Rich Kids were a short-lived new wave band from

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, founded in 1977 by

Glen Matlock Glen Matlock (born 27 August 1956) is an English musician, best known for being the bass guitarist in the original line-up of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He is credited as a songwriter on 10 of the 12 songs on the Sex Pistols' only offic ...

following his departure from the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...

. The band also included teenage guitarist Steve New, former

Slik Slik were a Scottish pop group of the mid-1970s, most notable for their UK number 1 hit " Forever and Ever" in 1976. Initially glam rock, the band later changed their style to soft rock/ bubblegum. It was the first band with whom singer and g ...

and future

Ultravox Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which wa ...

member

Midge Ure James "Midge" Ure (; born 10 October 1953) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and record producer. His stage name, Midge, is a phonetic reversal of Jim. Ure enjoyed particular success in the 1970s and 1980s in bands including Slik, Thin Lizzy, ...

and Rusty Egan, who both later founded Visage together. They released one

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

and three singles during their existence, from March 1977 to December 1978 (although the official announcement of their disbanding was not made until mid-1979). Rich Kids were amongst the foremost British exponents of the

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, ...

style, blending influences from 1960s acts such as

Small Faces Small Faces were an English Rock music, rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966 ...

and

The Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...

with more recent

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

sounds. Only the first of their three singles entered the

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

in the UK Singles Chart.

Career

Rich Kids were formed in 1977 by bass player

after he left the

. An early line-up consisted of

keyboardist A keyboardist or keyboard player is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instru ...

and guitar player Bill Smyth, Rusty Egan on

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

, Steve New on

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

, and

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

's Mick Jones, who acted as a session live player.Strong, Martin C.: "The Great Alternative & Indie Discography", 1999, Canongate,

, whose band

had split up and reformed as the punk sounding PVC2, moved to

and joined Rich Kids. Smyth left the group followed by Jones, who continued with The Clash. Rich Kids recorded their first set of radio sessions on 1 October 1977 for the 7 November broadcast of

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

, hosted by DJ

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

. Following on 13 January 1978, they were ranked at #24 on 4 February UK Charts with their first self-titled single "Rich Kids". This caught more attention from the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, who invited them to perform on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

'' and several more sets for the short-lived live music TV series ''Revolver'' hosted by

Peter Cook Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 – 9 January 1995) was an English comedian, actor, satirist, playwright and screenwriter. He was the leading figure of the British satire boom of the 1960s, and he was associated with the anti-establishmen ...

. On 22 March, they recorded a further session for John Peel's 3 April broadcast. Another single, "Marching Men" was released on 19 May as means to promote the release of their album produced by

Mick Ronson Michael Ronson (26 May 1946 – 29 April 1993) was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session musici ...

. Despite taping a video promo for Donnie Sutherland and ''After Dark'', the song did not chart. At their

Lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Basic science and some introduction to ...

show in spring 1978, Ronson played guitar and

Ian McLagan Ian Patrick McLagan (; 12 May 1945 – 3 December 2014) was an English keyboardist, best known as a member of the rock bands Small Faces and Faces. He also collaborated with the Rolling Stones and led his own band from the late 1970s. He was i ...

(ex-

Faces The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect the ...

) played keyboards. Several of the band's performances were featured in the 1980 film '' D.O.A.''. Matlock and New later played with

Sid Vicious Simon John Ritchie (10 May 1957 – 2 February 1979), better known by his stage name Sid Vicious, was an English musician, best known as the second bassist for the punk rock band Sex Pistols. After his death in 1979 at the age of 21, he remai ...

in the band

Vicious White Kids Vicious White Kids were an English punk rock band from London that formed for only one concert on 15 August 1978, staged at the Electric Ballroom in London. The former bassist of Sex Pistols, Sid Vicious, was the lead singer. It was his final ...

, which only played one concert. The Rich Kids released the album '' Ghosts of Princes in Towers'', and the single of the same name, in August, with the latter ranking only at #51. Their last TV appearance was at the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public research university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as the University Extension College, Reading, an extension college of Christchurch College, Oxford, and became University College, ...

where they taped a live show for '' Rock Goes to College'' on 27 October. But the band ran into creative differences as they recorded demos for a second album. Having acquired a synthesiser, Ure, alongside bandmate Egan, wanted to integrate the new instrument into the band's sound while Matlock and New preferred to remain with traditional guitars and drums. This resulted in the group's decision to go their separate ways. Matlock and New went on to tour with

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...

