After the passing of Ari-Up from the Slits last October ,the sad news today is that another female Punk icon has fallen at a shockingly early age.

Poly Styrene (Marianne Joan Elliott-Said) died yesterday of cancer aged 53.

Poly understood the DIY message of Punk better than most as she realised it wasn’t about slavishly following a set look or wearing an official uniform. She recognised that the whole ethos was not about  jumping on a rebellious bandwagon but about finding your own self expression.

For women, Punk Rock was particularly liberating as it meant you didn’t have to look like you’d just stepped off a catwalk onto the stage. Poly looked frumpy and awkward but this was a major part of her appeal as it mocked the celebrity image that dominates the media to this day.

Her band, X-Ray Spex, will probably be remembered for Oh Bondage, Up Yours! , as much for the great title as the song. Good though it is, this track is not really representative of what the band were about. The album Germ Free Adolescents is not really based less on shocking straight listeners but was full of wittily ironic observations about consumer society and satirised the conventions of the fashion industry with songs like I Am A Poseur and Warrior In Woolworths. Their sound too was unusual in that saxophone was as prominent as the guitar.

My favourite song of theirs was Identity and here is a good video of the band performancing it in all their day-glo glory:

Poly’s death is particularly tragic since her comeback solo album Generation Indigo was released to good reviews less than one ago and she had just launched a new website. Here is a video of her giving a track by track guide:

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