This rather wonderful new documentary by Bruce Ashley and Michael Donald is the remarkable story of how in the 1980’s a very small group of young people in a mere 18 months redefined a whole generation, the effects of which can still be felt today. It is a very quintessentially English story set against a historical trait in a country that has always indulged the avant-garde and idiosyncratic characters.
The filmmakers carefully set the scene in what was a troubled Britain torn apart by strife and strikes created by Thatcher’s autocratic government that even allowed the extreme-right, fascist political party National Front Marches in the streets. Thatcherite austerity culminated in a period so dire it became known as the Winter of Discontent of 78-79.
Racism was rife, so too was homophobia and sexism so London ( and the UK) was really unsafe for anyone who was considered different. Which was exactly what Steve Strange was. He enjoyed minor success as a pop singer but it was when he met up with DJ Rusty Egan and they created a club night in a Soho Basement for people like themselves, that he became the star he dreamt of being.
The elaborately overdressed gay Strange and the neatly-attired ladies man Egan made for an odd couple but the once-a-week club night called Billys, was an immediate success. Their crowd was a generation of outrageous teenagers, working-class and art school kids, gay and straight alike. For them, the Club was the pivot of their week and they were as extreme as their styles and tastes were. They were finally with their own crowd.
Success soon meant them moving to what would become the Blitz Club in a near-derelict Covent Garden that had just got rid of the Fruit & Vegetable market that dominated that central area in London for over a hundred years. With the club now gathering media attention Strange had to impose a strict door policy. It was, as someone explained in the documentary, not because they were elitist, but the real need to keep it as a safe place for these clubbers who were never welcomed elsewhere.
As well as some glorious archival footage and photos, the filmmakers had the luxury of being able to talk with several of the leading figures from that time known as the Blitz Kids. Sadly Strange had died of a heart attack in 2015 aged just 55, but Egan was very effusive about his fond memories of that period.
So too was Boy George who was the coat check girl at the Club (it was a few years before he would go on to open his own infamous club Taboo). He made no secret of the fact that he had very ‘sticky fingers’ and would rifle through the coat pockets for any loose change. His very affectionate reminiscings included the very special night that Blitz was visited by a ‘deity’. Without exception Bowie was the inspiration for them all, and whilst George claimed he was the only one in the Club who remained calm in Bowie’s presence, everyone else recounted on how he fawned over the singer.
At the time they were all totally unaware of the enormous legacy they were creating. They gave birth to the New Romantics, one of the defining post-punk British youth culture movements of the 1980’s. Which ended being adopted by so many of us at the time …… even Lady Diana Spencer .
Now in hindsight, some of those involved such as Marilyn, Gary Kemp, Midge Ure, Robert Elms, DJ Princess Julia, fashion designer Darla-Jane Gilroy, and costume designer Michele Clapton is more than aware of how the Blitz Kids have left their mark on the world. But at the time for them, it was just about living life to the fullest despite punitive Thatcherism.
There is so much dialogue these days of social and cultural diversity, but what strikes you most about the Blitz Kids from this film is they didn’t talk about it, they just lived it. It has to be one of the best times ever when gay and straight, black and white really did intermingle
Confession time, I was the same age as these kids and living in London at the same time. Sadly not brave or talented enough to become a Blitz Kid but still very grateful for the impact they would unwittingly have on my life. By them refusing to accept the somewhat down-trodden norms of their parents and elders would give so many of us the courage to lead our own lives.
The film made me relive that time and rethink what happened, but I think it will also make those people who have never heard of the Blitz Kids want to discover how important they really were
PS You can screen the whole film FREE http://www.monsterentertainment.tv/catalogue/blitzed/