Poly Styrene: The Trailblazing Music Icon You Never Heard of.
By Lomie Blum, News Editor.
Poly Styrene screamed the first time on the first song she and her band X-Ray Spex released “some people think little girls should be seen and not heard, but I think: oh bondage up yours!.” The song is titled “Oh Bondage! Up Yours!” and after that introduction by Styrene, it breaks out into chaos with brash guitars and even a saxophone solo as Styrene keeps yelping lyrics in a beautiful frenzy.
The first time I heard this I was confused, what was I hearing? It was nothing like I’ve heard before. In all of the classic punk and art bands, I listened to such as The Clash, Joy Division, or DEVO, X-Ray Spex was the most freeing music I had heard. X-Ray Spex did not fit a genre; it was just an absolute expression that was mostly heard in the vocal deliveries.
After hearing “Oh Bondage! Up Yours!,” I quickly learned about the lead singer and mastermind behind X-Ray Spex, Poly Styrene. Styrene, the braces-wearing frontwomen, would quickly become a hero of mine and inspiration.
Poly Styrene started X-Ray Spex in 1976, feeling inspired after seeing the Sex Pistols live. Styrene passed away in 2011 and is often overlooked by music or punk historians, despite being extremely influential to modern-day especially female-fronted bands.
X-Ray Spex was different when compared to other punk bands of the era with more melodic songs exploring subjects other than anarchy, but race, identity, capitalism and feminism. Styrene also experimented with sounds in X-Ray Spex having a saxophone player and even piano from time to time in songs.
Styrene also had a very sarcastic voice and had a punk snarl while also staying euphonious instead of just screaming. This type of singing would greatly influence Bikini Kill frontwomen, Kathleen Hanna, who at times sounds like she is doing a Styrene impersonation.
However, the driving force of the band was Styrene herself and her attitude. Styrene’s attitude was one of freedom, not caring, while also staying extremely thoughtful instead of brash or obnoxious like other punks at the time.
Styrene was a trailblazer singing about feminism before any punk band did which would greatly influence the 1990s feminist punk Riot-Grrrl movement. Styrene was also black in the prominently white punk scene and showed that anybody could do it despite race or gender.
I discovered Poly Styrene and X-Ray Spex later than I should have. This is because she or the band is often not given the credit they deserve yet. When I did discover Styrene, I found the emphasis of what punk is supposed to be, angry yet clever and fun yet serious.
Styrene embodied the punk attitude and created a soundtrack for a revolution to which you could dance to.
Styrene also inspired me to embrace my strangeness more than ever before. Seeing her dance on stage with messy hair, screaming lyrics with meaning and a grin with braces just hit an emotional chord with me and taught me at the end of the day who cares.