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Have you ever wanted to see Rose McDowall and Clare Grogan competing in a Space Invaders-type game that doesn't really work? Then it's your lucky day. 40 years ago today, Strawberry Switchblade went on ITV's morning kids' show Wide Awake Club.

Strawberry Switchblade were there to promote their forthcoming single Who Knows What Love Is. As always with a kids' TV show, they had to do some cheesy stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQynFpiuaA8

#StrawberrySwitchblade #alteredImages #claregrogan #80smusic #music

Here's the January 1984 Strawberry Switchblade session for Janice Long's evening show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT-NE0cYroE&list=PLX2HnBcxZSYmlx5CvnqoE6RgkPbHKVX64

#StrawberrySwitchblade #80sMusic #music #bbcsessions #janicelong

For this week's #cassunday we have an unusual compilation which features an underappreciated Strawberry Switchblade track.

One of the advantages of cassettes was that they were cheap to mass produce, and their light weight and small size made them cheap to post, too. In the 1980s New Musical Express occasionally made various artists compilation albums on cassette to sell at a knockdown price to readers. 🧵

#StrawberrySwitchblade #80sMusic #electropop #NME

Cover of Raging Spool cassette - orange, blue and white print of an angry cartoon person brandishing a small triangular flag

Inside cover of the Raging Spool compilation, giving details of all 22 tracks

Raging Spool cassette - plain white label with large black letters saying 'NME Raging Spool 1, details on inlay card'.

Advert from the New Musical Express dated 10 November 1984, promoting three new compilation cassettes including Raging Spool

It's one of 50+ Strawberry Switchblade videos & TV appearances on our YouTube playlist

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX2HnBcxZSYma1wF5bOx_BxMVFGmNLoim

#80sMusic #80s #playlist #80splaylist #musicvideo #StrawberrySwitchblade

Strawberry Switchblade performing Let Her Go, the follow-up single to Since Yesterday, March 1985.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHZNc5bp0tw

#StrawberrySwitchblade #80sMusic #synthpop #philthornalley #music

New Strawberry Switchblade cover just dropped! Washington DC's Wild Blessing have released a luscious cover of Michael Who Walks By Night. Hear/dowload on their Bandcamp:

https://wildblessing.bandcamp.com/track/michael-who-walks-by-night

#StrawberrySwitchblade #coverversion #newmusic #80sMusic

Strawberry Switchblade, 13 February 1985.
📸by Neil Mackenzie Matthews, featured in 'SNAP! Vol 2', his second book of fabulous pop star portraits.

https://www.olddogbooks.net/shop/olddogbooks/snap-vol-2-by-neil-mackenzie-matthews/

#StrawberrySwitchblade #80sMusic #popstars #fender #synthpop #goth

Strabwerry Switchblade - Jill Bryson on the left and Rose McDowall on the right, both in white polka dot dresses with white plastic flowers in their hair trailing polka dot ribbons. Each holding a guitar, and both looking at the camera.

Happy birthday to Captain Sensible, seen here with a pre-Strawberry Switchblade Jill Bryson at the Glasgow Apollo in 1977.

The Damned had been due to play the Apollo a year earlier on 15 Dec 1976 on the Sex Pistols' Anarchy in the UK tour but the council revoked the license. They came back on 13 March 1977 as support to T Rex on what turned out to be their final tour. Then on 10 Dec 1977 they came back as headliners & Jill managed to meet them

#StrawberrySwitchblade #punk #punkrock #70smusic

Black and white photo of Captain Sensible with a hand in his bleached hair, sticking his tongue out, next to a teenage proto-goth Jill Bryson.

Ticket stub for the Damned at Glasgow Apollo, supported by the Dead Boys, 10 December 1977

Strawberry Switchblade, September 1985, promoting the release of their cover of Dolly Parton's Jolene.

#StrawberrySwitchblade #80smusic #synthpop #jolene

Jill Bryson with red crimped haid, looking away from camera. Immediately in front of her is Rose McDowall in a black leather catsuit, with black crimped hair and a tiara, looking at the camera.

Jill Bryson with Peter McArthur (her partner & Strawberry Switchblade's main photographer), a long time pre-Switchblade. They're in Edinburgh seeing Siouxsie & the Banshees in 1978. They appear to know how cool they look, but that often comes at the expense of comfort.

Jill: 'I made those trousers for Peter. I got this bit of purple plastic and said “I’m making you some trousers”. He said they were so sweaty that he was never wearing them again. And he didn’t!’

#StrawberrySwitchblade #siouxsie

Grainy black and white photo of two teenagers. Jill is in a leopard print coat and rests her arm on Peter's shoulder. Peter is in shiny dark plastic jacket and trousers. Both look at the camera with expressions that say they know how cool they look.

Strawberry Switchblade wincing in the blazing London sunshine of summer 1983. It's the day they signed to WEA Records & they're in St Christopher's Place having a meal with manager David Balfe.

(📸©️Peter McArthur, used with permission)

#80smusic #StrawberrySwitchblade #wearecords #wea #davidbalfe

Jill in dark outfit with coloured polka dots and rose in white with huge black polka dots sit at an outdorr cafe table in blazing sunshine, turning towards camera. Manager David Balfe sits at the far side of the table with arms folded.

