Poly Styrene 1957 – 2011
It’s hard for people who weren’t around at the time to understand the real impact of what we call Punk. For a start, as early as 1976 Johnny Rotten was rejecting the term as a label foist upon the Sex Pistols by the media. I never saw myself as a punk, but I was there for gigs by the Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Damned, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Lurkers, The Adverts and dozens more. The music and attitude of these disaffected ragamuffins had a huge impact on me and my lifestyle choice. It was like a slap in the face, realising that a gig could be celebratory rather than sombre; that one could go to see a band, react in an uninhibited way and talk to them at the bar afterwards; two hour sets in old, musty theatres could be eschewed in favour of 30 to 45 minute blasts of energy in a bar, club or basement. For a brief period in 1976/1977, the barriers between bands and audiences were broken down, and we were all there because we needed to come together, have fun, share our frustrations and let off steam.
Poly Styrene passed away last week, and it’s affected me more than I would have thought. I keep thinking about her, about how she was one of a handful of brave female artists back then, ready to put it out there, her thoughts on self worth, the role of women in society, attitudes of Neanderthals towards her and her kin…Patti Smith, Debbie Harry, Siouxsie and Poly all broke down barriers of perception, all in different ways, each one enriching the artistic tradition, each one giving something that we had never experienced before.
The first X-Ray Spex single was a blast of socio-political awareness that railed against centuries of social, sexual and psychological oppression. ‘Oh Bondage, Up Yours!’ was defiant and and daring, simultaneously throwing down the gauntlet to her peers, and challenging moronic gendre role playing. There was also humour, and anyone who witnessed the band live will know that they were fun occasions with a message given in song, not delivered in sermons. The next two singles, ‘The Day The World Turned Day-Glo’ and ‘Germ Free Adolescents’ were very different, and both terrific. Then came an album, also called ‘Germ Free Adolescents’, and still one of the few albums of that era that stands up musically, lyrically and production-wise.
The scene and its bands evaporated for me once 1978 arrived, and Poly seemed to disappear from view too. It was only recently that I she returned with an excellent new solo album, ‘Generation Indigo’. I immediately requested an interview with Poly, but didn’t get a response. When the news came of her passing, I was filled with sadness. I think it’s because she was genuine, original and fun. I hope that’s the way she would like to be remembered. She was a real artist, not an ex-punk who made a career out of it. Listen to the new album. Listen to X-Ray Spex. Remember her this way.
Check out the Creep remix of Poly Styrene ‘Virtual Boyfriend’
