Emerging from goth's shadowy depths, a pair of youthful women clad in polka-dot frocks, vivid scarlet lipstick, and decorative hair ribbons burst onto the scene. Evoking the brides of Robert Smith, Strawberry Switchblade briefly registered on the U.K. charts before vanishing abruptly in the mid-1980s, leaving devotees a selection of rare singles plus one LP whose apparently cheerful dance-pop masked deeper undercurrents. Rose McDowall and Jill Bryson first crossed paths in Glasgow, Scotland, during 1977, bonded by shared enthusiasm for punk and new wave. Through their acquaintance with Orange Juice's James Kirk, the friends received encouragement to form a band of their own. By 1981 they had adopted the name Strawberry Switchblade, borrowed from a fanzine focused on Scotland's storied Postcard Records. The original quartet soon dwindled when the remaining two members departed, leaving McDowall and Bryson as the sole lineup. They served as openers for Orange Juice and secured a deal with Postcard Records, yet recorded their debut single "Trees and Flowers" only after Zoo stepped in. Bill Drummond, manager for Echo & the Bunnymen, became an admirer and persuaded Ian McCulloch to underwrite the pressing costs; issued in July 1983 and featuring Aztec Camera's Roddy Frame on guitar, the track moved 10,000 copies. Exposure on BBC DJ Janice Long's program drew wider notice, prompting Drummond to place the duo with Warner Bros. Their follow-up "Since Yesterday" reached number five on the British charts in 1984 and served as advance notice for the self-titled debut album the next year, though the LP never appeared in the U.S. Laden with bright, buoyant keyboards that concealed the melancholy within the lyrics, the melodically rich Strawberry Switchblade failed to match the commercial momentum generated by "Since Yesterday." Later releases such as "Let Her Go" and "Who Knows What Love Is?" found strong favor in the Philippines through frequent rotation on local new wave stations, yet met cooler reception at home. Their cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" marked a final, unsuccessful bid for broader appeal. The group disbanded in 1986, exhausted by the demands of sustained chart performance. McDowall went on to work with experimental outfits including Nurse with Wound and Current 93, and she briefly contributed guitar to Felt. Despite their short span, Strawberry Switchblade later cultivated an international cult audience, leading to a CD reissue of their sole album in Japan during the early 1990s.
