It's no exaggeration to say that when Poly Styrene screamed, “Oh bondage, up yours!” on X-Ray Spex’s debut single in 1977, she didn’t look or sound like any female singer that had come before her. With braces on her teeth and dressed in thrift shop clothes, she ripped up the idea of what a woman in a band should look and sound like.
Fifty years after forming her first band, she's at the heart of Up Yours! God Save the Queens, an exhibition running at the Museum of Youth Culture in London, England, which has proved so popular that it’s been extended until December 20.
The show challenges the traditional, male-dominated story of punk and puts women at the center. “Not as footnotes to punk history," says the organizer, “but as some of its defining creative forces.”
There's a stunning array of rare and previously unseen photography, artwork, fashion and personal archive material. From the Poly Styrene Archive, for instance, there’s the draft artwork for Oh Bondage Up Yours!, the collage for the album Germfree Adolescents and the original poster for X-Ray Spex’s legendary Roundhouse gig in May 1978.
There’s also original artwork by Linder, fashion from the Zandra Rhodes Foundation and new and previously unseen paintings by The Raincoats’ Gina Birch, including portraits of Poly Styrene and The Slits’ Ari Up.
X-Ray Spex saxophonist Lora Logic has contributed unseen artwork, and The Adverts’ bassist Gaye Black has loaned the trunk she took on tour with The Damned in 1976, complete with her tour postcards.
In terms of photography specifically, there’s plenty to see, including rarely seen images and archival prints of Siouxsie Sioux, Chrissie Hynde, Ari Up, Judy Nylon and Rhoda Dakar. Contributing photographers include Bob Gruen, Kate Simon, David Corio, Roberta Bayley, Janette Beckman, Sheila Rock, Dennis Morris, Ray Stevenson and Virginia Turbett.
We see Chrissie Hynde singing into the mic in a ripped denim waistcoat. My favorite image is one of Siouxsie Sioux, in profile on stage, performing live, arm raised and glare defiant. This is not a posed picture, just the reality of a sweaty, intense stage show that meant more to most people there than just music.
Admittedly, I wasn't at any of these gigs myself: in 1977, I was only 7 years old. But I was an enthusiastic participant in the punk scene from the 1980s onwards, both as a performer and audience member. And so you can believe me when I say that this show is no cheap cash-in. It shows respect – and it gets things right.
Up Yours! God Save the Queens is at the Museum of Youth Culture, 51 St Pancras Way, London NW1 0PU, until December 20, 2026. It’s open Wednesday to Sunday, from 11:00 to 18:00, and entry is free. Booking a free ticket in advance is recommended.
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