At first glance that's what The 12" Album looks like. It contains an extended mix of all five singles, plus Michael Who Walks By Night (a BBC session track that had been released in the UK but not in Japan), and the Japan-only single Ecstasy (a squeaky Motown pastiche created for a Japanese TV ad for Subaru that Rose sang vocals on in order to pay off a tax bill).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DKfpsnsbqg

#StrawberrySwitchblade #80smusic

#StrawberrySwitchblade #SinceYesterday
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1wkcq

Happy 40th anniversary to Strawberry Switchblade’s eponymous debut album, released this week in 1985. #strawberryswitchblade #sinceyesterday #lethergo #jolene

Loving the #cassunday hashtag on other platforms, hoping it catches on here too. Great to see celebration of the dinky plastic format.

Once tiny players with headphones came out in the early 1980s, the medium came into its own. You could take music with you anywhere you went.

Here's the UK cassette of Strawberry Switchblade's album from 1985.

#cassette #strawberryswitchblade #MusicCassette #compactcassette

Outer sleeve of the Strawberry Switchblade pre-recorded cassette. There is the cover - a picture of two women in polka dots and ribbons with plastic flowers in their hair - and a bright yellow edge proclaiming that it's a chrome dioxide cassette

Inner sleeve of the Strawberry Switchblade album cassette. It's entirely black print on white, detailing the tracks and credits.

Side 1 of the Strawberry Switchblade album cassette. The title and track listing are in a faded dark grey print on a pale grey background.

Side 2 of the Strawberry Switchblade album cassette. The title and track listing are in a faded dark grey print on a pale grey background.

For #WorldPianoDay here are three beautiful piano covers of Strawberry Switchblade songs performed by Portland sound healing pianist Dave Leo Baker. All three are from his 2022 album Piano Reflections vol 1.

Trees and Flowers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY7TTQbMe7M

#PianoDay #PianoDay2025 #strawberryswitchblade #coverversions #music #piano

Strawberry Switchblade reviewed the new singles for Smash Hits 40 years ago this week, 28 March 1985. Opinionated, playful, leftfield and really not caring what anyone might think of them, it's classic Strawberry Switchblade.

Cocteau Twins and Eddy Grant meet with their approval, Foreigner and Killing Joke really don't.

#smashhits #fgth #artofnoise #killingjoke #80smusic #strawberryswitchblade #pogues #eddygrant #deadoralive #musicpress

A page from Smash Hits magazine, headed 'singles reviewed by Strawberry Switchblade' and a picture of the duo. 18 records are listed, each with about 50 words of exchange between Rose and Jill. Four records, seemingly chosen at random, have an image of their cover artwork.

A pre-Strawberry Switchblade Jill Bryson serenading Postcard Records boss Alan Horne outside his flat that served as the label's headquarters - 185 West Princes Street, Glasgow - circa 1981.

#StrawberrySwitchblade #80sMusic #postcardrecords #postcardrecordsofscotland #alanhorne #indie #indiepop #indiemusic #glasgow #jillbryson #indierecords

A sepia tinted photo of an urban street. Alan Horne sits on the pavement, his legs out in front of him, his bag and jacket on the floor beside him. Behind him, a smiling Jill Bryson is playing a stylish semi acoustic guiter. She's wearing a light coloured polka dot dress and dark trousers. In the distance, two people are walking towards them.

Strawberry Switchblade were cover stars of No 1 magazine 40 years ago today, 23 March 1985. The interview touched on Jill's agoraphobia & the culture shock of moving to London from Glasgow, with photos of them around St Paul's Cathedral.

#StrawberrySwitchblade #scottishbands #80smusic #80sindie #80sindiepop #gothpop #80sgoth #newwave #80snewwave #synthpop #popstars #lethergo #no1magazine

Cover of No 1 magazine with headline 'Strawberry Switchlade hit the heights' and a photo of Jill and Rose in polka dot dresses with polka dot ribbons in their hair

First page of a three page feature, headlined 'Let Her Go Out' and intro reading 'Eighteen months ago Strawberry Switchblade moved from Glasgow to London. They got a grotty flat in Muswell Hill and sat in it. Not a great start, you might think. But Jill McDowall [sic] suffers from agoraphobia - a fear of the outdoors - and Rose Bryson [sic] wasn't going out by herself. So how come they're now standing on top of St Paul's Cathedral being photographed by John Stoddart? Paul Simper tries to find the courage to go up there and ask them'

Page two of the three-page feature, including photos of Rose and Jill at St Paul's cathedral with schoolkids around them.

Final page of the three-page feature, illustrated with Rose and Jill standing between large cathedral pillars, Jill in a long white dress, Rose in one that's short and black.

It wasn't released on the Let Her Go 12", instead it was the bonus track on the 12" of follow-up single Who Knows What Love Is.

It was later included on the Japanese compilation The 12" Album which gathered together the two existing extended versions of Strawberry Switchblade songs (this & Jolene), & then had several more extended mixes of other tracks specially made, added a couple of non-album extra tracks and got released.

#StrawberrySwitchblade #80s #80smusic #TheKLF #stockaitkenwaterman

#StrawberrySwitchblade

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