Punk band Goldblade have re-released City of Christmas Ghosts this year, a duet featuring the late Poly Styrene. It now stands as a tribute to one of my dear friends, says the band's John Robb, a woman who was both a pal and an inspiration

She was a pioneer of the punk movement… and a legend in my lunchtime, writes superfan Boy George

Poly Styrene, the Raincoats and the Slits were among punk's most radical figures but have been overlooked by rock historians. As a new book finally celebrates their influence, Leonie Cooper speaks to some of the movement's forgotten heroes.