Blitzed!

Curious documentary about a minor fringe London nightclub called Blitz that operated in Soho during the late Seventies or early Eighties and where the 80s pop group Spandau Ballet (remember them?) were birthed. One or two of the talking heads here are what you'd call household names or were in the 80s (Boy George), others are one hit wonders, others are people who are legends only in their own living rooms, or think they are, or maybe are within certain coteries if they're buying the drinks. This documentary certainly has a coterie feel all over it.

One serious flaw early on is all the commentators fail to acknowledge the infamous Swinging Sixties or the feathered, make-up smeared, glitter & sparkle of Glam Rock, erroneously suggesting that this was the greatest thing happening in London after the drabness of post war Britain. Also I'm not really sure what the comparisons with NYC's Studio 54 are about, as Studio 54 had a capacity for a thousand and turned over $7 million in profits in the first year. It was a phenomenon in nightclub history. Whereas the Blitz belongs more as a charming footnote, like Soho's Colony Room (More than once several commentators here mention that it was a very small club). Studio 54 was also notable for celebrity attendance, where you might rub shoulders with Liza Minelli, Andy Warhol, Diana Ross, Dali or even Donald Trump (heaven forbid!). The best the Blitz offers, as we're told is that David Bowie once visited the club but sadly it was only to scout out extras for a music video. We are told Sade was a regular but sadly she didn't feel it was important enough to contribute here, which is very much a shame. Musically, while Studio 54 offered Disco, Blitz specialized in playing Electronica - bands like Kraftwerk (remember them?). The Eighties were a lot of things to a lot of people, but most people (or those I've just asked) remember artists like Sting & The Police, Madonna, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson's Thriller, The Eurythmics, Sade, and of course, Boy George & Culture Club epitomising the era. Musically here, we are talking about a certain specialist music scene - elsewhere other scenes like Goths were happening with bands like The Cure, not to mention SKA and the growing Soul scene, etc. Far too many musical subcultures to list... and I've just been told Brixton had a pretty hot Calypso scene going down at the time.

Lastly, there is much said here about the clothes, the love of dressing up to go out and party, and even gender bending, but historically none of these things were new, not even in the 80s: The Bright Young Things of the 1920s had a love of dressing up to party and there are countless photographs of Cecil Beaton attending soirees in drag. However, I was disappointed there was no mention here of the iconic Leigh Bowery (the main reason I watched this) who was allegedly a fan of Blitz and later went on to run the club Taboo, which influenced and was heavily imitated later in NYC by Michael Alig & the Club Kids.

File this special interest documentary under pop culture ephemera along with 70s roller discos, late 80s lambada and 90s line dancing.

I've read another review which points out the lack of context in this, whether backwards to the roaring twenties, 60s or glam (apart from Bowie) or forward to the likes of Leigh Bowery. All fair, but the detail and stories in and out of this moment in place and time will compel anyone of an age to remember the modern romantics.

Some key players but the cast of talking heads has a limited scope. The star still feels like Steve Strange, who doesn't figure as sadly passed in 2015.

I lived in London in the early 80s, when the Blitz club was already closed, but its memory still echoed in the teenage "culture". I remember a 16 yo in 1982 talking to me adoringly about the "Blitz kids" who were very much still in fashion because of their flamboyant style.

My impression was that the Blitz kids were way more popular than the punks, because they echoed the Bright Young Things of the 20s and a certain decadent style. They did not invent much, but revived glamour, cross-dressing and a type of easily achievable sophistication.

Most groups of time may be now unknown, but they were HUGE, like the Ultravox with Midge Ure and their mega hit Vienna, Spandau Ballet, the Human League, Culture Club and of course Visage with Steve Strange and his hit Fade to Grey.

Of all the famous people of the time in the documentary I recognised only George (no longer Boy, but Geezer) and Midge Ure, the only musician of standing. The rest are unknowns (to the masses) hired to proclaim that the Blitz heralded the beginning of coming out, gender bending and racial mixing, which is totally false, but perfectly in tune with Netflix's agenda.