At The Bus Stop

Music video made for the BBC, 2011

More Isy Suttie videos

Isy Suttie: Pearl and Dave
Live Review

Pearl and Dave is Isy Suttie doing what she does best: A cosy, tender, romantic story, illustrated with poignantly sweet songs.

Poignantly sweet doesn’t equal laugh-out-loud funny, of course, and the chuckles here are thin on the ground. But you will leave with a snug feeling in your soul, and the grumbled self-motivation ‘C’mon, Dave’ lodged in your vocabulary to call upon whenever you need to give yourself a boost.

The Dave in question is a quiet, modest accountant who lives with his mum in Suttie’s home town of Matlock, Derbyshire. He’s not good with women but still holds a candle for the well-spoken Pearl, who he met at the Skegness Butlins, years ago.

Suttie picks up the story when he finds her on Facebook and tries to revive this romantic interlude over a series of remarkably chaste messages and Skype conversations. Their interaction is initially based on the lies and exaggerations of many a date, before they relax into their real personalities.

The Peep Show actress is most often compared to Victoria Wood – female, Northern(ish), musician, domestic outlook – but here she’s striving for Daniel Kitson territory, of a gentle, sensitive, ambiguous story told with heart. She falls short of that – who wouldn’t? – but the yarn still boasts plenty of surprisingly moving moments.

She’s a strong actor, and her singing voice is a treasure, ranging from gruff Dave to cut-glass Pearl. But despite this, and the fact the characters are well-drawn, this still remains firmly a story; you’re interested in seeing how it turns out – which is perhaps not as you expect – but not completely drawn into their parochial world. Somehow there’s just a slight shortfall in the credibility, even though these are firmly grounded characters.

Yet there are some lovely comedic flourishes – the sad letter from a celestial star named in a loved one’s honour; or the sound advice on how you should deploy Tom Waits’s music, all of which add to this rich, rewarding show.

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She's appalling. I hope no licence money goes to her

staro, April 2013

I just love Isy Suttie's Love Letters on R4 at the moment. Such sweet and gentle, quirky, unique humour. I can't wait for a gig in the Manchester area to see Isy live.

Kevin E, April 2013

Is funny lady. hope to see here in more stuff.

Mr O, December 2012

Heard this woman on the radio - simply not funny at all!

Grumble guts, June 2012

Isy Suttie is wonderful. I think I love her.

Swamp Thing, January 2011

A pleasure to watch, thoroughly beguiling and likable.

Lucy, December 2010

Saw Isy at Edinburgh last week and unfortunately it was absolutely dreadful. I was expecting so much more. Her characters were really awful with no depth and her jokes, well simply not funny. Sorry Isy.

WB, August 2008

Saw her twice in the space of two days and did the exact same act both times. Did well in front of a younger crowd supposrting Rusell Howard, but then saw her die in an admittedly tough gig in Porthcawl that really wasn't her sort of gig. Found something that worked (doing impressions of how various singers would sound down a well) and milked that to get through the 20 minutes, constantly looked her watch and told the crowd she wasn't going very well. Seems one of those acts that can't cope well when it isn't working. Material only so-so and not someone I expect to hear a lot more from.

Roger Morgan, April 2007

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