Press

Edinburgh University student paper pretentiously reviews the second ever Strawberry Switchblade gig at The Nite Club, Greenside Place, Edinburgh on 19 February 1982

Review of Strawberry Switchblade’s third ever gig!

Short feature on Jill’s visual aesthetic, talking about clothes and make-up with just a passing reference to Strawberry Switchblade.

Review by Andrea Miller of the gig at the Venue, Glasgow on 16 June 1982 when the band was still a four-piece.

The band’s first proper piece in a music paper, predating their BBC sessions and recording contract.

A feature and live review from one of the many fanzines done by the Glasgow Postcard/Pastels scene that spawned the band.

A brief yet strangely prescient piece on the band from the ‘Intro’ section of the definitive 80s style mag.

Sizeable article and interview in this short-lived mag, discussing the band’s image, clothes and style. Andrea Miller again, bless her.

A Glasgow gig reviewed by early Strawberry Switchblade champion Andrea Miller, just as the band were doing the BBC radio sessions.

Short piece which nevertheless picks up on the key elements of their early career; musical simplicity, magical witchiness, wit and polka dots.

Revew of Strawberry Switchblade, The Pastels, April Showers and The Primevals live at Maestro’s in Glasgow.

An early example of the vigorous 1980s indie music fanzine scene, Scottish zine Deadbeat published nearly 40 issues between 1982 and 1986.

Peter Martin reviewed the new releases and gave Trees and Flowers a rave review, declaring it to be single of the fortnight.

Just as Trees and Flowers is released, this interview by Bill Black talks about the band’s history thus far and their first gigs.

Mike Gardner reviewed the week’s new singles and, as with so many who’d follow him, he dismissed Strawberry Switchblade as ‘wimpy’.

Short introductory piece on Strawberry Switchblade just as debut single Trees and Flowers was released.

Two page feature article, an introductory interview with Strawberry Switchblade mostly discussing how the band started.

Personal questionnaires for both of Strawberry Switchblade – asking them about their favourite books, favourite films, etc.

Brief interview as Trees and Flowers takes off and moving to London looms large on the horizon.

Interview from a time when debut single Trees and Flowers had been and gone, and the band had just signed to a major record label.

Live review from the intermediate stage – after the band were signed when they hired some additional live musicians for gigs.

The metal-oriented weekly music paper gives a predictably sceptical review of a showcase gig at the ICA in London.

Live review of gig with Specimen at Rock City in Nottingham from the time when they had a band of three backing musicians.

Rose and Jill name their favourite music, films, books, people, etc, for the Edinburgh-based music fanzine.

Review of Greater London Council free concert at Brockwell Park, London on 4 Aug 1984 with The Damned, Spear of Destiny, New Model Army, Strawberry Switchblade and others.

Review of Greater London Council free concert at Brockwell Park, London on 4 Aug 1984 with The Damned, Strawberry Switchblade and others. Although only 20 words are devoted to Strawberry Switchblade, it’s still more than the headliners get in this classic 1980s music journo bloviated babble.

Quite possibly the worst piece of music journalism ever, this mixes pretentious verboseness with infantile questions and cliquey references.

Jamming’s writers were so deeply into the music that, uniquely, this Strawberry Switchblade interview doesn’t mention polka dots or clothes.

Reviewer Dylan Jones was broadly positive, but also demonstrated that his being a smug git isn’t some recent affectation.

Sneering review of Since Yesterday by Bill Black.

A pre-Pet Shop Boys Neil Tennant reviewed the new singles and had insight and positive feelings about Since Yesterday.

As Since Yesterday was released, this short interview skimming their story so far appeared in this fortnightly magazine aimed at mid-teen girls.

As Since Yesterday is released, Record Mirror gives a quick lowdown on the band and the plans for an album.

As Since Yesterday climbs the charts, an interview focusing on the fact that, despite their strong views, they don’t write political songs.

Probably the first time Strawberry Switchblade were the cover stars of a major publication, teen music mag Smash Hits covers the essentials.

Ostensibly a Shaw Theatre concert review, it doesn’t really talk about the performance but is instead a perceptive description of the band.

Live review of performance at Shaw Theatre, London.

Vitriolic review of the performance at the Weekend of Women show at the Shaw Theatre, London on 23 November 1984.

Five young women describe how they fell for the big love of their life. Two are Jill Bryson and her old friend from Glasgow Art School, fellow singer and songwriter Lucinda Sieger. Thanks to Lucinda for supplying the photo of this article.

Rose and Jill explain 18 of their favourite things, with a photo of them sitting amongst it all.

Lightweight interview by Eleanor Levy covering the band’s history thus far.

With Since Yesterday in the top 10, the band got ther first music broadsheet cover for an interview digging into their punk roots.

A short introduction to the band’s origins and progress, the lyrics to Since Yesterday and a big portrait photo.

The band’s first and possibly only feature in this Italian music magazine, a brief description around the time of Since Yesterday.

Inteview with Dutch socialist newspaper Het Vrije Volk during their promotional visit to the Netherlands.

Look-In was a TV oriented mag for pre-teens. Despite this, it’s a fairly decent, if brief and shallow, profile of the band.

Blue Jeans featured a lot of romance photo-stories as well as articles on music and fashion. Even for them, this piece seems pretty weird.

Fabulous sparkling personal questionnaire with Rose.

A short, boisterous, witty quickfire interview in the classic 80s culture and style magazine.

Interview in a musicians’ magazine, technical stuff about what equipment the band use, and covering their history and recording the album.

A one-page feature in this German music-focused teen magazine.

