Smoke Fairies Interview

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Smoke Fairies Wicked Spins Radio Interview

“The Proposition soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Elis is also a favourite. It accentuates the tension and brutality of the film but it is also incredibly beautiful to listen to on its own.”

By Phlis

Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies are The Smoke Fairies. They have been playing music together since the age of 12. Their music has a lot of elements to it but you can obviously hear the mixture of blues, folk and rock in the melting pot. Their music has gained them a lot of notice and appeals to a wide variety of people. They are just about to embark on a UK tour with Rasputina as their support. Wicked Spins Radio got chance to catch up with Smoke Fairies and here is how it went.

WSR – Thank you so much for giving Wicked Spins Radio this interview, can you tell our readers a little bit about yourselves?

Smoke Fairies – We are the smoke fairies. We have been making music together since the tender age of 12. We are very stubborn and refuse to stop.

WSR – You are just about to re-release Ghosts, why did you decide to re-release that album and what are the extras that are included with it

Smoke Fairies – We had only ever released it on vinyl in the states so we thought it would be nice to release it properly and do a little tour with those songs.. We are also releasing all the other songs we recorded around that time. Ones that no one has ever heard.

WSR – To promote the re-release of Ghosts you are touring with Rasputina, what is it about Rasputina that you feel compliments you on this tour?

Smoke Fairies – We toured with Rasputina a few years ago opening the show for them in the US. They have a sound like no other band. It’s important to try new things live and when we heard they were thinking of coming to the UK it was too good an opportunity to miss. The songs on ghosts have an eerie quality to them that is going to really lend itself to the moodiness of Raspuntina’s cello arrangements.

WSR – Blood Speaks was recently released in the USA and you did a limited amount of red vinyl on that release, what do you think it is about vinyl that has kept the format alive for so long and what was the first ever album you owned?

Smoke Fairies – People grew up with vinyl and they don’t want it to die out. Searching along the record spines, getting a record off the shelve and putting it on the turn table is an experience itself. There’s anticipation. That crackling before the music kicks off. It’s like a ritual. It’s so easy to scratch and that makes it precious and you have to take care of it. You place more value on what’s pressed onto it.

WSR – A lot of your music is and has been released in the USA, what has the journey been like getting your music into America?

Smoke Fairies – Our music seems to connect with Americans, which is great. Getting over there is not the easiest thing, what with the plane tickets and work permits but our trips there have always been rewarding.

WSR – You have both lived all over the world, what part of the world would you say influences you and music the most?

Smoke Fairies – We haven’t really lived all over the world, just New Orleans, Vancouver and London. The vastness and wilderness of the states have really inspired us through the years.

WSR – In 2009 you collaborated with Jack White, how did this collaboration come about and what do elements do you feel Jack bought to your music?

Smoke Fairies – We met him in a bar in London. The way he recorded us was very instant which wasn’t something we had really tried before. It really works for some songs.

WSR – Apart from being amazing musicians what other memorable jobs have you had?

Smoke Fairies – This question is really opening a whole can of worms. Where to begin?…, Every one of these jobs has ended in some sort of calamity or provided a good anecdote which I won’t go into now: We’ve been exam invigilators, gardeners, receptionists, Burger vans onion choppers, security guards, car park attendants, a polystyrene factory worker, a hospital cleaner, a Rolls Royce factory worker, an event organiser, a dog walker, a barrister, a driver, driving someone’s Porche around, a book factory worker. We’ve worked in fancy cushion shops, fancy furniture showrooms, fancy tea shops, and not so fancy GP surgeries. I even had a job in a plastic surgeons filling the before and after labiaplasty shots. Gross.

WSR – There has been a lot of conflict in the middle east lately, have you ever been inspired to write a protest song like Bob Dillan and other artists did in the 60’s?

Smoke Fairies – I try to follow what is happening in the middle east but it is complex. I don’t think someone with my knowledge of it has any right to write a song about it and it wouldn’t make any difference. Things more close to home provide more inspiration. I have written a song about dying bees but I don’t think protest songs are really our thing.

WSR – It’s hard to write music for a movie soundtrack, do you feel that any artist was a master at writing for movies and has there been any movie soundtrack that has inspired you in any way?

Smoke Fairies – We both grew up with the same old record of western soundtracks. Every track on that album is perfection. The Proposition soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Elis is also a favourite. It accentuates the tension and brutality of the film but it is also incredibly beautiful to listen to on its own.

WSR – Your music cannot be put into a category and has very wide appeal attracting fans of all ages and walks of life, what do you think it is about your music that attracts such a wide base of fans?

Smoke Fairies – Something about our music to date harks back to music from the 60s and 70s maybe which has a wide appeal but also we write about moments in life that a lot of people can relate to. Sometimes its nice to hear a lyric or sentiment that you understand. Maybe people think they are alone in feeling these things and its nice to hear music, or read or watch something that makes you feel less of a weirdo.

WSR – What one thing or person is guaranteed to make you laugh?

Smoke Fairies – Boiled eggs dressed up as celebrities.

WSR – What music are you currently listening to?

Smoke Fairies – Well to be honest, we are in the middle of recording an album so it is a lot of ourselves over and over again. We went to see the band Everything Everything do an acoustic set the other day. They are great and I have had their songs swirling around in my head.

WSR – What do you do to relax?

Smoke Fairies – I love walking everywhere, rollerskating and gardening. Kaf plays football and makes furniture, although I am not too sure how relaxing that is.

WSR – Thank you so much for giving Wicked Spins Radio this interview ladies 😀

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