The Dorothy Strain
Few would dare to categorise the Dorothy Strain, though many will try. Formed from the ashes of pre-raphaelite rockers Rosy Galloon, this latest incarnation is the brainchild of Caledonian siren Julieanne McCambridge and Deep Fur bassist Toby Strain. Julieanne’s vocal capacity has been compared to that of Sinead O’Connor and Kristin Hersh, though her influences include Charlotte Bronte, Sir John Everett Millais and the Magic Toyshop. After a lucrative six year residency at the Repre Club in Prague, Julieanne returned to London where her distinctive solo performances resulted in full-houses at Bunjies and at the Troubadour.
Soon she had gathered together some of the capital’s finest (and most argumentative) musicians to form the short-lived Rosy Galloon. The ill-fated six piece were hailed as the finest Noella Hutton tribute band to grace the London Stage. Soon Ms McCambridge found herself the subject of at least three songs, one opera and a pre-raphaelite painting, not to mention a seventeenth century witch trial and a nineteenth century haunting. Rosy Galloon fell by the wayside, but it was Toby’s love of the Judy Garland movie ‘the Wizard of Oz’ which inspired the two to work again together. "It was Garland’s voice that inspired us" said Toby "because it almost strained as she hit the upper notes of ‘Over the Rainbow’, a bit like our ‘Stars and Mud’ song".
And so the Dorothy Strain was born, named after Toby’s American aunt, Mrs Dorothy Strain, famed for her coffee hour at St Mary’s Episcopal Chapel in Maryland. "It’s all fitted together rather nicely" said Julieanne, "although we almost named the group after my uncle whose name is Tin Man McCambridge".

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