Positive brief review of Since Yesterday by Hannsjörd Rieman for the German teenager’s weekly.

Feature on the UN International Youth Year, supported by numerous pop stars including Strawberry Switchblade who appear in the photos.

Rose and Jill joined the likes of OMD’s Andy McClusky and Depeche Mode’s Andy Fletcher in listing ten vital items they’d buy when shopping.

Guest singles reviewer was 12 year old Smash Hits reader Marshall O’ Leary who seemed jaded and cynical far beyond his years.

Unimpressed review bunching Strawberry Switchblade’s new single with offerings from Slade, Terraplane and King.

Singles reviewed by Paul Simper, who approves of the 1960s influences on the song.

Eleanor Levy was yet another cynical music journo who projected calculating corporate intentions on to the band’s creativity.

Front-cover feature interview, mainly covering the band’s moving to London and Jill’s agoraphobia.

Rose and Jill answering basic personal profile questions.

Rose and Jill review the new releases.

Chris Heath reviews the album which, despite confused opinons, he awards 8 out of 10, joint second highest score that issue.

With the Let Her Go single just released, the band discuss that and the imminent release of their eponymous album.

Jill Bryson’s personal details, schooldays, hobbies and a frank admission of her childhood crush on Donny Osmond.

As the corporate pop machine sinks its teeth into the band, this intelligent interview asks how it feels.

The NME’s Danny Kelly wrote this smug and sneeringly cynical review of the album.

Ted Mico decides he wants to pour scorn on the band and their work, and doesn’t mind contradicting himself in the process.

Album reviewed by Dave Henderson who, unsurprisingly for a rock-oriented paper, finds it a ‘wimp-out’, and says it’s not as good as Los Lobos.

Bad review of the album. The same page had the same reviewer giving a full-marks review for Go West’s album. I think that speaks for itself.

Frank Hopkinson praises the haunting quality of the songs and awards the album 4 out of 5.

‘Yeahs & Yeuks’; the band’s most loved and hated records by other artists.

Suzy was aimed at adolescent girls, mixing romance stories with music. This summarises Rose and Jill’s backstories and the band’s history.

Short questionnaire in a very short-lived BBC-produced magazine for preteens that tried to rival ITV’s Look-In.

Short and positive review of the Strawberry Switchblade album from this German music monthly. Strawberry Switchblade ‘twitter with their harmonic beat like butterflies over a meadow’, apparently.

Stephen ‘Tin Tin’ Duffy reviewed the new singles and noted that Strawberry Switchblade had a mysterious element that deserved more exposure.

Ro Newton reviewed the week’s new singles releases, and gave a mixed opinion of Who Knows What Love Is.

Mike Gardner’s review sees little to either rant or rave about.

Sandy Robertson, who criticised the last single for being the similar to the one before, decres the new one for being different.

Brief piece in the kids’ TV-oriented magazine about the band’s favourite TV and film stars in childhood.

Brief introductory piece in a weekly Italian teen girls’ magazine, with Rose making up lurid tales again! Exact date unknown, seemingly mid 1985.

Short interview with Jill about the making of the Who Knows What Love Is? video.

Daft summer-oriented questions from the early-teens music mag .

A good basic story-so-far from Over 21 (another of those magazines like Just Seventeen and 19, aimed at young women several years younger than the cover alleges). Although dated June, it seems to be a couple of months earlier as it mentions the new single being Let Her Go.

Long interview in this Italian music magazine. Guido Harari seems a bit sceptical at first but is won over by the end.

Dave Rimmer reviews the fortnight’s new releases, and is somewhat baffled at the concept of this version of Jolene.

‘Jill Bryson’s Yeahs and Yeuks’ – the girls’ photostory and fashion weekly asks Jill for her top 5 best and worst music.

Announcement for the release of the Jolene single.

Debbi (The Vole) Voller reviews the week’s new single releases including Jolene.

It’s unclear if Jack Barron was just bored with his job, but the reviews are in a tediously unfunny pseudo-fiction style.

Reviewed by Andy Strickland, who ranked Jolene in the third of four rated categories of the week’s new singles.

Stills from the video for the Jolene single.

No 1 was a rival of Smash Hits; this is a lightweight interview about cowboys and the Wild West at the time of the Jolene single.

Rose and Jill talk about making music outside the band, and how they – and the songs for the second album – are different to what they’ve done before.

Although No 1 was a fairly frivolous mag aimed at pubescent kids, this quick questionaire from their end of 1985 yearbook asks Rose and Jill about a load of political issues including censorship, nuclear weapons, unemployment, corporal punishment and the age of sexual consent. Great strident responses from them both, Rose’s anarchistic and libertarian, Jill’s benevolent and socialist.

Interview with their hometown newspaper ahead of their second promotional tour of Japan.

Interview wth Rose and Jill ahead of the March 1986 Japanese tour, and giving two readers a Strawberry Switchblade makeover.

Short and positive review of one of Jill’s solo gigs not long after Strawberry Switchblade split up.

Review of Brighton gig of Rose McDowall’s ‘Creation Records all-stars’ band playing as Strawberry Switchblade.

Review of another of the gigs Rose McDowall did using the Strawberry Switchblade name with a band of Creation Records all-stars.

Short ‘Where Are They Now?’ interview with Rose and Jill.

Retrospective interview about Strawberry Switchblade with Rose McDowall.

‘Where are they now’ profile, including interview with Jill.

Short interview with Rose about dealing with sexism.

One of those shallow ‘favourite colour, favourite cheese’ type of things.