The Real Strawberry Switchblade



If you only know Strawberry Switchblade as a pop act who had a one-hit wonder in 1984 with 'Since Yesterday' and for their completely out-there dress sense there's a bit more to them than that. 'Since Yesterday' was a typical slice of cheesy mid-80's post-Madonna synth pop that undoubtedly shows it's age today (although it is a bit of a guilty pleasure). Their subsequent self-titled album varied somewhat from good to almost unbearable.

Rewind back to 1982 and you're met with a post-punk indie-pop band who would sound more at home on the Postcard label than as a pop band on Warners. Here's a song from a BBC session which also features James Kirk from Orange Juice on bass.



From their aborted 1984 album sessions:





It's unclear whether their label forced them into making super-commercial pop music or whether they were just tempted by the prospects of it. It's certainly one of those 'what if' moments, rather than having a short career as one-hit wonders they could have had a completely different career as a cult indie band.

There's loads of rare recordings you can download here.