Strawberry Switchblade
| Company type | Musical duo |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1981 in Glasgow, Scotland |
| Founder | Rose McDowall, Jill Bryson |
| Headquarters | Glasgow , Scotland |
| Products | Music (pop) |
Strawberry Switchblade was a Scottish pop duo established in Glasgow in 1981 by Rose McDowall and Jill Bryson. They gained recognition primarily for their 1985 single "Since Yesterday" and their unique, eye-catching look characterized by bows and polka-dot patterns.
Formative years and musical inspirations
The formation of Strawberry Switchblade stemmed from the encounter between Rose McDowall and Jill Bryson within Glasgow’s punk scene during the late 1970s.
Rose’s early musical exposure came through her sisters, who introduced her to 1960s sounds, fostering a fascination with psychedelic harmonies and artists such as Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground. A concert tour by Stiff Records featuring the Ramones motivated her to start writing songs. Meanwhile, Jill was a student at Glasgow School of Art, where she studied photography, film, and painting, while immersing herself in the punk culture emerging from 1977 onwards. Their paths crossed within this artistic punk milieu. Jill later recounted that Rose had worked at a bakery popular among local punks but lost her job after dyeing her hair blue.
Origin of the name Strawberry Switchblade
The name Strawberry Switchblade was inspired by James Kirk of Orange Juice, originally intended as a title for a fanzine. Rose found the phrase too appealing to leave unused and chose it for their band. Jill, who was closely connected to Orange Juice, was encouraged by its members to join the project and participate in demo recordings.
Pre-signing period
Amid the expansion of UK punk in 1976, McDowall and Bryson were active within the bohemian art community, drawing influence from acts like the New York Dolls and Scotland’s own Nu-Sonics (who later became Orange Juice). Rose performed with Paisley’s punk band The Poems. The name Strawberry Switchblade originated from an Orange Juice fanzine concept.
The group initially operated as a four-piece, recording a demo at Glasgow’s Hellfire Club and performing multiple live shows. The lineup included Janice Goodlett on bass and Carole McGowan on drums.
Their performance at a John Peel event in Scotland led to an invitation for a session on his BBC Radio 1 program in October 1982. Shortly after, they recorded for David Jensen’s Radio 1 show with James Kirk on bass and Shahid Sarwar on drums augmenting the duo.
Initial recording phase
These radio sessions attracted the attention of Scottish musician Bill Drummond alongside David Balfe, former keyboardist and manager of The Teardrop Explodes. They secured Strawberry Switchblade’s signing to their publishing company Zoo Music (in collaboration with Warner Bros Music), with Balfe taking on management duties.
Their first single, "Trees and Flowers", released in July 1983 through 92 Happy Customers (a label run by Will Sergeant of Echo & The Bunnymen), achieved sales exceeding 10,000 copies. Praised by Smash Hits as an "immediate classic," it was placed at number 47 in John Peel's 1983 Festive 50 chart. The song, written by Bryson about her experience with agoraphobia, featured guitar work by Roddy Frame of Aztec Camera and was produced by Bill Drummond.
As an A&R representative for WEA, Drummond signed the duo to Korova, a subsidiary under Warner Music Group, in 1983. Although they began recording an album with producer Robin Millar alongside a full backing band, the label later required them to return to their original duo format. Production responsibilities were then assigned to David Motion, who would go on to produce successful tracks for Red Box.
"Since Yesterday"
Toward the end of 1984, their second single, "Since Yesterday", was heavily promoted during the holiday season, ultimately reaching the UK top ten in early 1985 and peaking at number 5. The song also achieved notable popularity across Europe and Japan.
Their rendition of "Sunday Morning"—originally by Velvet Underground—was included as a bonus track on the 12" release of "Since Yesterday" but did not appear on any of Strawberry Switchblade’s studio albums.
The introduction features a fanfare derived from the third movement of Sibelius's Symphony No. 5.
Subsequent releases
In March 1985, the duo launched the single "Let Her Go".
Following the release of their self-titled album in April, May saw the arrival of the ballad "Who Knows What Love Is," one of two songs produced by Phil Thornalley from The Cure.
Their fifth single, an electronic pop cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene," was released in September 1985 in both the UK and Japan.
During 1985, they also provided vocals for Rigel 9, a "space opera" collaboration between composer David Bedford and lyricist Ursula K. Le Guin.
