Rich Kids were formed in 1977 by bass player
Glen Matlock after he left the
Sex Pistols. An early line-up consisted of
keyboardist Bill Smyth,
Rusty Egan on
drums,
Steve New on
lead guitar, and
The Clash's
Mick Jones.
Midge Ure, whose band
Slik had split up and reformed as the punk sounding
PVC2, moved to
London 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, hosted by
DJ John Peel. 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, who invited them to perform on
Top of the Pops and several more sets for the short-lived live music TV series
Revolver hosted by
Peter Cook. 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. Despite taping a video promo for
Donnie Sutherland and
After Dark, the song did not chart. At their
Lyceum show in spring 1978, Ronson played guitar and
Ian McLagan (ex-
Faces) 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 in the band
Vicious White Kids, 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 No. 51. Their last TV appearance was at the
University of Reading 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. New died from
cancer on 24 May 2010. on guitar in 2019. In February 2016, it was announced that Rich Kids, with
Gary Kemp 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 for 16 May. The show was rescheduled for 23 June due to ongoing structural work at the venue. The band reunited for a one-off appearance at the
Vive Le Rock awards at The
O2 Academy Islington,
London on 27 March 2019, with
Neal X of
Sigue Sigue Sputnik standing in on lead guitar. ==Personnel==