Blitz: The Club That Created the Eighties

'Elms is one of the greatest chroniclers of our age. He was born to write this book.' Dylan Jones
'Fantastic! It is like time travel . . . [to] the most exciting, innovative, outrageous, wildest, most creative club ever.' Steve Dagger
'Elms was not only in the room where it happened, he was at the very heart of it.' Gary Kemp
'The perfect witness and commentator: open-minded, outward looking, and an expert and shrewd cultural analyst.' Lavinia Greenlaw
'Sharp, funny and caked in two-day old eyeliner.' Jodie Harsh

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

The short-lived Blitz club in London’s Covent Garden was more than somewhere to hang out or be seen: it was a catalyst for cultural explosion, a counter-culture blast against everything 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, to Michele Clapton, Sade and John Galliano. This was the vanguard of a different England; socially liberal, loud, proud and diverse, fiercely individualistic and determined to succeed. Britain was black and white; the Blitz Kids switched on the colour.

In Blitz, Elms reflects on a club night founded by working-class kids, one whose impact reverberated beyond its doors, through the worlds of Art, Literature, Fashion and Music, and into the present day.

• Publication date: 8 October 2026
• Page count: 304
• Dimensions: Height 198 mm; Width 129 mm
• Publisher: Faber & Faber
• Format: Paperback
• ISBN-13: 9780571394197