Whether Pearl and the Puppets do likewise remains to be seen, but with Elton John’s management company behind them and forthcoming debut single Because I Do soundtracking an Australian mobile phone ad, they already have a head start. With singer-songwriter Katie Sutherland cast as the eponymous Pearl and dressed down in Breton shirt and jeans like she’s hanging out at Andy Warhol’s Factory, her Puppets lend backbone to an assured but fragile sound that recalls Beth Orton without the quirks.
This isn’t a criticism, as Sutherland is no wilting wallflower, and possesses a canon that is confidently commercial. She also knows how to work a Christmas party crowd and a solo cover of Kings of Leon’s Use Somebody gets some more refreshed members of the audience singing along.
However, Sutherland and co were all but upstaged by the sheer exuberance of Boycotts, a sparky Glasgow quartet who almost caused a riot last time they played Edinburgh at student nightclub Sick Note.
As three boys sculpt post-punk guitar shapes, knowingly named chanteuse Stina Twee comes on like the missing link between Pauline Murray, singer with
first generation punk band Penetration, and one-time indie pin-up Harriet Wheeler of The Sundays, barely pausing for breath in a set that’s developing at a rate of knots.
If Pearl and The Puppets are for grown-ups, Boycotts are the lighter, more bright-eyed side of art-pop. Both should go far.
Star rating: ****
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