Blitz - by Robert Elms (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"A lean, energetic memoir of the club that turned a Tuesday night into a cultural flashpoint." --Kirkus Reviews

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 Alexander McQueen. 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 color.

In Blitz, Robert Elms reflects on the club night, founded by a group of working-class kids, which made its mark on the worlds of Art, Literature, Fashion and Music, one whose impact reverberated far beyond its doors and is still felt today, in the UK, across Europe and in America.

Review Quotes

"Elms has practically written a guidebook here--how to start a scene, how to make yourself and your friends happen, how to thrust yourself and your friends into the spotlight."--Michaelangelo Matos, author of Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year

"The Blitz was the most important club of the 80s and Robert is one of the greatest chroniclers of our age. He was born to write this book."--Dylan Jones, author of David Bowie: A Life

"The maelstrom of creative energy that poured from The Blitz conjured the art and style of the 80s and beyond. Elms was not only in the room where it happened, he was at the very heart of it."--Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet

"A dazzling dive into a scene I wish I could have witnessed with my own eyes and ears. It's sharp, funny and caked in two-day old eyeliner. The cast is all-star, the soundtrack is electric, the late-night tales hit like a blast."--Jodie Harsh, author of You Had to Be There