Smoke Fairies
Encyclopedia
Smoke Fairies is a British blues
and folk
musical duo formed by Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies.
during the late 1990s. In 2002 they spent a year in New Orleans where they absorbed American blues music and when they returned to England they discovered British folk music at the Sidmouth Folk Week Festival while working as car park attendants. They later settled in Vancouver
, Canada
, for a year before returning to London
to start performing.
In 2007 Smoke Fairies headed on a UK tour in support of Bryan Ferry
and released their debut single ‘Living With Ghosts’ the following year on Music For Heroes. Richard Hawley
was an early supporter of the act stating they were “frankly the best thing (he’d) heard in years". They supported Hawley on his True Love’s Gutter UK tour 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
. The single was produced by Jack White and featured him on guitar and drums.
Smoke Fairies performed at the 2010 South By South West (SXSW) festival in Texas
and supported Laura Marling
for a month long tour of the United States
. They soon signed to V2 Records
/Cooperative Music and released acclaimed debut album ‘Through Low Light and Trees’ in September 2010. The following month the band were invited to record a live session for Marc Riley
on BBC 6 Music and were subsequently invited back for another session mere months later. They 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
album to mark the approaching fortieth anniversary of Young's Harvest LP.
The band embarked on their first sell-out headline tour of the UK in January / February 2011 and performed at several festivals that Summer including Primavera Sound in Barcelona
.
The debut album ‘Through Low Light and Trees’ was officially released in the United States
in June 2011 via Year Seven Records and they toured the U.S. with Rasputina
in August.
Also pressed as a limited edition on clear vinyl, available on the bands' US tour and via website. Initial edition of 250 followed by subsequent repress.
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
musical duo formed by Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies.
History
Blamire and Davies met at school in SussexSussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
during the late 1990s. In 2002 they spent a year in New Orleans where they absorbed American blues music and when they returned to England they discovered British folk music at the Sidmouth Folk Week Festival while working as car park attendants. They later settled in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, for a year before returning to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to start performing.
In 2007 Smoke Fairies headed on a UK tour in support of Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
and released their debut single ‘Living With Ghosts’ the following year on Music For Heroes. Richard Hawley
Richard Hawley
Richard Hawley is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and producer. After his first band Treebound Story broke up, Hawley found success as a member of Britpop band Longpigs in the 1990s. He later joined the band Pulp, led by his friend Jarvis Cocker...
was an early supporter of the act stating they were “frankly the best thing (he’d) heard in years". They supported Hawley on his True Love’s Gutter UK tour in October 2009.
In December 2009 Smoke Fairies became the first UK act to release a single on Jack White
Jack White
Jack White may refer to:* Jack White , with the rock bands The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and The Dead Weather* Jack White , UK soldier* Jack White , German producer of disco music...
’s label Third Man Records
Third Man Records
Third Man Records is an independent record label founded by Jack White in Detroit, Michigan, in 2001. Third Man established its first physical location — a combination record store, performance venue, and headquarters for the label — in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2009.-History:Jack White founded...
. The single was produced by Jack White and featured him on guitar and drums.
Smoke Fairies performed at the 2010 South By South West (SXSW) festival in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and supported Laura Marling
Laura Marling
Laura Beatrice Marling is an English folk musician from Eversley, Hampshire.Initially prominent within the London folk scene, she has also toured with a number of well-known indie artists in the UK. Her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim and her second album I Speak Because I Can were nominated for...
for a month long tour of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They soon signed to V2 Records
V2 Records
V2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI....
/Cooperative Music and released acclaimed debut album ‘Through Low Light and Trees’ in September 2010. The following month the band were invited to record a live session for Marc Riley
Marc Riley
Marc Riley is a British musician, alternative rock critic and radio DJ on BBC 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he had his own record label, In-Tape, and also worked as a record plugger...
on BBC 6 Music and were subsequently invited back for another session mere months later. They 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
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
's "Alabama" appeared on a special Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
album to mark the approaching fortieth anniversary of Young's Harvest LP.
The band embarked on their first sell-out headline tour of the UK in January / February 2011 and performed at several festivals that Summer including Primavera Sound in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
.
The debut album ‘Through Low Light and Trees’ was officially released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in June 2011 via Year Seven Records and they toured the U.S. with Rasputina
Rasputina
Rasputina is a cello-driven band based in New York that is renowned for their unconventional and quirky music style as well as their fascination with historical allegories and fashion, especially those pertaining to the Victorian era....
in August.
Singles and EPs
- Living with Ghosts/ B Side Troubles 7" (Music For Heros) (Aug 2008)
- Frozen Heart EP 7"- Frozen Heart, Fences, Morning Light, We Had Lost Our Minds, He's Moving On (Music For Heros) (July 2009)
- Sunshine / B Side: "When you Grow Old" 7" (Oct 2009)
- "Gastown/River Song" 7" Single Tri-colored vinyl (150), Texas-Sized 8" vinyl (limited edition) (Third Man RecordsThird Man RecordsThird Man Records is an independent record label founded by Jack White in Detroit, Michigan, in 2001. Third Man established its first physical location — a combination record store, performance venue, and headquarters for the label — in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2009.-History:Jack White founded...
) (Sep 2009) - "Hotel Room/Human Concerns 7" Limited Edition (300) (V2/ Cooperative Music) (2010)
- "Strange Moon Rising/Requiem 7" Limited Edition (500) (V2/ Cooperative Music) 24 Jan 2011)
- "Strange Moon Rising/Alabama 7" Limited Editon (UK Tour only) (V2/ Cooperative Music) 24 Jan 2011)
- "Hotel Room/Strange Moon Rising 7" Limited Edition (500) Blue marbled vinyl (453 Music) (April 2011 Record Store Day - US)
- "Storm Song/Storm Song Demo 7" Limited Edition (500) (V2/ Cooperative Music) (16 May 2011)
Compilations
- Ghosts - A Compilation of A Sides, B Sides and an EP from the Recent Past - (U.S only release - 453 Music) (March 2010) - Special edition marbled 12" with 500 black/white split colour special addition Record Store Day pressing copies.
- Ghosts - A Compilation of A Sides, B Sides and an EP from the Recent Past (UK - 453 Music) (Marbled Vinyl) (2010)
Guest appearances
- Backing vocals on False Lights From The Land EP (June 2010) (Mute Records) by Richard HawleyRichard HawleyRichard Hawley is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and producer. After his first band Treebound Story broke up, Hawley found success as a member of Britpop band Longpigs in the 1990s. He later joined the band Pulp, led by his friend Jarvis Cocker...
Albums
- Through Low Light And Trees (V2 / Cooperative Music – 6 September 2010 / Year Seven Records (USA) June 2011)
- Track listing
- "Summer Fades"
- "Devil in my Mind"
- "Hotel Room"
- "Dragon"
- "Erie Lackawanna"
- "Strange Moon Rising"
- "Morning Blues"
- "Storm Song"
- "Blue Skies Fall"
- "Feeling Is Turning Blue"
- "After the Rain"
- Track listing
Also pressed as a limited edition on clear vinyl, available on the bands' US tour and via website. Initial edition of 250 followed by subsequent repress.
Also featured On compilation CD Albums
- Live At The Electroacoustic Club Vol 2 (Running Jump Records - 13 Nov 2006)
-
- "Good Man"
-
- Whats Kickin Vol 2 (Stove Pony - 14 May 2007)
-
- "Troubles"
-
- Harvest Revisited (Promotional CD issued with Mojo Magazine Feb 2011)
-
- "Alabama"
-