Daily Record

7 September 1985

NEW ROCK SHOW GETS READY TO ROLL

POPPING OUT TO FIND A BIT OF FUN

[First part missing] was interrupted by – guess what? – the now-familiar summer rain.

So the show was transferred into an adjacent perspex bubble, which looked like a giant hospital oxygen tent.

MUDDY

The entire set seemed to have been built by the Blue Peter team with empty squeezy bottles and some sticky-backed plastic.

During a lull in filming, Muriel told me: ‘We chose to make a new pop show aimed at teenagers outside of a conventional television studio, because there were literally no spare facilities at Border.

‘We managed to do it in what’s probably been the worst British summer in history – so I suppose we’ve already achieved something in that.’

Strawberry Switchblade performed their terrific new single, a version of the Dolly Parton classic Jolene.

After miming the song six times on a fake Wild West set, complete with cactus and hay bales, singer Rose McDowall told me:

‘We had to stand on a board because our stiletto heels kept sticking in the muddy grass. But it’s still been good fun doing the show..’

With Muriel Gray on Bliss is TV personality Janet Street-Porter, the show’s producer.

She told me: ‘We’re not at all bothered with budget restrictions, we just wanted something which was fun to watch.’

Muriel added: ‘With each show, we’re getting more of an identity.

‘I think the reaction from the punters proves there’s a real place for a pop package like this on television.’

I couldn’t agree more.

We’re grateful to the generous people at Zounds Abound for finding us this article. They do such a brilliant job of trawling vintage newspapers for music articles that people want to read today. They’re raising funds and awareness for Teenage Cancer Trust in memory of their son Noah. You can read about Noah, the care the Trust enabled him to have, and make a donation here.

The Strawberry Switchblade fansite and its social media accounts aren’t monetised in any way. If you want to show that kind of appreciation, please donate to the Teenage Cancer Trust in memory of Noah instead. They’ll make far better use of your money than we would.