X-Ray Spex
Biography
X-Ray Spex erupted from the fetid underbelly of London's mid-'70s punk scene like a Day-Glo explosion in a charity shop, armed with saxophone squeals, feminist fury and one of the most distinctive voices in rock history. At the band's incandescent heart was Poly Styrene, born Marianne Joan Elliott-Said, a mixed-race teenager whose braces-flashing grin and thrift store aesthetic would make her punk's most unlikely and uncompromising icon.
The band's genesis can be traced to 1976, when the 19-year-old Poly, inspired by seeing the Sex Pistols at the Pier Pavilion in Hastings, placed an ad in Melody Maker seeking like-minded musical conspirators. What emerged was a quintet completed by Jak Airport on guitar, Paul Dean on bass, Paul "B.P." Hurding on drums, and most crucially, Lora Logic on saxophone – an instrument so alien to punk orthodoxy it might as well have been a theramin played by Martians.
X-Ray Spex's sound was punk rock refracted through a kaleidoscope of consumer culture critique and avant-garde sensibilities. Where their contemporaries bludgeoned with power chords, X-Ray Spex sliced through the sonic fog with Logic's piercing sax lines and Poly's clarion call vocals, delivering manifestos disguised as three-minute pop songs. Their music was simultaneously primitive and sophisticated, channeling the raw energy of '77 punk while incorporating elements that wouldn't have sounded out of place in a Weimar Republic cabaret.
The band's breakthrough came with their incendiary debut single "Oh Bondage Up Yours!" in 1977, a two-minute manifesto that managed to be simultaneously a feminist rallying cry and an existential howl against societal constraints. Poly's opening shriek of "Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard, but I think – OH BONDAGE! UP YOURS!" became punk's most quotable battle cry, while the song's urgent rhythm and Logic's skronking saxophone created a template that countless bands would attempt to replicate but never quite capture.
Their sole studio album, "Germfree Adolescents," released in 1978, stands as one of punk's most prescient and enduring statements. Tracks like "Art-I-Ficial," "The Day the World Turned Day-Glo," and "Genetic Engineering" saw Poly Styrene addressing themes of consumerism, environmental destruction, and technological alienation with a clarity that seems almost prophetic in our current digital age. The album's production, courtesy of Falcon Stuart, captured the band's live intensity while allowing space for their more experimental impulses to flourish.
Yet even as X-Ray Spex reached their commercial peak, cracks were beginning to show. Lora Logic departed in 1978, replaced by Rudi Thompson, and Poly herself was beginning to feel the strain of punk's relentless pace and the music industry's machinations. By 1979, she had disbanded the group, citing exhaustion and a desire to explore spiritual pursuits, leaving behind a brief but blazing legacy.
The band's influence far exceeded their modest chart success – "Germfree Adolescents" peaked at a respectable 30 in the UK – rippling outward through subsequent generations of musicians. From riot grrrl pioneers like Bikini Kill to art-punk provocateurs like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, X-Ray Spex's DNA can be traced through decades of underground music. Their integration of saxophone into punk rock opened doors for everyone from The Lounge Lizards to Morphine, while Poly's fearless embrace of artifice and performance presaged everyone from Björk to Lady Gaga.
Poly Styrene would periodically resurrect X-Ray Spex throughout the following decades, releasing "Conscious Consumer" in 1995 and continuing to tour sporadically. Her 2011 solo album "Generation Indigo" proved her voice remained as vital and uncompromising as ever, though tragically, she passed away from cancer just months after its release, aged 53.
Today, X-Ray Spex's legacy burns brighter than ever. "Germfree Adolescents" regularly appears on greatest punk albums lists, while Poly Styrene is increasingly recognized not just as a punk pioneer but as a visionary artist whose concerns about consumer culture, identity
