A Stylish Bombing of East London

As an east London local, there’s no telling the number of times I’ve been reminded of the borough’s colourful past. Meet a local, read a book or take any tour through the back alleys of E1 and you might be told of the bombs that dropped on the cobbled streets of our beloved Brick Lane back in the 1940s.

Well you should get to putting up that Anderson shelter because it’s happening again, only this time the fallout is rather fashionable!

This month is another Blitz Party, one of London’s most unique nights out. Described as ‘extreme fancy dress’ to me on Twitter when I inquired about the rather exclusive and secretive event I was lucky to go to back in November, I just knew this one would be good.

Forget the rather relaxed dress codes of the Cargo and Catch nightclubs; instead you’ll need to be ‘1940s glam, home front utility clothing and allied uniform’ or you’re not coming in. It might sound rather fascist to be so strict (excuse the historical pun there!) but it’s the Blitz Party’s attention to detail and eagerness to make the night so special that really makes it stand out as my night of the year 2011.

Vintage will work a treat (and there’s no shortage of vintage boutiques around here) so it’s tea dresses and hair curls for the girls and white shirts, braces, flat caps or full military attire for the guys.

I opted for an American GI uniform, along with a few of my buddies from the trenches, and so with the utmost excitement (we’d been given out shore leave, of course!) we marched off to The Arches – a grenade’s throw from Shoreditch High Street station.

Hand over the ticket and walk through the doors. Immediately you’ll be overwhelmed and amazed by the authenticity of it all: British flags flying from the roof, bars with sandbags propping them up and a cocktail list with drinks straight from the era – did you bring your ration book? Even the odd air raid siren and the searching sky lights will put the hairs up on the back of your neck. As soon as the skies have been deemed safe, the live music’s back on: authentic 1940s swing.

Through one set of doors you’ve travelled 70 years and you’re not lost in time, you’re with friends. You’re comfortable. You’re confident. You’re just having pure, honest, wholesome fun.

And that’s the beauty of the Blitz. It brings together the 1940s and our own decade with such ease and innocence. Long gone are the boozy lads on the pull you might meet on the streets this Saturday – instead you’ll find gents, genuinely wanting a dance (that’s swing, not crunk) and beautiful ladies, not slags.

Winston Churchill once said: ‘I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat…’

I’d be tempted to agree, and I’ll be giving it my all come later this month when the bombs begin to fall.

The Blitz Party takes place at irregular set dates throughout the year. The last events were on November 9 and New Year’s Eve – the first of 2012 will take place on January 28.

The Blitz Party
The Arches
Shoreditch
EC2A 3PQ