Heavy Metal Kids

Among the most striking yet overlooked British groups from the mid-1970s, the Heavy Metal Kids bridged the glam and punk periods so seamlessly that each movement has remained somewhat uneasy about their inclusion. Neither the steady stream of reissues and homages that the compact-disc era granted many contemporaries nor the reverent tributes from later stars raised on their high-octane rock and striking stage presence ever came their way. Still, for those aware of the story, the three albums the Heavy Metal Kids released from 1974 to 1977 form the overlooked connection in British pop’s lineage, linking the Small Faces with Oasis, the Action with the Jam, and countless other points in between.

Vocalist Gary Holton first drew notice as a skilled child performer under the Sadlers Well Opera Company in the early 1960s and portrayed the Artful Dodger in a well-regarded staging of Charles Dickens’ Oliver. He next appeared regularly with the Old Vic Theatre Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company before entering the touring production of Hair in 1972 at age 17. During that time he made the connections that led him, two years later, to assemble the Heavy Metal Kids alongside Mickey Waller on guitar (unrelated to the drummer who worked with Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart), Argentinean-born Danny Peyronel on keyboards, Ronnie Thomas on bass and vocals, and Keith Boyce on drums. The band took its name from William Burroughs, though the members never anticipated listeners would infer any musical connotations.

Led by Holton’s boisterous Cockney delivery and steeped visually in the trappings of his stage background, the Heavy Metal Kids made an instant impression. Singer/songwriter TV Smith, whose punk-era band the Adverts shared several bills with the Kids, recalled, "they cared about their look, wearing makeup on stage, dressing up special for gigs, which was the kind of stuff we were looking for before punk. Silly lyrics, funny, energetic on-stage." Guitarist Brian James of the Damned and Lords of the New Church concurred: "The Heavy Metal Kids were great fun. Gary used to take the piss out of himself so much and they kinda filled a little bit of a gap, amongst all that pomp of the early '70s. You had the hippy side, you had the glam thing that was taking itself so very seriously, and then there was Gary and his boys, just being silly." He likewise insisted, "they were ahead of their time."

Former Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich frontman Dave Dee discovered the group, secured a contract with Atlantic Records, and sent them straight into the studio to cut their debut album, Heavy Metal Kids. The record earned solid notices yet achieved little commercial traction, a result many attributed to the mixed messages conveyed by the band’s name. When the members embarked on their first American tour in early 1975 they shortened their billing to the Kids alone. With guitarist Cosmo now in place of Waller, their second album, Anvil Chorus, likewise appeared under the truncated name. It fared no better than its predecessor, and after supporting Alice Cooper on a U.K. tour the Kids parted ways with Atlantic late that year. Peyronel and Cosmo departed; John Sinclair joined on keyboards and Barry Paul, who had played on the band’s earliest demos two years prior, took over guitar duties.

In December 1975 the Kids signed with producer Mickie Most’s RAK label, yet before sessions for a new album could begin Holton was abruptly dismissed amid widespread reports of drink- and drug-related issues. Attempts by the remaining members to proceed without him proved fruitless, and in late 1977 Holton rejoined for a few concerts and the long-postponed third album, Kitsch. By mid-1978 he had left once more, and the band disbanded.

Holton returned to acting, securing parts in the disco film Music Machine, the Who’s Quadrophenia, and opposite Hazel O’Connor in the successful Breaking Glass. He also appeared in the British television movie Bloody Kids. His musical activities were limited to isolated projects: in December 1978 he filled in for Damned singer Dave Vanian on a brief Scottish tour and cut a solo single, a striking punk-country reading of Kenny Rogers’ "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town," backed by the Boys’ guitarist Casino Steel. Even an invitation to replace the late Bon Scott in AC/DC failed to draw him back to a full-time music career.

In 1983 Holton won the lead role in the British series Auf Weidersehn, Pet, a light drama developed by Quadrophenia director Francis Roddam that became one of the unexpected successes of the 1983–1984 season. He followed with a notable appearance in a Pilsner lager advertisement and, in September 1984, returned to the stage in the London production of the 1950s Americana musical Pump Boys and Dinettes.

The next summer he traveled to Spain to begin work on the long-awaited second series of Auf Weidersehn, Pet. There, on October 25, 1985, he died from a heroin addiction that even London’s rumor-heavy underground had largely forgotten.