X-Ray Spex - Live @ The Roundhouse 2008

Punk firebrands don’t die, they congeal. It’s an increasingly familiar tale: if the option of a reunion isn’t snuffed out by death’s specter, the odds are strong that the patient yoof of today will one day get to experience a wrinklier edition of all the stuff they missed first time around. Live… documents the third reformation of proto-riot grrrl punks X-Ray Spex, a sold-out show at the eponymous venue and a resounding success from both the sound and look of things (the set comes with an accompanying DVD). Given recent high-street woes, the title of Warrior In Woolworths dates Poly Styrene and co. more than the music, which proves timelessly invigorating. But the recording quality is poor and there’s nothing fresh to discover; opening and closing the set with Oh Bondage Up Yours only underscores the paucity of back catalogue material. Buy Germ Free Adolescents instead.