The Idols

The Idols included Steve Dior & Barry Jones who in 1976 were an integral part of London’s early punk scene being close to the fledgling Clash, Damned, Generation X and The Boys to name a few. They’d loosely rehearsed with Chrissie Hynde and Keith Levene and others in a band called the Quickspurts until Barry started co-promoting the first 100 days of The Roxy Club, booking the bands and designing the flyers. His teenage pal Steve came down to see The Heartbreakers on a pre-opening gig and fell in with the band. 

Barry Jones: Steve told me Jerry wanted to form a band with us, and had set up a recording session through the label the Heartbreakers were signed to, Track Records. At first I couldn’t believe it, then I’m blown away, this is a real drummer not a guy sitting behind the kit trying to catch up, but pushing the beat, rock solid bass drum, with swing! and of course one of the legendary New York Dolls! We practiced and arranged four songs, and within a couple of weeks we were in the studio, somewhere off the Strand.

The Idols recorded demos in London for Track Records and made waves in New York, releasing a single on Ork Records called ‘You’ with ‘Girl That I love’ on the B Side. No surprise it sounds a lot like The Heartbreakers. When Sid Vicious came to NY, the Idols were his first choice of backup band, but planned recordings never got to happen. The Idols folded in 1979 when Jerry had work-permit problems getting back into the UK. Barry then got a job with Max’s Kansas City; Steve rehearsed with Jones & Cook’s Professionals. Over time The Idols evolved into the London Cowboys, with Glen Matlock on bass but that’s another story.

Barry must be the only musician who’ve played with both four band members of the New York Dolls and Sex Pistols! Barry stayed in LA, working as an artist. Steve worked with LA Guns and Filthy Lucre, then took a break from music for a while.

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