2011 ➤ Party of the year recreates the Swinging 80s at the legendary Beat Route (down, down past the Talk of the Town)

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Le Beat Route recreated for one night only: One of our heroes, MC Sullivan, sharing the best sounds in London last night

2011 and it’s Thursday night Beat Route! The same underground club emanating a spookily familiar spirit of place

❚ WITHOUT DOUBT the party of the year filled the former Beat Route, Soho, last night as photographer Graham Smith and writer Chris Sullivan launched their photobook We Can Be Heroes, which is winging its way from printers to the lucky buyers who invested in the first edition. Smith and Sullivan became crucial to leading and documenting the explosion of Eighties club culture in London. Le Beat Route, founded in November 1980 by crimper Ollie O’Donnell and stylist Steve Mahoney with Fidel Castro fan Steve Lewis as its deejay, became the cool Friday-nighter that served the post-Blitz crowd for the next three years while the scene moved gradually overground.

More exclusive pix are coming on Shapersofthe80s.com once I can wade through the many brilliant soundbites offered by everybody out last night to celebrate the Swinging 80s…

➢ Although the first edition of We Can Be Heroes
has sold out, a special clothbound edition is now on sale
for £35, plus a Deluxe edition for £350, at the
Unbound Publishing website

Thursday night Beat Route! Hosts, authors and 80s deejays Graham Smith and Chris Sullivan

Thursday night Beat Route! Seminal club deejays of the 80s Steve Lewis and Jay Strongman

Thursday night Beat Route! Lesley Chilkes, Boy George, David Holah

[ Exclusive party pix courtesy of sandromartini.com ]

TNBR! Last night’s other chief hero hosting the party of the photobook of the 80s — snapper Graham Smith and his lovely wife Lorraine (Northern Soul veterans, both)

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