Our Review:

In the last years of the seventies, X-Ray Spex, fronted by singer / songwriter Poly Styrene, were one of the most visible and artistically successful punk originals. Led by Poly Styrene who had charisma with a capital C, the British band's songs were super intense, noisy and ragged, while simultaneously catchy, ridiculously melodic and hook-filled. Powerful, hundred-miles-an-hour drumming, wailing skronk saxophone, Poly's sandpaper yowl of a voice, it all adds up. X-Ray Spex obviously influenced Sleater-Kinney as well as pretty much any grrl punk group you can think of, and, hell, a lot of male-led bands too. And along with the Raincoats and Liliput, X-Ray Spex is the foundation of the female vision of punk!