Smoke Fairies (Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies) are a British band hailing from Chichester.

History

Blamire and Davies met at school in

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

during the late 1990s. They spent 2002 in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, where they absorbed American blues music. When they returned to England they discovered British folk music at the

Sidmouth Folk Week There has been a folk festival in the coastal town of Sidmouth in South West England in the first week of August every year since 1955, attracting tens of thousands of visitors to over 700 diverse events. Sidmouth Folk Festival offers a wide r ...

Festival while working as car park attendants. They later settled in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, for a year before returning to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to start performing.Ben Umstead
"Interview with the Smoke Fairies"
''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

'', 18 July 2011. In 2007, Smoke Fairies toured the UK in support of

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ' ...

and the following year they released their debut single, "Living with Ghosts", on Music for Heroes.

Richard Hawley Richard Willis Hawley (born 17 January 1967) is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer. After his first band Treebound Story (formed while he was still at school) broke up, Hawley found success as a member of Britpop band Longp ...

was an early supporter of the act, saying they were "frankly the best thing I have heard in years". They supported Hawley on his Truelove's Gutter Tour of the UK in October 2009. In December 2009, Smoke Fairies became the first UK act to release a single on Jack White's label

Third Man Records Third Man Records is an eclectic, vinyl-focused independent record label founded and owned by Jack White, Ben Blackwell and Ben Swank. The company operates out of three locations—Nashville, Tennessee, Detroit, Michigan, and Soho, London—with ...

. 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 South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...

) festival in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and supported

Laura Marling Laura Beatrice Marling (born 1 February 1990) is a British folk singer-songwriter. She won the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist at the 2011 Brit Awards and was nominated for the same award at the 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 Brit A ...

on a month-long tour of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. They signed to

V2 Records V2 Records (or V2 Music; V2 being an abbreviation for Virgin 2) is a record label that was purchased by Universal Music Group in 2007 and sold to IASin 2013. In the Benelux, V2 operates separately from PIAS, as the label bought itself out from ...

/Cooperative Music and released their debut album '' Through Low Light and Trees'' in September 2010, latterly self-released in the

in June 2011 via Year Seven Records.Kevin O’Donnell
" Jack White Faves Smoke Fairies"
''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'', 14 June 2011. The album was produced by long-term

PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined loca ...

collaborator Head and recorded at

Sawmills Studio Sawmills Studios, founded in 1974 by record producer Tony Cox, is a recording studio near Golant on the banks of the River Fowey in Cornwall. The studio building is located on its own tidal creek on the banks of the Fowey. Sawmills was one o ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. To promote the album the band was invited to record a live session for

Marc Riley Marc Riley (born 10 July 1961 in Manchester) is an English radio DJ, alternative rock critic, musician, and former music businessman. He currently presents on BBC Radio 6 Music. Formerly a member of the Fall, he co-owned a record label, In-Ta ...

on BBC Radio 6, and was invited back for another session a few months later. The duo also recorded a live session with their band for John Kennedy's "X-Posure" on XFM. In November 2010, Smoke Fairies' recording of Neil Young's "Alabama" appeared on a special ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: *Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * '' ...

'' album to mark the approaching fortieth anniversary of Young's ''

Harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...

'' LP. The band embarked on its first headline tour of the UK – a sell-out – in January–February 2011 and performed at several festivals that summer, including

Primavera Sound Primavera Sound (commonly referred to as simply Primavera) is an annual music festival held in Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona, Spain that takes place between the end of May and beginning of June. The first edition took place in 2001 in Poble Espany ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. Before heading to the

in June 2011 to perform at

North by Northeast North by Northeast (or NXNE) is an annual music and arts festival held each June in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The festival's main focus is live music, but it also includes an eSports gaming tournament, comedy, a conversations series, a flea mark ...

Festival and their own headline shows, returning again in August 2011 Jessica & Katherine toured the U.S. with Rasputina. Smoke Fairies again returned to the US in October to play support for

Blitzen Trapper Blitzen Trapper is a Portland, Oregon-based experimental country music, country/Folk music, folk/Rock and roll, rock band associated with Sub Pop Records, Vagrant Records and Lojinx. Formed in 2000, the band currently operates as a quintet, with ...

and

Dawes Dawes may refer to: Places * Dawes (Parish), New South Wales, Australia *Dawes Point, New South Wales, Australia * Dawes Arboretum, in Newark, Ohio, U.S. *Dawes County, Nebraska, U.S. * Dawes Township, Thurston County, Nebraska, U.S. Other uses *D ...

