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]

They also contributed vocals to the track Valentina, a tribute to Valentina Tereshkova - the first woman and the first civilian into space - on "The Race For Space", the second album by Public Service Broadcasting (band). In November 2015 they released the album Wild Winter followed by a UK tour.^[24] It was preceded by the self-released Live in St Pancras Old Church.^[25]

Discography

Albums

• Strange the Things (Concentrated / Concentrated People, 6 August 2007)^[26]
• 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)^[27]
• Wild Winter (Full Time Hobby, 12 December 2015)
• Live At St Pancras Old Church (October 2015)

Compilations

• Ghosts: A Compilation of A Sides, B Sides and an EP from the Recent Past

Singles and EPs

• "Living with Ghosts" / "Troubles" – 7" (Music for Heros, 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)

References

External links

• Official website
• NME Article
• Guardian article