With their third, self-titled album, Smoke Fairies have taken to the road for a string of performances at independent record stores to promote its release and this evening it was the turn of Southsea’s Pie and Vinyl to play host to the intimate performance.
As the queue started to form outside, the friendly staff were on hand to take pie orders whilst the crowd eagerly awaited the go-ahead to enter Southsea’s favourite (and only) record café for what was to be a very special show.
It’s the atmosphere from this evening where you appreciate the beauty in Smoke Fairies and get to experience them close up and personal, with Jessica Davies and Katherine Blamire’s vocals naturally complimenting each other as they perform tracks from the new album.
On both record and the bigger stage Smoke Fairies are backed with a larger band, whereas this part of the tour gives the duo the opportunity to explore their songs in the more stripped back form. The likes of “Your Own Silent Movie” and “We’ve Seen Birds” really coming to life as the pair switch between being responsible for lead vocals and Davies swapping guitar for keyboards helping make this more than just another in-store performance.
So with a few dates lined up with the full band and a larger tour later in the year, I’m looking forward to seeing both the new material and songs from the previous two albums in all their glory and how Smoke Fairies themselves envisaged taking them to the stage… although that said it’s going to take something pretty spectacular to beat tonight, but there’s no doubt that both Jessica and Katherine will be ready to delight us once again – with or without the pies.