Although their commercial presence in the UK diminished, they maintained a strong fanbase in Japan, where they issued two singles—"Ecstasy (Apple of My Eye)" and "I Can Feel"—exclusively for that market. The latter featured only McDowall, as the partnership had begun to dissolve. By early 1986, Strawberry Switchblade had officially parted ways.
In December 2005, Warner Bros. Platinum Records released a compilation CD chronicling their career with sixteen tracks, including an unreleased demo version of "I Can Feel".
Their earliest studio sessions from 1982, recorded when they were a four-piece band, were made available as a limited edition 7" EP in January 2017. The EP’s rendition of "Trees and Flowers" gained viral attention on TikTok and became their most-streamed song on Spotify.
Individual pursuits
McDowall continued her musical endeavors by collaborating with neofolk groups and performing in Glasgow alongside Night School Records colleagues such as Michael Kasparis, cellist Jo Quail, and her son Bobi Lee. Between 2018 and 2019, McDowall teamed up with Shawn Pinchbeck to compose the soundtrack for the film Far From the Apple Tree.
After nearly three decades away from music, Bryson resumed songwriting in July 2013 with a new band called The Shapists—named after an imaginary art movement referenced in The Rebel—which includes her daughter Jessie Frost.
Band members
Past members
- Rose McDowall – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1981–1986)
- Jill Bryson – backing vocals, lead guitar (1981–1986)
- Janice Goodlett – bass guitar (1981–1982)
- Carole McGowan – drums (1981–1982)
Discography
Strawberry Switchblade’s discography comprises one studio album, two compilation albums, one EP, seven singles, thirteen B-sides, and four music videos.
Studio album
| Year | Album details | UK | JP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Strawberry Switchblade | 25 | 39 |
Compilation albums
| Year | Album information |
|---|---|
| 1985 | The 12" Album
|
| 2005 | The Platinum Collection
|
Extended plays
- 1982 4-Piece Demo (2017), Night School Records
Singles
| Year | Title | Album | Chart rankings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | UK Indie | IE | JP | NL | |||
| 1983 | "Trees and Flowers" | — | – | 3 | – | – | – |
| 1984 | "Since Yesterday"
Promotional flexi-disc previewing the album |
Strawberry Switchblade | 5 | – | 6 | – | 24 |
| 1985 | "Let Her Go" | 59 | – | – | – | – | |
| "Who Knows What Love Is?" | 84 | – | – | – | – | ||
| "Ecstasy (Apple of My Eye)" (Japan exclusive) | The 12" Album | – | – | – | 71 | – | |
| "Jolene" | — | 53 | – | – | 90 | – | |
| 1986 | "Beautiful End" (Philippines exclusive)
"I Can Feel" (Japan exclusive) |
– | – | – | – | – | |
| 2017 | "1982 4-Piece demo" | ||||||
- A dash ("–") signifies that the single did not chart or was not issued in the specified region.
B-sides
- "Go Away" (1983) (B-side to "Trees and Flowers")
- "Trees and Flowers (Just Music)" (1983) (B-side to "Trees and Flowers")
- "By the Sea" (1984) (B-side to "Since Yesterday")
- "Sunday Morning" (1984) (B-side to "Since Yesterday")
- "Beautiful End" (1985) (B-side to "Let Her Go")
- "Michael Who Walks by Night" (1985) (B-side to "Let Her Go")
- "Poor Hearts" (1985) (B-side to "Who Knows What Love Is?")
- "Let Her Go (Kitchensynch Mix-Up)" (1985) (B-side to "Who Knows What Love Is?")
- "Being Cold" (1985) (B-side to both "Jolene" and "Ecstasy (Apple of My Eye)")
- "Black Taxi" (1985) (B-side to "Jolene")
- "Jolene (Extended Mix)" (1985) (B-side to "Jolene")
- "Since Yesterday (Extended Mix)" (1986) (B-side to "I Can Feel")
Music videos
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | "Since Yesterday" | Tim Pope |
| 1985 | "Let Her Go" | |
| "Who Knows What Love Is?" | ||
| "Jolene" | ||
| "Michael Who Walks By Night" (unreleased) |
Compilation appearances
- The track "Dark 7" featured on Scared to Get Happy: A Story of Indie-Pop 1980–1989 (2013), released by Cherry Red Records