Photographs taken at Covent Garden’s Blitz Club in 1980. The legendary club night was held at the Great Queen Street venue every Tuesday and was co-hosted by Steve Strange and Rusty Egan.
Photo © Andrew Holligan.
Nestled in Covent Garden, the Blitz Club emerged as a crucible of New-Romantic fashions, groundbreaking music, and a thriving subculture that would leave an indelible mark on the decade. Opened in 1979 by Steve Strange and Rusty Egan, the Blitz Club was initially a meeting point for artists, musicians, and fashion enthusiasts seeking an escape from the mainstream. Named after the World War II Blitz, the club aimed to create an atmosphere of reinvention and transformation.
“Steve Strange was my flatmate. We started the club on Tuesdays. He did the door, and I did the music. We spent five days and nights promoting and searching for music and people we knew were out there, and they came, along with the music.” – Rusty Egan.
Photo © Andrew Holligan.
Blitz Kids
The club was a haunt for aspiring fashion designers and students from nearby St Martin’s School of Art and Central School, who would often test out their designs in the club. Many went on to become respected names in their fields, as well as regulars including Boy George, Marilyn, and future members of Spandau Ballet. These colourful characters and creatives were amongst the main faces in the club, known as the “Blitz Kids,” who pioneered the New Romantic movement of the early 1980s. The Blitz Kids weren’t just club-goers; they were trendsetters who extended their influence beyond the club’s walls, making waves in the worlds of fashion, art, and music.
Door Policy
“The selective door policy meant that if your face didn’t fit, then you wouldn’t get into the club. This policy was often seen as elitist, but it was actually implemented to protect the regulars from unwanted abuse.”
“We started the night at Blitz because of homophobic thugs and violence against anyone different. The door policy was only to ensure the right people were in.” – Rusty Egan.
Photo © Andrew Holligan.
Andrew Holligan
Andrew “I met Steve Strange, Boy George, Marilyn, and others in 1980. I was working as an assistant for a fashion and advertising photographer in London who was doing a story on the New Romantics. He took hard-edged studio portraits of them, and he managed to sell the story to the German magazine Stern. However, the magazine wanted some club shots too. So I was sent to the Blitz Club, which had to be okayed by Steve Strange because I wasn’t a New Romantic.”
Gallery
Photo © Andrew Holligan.
Photo © Andrew Holligan.
Photo © Andrew Holligan.
Photo © Andrew Holligan.
Photo © Andrew Holligan.
All images © Andrew Holligan, all rights reserved. No usage or reproduction of any kind without prior permission of the copyright holder.
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- Article first published
- January 29, 2022
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