Smoke Fairies come to Oxford

The Smoke Fairies  will be hitting the O2 Academy in Oxford on Sunday 23rd September.

Their second album Blood Speaks, which came out to great reviews back in May, is a significant step up from their debut, with stronger songs and a heavier, more expansive sound.

Following a sold-out show at the Tabernacle last month, SMOKE FAIRIES have just announced a London headline show at King's College London Student Union at the end of their Autumn tour in October. Ahead of this Katherine and Jessica released their new single, 'Let Me Know' back in August.

Tickets for the O2 gig cost £9 and are available from o2academyoxford.co.uk

Critical acclaim for Blood Speaks, out now on V2 Records:

“Their debut’s homespun sound is dialled back in favour of big strings and a beefier use of their semi-acoustic guitars; Smoke Fairies still possess great harmonies and sweet melodies, but they now come steel-clad.”

MOJO – 4 Stars ****

“Feel It Coming Near and the sublime Awake usher the darkness in beautifully”

The Observer – 4 Stars ****

“If the debut album Through Low Light And Trees served notice of burgeoning talent, this follow-up confirms it… and then some.”

The Sun – 4 Stars ****

“Jessica Davies and Katherine Blamire have made a great second album of charming and nuanced folk rock.”

The Times – 4 Stars ****

“Smoke Fairies’ second LP truly evokes notions of freedom… A mature, poignant effort that takes its time, with the pauses as resonant as the melodies”

Time Out – 4 Stars ****

“Smoke Fairies are the real deal… the perfectly pitched instrumental interplay and fine-tones harmonies set them apart as a major force”

Clash – 8/10

“Full bodied second LP from the Jack White endorsed folk duo…While there are still glimpses of the ethereal waftiness displayed on their debut, elsewhere they have added a dose of grit.”

Uncut – 7/10

“Blamire and Davies' dueling guitars, once nimble and clean, now shrouded in a mist, muggy and ancient, like some unholy union of Fairport Convention and Colour Haze. If they continue at this rate, their best records may render Blood Speaks a quaint stranger, recognizable only for the force at its core.”

Pitchfork – 7.2

“Their balance is perfect and the Fleetwood Mac tumble of Feel It Coming Near or the parting-mists of the title track keep their undoubted talents in sharp focus”

Q Magazine – 3 Stars ***

“Having wowed all comers with their impressive 2010 debut, the haunted voices of Jessica Davies and Katherine Blamire are back for some more old-fashioned spook tactics. And very successful it is too - clean guitars and splashing cymbals accompany Smoke Fairies’ all-important symbiotic vocals to create a unique, hymnal atmosphere.”

The Fly – 3 Stars ***

“They play with confidence and vigour… Its engaging and exciting.”

The Big Issue

Smoke Fairies recently revealed the video to "The Three Of Us". Directed by Alex Southam and full of beauitiful and arresting images, the video was shot on a wintry road trip the girls made along the south coast a few weeks ago. Click on the link or stills below to check it out:

Smoke Fairies "THE THREE OF US" video