This very special Talk Photo (combined with Homer’s exhibition opening) reunites two photographers who both took very different approaches to photographing ‘The Blitz Club Kids’ in the 1980’s.
Homer Sykes photographed as a documentary photographer whilst Iain McKell went on to blur the line between documentary and fashion photography. This talk looks at two very different ways of producing work around the Blitz Club in the 80’s.
Date: Saturday 13th June
Time: 5pm (doors 4.30pm)
Location: Upstairs in the Gallery at Oriel Colwyn
Homer Sykes produced some of the most iconic documentary photographs of the Blitz Club scene in London around 1980. His images captured the “Blitz Kids” at the precise moment the New Romantic movement was evolving from a small underground subculture into one of the defining visual and musical styles of the 1980s.
Unlike polished fashion photographers working in studios or magazines, Homer Sykes approached the Blitz as a documentary photographer, giving his work an immediate, intimate, and observational quality. His photographs are filled with crowded dancefloors, dramatic makeup, military-inspired tailoring, theatrical poses, gender-fluid styling, and the experimental energy of London’s art-school culture. Rather than simply recording outfits, Sykes documented how young people used fashion and performance to reinvent themselves and escape the restrictions of everyday life.
One of the most striking aspects of Sykes’ Blitz photographs is how raw and handmade the scene still appears. Later representations of the New Romantic movement often became glossy, commercialised, and heavily tied to the fashion industry, but Sykes captured the culture before that transformation. His photographs preserve the atmosphere of Blitz when it was still a relatively small weekly gathering fuelled by creativity, fantasy, and self-expression rather than celebrity. Many of the clothes worn by club-goers were handmade or adapted from vintage military uniforms, historical costume, Hollywood glamour, science fiction, cabaret, and Bowie-inspired androgyny. The photographs reveal a generation treating nightlife itself as a form of performance art.
New Romantics 1980 (c) Homer Sykes
Sykes’ Blitz and Heaven photographs sit naturally alongside his wider body of documentary work, which often explores British subcultures, public rituals, and the ways people communicate identity through clothing and appearance. His work captures not only the fashion of the era, but also the social atmosphere surrounding it: the anticipation outside clubs, the theatricality of entering exclusive spaces, and the sense that nightlife could become a stage for reinvention.
Homer Sykes is a professional magazine and documentary photographer. His principal commissions in Britain during the 1970's - 1980's, were for what used to be called the "weekend colour supplements" such as The Telegraph, The Sunday Times, The Observer, You and the Sunday Express magazines.
He covered weekly news for Newsweek, Time, and the former Now! Magazine; covering conflicts in Israel, Lebanon, and Northern Ireland, as well as weekly news in the UK. Over the last fifty years he has shot numerous magazine portraits of the famous and not so famous - at home, at work and at play. Having always worked on personal photographic documentary projects along side commercial magazine assignments.
IAIN McKELL – Fashion Photographer, Cultural Documentarian, Filmmaker, Draftsman, Painter
Iain McKell is a British photographer whose work spans fashion, subculture, and fine art. He first gained recognition in the 1980s with portraits capturing London’s underground youth scenes — from Skinheads and Punks to Blitz Kids New Romantics. Blurring the line between documentary and fashion photography, McKell has contributed to i-D, The Face, Vogue Italia, and The Sunday Times, while creating socially engaged personal projects. His signature use of natural light gives his portraits timeless emotional depth.
Vivienne Westwood (c) Iain McKell
At 27, he held his first major solo exhibition, Iain McKell LIVE, followed by a month-long show at The Photographers’ Gallery in 1985. He has published several books including Fashion Forever, The New Gypsies, and Beautiful Britain. His work has been exhibited internationally and collected by major institutions and private collectors. Including exhibitions at the Turner Contemporary Gallery Margate, Arles Photo Fair and recently The Design Museum in Kensington Blitz - The Club That Shaped The 80’s
Billy Idol (c) Iain McKell
McKell’s practice continues to evolve, embracing moving image, installation, and experimental storytelling. His work explores boundaries between style, identity, and belonging — celebrating those who live on the margins and shape culture from the outside in.
Zoot Suit (c) Iain McKell
Currently, McKell is working on two projects: My Way, an intimate portrait of Brighton’s counterculture; and My God, It’s Full of Stars, a personal essay documenting his journey through and survival of cancer. These works reflect his interest in transformation, vulnerability, and creative resilience, themes defining his four-decade career.
A rare opportunity to hear both Homer and Iain talk about their experiences working with the Blitz Club Kids.
An event not to be missed!