Blitz: The Club That Created the Eighties

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

A history of the club that set the '80s alight.

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.

Author: Robert Elms
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Published: 03/10/2026
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 9.20h x 5.90w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9780571394180


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/2026

About the Author
Elms, Robert: - Robert Elms is a broadcaster and writer, best known for his eponymous radio show on BBC Radio London. He began as a journalist, writing for The Face and NME, and is the author of Live!: Why We Go Out, London Made Us, The Way We Wore, Spain: A Portrait After the General and In Search of the Crack. He lives in London with his wife and children.