making their second coast-to-coast tour of the year. Smoke Fairies' follow-up album, '' Blood Speaks'', was released on 21 May 2012, again with a delayed release in the US of 23 April 2013. Again produced by Head '' Blood Speaks'' was this time recorded in West London's Eastcote Studio and is inspired by London and by travelling. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' rated the album 7.2 remarking that Jessica and Katherine "don't trade vocal duties so much as appear to sing from the same body". Smoke Fairies signed with

Full Time Hobby Full Time Hobby is an independent record label formed in London in January 2004. Since its inception it has released records by artists such as Dana Gavanski, Timber Timbre, Tunng, Micah P. Hinson, Michael Nau, Katie Von Schleicher and Whit ...

records in 2013 and released their self-titled album ''"Smoke Fairies"'' on 14 April 2014. The album spawned singles ''Eclipse Them All, We've Seen Birds'' and ''Shadow Inversions''. It was produced by

Kristofer Harris Kristofer Harris is an English record producer, mixer and writer. He is most noted for his work with Belle and Sebastian, Ghostpoet, Smoke Fairies, Clock Opera and Bear's Den (band), Bear's Den. Biography Kristofer Harris grew up in Kent, Unit ...

at Squarehead Studios in Kent. Well received,

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quiet ...

called the record "brilliantly immersive" and suggested the band were "starting to approach the very English singularity of Her Holiness

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...

". On the same theme ''

'' magazine chose the album track "Your Own Silent Movie" to feature on their compilation ''The Dreamers – 15 Tracks of

-Inspired Dream Pop". Later that year the band recorded the Christmas record ''Wild Winter'', which was released only in Rough Trade shops for Christmas 2014. The Christmas after the album saw a full worldwide release and received praise from the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' and ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

''. "Wild Winter" was again produced by

. The album inspired a beer brewed under the same name by the London brewery Signature Brew. Jessica and Katherine also contributed vocals to the track "Valentina", a tribute to

Valentina Tereshkova Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova ( rus, Валентина Владимировна Терешкова, links=no, p=vɐlʲɪnʲˈtʲinə vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvnə tʲɪrʲɪʂˈkovə, a=Valentina Tereshkova.ogg; born 6 March 1937) is an engine ...

—the first woman in space—on '' The Race For Space'', the second album by

Public Service Broadcasting Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...

. 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. In August 2019 Smoke Fairies announced their return with a video for the track "Out of the Woods", produced by

Phil Ek Phil Ek is an American record producer, engineer and mixer. Ek began his career in Seattle, Washington in the early 1990s recording live sound in clubs. He then moved into studio recording, recording small projects and demos for local bands. Aroun ...

. ''

Louder Than War ''Louder Than War'' is a music and culture website and magazine focusing on mainly alternative arts news, reviews, and features. The site is an editorially independent publication that was started by journalist John Robb in 2010 and is now ru ...

'' described the track as "dark, stark, skeletal blues". On 25 September 2019, the band announced the album, ''Darkness Brings the Wonders Home'', also produced by Ek, which was released on 31 January 2020. During the promotion for the new record Jessica & Katherine launched their own Podcast 'Smoke Signals' which sees the band discussing the music industry; it's trials, tribulations and hilarities. The podcast's second series was launched a year later, the show ranks highly with Apple Podcasts having a 4.9 out of 5 rating. Released on the band's own label 'Year Seven Records' ''Darkness Brings the Wonders Home'' charted the band #1 in the

UK Indie Breakers Chart The UK Independent Singles Breakers Chart and the UK Independent Album Breakers Chart are music charts based on UK sales of singles and albums released on independent record labels by musical artists who have never made the UK top 20. It is compi ...

, a #1 in the

UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart The UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart and UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart are record charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company (OCC) to determine the 40 most popular singles and albums in the rock and heavy metal genres. The ...

and a Top 10 UK Independent Album. The band performed a live session for

BBC Radio 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...

30 January 2020 and

John Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

on Radio X earlier that week on 28 January 2020. Smoke Fairies toured the UK with the album in January & February 2020 with their current band John J Presley and Sean Fallowfield. Single 'Elevator' taken from the album was released on limited edition 7-inch picture-disc during the UK's coronavirus lock-down in April 2020 gaining them more number one chart placings. A #1 in the UK Physical Singles Chart and a #1 in the UK Vinyl Singles Chart. During the pandemic Jessica & Katherine live-streamed three performances via their

facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

page raising over £2000 for chosen charities The Red Cross,

RSPCA The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales that promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest an ...

