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.

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.

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.

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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