Blitz

A history of the club that set the ‘80s alight, by much-loved presenter and Blitz attendee Robert Elms.

The short-lived Blitz club in London’s Covent Garden was more than a place to hang out or be seen: it was the catalyst for a cultural explosion, a counter-culture blast against all that Thatcher’s leadership had ushered in by the dawn of the 80s. Tuesday nights boasted a ferocious, fearless cast – from Boy George and Spandau Ballet to Grayson Perry and Peter Doig, Sade and Wham! to Michele Clapton and John Galliano. They were the vanguard of a very different England; socially liberal, loud and proud, celebrating diversity, but also fiercely individualistic and above all determined to succeed. Britain stood in black and white; between 1979 and 1980, the Blitz Kids switched on the colour.