Q&A with UK's Smoke Fairies

photo by Maria Mochnacz

Smoke Fairies is one of those bands whose name is simply perfect to describe their sound: dark, beautiful, and mysterious. But don’t for a second think that the feminine name translates to”typical girl band”: London duo Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies sparked a school friendship in the late 90′s over a shared love of music, and they haven’t looked back since. I exchanged words with Katherine via email last week, her warmth and good sense of humor coming through clearly even through email. Her responses were not at all what I expected, and I’m not sure which one was my favorite: their plans to wear robot costumes to a festival or the semi-helpful advice they band once received while busking? Or maybe it was the supremely cool nonchalance with which she described meeting and working with Jack White…Be sure to check out their video for “Strange Moon Rising” below!

Smoke Fairies-Strange Moon Rising

Laurel Kathleen: Your Facebook bio mentions your mutual desire to follow your dreams in America. Have your experiences thus far in the states lived up to your imaginings?

Katherine Blamire: We’ve had some great experiences there since, going to SXSW, touring with Laura Marling, recording in Nashville, so I think it’s safe to say that our experiences have surpassed our imaginings. We can’t wait to get back out there this summer as our album is being released.

LK: Tell me a little about Through Low Light and Trees. What did you learn about yourselves or your persona as a band while making the album?

KB: Well, it was good because for the first time we felt as though we had the space and time to explore our vision for the songs. I think we just learned to trust ourselves and our ideas more. Hopefully the next album will display more confidence too.

LK: Is there an underlying message you’d like listeners to take away from the album (pictured above)?

KB: No not really. It’s just a reflection of ourselves at that point.

LK: You’re playing several shows in and around the UK as well as a few festivals. Which show are you most excited for and why?

KB: I’m excited about the Secret Garden Festival. We’ve never been there before but I’ve heard everyone gets really carried away with creating costumes. The theme this year is “Where do we come from, who are we? Where are we going?” I’m trying to work out if it’s time to bring out the full-body robot costume.

LK: Tell me a little bit about your experience working with Jack White and how he came to contact you about your music.

KB: We met him in a bar in London after a gig we had and we gave him our record. A while later he asked us to support The Dead Weather in London, then he asked if we wanted to record with him in Nashville. It was really unexpected. The experience was great, quite speedy, so the record has a really live and immediate feel.

LK: You recently played a fundraiser for Japan. What was that like? Have you ever played a fundraiser before?

KB: The fundraiser had a good atmosphere because everyone was there to support the cause. We played an acoustic set so it was more intimate – also there was a really good fancy dress shop opposite the venue.

LK: Do you have any rituals that you go through before performing onstage or in the studio?

KB: We like watching this video [see below]. There is nothing like watching a really intense whistling and yodeling solo to calm you down before a show.

LK: Is there a specific band, festival, or producer you’d like to cross paths with in the near future?

K. We’re thinking really carefully about the next album and who is going to produce. We don’t have any set ideas for people we’d like to work with at this stage, just someone who is 100% into what we are doing.

LK: What’s your favorite piece of feedback about your music thus far?

K. Once when we were busking an old lady on the street gave us a pound and said “me and my friends don’t like that, here’s a pound don’t spend it on drugs.”

Good advice for all of us, isn’t it? Smoke Fairies‘ album Through Low Light and Trees is now available on iTunes. They have several tour dates in and around the UK and Europe over the next few months, for a complete list and ticketing information please visit their website or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.