Biography
Jessica Davies and Katherine Blamire comprise the duo Smoke Fairies, whose sound fuses the airy qualities of British folk with the grounded textures of blues. Their work tends to deliver strong emotional weight even in subdued passages, opting against electric guitars and drums as frequently as they incorporate them, yet their melodies retain a dreamy intrigue and their vocal layers remain communicative within an otherworldly stillness. The 2010 debut album Through Low Light and Trees reflected this approach through its stripped-down precision, the 2014 self-titled release brought added pop sensibility into the mix, and 2020’s Darkness Brings the Wonders Home featured a stronger presence of electric guitars than earlier recordings. With Carried in Sound in 2023, the pair returned to a quieter and more unrefined aesthetic.
Blamire and Davies first connected while attending school in Chichester, West Sussex, where their shared affinity for classic rock, folk, and blues set them apart from peers drawn to contemporary sounds. Still students at the time, they began developing their own versions of those influences, highlighting their fragile harmonies and adopting the name Smoke Fairies in reference to mythical beings said to startle and disorient nighttime motorists. Following graduation, the two journeyed to New Orleans and additional parts of the American South, playing venues including Tipitina’s, before spending a year based in Vancouver. In 2007 a mutual acquaintance passed their demo recordings to Bryan Ferry, leading Smoke Fairies to join him on tour. The next year their first official single, “Living with Ghosts,” appeared as a 7-inch on the Music for Heroes label.
Momentum built around the duo in 2009 after the EP Frozen Heart and the single “Sunshine” drew praise from figures such as Richard Hawley, who brought them along on an October tour, and Jack White, who invited them to open for the Dead Weather and collaborated on a recording. That track, “Gastown/The River Song,” came out on White’s Third Man imprint in December, with White contributing drums and guitar alongside Raconteurs/Dead Weather member “Little Jack” Lawrence in the supporting lineup. Smoke Fairies issued the compilation Ghosts along with the full-length Through Low Light and Trees in 2010, and although much of the following year involved U.S. touring, they first completed their initial U.K. headline tour.
Drawing from mid-’70s-era Fleetwood Mac, Blood Speaks appeared across different markets from 2012 to 2013 via the Universal-owned V2 imprint and expanded the duo’s reach considerably. They followed with a self-titled, synth pop-inflected album in 2014 that prompted comparisons to Kate Bush. Activity remained high, as late 2015 brought the self-released live set Live at St. Pancras Old Church and the seasonal collection Wild Winter. After several years away, Davies and Blamire enlisted Seattle producer Phil Ek for 2020’s Darkness Brings the Wonders Home. Dark-hued in character and centered on bluesy electric guitar lines in numerous tracks, the album reached the top of both the U.K. Indie Breakers and Rock & Metal Album charts. For the subsequent project the pair reduced their arrangements to folk-rock foundations, recording independently to capture material shaped by loss and grief during the global pandemic yet rooted in resilience, resulting in the unvarnished yet sturdy Carried in Sound.
Blamire and Davies first connected while attending school in Chichester, West Sussex, where their shared affinity for classic rock, folk, and blues set them apart from peers drawn to contemporary sounds. Still students at the time, they began developing their own versions of those influences, highlighting their fragile harmonies and adopting the name Smoke Fairies in reference to mythical beings said to startle and disorient nighttime motorists. Following graduation, the two journeyed to New Orleans and additional parts of the American South, playing venues including Tipitina’s, before spending a year based in Vancouver. In 2007 a mutual acquaintance passed their demo recordings to Bryan Ferry, leading Smoke Fairies to join him on tour. The next year their first official single, “Living with Ghosts,” appeared as a 7-inch on the Music for Heroes label.
Momentum built around the duo in 2009 after the EP Frozen Heart and the single “Sunshine” drew praise from figures such as Richard Hawley, who brought them along on an October tour, and Jack White, who invited them to open for the Dead Weather and collaborated on a recording. That track, “Gastown/The River Song,” came out on White’s Third Man imprint in December, with White contributing drums and guitar alongside Raconteurs/Dead Weather member “Little Jack” Lawrence in the supporting lineup. Smoke Fairies issued the compilation Ghosts along with the full-length Through Low Light and Trees in 2010, and although much of the following year involved U.S. touring, they first completed their initial U.K. headline tour.
Drawing from mid-’70s-era Fleetwood Mac, Blood Speaks appeared across different markets from 2012 to 2013 via the Universal-owned V2 imprint and expanded the duo’s reach considerably. They followed with a self-titled, synth pop-inflected album in 2014 that prompted comparisons to Kate Bush. Activity remained high, as late 2015 brought the self-released live set Live at St. Pancras Old Church and the seasonal collection Wild Winter. After several years away, Davies and Blamire enlisted Seattle producer Phil Ek for 2020’s Darkness Brings the Wonders Home. Dark-hued in character and centered on bluesy electric guitar lines in numerous tracks, the album reached the top of both the U.K. Indie Breakers and Rock & Metal Album charts. For the subsequent project the pair reduced their arrangements to folk-rock foundations, recording independently to capture material shaped by loss and grief during the global pandemic yet rooted in resilience, resulting in the unvarnished yet sturdy Carried in Sound.
Singles
