Raincoats, Slits and X-Ray Spex members honour Poly Styrene in London
Members of X-Ray Spex, The Raincoats and The Slits shared a stage in London on Friday, Oct. 16, to pay tribute to late X-Ray Spex singer Poly Styrene.
The one-off group played at Electric Brixton as part of Up Yours! God Save the Queens!, an event billed as a celebration of 50 years of She-Punk, the shorthand for women-led punk. The show was described ahead of time as a centrepiece of the anniversary programme, according to NME.
The line-up brought together Gina Birch of The Raincoats, Hollie Cook of The Slits, Paul Dean of X-Ray Spex, Lora Logic of X-Ray Spex and Essential Logic, and Akiko Matsuura of Comanechi and Pre, according to Rolling Stone.
They played two X-Ray Spex songs, “Oh Bondage Up Yours!” and “The Day The World Turned Dayglo.” The set also included the Slits’ cover of Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.”
The wider festival took place at Electric Brixton in south London. It was curated by Celeste Bell, Styrene’s daughter, alongside writer Vivien Goldman, author of Revenge of the She-Punks.
Other performers on the bill included Estella Adeyeri, John Robb, Skin, Rhoda Dakar and Bishi. The event was presented by SJM Concerts and Up Yours Collective, with the venue listing running times of 18:30 to 00:00.
Styrene fronted X-Ray Spex, the London punk band formed in 1976. The group released its debut album, Germfree Adolescents, in 1978 and its second and final album, Conscious Consumer, in 1995. Styrene died in 2011 from breast cancer at age 53.
The anniversary programme continues beyond the gig. London’s Museum of Youth Culture will open a “God Save the Queens” exhibition on Oct. 23, running until Nov. 22, with artwork, photography, fashion and archival material tracing five decades of She-Punk.
What makes this stand out is the personnel. These were not covers by a younger band. They were played by people who were part of the same late-1970s scene, in a room marking 50 years since it began. For fans, this means a rare chance to hear those songs live from players with a direct link to them.
