Poly Styrene I Am a Cliche
Directed by Celeste Bell, Paul Sng
Written by Documentary
Starring Celeste Bell
Release Date March 5th, 2021
If you aren’t a fan of the British punk rock wave of the late 70s and early 1980s then you may not be aware of the trailblazer known as Poly Styrene. Poly Styrene was the rebellious and distinctive voice of the punk band X-Ray Spex. The band is arguably best known for being banned by the BBC over their song “Oh Bondage, Up Yours,” an anti-authority, anti-patriarchy punk anthem that became a big hit in spite of and because of the BBC ban.
Poly Styrene was a mixed race teenager growing up in a London suburb with few dreams of becoming a punk rock pioneer. Forming a band was an idea she had while writing poetry and searching for a way to share her poetry. Turning her spiky poetry into songs was a natural extension of wanting a way to speak louder and get heard. Punk was the most influential genre of the time and it happened to perfectly fit Poly’s anarchic style of poetry.
Find my full length review at Beat.Media, linked here.
