Several remaining members of iconic punk groups, including X-Ray Spex, The Raincoats, and The Slits, are forming a supergroup to celebrate 50 years of female-fronted punk rock. A festival event is scheduled to take place in London, titled Up Yours! God Save The Queens, on October 16, 2026. U.K. punk fans are in for a treat.
The supergroup, also dubbed God Save the Queens, will perform a one-off show at the Electric Brixton venue in London. Up Yours! Collective is putting on the festival, which includes an additional lineup of incredible women in punk. It serves as a showcase of punk rock women of the past, present, and future.
Not only is the festival itself a historic celebration, but the supergroup formation is also an X-Ray Spex reunion. Lora Logic and Paul Dean are joining up again for God Save the Queens. They’ll play alongside Gina Birch of The Raincoats, Hollie Cook of The Slits, Estella Adeyeri of Big Joanie and Widget, and Akiko Matsuura of Comanechi and PRE.
Members of Pioneering Punk Bands Reunite for Festival Celebrating 50 Years of Women in Punk Rock
This celebratory punk festival also includes a multi-generational lineup of other performers alongside the supergroup. These include Big Joanie, Essential Logic, Gina Birch and the Unreasonables, and HotWax. The full lineup of performances and guests is listed on the official social media announcement.
Additionally, Poly Styrene’s daughter Celeste Bell is on the docket as a special guest. The X-Ray Spex frontwoman died of cancer in 2011, but she remains a guiding figure for women in punk rock to this day.
Lora Logic made a statement about the festival, per NME. In part, she spoke about what it means to bring these artists together. “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,” said Logic.
“For me, the creative expression of the movement was always multi-dimensional; it was visual art, clothes and noise all at once,” she added.
As for the setlist, God Save the Queens are taking the stage for a 75-minute set of revived female punk anthems. The group will also be performing from the Poly Styrene playlist, reworking her songs and giving them new life.
Photo by Gus Stewart/Redferns
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