Strawberry Switchblade

The Scottish duo Strawberry Switchblade was formed by lead singer Rose McDowall and lead guitarist Jill Bryson in 1981. Prior to working together, both musicians were active fans of Glasgow's bohemian art community, particularly punk-inspired acts like Orange Juice and New Wave bands like Aztec Camera. Inspired to make their own music, McDowall and Bryson formed Strawberry Switchblade as an all-female quartet, with Janis Goodlet and Carole McGowan completing the initial lineup. Their first single, "Trees and Flowers," was released in July 1983 and became a hit on the UK Independent Singles Chart, where it reached number 3. By the time their second single, "Since Yesterday," arrived in October 1984, the group had slimmed back down to a duo and adopted a modern synth-pop sound. "Since Yesterday" became a hit, reaching number 5 in the UK, number 6 in Ireland, and number 24 in the Netherlands. The follow-up singles "Let Her Go" and "Who Knows What Love Is?" were moderately successful in the UK, too, as was the self-titled debut album Strawberry Switchblade, which reached number 25 upon its release in 1985. An electro-pop cover of Dolly Parton's country classic "Jolene" arrived later that year and became the band's final song to chart in the UK, and Strawberry Switchblade released two final songs to the Japanese market only before disbanding in 1986. Despite being best remembered by UK fans, the group did enjoy a resurgence of popularity in America during 2024, when the video for "Trees and Flowers" reached number 48 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50.