Pearl & The Puppets

Influenced by the avant-garde pop of <a href="spotify:artist:4I2BJf80C0skQpp1sQmA0h">Belle & Sebastian</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3z6Gk257P9jNcZbBXJNX5i">Regina Spektor</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:6CWTBjOJK75cTE8Xv8u1kj">Feist</a>, Pearl & the Puppets is essentially a solo vehicle for multi-instrumentalist Katie Sutherland. Born and raised in East Dunbartonshire, Sutherland was a classically trained woodwind musician before picking up the guitar at the relatively late age 19. Putting her ambition to be a primary school teacher on hold, she left her degree course at Glasgow University, landed a publishing contract with Warner Chappell, and signed deals with both <a href="spotify:artist:3PhoLpVuITZKcymswpck5b">Elton John</a>'s management company, Twenty-First Artists, and Universal Republic Records. After recruiting a permanent backing band, guitarist Gordon Turner, bassist Scott Clark, keyboardist Michael Abubakar, and drummer Blair McMillan, she adopted the name Pearl & the Puppets, and spent much of 2009 touring the Scottish festival circuit and supporting the likes of <a href="spotify:artist:7rZNSLWMjTbwdLNskFbzFf">Sugababes</a>, Mika, and <a href="spotify:artist:3PhoLpVuITZKcymswpck5b">Elton John</a> himself. Her debut album, produced by Stephen Street (<a href="spotify:artist:7MhMgCo0Bl0Kukl93PZbYS">Blur</a>), David Kosten (<a href="spotify:artist:6l77PmL5iuEEcYjGl8K6s7">Bat for Lashes</a>), and Steve Chrisanthou (<a href="spotify:artist:29WzbAQtDnBJF09es0uddn">Corinne Bailey Rae</a>), is due for release in early 2011. ~ Jon O'Brien, Rovi