The Prettiots, Summerhall, gig review: Offering something different from pop's regular diet of indie bands

The Prettiots have a heart of darkness

The Prettiots (Julia Altenburger)

“I don't know if you guys have ever tried to whistle while laughing, but it's super hard,” says Kay Kasparhauser after struggling to complete a song without collapsing into a fit of on-stage giggles. It is not a problem that would trouble most indie bands, but The Prettiots are nothing if not unconventional.

A lo-fi duo from New York made up of ukelele player Kasparhauser and bassist Lulu Landolfi, the Prettiots write knowing and twisted campfire songs about boys they dated in high school – and suicide. Their debut album Funs Cool, released on the Rough Trade label earlier this month, is full of happy clappy melodies and harmonies which conceal deliciously dark lyrics.

“On a scale of one to Plath I'm like a four / My head's not in the oven but I can't get off the floor,” Kasparhauser sings on “Suicide Hotline”, raising eyebrows and smiles from the small crowd which gathered in the Scottish capital last night to see the band on their UK tour, which they are co-headlining with Tuff Love, another female indie duo from Glasgow.

Although their cutesy delivery and hipster vibe won't be to everyone's taste, don't let the ukelele fool you: The Prettiots have a heart of darkness and offer something totally different from pop's regular diet of indie bands.