Smoke Fairies

Smoke Fairies is a British dream pop duo comprising Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies.^[1]

History

Blamire and Davies met at school in Sussex during the late 1990s. They spent 2002 in New Orleans, where they absorbed American blues music.^[2] When they returned to England they discovered British folk music at the Sidmouth Folk Week Festival while working as car park attendants.^[3] They later settled in Vancouver, Canada, for a year before returning to London to start performing.^[4]

In 2007, Smoke Fairies toured the UK in support of Bryan Ferry and the following year they released their debut single, "Living with Ghosts", on Music for Heroes.^[5] Richard Hawley was an early supporter of the act, saying they were "frankly the best thing I have heard in years".^[6] They supported Hawley on his Truelove’s Gutter Tour of the UK in October 2009.^[7]

In December 2009, Smoke Fairies became the first UK act to release a single on Jack White's label Third Man Records.^[8] The double A-side single, "Gastown" / "River Song", was produced by Jack White who also played guitar and drums. Smoke Fairies performed at the 2010 South by South West (SXSW) festival in Texas^[9] and supported Laura Marling on a month-long tour of the United States.^[10]

They signed to V2 Records/Cooperative Music and released their debut album Through Low Light and Trees in September 2010,^[11] latterly self-released in the United States in June 2011 via Year Seven Records.^[12] The album was produced by long-term PJ Harvey collaborator Head and recorded at Sawmills Studio in Cornwall, United Kingdom.^[12]

To promote the album the band was invited to record a live session for Marc Riley on BBC Radio 6.^[13] And invited back for another session a few months later.^[14] The duo also recorded a live session with their band for John Kennedy’s "X-Posure" on XFM.^[15] In November 2010, Smoke Fairies’ recording of Neil Young's "Alabama" appeared on a special Mojo album to mark the approaching fortieth anniversary of Young's Harvest LP.^[16]

The band embarked on its first headline tour of the UK – a sell-out – in January–February 2011^[17] and performed at several festivals that summer, including Primavera Sound in Barcelona.^[18] Before heading to the United States in June 2011 to perform at North by Northeast Festival and their own headline shows, returning again in August 2011 Jessica & Katherine toured the U.S. with Rasputina.^[19] Smoke Fairies again returned to the US in October to play support for Blitzen Trapper and Dawes making their second coast-to-coast tour of the year.^[20]

Smoke Fairies' follow-up album, Blood Speaks, was released on 21 May 2012,^[21] again with a delayed release in the US of 23 April 2013.^[22] Again produced by Head Blood Speaks was this time recorded in West London’s Eastcote Studio and is inspired by London and by travelling.^[23]

Smoke Fairies signed with Full Time Hobby records in 2013 and released their self-titled album "Smoke Fairies" on 14th April 2014.^[24] The album spawned singles Eclipse Them All, We've Seen Birds and Shadow Inversions. It was produced by Kristofer Harris at Squarehead Studios in Kent.^[25] Later that year the band recorded a Christmas record "Wild Winter" which was released only in Rough Trade shops Xmas 2014. The Christmas after the album saw a full worldwide release and received glowing praise from the likes of the New York Times^[26] and The Guardian.^[27] "Wild Winter" was again produced by Kristofer Harris.^[28]

Jessica and Katherine also contributed vocals to the track "Valentina", a tribute to Valentina Tereshkova - the first woman and the first woman in space - on "The Race For Space", the second album by Public Service Broadcasting (band). Smoke Fairies toured the UK supporting and performing with Public Service Broadcasting in 2015. It was preceded by the self-released Live in St Pancras Old Church.^[29]

Discography

Albums

• Strange the Things (Concentrated / Concentrated People, 6 August 2007)^[30]
• Through Low Light and Trees (UK: V2 / Cooperative Music, 6 September 2010. U.S.: Year Seven Records, June 2011)
• Blood Speaks (V2 records, 21 May 2012)^[21]
• Smoke Fairies (Full Time Hobby, 14 April 2014)^[31]
• Live At St Pancras Old Church (October 2015)
• Wild Winter (Full Time Hobby, 12 December 2015)

Compilations

• Ghosts: A Compilation of A Sides, B Sides and an EP from the Recent Past (453 Music / Music For Heroes, 2010)

Singles and EPs

• "Living with Ghosts" / "Troubles" – 7" (Music for Heroes, August 2008)
• Frozen Heart – 7" EP ("Frozen Heart", "Fences", "Morning Light", "We Had Lost Our Minds", "He's Moving On") (Music for Heros, July 2009)
• "Sunshine" / "When you Grow Old" – 7" (October 2009)
• "Gastown" / "River Song" – 7" limited edition of 150 on tri-colored vinyl; Texas-sized 8" limited edition (Third Man Records, September 2009)
• "Hotel Room" / "Human Concerns" – 7" limited edition of 300 (V2 / Cooperative Music) (2010)
• "Strange Moon Rising" / "Requiem" – 7" limited edition of 500 (V2 / Cooperative Music, 24 January 2011)
• "Strange Moon Rising" / "Alabama" – 7" limited UK tour edition (V2 / Cooperative Music) (24 Jan 2011)
• "Hotel Room" / "Strange Moon Rising" – 7" limited edition of 500 on blue-marbled vinyl (453 Music, 16 April 2011, World Record Store Day)
• "Storm Song" / "Storm Song Demo" – 7" limited edition of 500 (V2 / Cooperative Music, 16 May 2011)

Contributions to anthologies

• "Good Man" on Live at the Electroacoustic Club, Vol. 2 (Running Jump Records, 13 November 2006)
• "Troubles" on What's Kickin'?, Vol. 2 (Stove Pony, 14 May 2007)
• "Troubles" on Shivering Sands and Scavenging Birds (Thames Delta Recording Co., 14 October 2009)
• "Alabama" on Harvest Revisited (Promotional CD issued with Mojo Magazine, February 2011)

Guest appearances

• Backing vocals on Richard Hawley's "False Lights from the Land" EP (Mute Records, 7 June 2010)
• Backing vocals on Public Service Broadcasting's track Valentina off their "The Race for Space" album (2015)
• Backing vocals on Duke Garwood's "Garden Of Ashes" album (Heavenly Recordings, 2017)

References

External links

• Official website
• NME Article
• Guardian article