Peer Group

The British invasion of aristocratic pop

WHEN the elders of the British aristocracy troop into Washington for the upcoming "Treasure Houses of Britain" exhibition, they need no longer worry what their children are up to in their absence. Of the three classic vices, sex and drugs and rock V roll, only the last still holds sway among the titled young.

Sex has always been seen as a tiresome means to a praiseworthy end— the procreation of baby aristocrats. During the early eighties, drug problems were rife among many young aristos, such as the Duke of Marlborough's son and the Duke of Devonshire's daughter. But now, somewhat belatedly, rock V roll has taken over.

The blue-blooded band the Business "Connection" will be playing in New York and Palm Beach this fall. Recently signed to Hippodrome Records, its fourteen members include the Marquess of Worcester and Lord John Somerset, both sons of the Duke of Beaufort (stately home: Badminton House); Lord Michael Cecil, son of the Marquess of Salisbury (stately homes: Hatfield House and Cranborne Manor); and lead singer and sex symbol Lady Teresa Manners, daughter of the Duke of Rutland (stately homes: Belvoir Castle and Haddon Hall).

Before receiving attention as a pop singer, Lady Teresa, twentytwo, attracted other publicity. Last year she modeled for a pinup calendar, and in 1983 she was charged with dangerous driving, having been caught in "a passionate embrace" with her passenger while driving down a highway. Her nickname, appropriately, is "Terror-raiser."

The Business "Connection" employs four professional musicizyis, in very much the same way the aristocrats who masterminded the Charge of the Light Brigade employed professional soldiers. Reaction to its concerts has been mixed. The Duke of Norfolk, seventy, accompanying his old friend the Duke of Rutland, sixtysix, to one concert, was spied placing his fingers discreetly in his ears before exiting early. For him, all is now lost: even Princess Diana, the storefront of her generation, has expressed her passion for Duran Duran and Dire Straits.

Craig Brown