DECEMBER 15th 2014

A very merry Christmas from Olga, Tommy & Duncan.

Here's to loads more gigs in 2015!

TTFN

DECEMBER 1st 2014

The Toy Dolls beer is NOW available here!

And the first two shows of 2015 have been confirmed!

TTFN

NOVEMBER 17th 2014

DIG THAT BREW BABY!

Things are brewing nicely in the world of The Toy Dolls.

Following the success of the band's twelfth studio long-player, The Album After The Last One, lead singer/guitarist Michael 'Olga' Algar has teamed up with The Bespoke Brewing Company in Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire, to develop a range of Toy Dolls-themed real ales, bottled under the jaunty label 'The Beer After The Last One'.

'We're really proud of this new venture,' says Olga. ‘We felt this was a logical step into an exciting new area. We've worked closely with the brewer at every stage, and we're very pleased with the taste of all the beers.'

Brewer Mike Bayliss, a fan of the band, is equally excited: 'We've got a full range of Toy Dolls beers to suit every palate: stout, pale ale and blonde beer. They will be available in a 3 bottle gift pack and a box of 12 depending on how many Toy Dolls albums people are planning to listen to per evening.'

The beers will be available to order from The Toy Dolls online webshop or directly from the The Bespoke Brewery soon.

For punks old and new, there's a beer just for you.

‘The Beer After The Last One’ will be available from December 1st.

Cheers!

TTFN

OCTOBER 28th 2014

Hello You Lot!

So, the final two shows of 2014 are done and dusted, Wroclaw & Warsaw, and what a great time the lads had. Thanks to everyone in Poland.

Here’s pics of the lads at a motorway services between Wroclaw & Warsaw, and The Toy Dolls ever faithful road crew Koen and Patrick with the Lambrusco bottle back stage in Wroclaw.

This time in Poland also saw the 10th anniversary of Tommy’s time with the band! Can you believe it!

Here's a coupla pics of our Tommy with his anniversary cake in the dressing room in Warsaw!

Cheers to Rudeboy Janek for this pic of Olga being presented with an extra special shirt in Poland!

And your ASK OLGA answers are here, and please keep sending your questions to .

This time around sees the welcome return of the bass lessons from Tommy Goober! Click here to learn some wicked bass bits.

Olga is putting the final vocal tracks to the acoustic album and will be heading off to the recording studio to mix and master it in early December! More news on a release date soon!

NEXT UP!

That special new merchandise we mentioned is gonna be added to The Toy Dolls shop VERY SOON. We will have full details on here before it is available, any day now!

Meantime, the limited edition French T Shirts have been reduced to only €10.00 (including all postage & packing). This is to make room for the new special merch coming!

Gigs are now being pencilled in for 2015! A couple of shows are already confirmed, and these will be announced over the next few weeks.

Hey, Olga tells me he has started writing another Toy Dolls studio album too, YIPEE!

OK, we will have news of that new merch any day now, keep checking in to find out more!

Until next time...

TTFN

SEPTEMBER 26th 2014

Welcome to the updates you lot!

The guitar lessons are back! YEAH! The man himself came around the other day to record a whole new set o' lessons. Click here for the first of the new batch! Enjoy!

And your ASK OLGA answers are here, and please keep sending your questions to .

Hey, Olga has finally got around to update the OLGA TALKIN section too, click here to read about the latest news on the acoustic album...

COMPETITION RESULTS

There was no outright winner on the latest competition! Lots of people with 5 or 6 answers correct, but not 7!

So we have chosen two winners at random from list of those of you with the most correct answers. And the 2 winners are:

Grzegorz Gołąbek from Krakow Poland

and

Ant Vines from Nottingham UK

Congratulations, your prizes are on their way!

The questions and answers are:

1. How Many tom toms does the Amazing Mr Duncan use?
Answer: 2

2. Tommy Goober’s Music Man bass guitar is now white, but what colour was it previously?
Answer: RED

3. Which 2 Toy Dolls songs have been used in Play Station games?
Answer: DIG THAT GOOVE BABY & TURTLE CRAZY

4. Which Toy Dolls song did Rancid’s Tim Armastrong release as a single?
Answer: SHE GOES TO FINOS

5. How many Fender Telecasters does Olga play on stage during a typical live Toy Dolls show?
Answer: 2

6. Which Toy Dolls song Character had Panic attacks?
Answer: BARRY THE ROOFER

7. In which musical key is Fiery Jack?
Answer: E (tricky this one, as the song ends in E7!)

A coupla pics from the Aupa Lumbreiras Festival in Spain last month, Olga soundcheckin’ back stage and the lads n’ crew havin lunch. What a life eh?!

So, only two club shows left this year, both in Poland, and it's the very first time for the lads in Wroclaw! It's been almost 20 years since they played Warsaw! I know they are itchin' to get there! Here’s the ticket link.

WEB SHOP - NEW SWAG!

Hey, we have something extra special comin’ up for you in The Toy Dolls webshop very soon and I think you're gonna like it! WATCH THIS SPACE and all will be revealed very soon!

