London Festival ‘God Save the Queens’ Celebrates 50 Years of She-Punk

Pioneering figures and champions of the She-Punk legacy are coming together for Up Yours! God Save the Queens!, a London festival celebrating 50 years of She-Punk through artwork, photography, fashion, and archival material. On Friday, Oct. 16, a supergroup comprising members of X-Ray Spex, the Raincoats, and the Slits will take the stage at Electric Brixton.

For one night only, the Raincoats’ Gina Birch and the Slits’ Hollie Cook will join forces with X-Ray Spex’s Lora Logic and Paul Dean, punk historian Vivien Goldman, and Celeste Bell, daughter of X-Ray Spex front woman and punk pioneer Poly Styrene. Akiko Matsuura, Rhoda Dakar, Hot Wax, and more are slated to appear.

“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.”

Big Joanie and Essential Logic will also perform at the October event, which precedes the opening of a flagship exhibition at the Museum of Youth Culture in Camden on Oct. 23. Beyond the night of performances, Up Yours! God Save the Queens! aims to celebrate the often overlooked contributions women have made to punk through thorough careful documentation and curation. The exhibition will feature never-before-seen images.

“Curating my mother’s archive proved how important it is to protect female counter-cultural history,” Bell shared in a statement. “Through Up Yours! Collective, we’re taking that legacy out of the archives and putting it where it belongs: centre stage. Bringing this vision to life through both the exhibition and joining the iconic she-punks on stage is an incredible full-circle moment.”

Lora 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.”