Emmaus UK Emmaus (french: Emmaüs, ) is an international solidarity movement founded in Paris in 1949 by Catholic priest and Capuchin friar Abbé Pierre to combat poverty and homelessness. Since 1971 regional and national initiatives have been grouped ...

. Further in to restrictions in the UK the band recorded and streamed a ticketed live concert for their fans from the

De La Warr Pavilion The De La Warr Pavilion is a grade I listed building, located on the seafront at Bexhill on Sea, East Sussex, on the south coast of England. The Modernist and International Style building was designed by the architects Erich Mendelsohn and Ser ...

in Bexhill, England.

Discography

Albums

* ''Strange the Things'' (Concentrated / Concentrated People, 6 August 2007) * '' 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) * ''Smoke Fairies'' (Full Time Hobby, 14 April 2014) * ''Live at St Pancras Old Church'' (October 2015) * ''Wild Winter'' (Full Time Hobby, 12 December 2015) * ''Darkness Brings the Wonders Home'' (Year Seven, 31 January 2020)

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-inch (Music for Heroes, August 2008) * ''Frozen Heart'' – 7-inch 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-inch (October 2009) * "Gastown" / "River Song" – 7-inch limited edition of 150 on tri-colored vinyl; Texas-sized 8" limited edition (

, September 2009) * "Hotel Room" / "Human Concerns" – 7-inch limited edition of 300 (V2 / Cooperative Music) (2010) * "Strange Moon Rising" / "Requiem" – 7-inch limited edition of 500 (V2 / Cooperative Music, 24 January 2011) * "Strange Moon Rising" / "Alabama" – 7-inch limited UK tour edition (V2 / Cooperative Music) (24 January 2011) * "Hotel Room" / "Strange Moon Rising" – 7-inch limited edition of 500 on blue-marbled vinyl (453 Music, 16 April 2011, World Record Store Day) * "Storm Song" / "Storm Song Demo" – 7-inch limited edition of 500 (V2 / Cooperative Music, 16 May 2011) *"The Three of Us" - EP 9" (V2 / Cooperative Music) Limited edition 500 & 2 x 7-inch (Year Seven Records, USA) limited edition 1000, Record Store Day 2012 *"This Is A Reflection" - EP 12-inch & CD exclusive to Rough Trade Shops (V2 / Cooperative Music) 2012 *"Let Me Know" 7-inch limited edition 300 (V2 / Cooperative Music) 2012 *"Upstairs at United, Vol. 6 - EP 12-inch (453 Music) Record Store Day 2013 *"Simple Feeling / I Wonder As I Wander" - 7-inch limited edition of 500 (Snowflake Singles Club) 2 Dec 2013 *"Eclipse Them All" - digital release (Full Time Hobby) *"We've Seen Birds" - 7-inch limited edition 500 (Full Time Hobby) *"Christmas Without A Kiss" - digital release (Full Time Hobby) *"Out of the Woods / Disconnect" - 7-inch limited edition of 300 picture disc (Year Seven - exclusive to Rough Trade Shops) *"Elevator" - 7-inch limited edition of 300 picture disc (Year Seven)

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 ''Mojo'' is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer. Following the success of the magazine '' Q'', publishers Emap were looking for a title that would cater for the bur ...

'', February 2011)

Guest appearances

* Backing vocals on Richard Hawley's "''False Lights from the Land"'' EP (

Mute Records Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Einstürzende Neubauten, Fad Gadget, Goldfrapp, Grinderm ...

, 7 June 2010) * Backing vocals on

's track Valentina off their "The Race for Space" album (2015) * Backing vocals on

Duke Garwood Duke Garwood (born 1969) is a London-based, English multi-instrumentalist. Biography Duke Garwood has released six studio albums: ''Holy Week'', '' Emerald Palace'', '' The Sand That Falls'', '' Dreamboatsafari'', '' Heavy Love'', and ''Garden ...

's "Garden of Ashes" album (

Heavenly Recordings Heavenly Recordings is a London-based independent record label founded by Jeff Barrett in 1990. Heavenly released the first albums from Saint Etienne (band), Saint Etienne, Beth Orton and Doves (band), Doves, and early singles by Manic Street P ...

, 2017)

References

External links

*
NME ArticleGuardian article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smoke Fairies British folk rock groups Musical groups established in 2006