Bright Lights Film Series: ‘Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché’

Poly Styrene was the first woman of colour in the UK to front a successful rock band. She introduced the world to a new sound of rebellion, using her unconventional voice to sing about identity, consumerism, postmodernism, and everything she saw unfolding in late 1970s Britain, with a rare prescience. As the frontwoman of X-Ray Spex, the Anglo-Somali punk musician was also a key inspiration for the riot grrrl and Afropunk movements. Poly was survived by a daughter, Celeste Bell, who became the unwitting guardian of her mother’s legacy and her mother’s demons. Discussion with writer and directors Celeste Bell and Paul Sng to follow.

Tickets are FREE and will be available starting at NOON on Wednesday and will be available for viewing until Thursday at 7:00 PM EST. Register for screening at ArtsEmerson. Link to participate in Zoom Webinar discussion on Thursday at 7:00 PM EST HERE.