This was a transitional stage for Strawberry Switchblade. They'd just dropped their 3 backing musicians & opted to make the album with electro-oriented producer David Motion.

For more about Strawberry Switchblade's gigs, see the page on the fansite
strawberryswitchblade.net/gigs/

Incredible track! 3/4 time with a flute solo, the airy tune counterpointing Weller's sharp uneasy lyric of urban alienation. Kudos to the others as well, unlike anything they'd done before yet Rick's drumming is superb, absolutely gets it

And of course you can follow us on here (and other social media platforms) if you'd like a regular dose of Strawberry Switchblade dropped into your timeline ⚫⚪🍓⚪⚫

Excellent taste! In case you haven't already seen, we revamped the Strawberry Switchblade fansite - hear all the music they released (& loads they didn't), vintage press articles, specially done interviews, YouTube channel with videos & TV appearances & more. Enjoy!
strawberryswitchblade.net

Absolutely, it was so fresh & different, it felt like they were speaking for us.

As it this one - a fortnight later, 41 years ago today, Strawberry Switchblade were in the top ten and back on Top Of The Pops

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCXF...

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

www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

You can hear all 5 sessions Strawberry Switchblade recorded for BBC radio over on the fansite

strawberryswitchblade.net/bbc-radio-se...

In 1984, Go Away was re-re-recorded for the band's album. This has a heavier mood, an ominous piano motif leading the way while the richer production brilliantly brings the cold peculiarity into relief. It's this version that's getting all the new attention.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCat...

Go Away was re-recorded in 1983 as the B-side of their debut single, a lusciously arranged new recording of Trees and Flowers. That version is sparse and icy, just voices and guitar to convey the song's power.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwEb...

Go Away picked up popularity last year and isn't stopping. Not entirely sure what's driving it, but it's gratifying to see such a representative track getting the love. An early version of Go Away appears on the same 1982 demo EP as Trees and Flowers.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6de...

But in 2024, the demo version of Trees and Flowers went viral on TikTok. That track - a hurriedly recorded demo tape made by teenagers in 40+ years ago just to get local gigs in Glasgow - brought the band a whole new audience.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUaY...

With Since Yesterday being Strawberry Switchblade's one big hit, and featuring on a squillion 80s hits compilations, you'd think that would be way out front for listeners.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SToF...

This raises the question of what was the first goth song. Paint It Black is a strong contender, though there's a good case to be made for She's Not There

Since Yesterday had been released back in October. TV ads & a Smash Hits cover feature in Dec had pushed them over the threshold of the top 40, which made them qualify for TOTP. Since Yesterday rocketed into the top 10 the next week & secured its place as an 80s pop classic

It's hard to explain just how important TOTP was. Young people were a much larger proportion of the population, in those pre-internet times music was the core element of youth culture, and yet there were almost no music shows on TV. Watching TOTP on a Thursday was little short of sacramental.

The Poems released a track, Posters on the Wall, on a 1979 various artists EP called Spectacular Commodity, but Rose missed the recording session because she was busy giving birth! She did play on their self-titled 1980 cassette & on 1981 single Achieving Unity.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbQR...

Often described as a punk band, the Poems weren’t the stereotype of fast thrashing. Listening to them you can already hear elements of the hanging, atmospheric melancholia that has been present throughout the careers of Rose and her then-husband Drew McDowall
(📸©️Peter McArthur, used with permission)

The video is one of 50+ Strawberry Switchblade videos and TV appearances on our YouTube channel's playlist. Enjoy!

www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...