Live Review

Smoke Fairies – Oran Mor, Glasgow

• 25th Jan 2011

Glasgow’s Oran Mor, a converted church that is now home to a bar and music venue, hosted an evening of folk music. With tables and chairs set out for the audience, the atmosphere was perhaps lessened but the enjoyment of the music certainly wasn’t.

The support act, California’s Sea of Bees featuring Sacramento indie-popper Julie Baenziger, played a lively half hour set. The songs were slices of folk tinged pop, sung in a high pitched voice that at times had an almost dreamy, child-like quality. The highly emotional delivery was well received by the audience.

Smoke Fairies feature the guitars and vocals of Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies. Their musical influences range from traditional English folk to American blues, with just a touch of country thrown in. Their fusion style is unusual and works well due to the clarity of both vocalists, who harmonise quite beautifully.

The set was largely taken from the debut album Through Low Light And Trees, which was released last September to some very good reviews. Starting with the opening two songs from the album, Summer Fades and Devil In My Mind, the tone was set from the off.

An excellent new song featured early in the set; so new in fact that it doesn’t even have a title yet. Featuring a soft vocal intro and delicate guitar work before the tempo rises, it has an almost Celtic rhythm, although the overall feel is folky.

Gastown was a standout, a tale of regrets with minimal instrumental backing allowing those two fine voices to soar. This was followed by Erie Lacawanna, a darkly atmospheric tale of an epic train ride sung in a lower vocal style, but still equally beautiful.

The set continued apace, with some nice country style slide guitar added to the sound. The closing duo of Storm Song, perhaps the purest folk sound of the night, and Hotel Room with its more upbeat sound and a mini guitar solo thrown in, brought things to an effective conclusion.

The encore consisted of two more lovely vocal performances before a cover of Killing Joke’s Requiem ended the evening’s entertainment.

Smoke Fairies have an uncommon sound that separates them from many other acts. While it is clearly folk based, there are many other influences that add variety to their performance. With twin vocals that can be light and ethereal, yet also dark and brooding they clearly have the musical ability to cross over into the mainstream of music.