub in London, doing a final interview for the band’s official biography, The Toy Dolls: From Fulwell to Fukuoka. The book was nearly completed, but a few questions remained unanswered in my mind. Was there to be a future for The Toy Dolls after their 25th anniversary in October of that year? How much importance should we attach to the question mark in both Our Last Album? – which Olga had half-written at that stage – and the forthcoming autumn/winter dates across Europe in Our Last Tour? Olga seemed unable to commit to anything firm, so we concentrated on getting pissed instead. Five years on, and I needn’t have worried. The new line-up of Olga, Tommy and Duncan is the strongest and tightest in a long time, and their power on stage shows no signs of abating. In 2007, for the first time in 20 years, the band toured the UK, and man did they rock – the atmosphere at Durham’s Dunelm House took over 800 sweaty souls right back to where it had all started. Cast your mind back to the early days – a set list combining cover versions, fast rock ’n’ roll, the finest in R&B and a sprinkling of original tunes: ‘She Goes to Fino’s’ and ‘Tommy Kowey’s Car’, the two sides of the band’s first single, have stood the test of time and are still revered worldwide. As shows and audiences grew in number, so did the TV appearances – who can forget the early days of The Tube? – and the clamouring for a first LP. We were patient, and in 1983 it finally happened. Back to 2009, and we can now look forward to the recording of the band’s twelfth studio album this winter, and fans in France and Switzerland can enjoy live shows in late autumn. The number of gigs played by The Toy Dolls is now nudging up towards 1000 – what price a ticket for the millennial show? Have a look through the listing of these gigs on the website, and be astounded at the diversity of countries in which the band have played their hearts out – and conquered audiences’ hearts across the world. It is an indication of the esteem in which Olga is held as a guitarist that, in an online poll a couple of years ago, he was voted top punk guitarist of all time, ahead of the legendary Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols and The Professionals. But it’s not just the fans who rate Olga and The Toy Dolls. To help celebrate 30 years of this most vibrant, engaging, professional yet approachable band, fellow musicians have sent their congratulations. Some are former members of the band – Col Scott occupied the drum stool in the very first gig in 1979, and Dean Robson and Baz Warne (now with The Stranglers, of course) made important contributions to the band’s development in the 1980s. Others reflect fond memories of touring together – TV Smith was described by Olga as ‘a gentleman and a legend’ when he joined the band on the UK tour of 2007 – and a warmth of mutual respect enjoyed across the punk community, from Wearside to Brighton, to Belfast to the USA. You can read the musicians’ messages below. I’ll sign off by offering my own congratulations to The Toy Dolls on their 30th birthday: to Tommy and Duncan; to all other Dolls who have been part of the mosaic over the years; to the crew; but mostly to Olga, without whom the whole adventure wouldn’t have been half so mad. Cheers, lads – enjoy your day, and here’s to the future! Ronan Fitzsimons
Hi Olga,
I’ve got many fond
memories of The Dolls ... hard to believe it’s been 26 years!
When I joined, the band were properly breaking onto the national scene
with loads of out-of-town gigs and the first jaunts abroad to Europe
and two great tours in the US. The music was tight, edgy and very funny
and the band were right up for it. I was 19 ... what can I say? Happy
days ... Congratulations, my friend. You did it your way and left some
great music behind. As for what lies ahead...? Heh-heh. Keep smiling,
Olga. Speak soon, bud. To me, Olga is one of
the great Wearmouth poets of the past 200 years. He is an amazing performer
and a fantastic guitarist, but also a great choreographer and band leader.
I feel he is a national treasure. Green Day, to me, missed the point
– Olga is the point. We have always been fans
of The Toy Dolls, and now the whole band happen to be old and dear friends
of ours to boot. Congratulations on your 30 years! Hi Olga, I tip my hat to The Toy
Dolls! Many congratulations on yer 30th, lads. I would say ‘Here’s
to another 30’ but I’ve had that meself and know it’s
not really possible. (Unless the ‘Sunshine Homes of South Shields’
are doing punk nights in 2039!) Howay the lads! And well done!
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