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 duo’s 2010 debut, 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 added a heavier dose of electric guitars than they had used in the past.
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 duo open for the Dead Weather and recorded a single with them. The single, “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 the group 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, before a self-titled, synth pop-inspired fourth full-length saw the light of day in April 2014. In late 2015, the duo released an album of songs for the holiday season, Wild Winter. Producer Phil Ek joined Smoke Fairies in the studio for the recording of 2020′s Darkness Brings the Wonders Home, where bluesy electric guitar figures took a prominent role in many of the songs. ~ Heather Phares