By the late 1970s, a new scene was taking shape in London’s nightclubs. While punk was still fresh in the public’s mind, a different crowd was gathering — one that traded ripped jeans and safety pins for velvet jackets, frilly collars, and dramatic makeup worn by men and women alike. This was the New Romantic movement, and it lived and breathed on the dance floors of clubs like Blitz, Billy’s, and Le Beat Route.
Style was the entry ticket. Doormen — often as flamboyantly dressed as the people they were judging — turned away anyone who didn’t make a strong enough impression. Getting in had nothing to do with money or connections. It came down to your outfit, your attitude, and your willingness to stand out. The look drew from historical fashion, David Bowie’s glam reinventions, and even pirate aesthetics — anything bold enough to make a statement.
Photographer Graham Smith documented this world in his book We Can Be Heroes, building a vivid archive of the people who made the scene what it was. His images capture individuals who treated getting dressed as a serious art form — and the clubs as their runway.
Inside the clubs, synth-pop and New Wave filled the room. Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, and Visage provided the soundtrack. The dance floor was as much about performance as it was about movement — people struck poses, showed off their outfits, and moved with a theatrical confidence that matched the music.
The crowd that filled these clubs was a mix of artists, musicians, designers, and self-styled outsiders. What united them was a rejection of the ordinary. Being visually distinctive wasn’t just tolerated — it was the whole point.
Some of the most striking photographs from the period show individuals who went on to significant careers in music and fashion. Stephen Linard, captured here as early as 1979, became a noted fashion designer. Kim Bowen, Michele Clapton, and Chris Sullivan were all regulars whose appearances in Smith’s photos reflect just how seriously this community took personal expression.
The opening night of Camden Palace in 1981 marked a new chapter — a larger venue signaling the scene’s growing reach beyond its tight-knit origins. Faces like Martin Kemp and Steve Norman of Spandau Ballet were among those present, a sign of how tightly music and club culture were woven together throughout this period.
