Preview: ‘We Can Be Heroes’ by Graham Smith

If you’re like us and often wish you could transport yourself to the relics of a departed era then this visually startling retro book may tickle your fancy. ‘We Can Be Heroes’ chronicles the upsurge of London’s club scene from punk in the late 70s to the New Romantics in the 80s – all through the eyes of insider Graham Smith, the unofficial house photographer of the London clubs.

Having helped launch faces like Boy George, Spandau Ballet, Sade and Stephen Jones, as well as designing the record sleeves of many of the scene’s main members, Smith has indeed been at the helm of London’s creative nightlife for an awe-inspiring length. So it seems only fitting that he compile this definitive behind the scenes guide to the era’s influential music, art and fashion.      

Smith has collected over 450 previously unseen images and 500 quotes from many of the chief creative figures of the punk and New Romantics era, projecting his masterpiece above and beyond the traditional photo book realm.

‘We Can Be Heroes’ is released December 8^th in varying editions – from £30 for the cloth bound book, to £50 for a signed, personally dedicated first edition. £150 can also get you a pair of tickets to the launch party at a prestigious London nightclub with sets by Chris Sullivan and other iconic 80s DJs. And finally £350 guarantees a deluxe volume of only 50 copies complete with two limited edition signed prints by Smith. But whichever one you opt for, everyone who buys a copy will see their name printed in the book in recognition of their support. Pretty nifty eh?

To find out more visit the book’s publisher’s site www.unbound.co.uk.