Until next time...

TTFN

AUGUST 17th 2014

Hello again You Lot,

We hope you are all enjoying the summer festivals, as usual the lads are having a whale of a time! Thanks to all the organisers, promoters, and most of all to You Lot of course!

I will point out that tickets for the two club shows in Poland are selling fast. Don’t miss out on these rare events!

So, I managed to persuade Olga to send me a pic of him ready for training on his bike!

Olga is due to pop across to my place soon to record another batch of guitar lessons, so watch this space!

Meantime, your latest “Ask Olga” answers are here, and please keep sending your questions to .

NEW MERCHANDISE!

New colour ‘Dig that Groove baby’ shirts and new wicked sunflower colour ‘Face Logo‘ shirts are now available at the webshop. Girlie shirts are also available, alongside the ever popular ‘Face Design’ black shirt now being available in girlies!

COMPETITION TIME!

Firstly the prize!

A Toy Dolls goodie bag consisting of...

A grey French tour shirt (available in size M, L, and XL - please state your size when entering the competition)
A Toy Dolls B/W pic
A set of 3 Toy Dolls buttons
A copy of “The ALbum After The Last One” on CD

Now then, the competition...

Send your answers , and please include full name, address, and your required T-shirt size…

Olga has told me that the questions have been too easy in the past! So, here we go! 7 tough questions for ya!

1. How many tom toms does The Amazing Mr Duncan use?
2. Tommy Goober’s ‘Music Man’ bass guitar is now white, but what colour was it previously?
3. Which two Toy Dolls songs have been used in PlayStation games?
4. Which Toy Dolls song did Rancid’s Tim Armstrong release as a single?
5. How many Fender Telecasters does Olga play on stage during a typical live Toy Dolls show?
6. Which Toy Dolls song character had panic attacks?
7. In which musical key is Fiery Jack?

Good luck! You have until September 1st to get your answers in. There can only be one winner, and it doesn't matter where you are based in the world, we will send the prizes anywhere!

Winner will be announced next updates!

TTFN

JULY 22nd 2014

Hey you lot.

Great news - the official Toy Dolls biography (From Fulwell to Fukuoka) is now available as an e-book! You can get it direct from the new publisher now at urbanepublications.com (there's a special 50% discount for the rest of July - just tap in the code 'urbane50' at the checkout) or at Amazon etc. in the next couple of days. The paperback version is still available from ardrapress.co.uk. Happy summer reading!

And don't miss Olga’s old band mates, The Dickies, on their European tour! See if you can spot Olga at one or two of the shows too!

TTFN

JULY 15th 2014

It's summer time in the UK - yeah! - and things are really looking up in Toy Doll world!

Our favourite bassist, Tommy Goober, had a small set back with his recent knee operation before Topfest in Slovakia, but now he has been given the all clear!

Olga too is seeing a gradual improvement with his throat problem and mental state.

Tommy is attending regular physiotherapy, whilst Olga is attending regular psychotherapy! What a bunch eh?!!

At least The Amazing Mr. Duncan is in a fit state!

Anyway, all is looking promising!

Speaking with Olga a few days back, he is still trying to take things easy but is also itching to get back on with recording the acoustic album which he plans to return to very soon. We should have some news regarding this in the next updates.

Talking of Olga, here are the latest “Ask Olga” answers. Keep sending your questions to .

And your latest guitar lesson is here.

Since we last spoke, the lads completed a fantastic French tour!

Playing to packed houses throughout France, the tour ended at The Bataclan in Paris, and a wonderful time was had by all. Cheers to everyone who attended the shows.

Here's a coupla pics for ya, before the crowds in Paris and back in the van!

In Paris the lads were interviewed for a French TV Toy Dolls special. More news on this soon! Below is Olga getting an interview for the telly!

Oh, and I almost forgot this… our trusty trio were featured in the French TGV train magazine, May edition, fame at last eh!? Take a look!

So... next up is the Pod Parou Festival in the Czech Republic on Aug 1st, followed by a string of festivals in August. Once finished Olga will be putting his recording head back on and finishing off the acoustic album.

There will be a competition in the next updates, not sure what the prize is yet, gonna be a nice one though!

And hey, I have persuaded Olga to get a pic of himself on his bike/training, will put it up for you next updates!

TTFN

JUNE 11th 2014

A quick update on Olga.

Olga is suffering from severe mental exhaustion, panic attacks, and also has some kind of throat problem, which feels like a lump and has been incredibly painful. This, in turn, is affecting his mental state, which makes the throat worse, which makes the mental state worse... It's a vicious circle.

Olga had an endoscopy (camera down the throat) at St. Mary’s hospital in Paddington, London, yesterday. The initial diagnosis is that all is normal, however, Olga has an appointment with his doctor this Friday, and will most likely be put on an extra strong course of tablets to reduce reflux from his stomach. This is what the doctor believes is causing the throat problem.

Lets hope that all symptoms will subside as soon as possible.

On a lighter note...

