THE SADDLE, THE STREET AND THE SWAGGER: THE UNTOLD SAGA OF THE LONDON COWBOYS
If you like your rock ’n’ roll mainlined straight from the gutter—all grease, grit, and switchblade attitude—then you already know the gospel according to the New York Dolls, The Heartbreakers, and the Sex Pistols. But there’s a missing link in the sleaze-punk lineage, a magnificent, forgotten supergroup who bridged the gap between the ’76 London blitzkrieg and the Hollywood hair-metal gold rush. Gentlemen and players, reacquaint yourselves with the London Cowboys.

For decades, this legendary British outfit has been rock’s ultimate best-kept secret. But in 2026, the wheels are turning again. Founder Steve Dior is back on home turf, and the history books are being rewritten.

Part I: The Ultimate Punk Rolodex
The London Cowboys weren’t just a band; they were a revolving-door masterclass in rock ’n’ roll royalty. Throughout their chaotic lifespan, songwriters Steve Dior and Barry Jones achieved a mythical status as the only musicians alive to play alongside four members of the Sex Pistols and four members of the New York Dolls.

Look at the ledger of those who stepped into the stirrups:

Steve Dior – Lead Vocals / Guitar

Barry Jones – Guitar

Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols) – Bass

Jerry Nolan (New York Dolls / The Heartbreakers) – Drums

Tony James (Generation X / Sigue Sigue Sputnik) – Bass

Terry Chimes (The Clash) – Drums

Pete Farndon (The Pretenders) – Bass

Michael Monroe (Hanoi Rocks) – Saxophone

Part II: Chronology of a Cult Phenomenon
1976–1979: From The Roxy to Max’s Kansas City
The story starts in the smoke and broken glass of 1976 London. Barry Jones was right in the engine room of the early movement, co-promoting the legendary first 100 days of The Roxy Club, designing the iconic flyers, and booking the bands that shook the world. Meanwhile, Steve Dior was busy befriending the New York Dolls and Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers during their UK invasion tours.

When legendary skin-basher Jerry Nolan walked out on The Heartbreakers in August 1977 during the infamously muddy L.A.M.F. recording sessions, he didn't pack his bags for New York immediately. He looked up Dior and Jones, who were then kicking around in a loose punk outfit called The Quickspurts. The chemistry was instantaneous, and The Idols were born.

The trio decamped to New York, recruited former Dolls bassist Arthur "Killer" Kane, and entered punk folklore. In September 1978, The Idols famously served as the principal backing band for a doomed Sid Vicious during his legendary solo swan-song gigs at Max’s Kansas City. It was a beautiful, chaotic collision of New York swagger and London spit. By 1979, they cut their classic seven-inch single, "You" b/w "Girl That I Love," on Ork Records, before US work permit issues inevitably brought the curtain down.

[1976: The Roxy] ➔ [1977: The Idols Form] ➔ [1978: Backing Sid Vicious] ➔ [1979: Ork Records Single]
1980–1981: Birth of the Cowboys
Booted out of America, Dior and Jones returned to Blighty and officially formed the London Cowboys in 1980. The first incarnation featured original Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock and singer Russell King. After cutting two moody, goth-tinged singles in France, King exited, and Dior stepped up to the microphone. This was the turning point. Dior's gravelly delivery cemented their signature sound: a hook-heavy, dangerous blend of garage rock, street-level punk, and pure sleaze.

1982–1985: The European Stronghold and the Japanese Cult
While the British music press was busy chasing the latest synth-pop haircut, mainland Europe and Japan recognized the Cowboys for what they were: the real deal. Signed to Marc Zermati’s legendary Paris-based indie label, Underdog Records, the band became a formidable live force.

They ruled the sweaty club circuits of Paris, Lyon, and Marseille. Back home, they treated London’s premier rock hubs—Dingwalls in Camden, the Rock Garden in Covent Garden, and the Marquee Club on Wardour Street—as live laboratories. You’d walk in on a Tuesday night to find members of The Clash or The Pretenders jumping on stage with zero rehearsal.