, while Egan and Ure formed a band called The Misfits (not the American

horror punk Horror punk is a music genre that mixes punk rock and 1950s-influenced doo-wop and rockabilly sounds with morbid and violent imagery and lyrics which are often influenced by horror films and science fiction B-movies. The genre was pioneered by t ...

band Misfits) and, after short spells with Skids and

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. The band initially consisted of bass guitarist, lead vocalist and principal songwriter Phil Lynott, drummer Brian Downey, guitarist Eric Bell and organist Eric Wrixon although Wr ...

, respectively, reunited in Visage. In April 1979, Ure joined

. On 7 January 2010, the band played a one-off reunion concert at The

O2 Academy Islington The O2 Academy Islington, formerly known as the Carling Academy Islington, is an indoor music venue situated in the N1 Shopping Centre accessible via Upper Street and Liverpool Road, in the London Borough of Islington. It is run by the Academy ...

in aid of Steve New. New died from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

on 24 May 2010. RICH_KIDS_-_LIVE_IN_LONDON_27

In February 2016, it was announced that Rich Kids, with

Gary Kemp Gary James Kemp (born 16 October 1959) is an English songwriter, musician and actor, best known as the lead guitarist, backing vocalist, and principal songwriter for the new wave band Spandau Ballet. Kemp wrote the lyrics and music for all 2 ...

on lead guitar and James Hallawell ( Waterboys) on keyboard, would reform for a joint headline show with The Professionals at London's

O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire Shepherd's Bush Empire (currently known as O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the BBC Television Theatre) is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, West London, run by the Academy Music Group. It was original ...

for 16 May. The show was rescheduled for 23 June due to the ongoing structural work at the venue. The band reunited for a one-off appearance at the

Vive Le Rock ''Vive Le Rock'' is the third solo album by Adam Ant, released in September 1985, which contained two versions of Ant's 1984 song "Apollo 9". Production Producer Tony Visconti, famous for his 1970s work with Ant's heroes Marc Bolan and Dav ...

awards at The

on 27 March 2019, with

Neal X Neal X (born Neal Whitmore) is the former guitarist with the British band Sigue Sigue Sputnik. They had a No. 3 UK hit single with " Love Missile F1-11" in 1986. He has also worked as a sideman for Adam Ant and Marc Almond. Whitmore founded the M ...

Sigue Sigue Sputnik Sigue Sigue Sputnik were a British new wave band formed in 1982 by former Generation X bassist Tony James. The band have had three UK top-40 hit singles, including " Love Missile F1-11" and " 21st Century Boy". The band's music, image and in ...

standing in on lead guitar.

Personnel

−

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a guitar technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse (music), pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., d ...

, keyboards (1977–1979, 2010, 2016, 2019) *

−

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

, lead and

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

(1977–1979, 2010, 2016, 2019) * Rusty Egan −

(1977–1979, 2010, 2016, 2019) * Steve New −

, keyboards, backing vocals (1977–1979, 2010; their death) * Mick Jones − guitar, backing vocals (1977) *Bill Smyth − keyboards (1977)

Guest musicians

– lead guitar, backing vocals (2016) * James Hallawell – keyboards (2016) *

– lead guitar, backing vocals (2019)

Timeline

Discography

;Studio albums: *1978 – '' Ghosts of Princes in Towers'' (

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

, August 1978) No. 51 ;Singles: *1978 – "Rich Kids" b/w "Empty Words" (EMI, January 1978) No. 24 (also released on red vinyl.) *1978 – "Marching Men" b/w " Here Comes the Nice (live)" (EMI, March 1978) *1978 – "Ghosts of Princes in Towers" b/w "Only Arsenic" (EMI, August 1978) ;Compilations: *1998 – ''Burning Sounds'' compilation. ( Rev-Ola, September 1998) *2003 – ''Best of The Rich Kids'' compilation. (EMI, July 2003)

References

External links

Rich Kids
on

Myspace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...

The Rich Kids
on Myspace
Final Rich Kids concert, and photos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rich Kids, The English new wave musical groups English punk rock groups English power pop groups Rock music groups from London Sex Pistols EMI Records artists Musical groups established in 1977 Musical groups disestablished in 1979