The new edition of Vive Le Rock magazine (#19, in the shops over the next day or so) features Olga’s tour diary of The Toy Dolls' time in California a few weeks back.

In the meantime, Olga is trying to take things easy, we wish him a speedy recovery.

We'll keep you posted with any developments.

Until next time.

TTFN

JUNE 4th 2014

An important message from Olga. Read more...

MAY 29th 2014

Due to the overwhelming demand for the French tour shirts we are getting a limited amount reprinted. The shirts will be available in M, L and XL and will be for sale from the webshop at 10pm (UK time) this coming Friday, 30th May.

Grab one while ya can, there aint gonna be another re-print after this lot!

Until next time.

TTFN

MAY 22nd 2014

Hey You Lot!

It has been a busy year in The Toy Dolls camp so far, the French tour will be underway by the time you read this, and the shows in California are done and dusted.

THANK YOU to everyone who went to the shows in San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as the Coachella Festivals, the lads had a great time, and picked up some terrific reviews in a string of USA press, Rolling Stone being one of em!

Cheers to everyone at the shows in Stuttgart & Freiburg Germany also, two packed nights and great time was had by all!

Heres some pics taken at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood by J.Moncrief / BigWheelMagazine.

Because of the heavy workload, it will be next time when the guitar lessons return, sorry about that!

However, here are yer latest Ask Olga answers... Send yer further questions to .

And so to the t-shirt competition winner, there were mountains of entries for this one! Great shirt mind ya! Though there were only a small number of completely correct answers! From these correct answers a name was chosen at random. First off the questions and answers:

1. What was the original colour of Olga’s yellow Telecaster?
Answer: Sunburst

2. Who produced the album Idle Gossip?
Answer: Michael Chapman

3. Which composer wrote the classical intro music used at The Toy Dolls live shows?
Answer: Strauss

And the winner is…. Luciano Fervidi, from Ireland.

A medium size t-shirt is on its way to you, please let us know when it arrives!

OK, enjoy the French shows you lot!

Until next time.

TTFN

APRIL 6th 2014

Hey You Lot, Its Spring time finally!

A huge thank you to everyone in Holland Rotterdam and Italy Bologna, for the first two Toy Dolls shows of 2014! The guys had a fantastic time.

Here's two live pics for you from the Rotterdam show, and the lads at rehearsals in Bologna.

Regarding the USA dates... Thank you so much from the lads to everyone buying tickets, the LA Hollywood Fonda show sold out in less than 5 hours! However there are some tickets left for San Francisco here.

Olga has taken a break from recording the acoustic album, bah… There has been so much admin to do regarding the USA visas and French stuff, but he has said he will get back to it after the French tour though, so we should have more news soon!

Click here for the latest ASK OLGA answers.

Due to time restrictions there's no guitar lesson this time around, but they will be returning soon!

However, we do have a great competition for you:

The prize is one of the new “DIG THAT GROOVE BABY” shirts. We will send the prize worldwide, but please state your size on entry, either M, L, Xl, XXL. You have till April 25th to get your answers in .

And the questions!
1: What was the original colour of Olga’s Yellow Telecaster?
2: Who produced the album “Idle Gossip” ?
3: Which composer wrote the classical intro music used at The Toy Dolls live shows?

Good Luck!

Oh, one last thing, you are gonna have to be quick if ya want tickets for the French tour! Tickets are flying out!

Until next time

TTFN

FEBRUARY 19th 2014

A belated Happy New Year to You Lot!

So what does 2014 have planned for us then!?

Olga has 5 songs still to record for the acoustic album, he says its coming along very nicely, though not speedily! We will keep you posted on his progress!

Meantime, your latest ASK OLGA answers are here.

The Toy Dolls management are busy at work trying to get more and more festivals and shows for throughout 2014, there are some already confirmed but awaiting announcement.

As regards to the USA, due to contractual agreements, the lads can only do two more shows around the Coachella festival period, and these will be in California:

14th April: SAN FRANCISCO, REGENCY.

17th April: LOS ANGELES, FONDA THEATRE.

There will be special fan tickets in advance of the public sale:

http://thetoydolls.groundctrl.net/

April 14 - San Francisco, CA The Regency
Fan Club pre-sale: THU. Feb. 20 at 10 am PST
Public on sale: FRI. Feb. 21 at 10 am PST
Support: Swingin' Utters
http://thetoydolls.groundctrl.net/events/253083

April 17 - LA, CA The Fonda
Fan Club pre-sale: THU Feb. 27 at 10 am PST
Public on sale: FRI Feb. 28 at 10 am PST
Support: The Adolescents
http://thetoydolls.groundctrl.net/events/253093

Each show will make 10% of tickets available to fans through this link prior to the public on sale, and the service charges are reduced.

These are both ALL AGES shows, so please be really quick to get yer tickets!

Oh, I almost forgot (with all the excitement of returning to California!) your latest guitar lesson is here.

A really awesome brand new design “Dig That Groove Baby” shirt is now in the webshop and will be available at the live shows!

And… next time around there will be a competition for you to win one of these lovely new shirts!

Until next time

TTFN