Poly Styrene was a braces-wearing, singer/songwriter, and frontwoman of X-Ray Spex. Styrene was born in 1957 in the UK to Irish and Somali parents. By the time she turned 16, Styrene had run away from home and was already (unofficially) on the road, following bands and hitchhiking from one music festival to the next. By 18, she began recording what would be her first demo, a mixture of punk and ska influences. It wasn’t until a year later when Styrene went to a very early Sex Pistols show where she fell in love with the idea of band camaraderie and decided to start her own band —X-Ray Spex — a punk-rock, jazz-inspired band.