During this fertile era, they dropped three definitive records:

Animal Pleasure (1982) – A seminal, razor-sharp debut studio album.

Tall in the Saddle (1984) – A critically acclaimed mini-album packed with switchblade hooks.

On Stage (1986) – Recorded live at the Melkweg in Amsterdam, capturing the raw, chaotic energy of Dior, Jones, Gerry Laffy, Alan D’Alvarez, and Jerry Nolan.

Simultaneously, the Far East came calling. Japanese rock fans, obsessed with the New York Dolls lineage, turned the Cowboys into cult deities. The band flew out for packed promotional club tours, and Japanese labels like Overseas Records officially licensed domestic Tokyo pressings of their catalogue.

1985–1986: The Hollywood Near-Miss
By 1985, the musical tides were turning. The Sunset Strip was waking up to the exact brand of dirty, Dolls-inspired rock ’n’ roll the Cowboys had been pioneering for half a decade. Sensing a shift, the band relocated to Los Angeles, immediately triggering a major-label bidding war.

MCA snapped them up, but a sudden corporate takeover left the album rotting on a shelf. A subsequent developmental deal with Chrysalis suffered the exact same fate when EMI bought the label. Stymied by American corporate red tape, the classic line-up fractured. In late 1986, Jones, Matlock, and Nolan hit the road as Johnny Thunders' backing band, drawing a line under the Cowboys' primary run.

Part III: The West London Resurgence
Punk isn't a museum piece; it’s a lifetime sentence. True to form, Steve Dior spent the ensuing decades proving that authenticity doesn't punch a time clock.

2006–2009: The Delinquents & The Movie Soundtracks
In 2006, Dior assembled The Delinquents, a hard-hitting West London outfit that bridged old-school grit with youth energy. The line-up featured Edd Whyte on guitar (later of Pink Cigars), Sam Rutland on bass, and on drums, Sid Mayall—son of the late, great comedy icon Rik Mayall (who had famously named his boy after Sid Vicious). The band tore up a residency at Notting Hill’s iconic Tabernacle, bringing dangerous rock 'n' roll back to a rapidly gentrifying West London.

By 2009, Dior’s legendary status was immortalised celluloid-style when he recorded tracks for Alan G. Parker’s definitive punk documentary, Who Killed Nancy.

2016: Songs for the Wicked
The evolution naturally paved the way for The Steve Dior Band, featuring Neil Anderson, Michael Giri, James Simmins, and Elliot Mortimer. They established a legendary, packed-to-the-rafters residency at the Mau Mau Bar on Portobello Road, culminating in the 2016 album Songs for the Wicked—a masterful blend of classic punk attitude and mature, cinematic songwriting.

Part IV: 2026: Return of the Living Legend
Fast forward to the present day. After spending the last seven years keeping a low profile and soaking up new rhythms out in Mexico, Steve Dior has officially returned to London in 2026. He hasn't come back to collect a lifetime achievement award or talk about the old days over a pint of lukewarm bitter. At 72 years young, Dior is already back in a London studio cutting fresh, highly anticipated material, and he’s been spotted gigging across the capital.

The biggest news for the purists? Promoters are currently laying the groundwork for a massive 2026 resurgence. Plans are officially in motion for Dior to assemble a new live line-up and head back across the English Channel to tour France under the iconic London Cowboys banner later this year.

The ride isn't over yet. Lean in close, because the Cowboys are still riding tall in the saddle.

Essential Vinyl: The Discography
1982: Animal Pleasure (Underdog Records)

1984: Tall in the Saddle (Underdog Records)

1986: On Stage (Underdog Records / Rare 1992 Japanese reissue via Overseas Records)

1992: The Underdog Recordings (Compilation)

2008: Relapse (Jungle Records – The definitive double-CD retrospective)