Members of the seminal punk bands the Raincoats, the Slits, and X-Ray Spex will perform as a supergroup at a London festival next month. “God Save the Queens,” organized by the Up Yours! collective, celebrates the 50th anniversary of feminist punk and precedes the opening of a new exhibit on the movement at the Museum of Youth Culture in Camden.
The Raincoats’ Gina Birch and the Slits’ Hollie Cook will play with X-Ray Spek’s Lora Logic and Paul Dean for one night only on October 16 at Electric Brixton. Punk historian Vivien Goldman, the author of Revenge of the She-Punks, will also appear at the festival alongside Akiko Matsuura, Rhoda Dakar, Hot Wax, and Celeste Bell, the daughter of pioneering X-Ray Spex frontwoman Poly Styrene. Many of the performers featured on the bill have also contributed archival material, artwork, and more to the exhibit.
“When I wrote Revenge of the She-Punks, it was about mapping out the global lineage of women who used music to dismantle stereotypes and claim their own space,” Goldman said in a statement. “This festival, and the incredible night we are putting together at Electric Brixton, is that book coming to life on stage. It’s a vital, living continuation of that rebel culture, proving that the female narrative in punk is not an afterthought; it is a driving, evolving force.”
Logic added: “Contributing previously unseen artwork to the exhibition while also stepping onto the stage to play these iconic songs again feels like completing a full circle and is incredibly special. For me, the creative expression of the movement was always multi-dimensional; it was visual art, clothes and noise all at once.”
Revisit the feature The Story of Feminist Punk in 33 Songs.
