Rich Kids were a short-lived
new wave band from
London, founded in 1977 by
Glen Matlock following his departure from the
Sex Pistols.[1][2][3] The band also included future
Ultravox member
Midge Ure and
Rusty Egan, who both later founded
Visage together. They released one
album 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 style, blending influences from 1960s acts such as
Small Faces and
The Who with more recent
punk rock sounds. With only one single making the
Top 40 in the
UK Singles Chart,[4]
Rich Kids recorded their first set of radio sessions on 1 October 1977 for the 7 November broadcast of
BBC Radio 1, hosted by
DJJohn Peel.[8] Following on 13 January 1978,[9] they were ranked at #24 on 4 February UK Charts with their first self-titled single "Rich Kids".[10][11] 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.[12][13][14][15]
On 22 March, they recorded a further session for John Peel's 3 April broadcast.[16] Another single, "Marching Men"[17][18] 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..[19][20]
The Rich Kids released the album [22]Ghosts of Princes in Towers, and the single of the same name, in August, with the latter ranking only at #51.[23][24][25] Their last TV appearance was at the
University of Reading where they taped a live show for Rock Goes to College on 27 October.[20][26][27] 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.[6]
In February 2016, it was announced that Rich Kids, with
Gary Kemp on lead guitar and James Hallawell on keyboard, would reform for a joint headline show with
The Professionals at London's
O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire for 16 May.[31] The show was rescheduled for 23 June due to the ongoing structural work at the venue.