Strawberry Switchblade were a female pop rock group from Scotland, formed in 1981 by Jill Bryson and Rose McDowall. Rose McDowall is more known nowadays as a floating member of the British neofolk scene, involved with Current 93, Death In June, Nature And Organisation etc. but before this a brief spotlight was on her in the mainstream with a spell in the charts on the strength of Strawberry Switchblade singles such as
Who Knows What Love Is? and
Since Yesterday.
The Strawberry Switchblade sound shares little in common with neofolk, however Rose's voice loses none of it's gorgeous charm in its eerie mystique that made her contribution to the scene so worthwhile. Along with Jill Bryson, the pair were children of the original punk rock explosion throughout the UK in the late 70's and have that sense of individuality about them with their gothic lolita-esque image. Here they offer an excellent slice of pop rock with new wave and synth pop influences, with a hint of Cocteau Twins style shoegaze for good measure.
Since Yesterday was the big single, and it's popularity is well justified. Along with other tracks such as
Another Day,
Little River,
Let Her Go and
Secrets these songs ooze the quintessential 80's, vibrant drum machines and synths very similar to say... the Kylie Minogue of the day. The songwriting is superb, with strong lyrics and plenty of varied elements to the arrangements. The other side of the album has shades of the gothic in the acoustic guitars of
Deep Water, with many pretty melodic hooks to share about it is the perfect home for the voice of the two girls.
10 James Orr Street, the excellent
Who Knows What Love Is?,
Go Away and
Being Cold all fall into ballad territory, and are beautifully morose whilst still managing to sound cheery and energetic at the same time.
Strawberry Switchblade and their one and only album are worth checking out, especially for fans of 80's pop as music like this couldn't have been produced in any other era. With Jill Bryson and Rose McDowall's gothic lolita thing going on, and the sheer energy of some of the songwriting here there is a lot to love. Much of
Strawberry Switchblade is pop music at it's freshest and most energetic, despite being stuck in an era which is notorious for a lot of bands where time was not so kind. For the tracks that aren't, they are still pretty good if not all that distinctive.
