Steve New

Steve New

Steve New on stage with re-united Rich Kids in 2010
Background information
Birth name Stephen Charles New
Also known as Stella Nova
Born (1960-05-16)16 May 1960
Paddington, London, England
Died 24 May 2010(2010-05-24) (aged 50)
London, England
Genres Punk rock, post-punk, New Wave, Synth Pop
Instruments Guitar, Vocals,
Years active 1975–2010
Labels EMI
Associated acts Sex Pistols, Rich Kids, Vicious White Kids, Kim Fowley, Gen X, Pearl Harbor and the Explosions, Iggy Pop, Wasted Youth, Lude, The New, John Sinclair, The Philistines, Beastellabeast

Steve New (16 May 1960 – 24 May 2010) was an English pop music guitarist and singer, who performed with a number of punk rock and new wave bands in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including Rich Kids. Born Stephen Charles New,[1] in the 2000s he changed his name to 'Stella Nova', whilst performing with the arthouse band Beastellabeast.[2]

Early life

Born in London,[3] New received his formal education at Quintin Kynaston School in St. John's Wood, London, and started playing the guitar with the London Schools' Jazz Orchestra at the age of 14.

Career

He first came to notice for his talented lead guitar playing style in the midst of London's punk music and fashion scene in the late 1970's. At the age of 15 he auditioned for the scene's preeminent band the Sex Pistols as a potential replacement for Steve Jones.[4] When the bass player Glen Matlock was ousted from the Sex Pistols in 1977 he invited New, now aged 17, to join a new band that he was setting up entitled Rich Kids as its lead guitarist. Whilst Rich Kids was musically gifted and innovative and influential, it failed to find commercial success and broke up in 1979, and New's career was undermined beyond this period by long-term narcotics use.[5][6]

He subsequently played as a jobbing session musician with a number of acts including Vicious White Kids (1978), Public Image Ltd, Gen X in 1980, on Iggy Pop's Soldier L.P. (1980), during the recording of which New assaulted David Bowie [7] who was acting as a quasi-producer of the record at the time. He also worked with Chrissie Hynde and Kim Fowley. In the early 1980's he rejected an offer to play with Duran Duran at its inception. He also recorded under the performance alias of "Shooz".[8]

Having relocated to the United States of America in the 1980's, by the late 1990's he was resident in Los Angeles, but failed to find musical success there, and ended up homeless living in a car for a while, before returning to England.[9]

In 2001 he released a long-player entitled Here Comes Everybody.[10] In the early 2000's he formed a new experimental synth pop band entitled Beastellabeast which released two self-produced L.P.'s, With Bestellabeast (2004), and Stars & Wronguns (2010).[11] He also worked again with Glen Matlock, whose solo album Born Running (2010) was dedicated to New,[12] and featured New's last recorded work.[13]

Death

Afflicted with what would prove to be terminal cancer,[14] New performed live for the last time with a reformed Rich Kids at the Islington Academy in London on 7 January 2010, at a testimonial concert organized for his family's finances.[15][16][17] He died of cancer on 24 May 2010 in his 50th year.[18][19][20][21]

Personal life

New married once, the marriage subsequently being divorced with one daughter; he also fathered a son from another relationship.[22] In the early 2000's New adopted transvestism, a decision which he psychologically associated with the successful breaking of his 20 year long narcotic habit around the same time, and re-named himself Stella Nova.[23]

References

  1. ↑ Perrone, Pierre (2010-06-15). "Steve New: Troubled guitarist with Rich Kids, Glen Matlock's post-Sex Pistols band - Obituaries - News". The Independent. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  2. ↑ Adelle Stripe. "Stella Nova | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-08-24.
  3. ↑ "PiL People Bios | Miscellaneous". Fodderstompf. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  4. ↑ "The Rich Kids History part 1 - Early UK Punk Rock band". Punk77.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  5. ↑ Interview with Steve New, '3 A.M. Magazine', 5 December 2006. http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/clean-on-the-dirty-an-interview-with-steve-new/
  6. ↑ Obituary, 'The Independent' 14 June 2010.
  7. ↑ Interview with New, '3 A.M. Magazine', 5 December 2005.
  8. ↑ Discogs entry for performance career of "Shooz". https://www.discogs.com/artist/554454-Shooz
  9. ↑ Interview with New, '3 A.M. Magazine', 5 December 2005.
  10. ↑ Entry for 'Here Comes Everybody' on Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/New-The-Here-Comes-Everybody/master/399237
  11. ↑ Discography for Beastellabeast, https://www.discogs.com/artist/244212-Beastellabeast
  12. ↑ "Review of: Glen Matlock : Born Running". Pennyblackmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  13. ↑ Archived September 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine.
  14. ↑ Interview with Steve for Mudkiss Fanzine
  15. ↑ "Midge Ure and Glen Matlock resurrect the Rich Kids for one-off gig | News". Nme.Com. 2009-12-02. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  16. ↑ Guardian Rich Kids concert review
  17. ↑ "God Save The Sex Pistols - Rich Kids. Hung On You: For One Night Only". Philjens.plus.com. 2010-01-07. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  18. ↑ "2010 ➤ Rich Kid Steve New (aka Stella Nova) dies at 50". Shapersofthe80s.com. 2010-05-24. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  19. ↑ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/steve-new-troubled-guitarist-with-rich-kids-glen-matlocks-postsex-pistols-band-2000459.html
  20. ↑ http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jun/11/stella-nova-obituary/ Guardian Other Lives Obituary
  21. ↑ A personal tribute by Kris Needs
  22. ↑ Obituary, 'The Independent', 14 June 2010.
  23. ↑ Interview with New, http://3ammagazine.com/3am/clean-on-the-dirty-an-interview-with-steve-new/
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