London’s short-lived yet globally influential night spot, the Blitz club is the focus of a new exhibition at the Design Museum.
Marking the first-ever major retrospective on the club that helped launch the New Romantic movement and a generation of creative talent, the British “Blitz: the club that shaped the 80s” exhibition will run from September 20, 2025 thru March 29, 2026.
Present at the exhibition’s unveiling ahead of its public opening, were our of the original “Blitz Kids” – including Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet, DJ and co-founder Rusty Egan, costume designer Fiona Dealey, and BBC broadcaster Robert Elms – who were reunited with 250+ artifacts from their time at the club some 40 years back. Other attendees included future stars like Boy George, Sade, and Spandau Ballet, as well as influential figures like renowned milliner Stephen Jones and costume designer Michele Clapton.
A deeply immersive experience, one of the exhibit’s highlights is a recreated section of the Blitz club itself, complete with music, a re-created bar, and a booth featuring DJ Rusty Egan thanks to cutting-edge digital technology. The retro-fitted property also includes newly remastered archival footage of an early performance by Spandau Ballet, who were the only band to play live at the venue.
Notwithstanding the club’s brief year and a half lifespan (between 1979-1980,) the club gave birth to a creative scene that had a significant impact on the ten years that followed, providing the springboard for artists and designers who subsequently went on to define 80s fashion, music, and pop culture.
Making this a one-of-a-kind, personal exploration and pivotal cultural moment, the lion’s share of the items on display, from clothing and accessories to musical instruments and original design sketches, come from the personal collections of the original Blitz Kids.
In a statement about the project, exhibition curator Danielle Thom said it’s “remarkable that so much of 1980s pop culture can be traced back to the Blitz scene.”
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Author: Al Denté
Photo: Blitz Club