Poly Styrene was the first woman of color 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.
But the late punk maverick didn’t just leave behind an immense cultural footprint. She was survived by a daughter, Celeste Bell, who became the unwitting guardian of her mother’s legacy and her mother’s demons. Misogyny, racism, and mental illness plagued Poly’s life, while their lasting trauma scarred Celeste’s childhood and the pair’s relationship.
Featuring unseen archive material and rare diary entries narrated by Oscar-nominee Ruth Negga, this documentary follows Celeste as she examines her mother's unopened artistic archive and traverses three continents to better understand Poly the icon and Poly the mother. (Celeste Bell & Paul Sng, UK, 2021, 89 min.)
Time | Venue | Age | |
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Julia's War Xmas Cold Weather Clothing Drive w/ Sun Organ / Bad History Month / Night of Arrogance / Sandcastle | 7:30pm | Foto Club | 18+ |
Time | Venue | Age | |
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Psychic Wars / No Yeah No / God Called In (Out?) Sick | 8:00pm | Ortlieb's | 21+ |
Time | Venue | Age | |
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Ciel / Merlohh | 9:00pm | The Dolphin | 21+ |
Time | Venue | Age | |
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Photon Band / Brother JT / Lettuce Prey | 8:00pm | Johnny Brenda's | 21+ |
Time | Venue | Age | |
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Lotus / Muscle Tough | 8:00pm | Union Transfer | All Ages |
Time | Venue | Age | |
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Lotus / Cal Blac | 8:00pm | Union Transfer | All Ages |
Rid of Me / My Wife's An Angel / Sunburster / Born Losers DJs | 8:00pm | Ortlieb's | 21+ |
NYE 2025 feat. DJ's Rob Paine / Francisco Collazo / John Raffaele / Keen / Firestone / Urbankowboi / Joshua Orange / low1ron / phreakwency / Kristian Cho / Shai FM | 9:00pm | Warehouse on Watts | 21+ |
The Menzingers / Captain We're Sinking / The Wild Ones | 9:30pm | Ardmore Music Hall | 21+ |
Time | Venue | Age | |
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The Girls / Plastic Bitch / The Angies | 8:00pm | Ortlieb's | 21+ |
Time | Venue | Age | |
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Jim E. Brown / Matthew Danger Lippman / Manic Envy / Gavin Oswald | 8:00pm | Icebox Project Space | All Ages |
Stinking Lizaveta / Darsombra / Eye Flys | 8:00pm | Johnny Brenda's | 21+ |
Time | Venue | Age | |
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PWRUP / Kmoy /Take Today / 13 Cavities | 7:00pm | PhilaMOCA | All Ages |
The Elovaters / Surfer Girl / Beach Fly | 8:00pm | Union Transfer | All Ages |
Time | Venue | Age | |
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Zeta / Lobby Boxer / Skullpresser | 7:30pm | Foto Club | All Ages |