X-Ray Spex

X-Ray Spex are a punk rock band formed in 1976 in London, England. Led by Somali-English teenage vocalist Poly Styrene. The band's songs were a primitive but energetic exploration of typical teenage concerns, combined with social commentary on the artificial nature of modern life.

Unique Sound and Image

Poly Styrene became the face of the band, and her voice was the centerpiece of their sound, which was also unique because of the unusual inclusion of saxophone (initially played by Lora Logic). Styrene's spoken introduction to their first single, "Oh Bondage, Up Yours," summed up their attitude: "Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard - well I think, oh bondage, up yours!" Although their debut album Germ Free Adolescents brought them to the brink of punk stardom, they broke up soon afterwards.

Reunions and Legacy

Although the band reunited in 1991 without Styrene, a second album didn't arrive until a brief 1995 reunion, but the band never reached the critical or commercial heights of their late 1970s period. However, the band's legacy is assured, with their feminist and anti-consumerist lyrics having influenced new generations of activists and musicians. After Styrene played at the "Rock Against Racism" 30th Anniversary concert, the band announced that it would reunite yet again for a show in London in September of 2008.

Fast Facts

1. First incarnation: 1976-1979.
2. Hometown: London
3. Members: Poly Styrene, Lora Logic, Rudi Thompson, Jak Airport, Paul Dean and BP Hurding
4. First single: "Oh Bondage, Up Yours" (1977)
5. Reformed in 1991 without Styrene.
6. Reunited in 1995 to release the album Conscious Consumer
7. Band members' names are all pseudonyms
8. Members continued on to make solo recordings, and to form the bands Essential Logic and Classix Nouveaux.
9. Both Poly Styrene and Lora Logic joined the Hare Krishna movement in the early 1980s
10. Discography

Critical Praise

1. "Effervescently discordant...a strength of purpose and a punchy power...among the mere handful of bands that truly recognized punk's limitations and transformed them into an incandescent virtue." - Allmusic
2. "One of the most exciting groups of its time...at once an ideal and atypical punk band." - The Trouser Press Record Guide

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