Smoke Fairies
A duo combining the ethereality of British folk with the earthiness of the blues, Smoke Fairies is the project of Jessica Davies and Katherine Blamire. Moody and introspective, Smoke Fairies make music that is emotionally intense despite not always being forceful; they avoid electric guitars and drums as often as they embrace them, but even at their loudest, their melodies are full of languid mystery and the harmonies are expressive despite their otherworldly calm. The pair's 2010 debut album, Through Low Light and Trees, captured their aesthetic with a Spartan accuracy, while 2014's Smoke Fairies added a greater pop sensibility to their formula, and 2020's Darkness Brings the Wonders Home introduced a heavier dose of electric guitars than they had used in the past. Returning to a more hushed and decidedly raw sound, Smoke Fairies returned in 2023 with Carried in Sound.
Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies met at school in Chichester, West Sussex, and discovered that they felt more of a connection to classic rock, folk, and the blues than the more modern music the other kids listened to. While they were still in school, they began crafting their own take on those sounds, incorporating their delicate harmonies and naming themselves Smoke Fairies after mystical creatures who scare and confuse late-night drivers. After school ended, Davies and Blamire traveled to New Orleans and other areas of the American South, performing at venues like Tipitina's; they then settled in Vancouver for a year. In 2007, Smoke Fairies went on tour with Bryan Ferry after a mutual friend gave him a copy of the duo's demos. The following year, Blamire and Davies released their official debut single, "Living with Ghosts," as a 7" on the Music for Heroes label.
The buzz around the duo grew in 2009, when releases like the EP Frozen Heart and the single "Sunshine" won acclaim from artists such as Richard Hawley, who took Smoke Fairies on tour with him that October, and Jack White, who had the pair open for the Dead Weather and recorded a single with them. That track, "Gastown/The River Song," was released by White's Third Man imprint that December and featured White on drums and guitar and Raconteurs/Dead Weather member "Little Jack" Lawrence as part of the backing band. In 2010 Smoke Fairies released the compilation Ghosts, as well as the full-length Through Low Light and Trees. Although much of the following year was spent touring the U.S., the duo preceded those dates with their first-ever U.K. headlining tour.
Influenced by mid-'70s-era Fleetwood Mac, Blood Speaks was issued in different territories between 2012 and 2013 on the Universal-owned V2 imprint, bringing Smoke Fairies to a much wider audience.They followed it in 2014 with a self-titled, synth pop-inspired album that earned comparisons to Kate Bush. It proved to be a prolific time for the duo, who returned in late 2015, first with a self-released concert album, Live at St. Pancras Old Church, followed by an album of songs for the holiday season titled Wild Winter.
After a break of several years, Smoke Fairies teamed up with Seattle producer Phil Ek to record 2020's Darkness Brings the Wonders Home. Noirish in tone with bluesy electric guitar figures taking a prominent role in many of the songs, it topped both the Indie Breakers and Rock & Metal Album charts in the U.K. For their next project, Davies and Blamire stripped their music back down to its folk-rock roots. Recording on their own, they completed a set of songs reflecting the loss and grief of the global pandemic, while approaching it from a place of strength. The result was 2023's raw yet resilient Carried in Sound.
© Heather Phares /TiVo
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Discografia
18 album • Ordinato per Bestseller
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Darkness Brings The Wonders Home
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Year Seven Records il 31 gen 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
There Was A Hope
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Year Seven Records il 12 mag 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Smoke Fairies
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Year Seven Records il 11 apr 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Through Low Light and Trees
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da [PIAS] Cooperative il 6 set 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wild Winter
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Year Seven Records il 8 dic 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ghosts - A Compilation of A-sides, B-sides and an EP from the Recent Past
Blues - Pubblicato da Music For Heroes il 16 mar 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strange Moon Rising
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da [PIAS] Cooperative il 1 gen 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Blood Speaks
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da [PIAS] Cooperative il 21 mag 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sticks And Stones EP
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Year Seven Records il 2 dic 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Seek It With Me
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Year Seven Records il 25 ott 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Storm Song
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da [PIAS] Cooperative il 18 apr 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hotel Room
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da [PIAS] Cooperative il 11 ott 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Disconnect
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Year Seven Records il 25 set 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chew Your Bones
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Year Seven Records il 21 gen 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elevator
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Year Seven Records il 4 dic 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Out Of The Woods
Musica alternativa e indie - Pubblicato da Year Seven Records il 2 ago 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo