Smoke Fairies (Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies) are a British band hailing from Chichester.
History
Blamire and Davies met at school in
Sussex during the late 1990s. As best friends, they wrote songs and performed in school shows and competitions. Playing under the name Superhighway,
they experimented with a variety of instruments, from guitars to piano to percussion, recording their early sounds themselves at home. Evolving into Smoke Fairies, they spent 2002 in
New Orleans, where they absorbed American blues music.
[Helen Martin, "Interview with the Smoke Fairies", Amelia’s Magazine, 15 March 2011.] When they returned to England they discovered British folk music at the Sidmouth Folk Week Festival while working as car park attendants.
[Phil Udell, "The Smoke Fairies in Conversation", Heineken.] They later settled in Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada, for a year before returning to
London to start performing.
[Ben Umstead, "Interview with the Smoke Fairies", Slant Magazine, 18 July 2011.]
2005-2009: Early Music
Smoke Fairies released their first record,
Strange the Things, in 2005,
however this was not widely promoted by the band. 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.
[Moff Gimmers "Review: Smoke Fairies", Electric Roulette, 23 June 2008.] Richard Hawley was an early supporter of the act, saying they were "frankly the best thing I have heard in years".
[Valerio Berdini, "Smoke Fairies", Live on 35mm. Retrieved 16 April 2013.] They supported Hawley on his Truelove's Gutter Tour of the UK in October 2009.
[Matt Hopkinson, "Hawley and Smoke Fairies at the Lyceum, Sheffield", SoundsXP, 10 October 2009.]
In December 2009, Smoke Fairies became the first UK act to release a single on Jack White's label Third Man Records.[Chris Mugan, "Folk Heroines' Long Odyssey". The Independent, 20 August 2010.] The Double A-side, "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
2010-2012: Ghosts, Through Low Light And Trees, Blood Speaks
In 2010, the compilation album
Ghosts was released, featuring singles and previously unreleased songs.
The band signed to V2 Records/Cooperative Music and released their debut album
Through Low Light and Trees in September 2010,
[David Sheppard, "Review: Through Low Light and Trees", BBC, 8 September 2010] latterly self-released in the
United States in June 2011 via Year Seven Records.
[Kevin O’Donnell, " Jack White Faves Smoke Fairies" Spin, 14 June 2011.] The album was produced by long-term
PJ Harvey collaborator Head and recorded at
Sawmills Studio in
Cornwall,
United Kingdom.
To promote the album the band was invited to record a live session for Marc Riley on BBC Radio 6,
The band embarked on its first headline tour of the UK – a sell-out – in January–February 2011[Peter Robinson "This Week's New Live Music", The Guardian, 15 January 2011.] and performed at several festivals that summer, including Primavera Sound in Barcelona.[[11] ] 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.[Brooklyn Vegan, " Smoke Fairies released an LP in the US, playing NXNE, NYC & shows w/ Rasputina (dates)" Brooklyn Vegan, 14 June 2011.] 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.[Riley Ubben, Blitzen Trapper and Dawes Announce Tour, Paste (magazine), August 2011.]
Smoke Fairies' follow-up album, Blood Speaks, was released on 21 May 2012,[Piccadilly Records, " Blood Speaks – Smoke Fairies" Piccadilly Records, 21 May 2012.] Pitchfork 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".
2013-2015: Smoke Fairies, Wild Winter, Live at St. Pancras Old Church
In 2013, Smoke Fairies signed with Full Time Hobby records 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 at Squarehead Studios in Kent.
Well received,
The Quietus called the record "brilliantly immersive" and suggested the band were "starting to approach the very English singularity of Her Holiness
Kate Bush".
On the same theme
Mojo magazine chose the album track "Your Own Silent Movie" to feature on their compilation
The Dreamers – 15 Tracks of Kate Bush-Inspired Dream Pop.
An ‘Instrumentals’ CD, originally released as a bonus disc to the Smoke Fairies 2014 LP, was provided as part of a Rough Trade exclusive bundle. It featured five tracks from the album, recorded as instrumentals. The CD was then sold separately on their UK tour as a tour special in 2014.
Later that year the band recorded their winter themed album Wild Winter, which was available exclusively in Rough Trade shops for Christmas 2014. The following Christmas saw a full worldwide release and the album received praise from the New York Times
Jessica and Katherine also contributed vocals to the track "Valentina", a tribute to Valentina Tereshkova—the first woman in space—on The Race For Space, the second album by Public Service Broadcasting. Smoke Fairies toured the UK supporting and performing with Public Service Broadcasting in 2015. It was preceded by the self-released Live at St Pancras Old Church, featuring Rasputina, which had been recorded 2 years earlier.
2019-2020: Darkness Brings the Wonders Home
In August 2019, the band announced their return with a video for the track "Out of the Woods", produced by
Phil Ek.
Louder Than War 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 Davies and Blamire launched the podcast
Smoke Signals, a humorous insight into their musical journey and the music industry. The podcast's second series was launched a year later, and ranked 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 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
2022-present: Singles, Carried In Sound, Wild Winter (re-release)
On 4 November 2022, the band released a compilation album
Singles,
reaching #2 in the Official Independent Album Breakers Chart.
The collection of 18 official singles was released on Year Seven Records and available as a double-LP and CD, with signed, limited edition variants. The release was followed by a one-night-only performance of the entire album at Omeara, London, on 7 November 2022.
The band's sixth studio album, Carried in Sound,
To promote Carried In Sound, the band, together with multi-instrumentalists Neil Walsh (Viola) and Rob Wilks (Drums), embarked on a five-date sell-out tour
On 13 December 2024, to mark the 10th anniversary of their album Wild Winter, the band re-released the record with revised artwork, together with a re-brewing of its Wild Winter beer, available on a two-night tour in Hastings and London.
In August 2025, the duo played a set at the Compton Festival in Sussex
Discography
Studio albums
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Through Low Light and Trees (2010)
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Blood Speaks (2012)
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Smoke Fairies (2014)
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Wild Winter (2014)
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Darkness Brings the Wonders Home (2020)
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Carried in Sound (2023)
Compilations and other albums
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Strange the Things (2005)
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Ghosts (2010)
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Live at St Pancras Old Church (2015)
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Singles (2022)
EPs
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Frozen Heart – "Frozen Heart", "Fences", "Morning Light", "We Had Lost Our Minds", "He's Moving On" – 7-inch vinyl limited edition, (Music for Heroes Records, July 2009)
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The Three of Us – "The Three Of Us", "Radio Clicks On", "Bells", "The Wireless" – 9-inch vinyl, limited edition of 500 (V2 / Cooperative Music) & 2 x 7-inch vinyl, limited edition of 1000 (453 Music, USA, Record Store Day, 2012)
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This Is A Reflection – "Do I Need You", "Wish You Well", "She Sells Sanctuary", "The Visitor", "Requiem" – 12-inch vinyl & CD exclusive to Rough Trade Shops (V2 / Cooperative Music, 2012)
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Upstairs at United, Vol. 6, recorded 17 October 2011 – "Phone Line", "The Water Waits", "Dancing Light", " Wake You Up", "Good Man" – 12-inch vinyl (453 Music - Record Store Day, 2013)
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Instrumentals - Sing along bonus CD – "Misty Versions", "Koto", "Eclipse Them All", "Hope Is Religion", "The Very Last Time" - (Full Time Hobby, 14 April 2014)
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Sticks and Stones – "Sticks and Stones", "Come to my Mind", Part of it All" – Digital release (Year Seven Records, 2 December 2022)
Singles
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"Living with Ghosts" / "Troubles" – 7-inch limited edition of 500 (Music for Heroes Records, August 2008)
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"Frozen Heart" – CD promo (Music For Heroes Records, 13 July 2009)
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"Sunshine" / "When you Grow Old" – 7-inch limited edition of 1000 (Music for Heroes Records, October 2009)
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"Gastown" / "River Song" – Double A-side, 7-inch limited edition of 150 on tri-colored vinyl; Texas-sized 8" limited edition (Third Man Records, September 2009)
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"Hotel Room" / "Human Concerns" – 7-inch limited edition of 300 (V2 / Cooperative Music, 2010)
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"Strange Moon Rising" / "Requiem" – 7-inch limited edition of 500 (V2 / Cooperative Music, 24 January 2011)
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"Strange Moon Rising (radio edit)" / "Alabama" – 7-inch limited edition on white vinyl, UK tour edition (V2 / Cooperative Music, 24 January 2011)
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"Hotel Room" / "Strange Moon Rising" – 7-inch limited edition of 500 on blue-marbled vinyl (453 Music, World Record Store Day, 16 April 2011)
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"Storm Song" / "Storm Song Demo" – 7-inch limited edition of 500 (V2 / Cooperative Music, 16 May 2011)
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"The Three of Us" – CD (V2, 2012)
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"Let Me Know" / "Film Reel - Remix" – 7-inch limited edition of 300 (V2 / Cooperative Music, 2012)
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"Simple Feeling" / "I Wonder As I Wander" – 7-inch limited edition of 500 (Snowflake Singles Club, 2 Dec 2013)
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"Eclipse Them All" – digital release (Full Time Hobby, 2014)
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"We've Seen Birds" / "Monochrome Days" – 7-inch limited edition of 500 (Full Time Hobby, 2014)
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"Shadow Inversions" – CD promo (Full Time Hobby, 2014)
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"Christmas Without A Kiss" – Digital release (Full Time Hobby, Dec 2014)
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"Out of the Woods / Disconnect" – Double A-Side, 7-inch limited edition of 300 picture disc (Year Seven Records – exclusive to Rough Trade Shops, 2019)
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"Elevator" / "Les Fleur" – 7-inch limited edition of 300 picture disc (Year Seven Records, 2020)
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"No Matter How This Goes, Just Make Sure That You're Kind" – digital release (Year Seven Records,15 April 2020)
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"There Was a Hope" - Digital release (Year Seven Records, 12 May 2023)
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"Vanishing Line" - Digital release (Year Seven Records, 19 September 2023)
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"Seek it With Me" – Digital release (Year Seven Records, 25 October 2023)
Videos
Official videos, published on Smoke Fairies
YouTube channel)
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Living With Ghosts - July 2008
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Frozen Heart - July 2009
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Hotel Room - October 2010
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Strange Moon Rising - January 2011
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The Three Of Us - March 2012
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Let Me Know - August 2012
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Upstairs At United - April 2013
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We've Seen Birds - March 2014
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Shadow Inversions - June 2014
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3 Kings - December 2014
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Christmas Without A Kiss - December 2015
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Out Of The Woods - Aug 2019
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Disconnect - November 2019
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Elevator - March 2020
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River Song - September 2022
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Gas Town - November 2022
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Vanishing Line - September 2023
Anthologies
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"Good Man" on Live at the Electroacoustic Club, Vol. 2 (Running Jump Records, 13 November 2006)
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"Troubles" on What's Kickin', Vol. 2 (Stovepony Records, 14 May 2007)
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"Troubles" on Shivering Sands and Scavenging Birds (Thames Delta Recording Co., 14 October 2009)
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"Frozen Heart" on Now Hear This! - Hand-Picked By The Word (Word Magazine, October 2009)
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"Strange Moon Rising" on Ones to Watch 2011 (Classic Rock Magazine, 2010)
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"Hotel Room" on The Residential Sweetener 2 (Republic Of Music/Resident, 2010)
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"Hotel Room" on October Revolution Sampler 2010 (Chrysalis Music, 2010)
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"Hotel Room" on Republic Of Music Presents... (Republic Of Music, 2010)
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"Strange Moon Rising" on Half A Decade Of Being Half-Cut (Release The Hounds, 2011)
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"Storm Song" on Rough Trade - Counter Culture 10 (Promotional CD issued by Rough Trade, February 2011)
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"The Three Of Us" on Piccadilly Records 2012 Sampler (Republic Of Music, 2012)
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"She Sells Sanctuary" on The Residential Sweetener 4 (Republic Of Music/Resident, 2012)
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"Eclipse Them All" on What The Hell Are You Doing? Full Time Hobby 10th Anniversary (Full Time Hobby, 2014)
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"Your Own Silent Movie" on One For The Road - Uncut's Guide To The Best New Music (Uncut, April 2014)
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"Your Own Silent Movie" on The Dreamers (Kate Bush Inspired Dream Pop, Mojo Magazine, October 2014)
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"All Up In The Air" on Efflorescent - Echoes Live 22 (Echodiscs, 2016)
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"We've Seen Birds" on Jimmy Sings The Hits, Yngdave Plays The Licks! (WFMU, 2016)
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"Out Of The Woods" on Resident Annual 2019 - Sampler #12 (Republic Of Music, 2019)
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"Disconnect" on Piccadilly Records Sampler 2020 (Piccadilly Records, 2020)
Guest appearances/credits
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Backing vocals on Duke Special's - Huckleberry Finn EP (Reel to Reel, 2009)
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Backing vocals on "Once", the B side of Kid Harpoon's vinyl single Back From Beyond (Young Turks, October 2009)
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Vocals and guitars on "It's Over" from Roy Orbison - Under the Covers - compilation album (Orbison Records, 2009)
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Backing vocals on "Shallow Brown" and "The Ellan Vannin Tragedy" from Richard Hawley EP False Lights from the Land (Mute Records, 7 June 2010)
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Vocals and guitars on "Alabama" from Harvest Revisited (Promotional CD issued with Mojo Magazine, January 2011)
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Backing vocals on "Fencebuilding" from Rob Marr's album Anatomy (Rob Marr, 2012)
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Vocals on "If I Were A Carpenter" from Reasons to Believe - The Songs of Tim Hardin - compilation album, (Full Time Hobby, 20 April 2013)
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Vocals on "Valentina" from Public Service Broadcasting's album The Race for Space (Test Card Recordings, 2015)
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Backing vocals on "Sonny Boogie", "Blue" and "Coldblooded the Return" from Duke Garwood's album Garden of Ashes (Heavenly Recordings, 2017)
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Backing vocals on The Veils' ....And Out of the Void Came Love album (Da Da Bing!, 2023)
External links
