X-Ray Spex

X-Ray Spex were an English punk rock band from London that formed in 1976.

During their first incarnation (1976–79), X-Ray Spex were "deliberate underachievers" and only managed to release five singles and one album. Nevertheless, their first single, "Oh Bondage Up Yours!", is now acknowledged as a classic punk rock single and the album Germfree Adolescents is widely acclaimed as a classic album of the punk rock genre.

Reformation
In 1991 X-Ray Spex reformed for a surprise sell-out gig at the Brixton Academy where Poly appeared in a blue foam dress with an army helmet (to her regret).[35] The group reformed again in 1995 with a line-up of Styrene, Dean and Logic to release a new album Conscious Consumer. Although heralded as the first in a trilogy, the album was not a commercial success. Styrene later explained[36] that touring and promotional work suffered an abrupt end when she was run over by a fire engine in central London, suffering a fractured pelvis. The following year X-Ray Spex played at the 20th Anniversary of Punk Festival in Blackpool minus Poly Styrene, overcoming her last-minute decision to withdraw by recruiting a replacement female singer named 'Poly Filla'. The band subsequently disbanded, but later releases include a compilation of the group's early records, a live album, and an anthology of all the aforementioned.

Jak Airport later worked for the BBC's Corporate and Public Relations department under his real name, Jack Stafford; he died on 13 August 2004 of cancer.

On 28 April 2008, Poly Styrene gave a performance of "Oh Bondage Up Yours!" in front of more than 10,000 people at the Love Music Hate Racism free concert in Victoria Park, East London

The band including original bass player Paul Dean, played what was described as a raucous comeback gig[37] and in front of an audience of 3,000 full at The Roundhouse in London on 6 September 2008. The gig consisted of Germfree Adolescents in its entirety, with the exception of "Plastic Bag". A DVD and CD of the Roundhouse performance was released in November 2009 on the Year Zero Label by Future Noise Music.[30] Symond Lawes, working as Concrete Jungle Productions, together with Poly Styrene, produced the live show at Camden Roundhouse in 2008.

Poly Styrene died of spinal and breast cancer on 25 April 2011 in East Sussex, England at the age of 53.

Documentary and biography
Styrene is the subject of an upcoming documentary Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché that is being crowd-funded as of March 2017. The documentary was directed by Paul Sng and was co-written by Styrene's daughter Celeste Bell (who also narrates) and author Zoë Howe. The documentary comes in conjunction with the 40-year anniversary Germfree Adolescents. "This film will be a celebration of the life and work of my mother, an artist who deserves to be recognized as one of the greatest front women of all time; a little girl with a big voice whose words are more relevant than ever" Bell said.[40] Bell and Howe will also be co-authoring a biography about Styrene that is set for released in November 2018.[40]

Albums

 * Germfree Adolescents (November 1978: EMI International, INT 3023) – No. 30 UK Albums Chart[41]
 * Conscious Consumer (October 1995: Receiver)

Live

 * Live at the Roxy (March 1991: Receiver, RRCD 140); live recordings from 1977
 * Live @ the Roundhouse London 2008 (November 2009: Year Zero, YZCDDVD01); CD and DVD of live recordings from September 2008

Compilation

 * Let's Submerge: The Anthology (2006: Castle Music CMEDD1378); 2 CD Compilation

Singles

 * "Oh Bondage Up Yours!" / "I Am A Cliché" (September 1977: Virgin Records, VS 189); also released as a 12" single (VS 189–12)
 * "The Day The World Turned Day-Glo" / "I Am A Poseur" (March 1978: EMI International, INT 553) – No. 23 UK Singles Chart
 * "Identity" / "Let's Submerge" (July 1978: EMI International, INT 563) – No. 24 UK
 * "Germfree Adolescents" / "Age" (October 1978: EMI International, INT 573) – No. 19 UK
 * "Highly Inflammable" / "Warrior in Woolworths" (April 1979: EMI International, INT 583) – No. 45 UK

Appearances on various artist compilations (selective)
Listing of those various artist compilation albums mentioned in the text of the main article:
 * "Oh Bondage Up Yours!" featured on The Roxy London WC2 (24 June 1977: Harvest Records SHSP4069) – No. 24 UK Albums Chart