Music > Live Reviews

Smoke Fairies

Norwich Arts Centre

24/02/20

With the release of their latest album ‘Darkness Brings the Wonders Home’ on the final day of January, the Smoke Fairies were back at the Norwich Art Centre with a haunting repertoire of songs old and new. The bluesy rocker John J. Presley, The Smoke Fairies support act and bassist, opened the evening with a soulful performance with his earthy, gritty voice accompanied by his thumping guitar riffs, including his latest single ‘Your Love’.

Much of the duos performance consisted of their new album, the most beguiling being ‘Out of the Woods’ with its hypnotic bass line and smouldering, beautifully intertwined vocals from Blamire and Davies. Both playing the same chords, the performance had a seemingly choreographed mirroring, adding to their enchanting sound, especially with songs like ‘On The Wing’.

Their similarities didn’t end with their instruments. With their all black outfits, unsmiling performance and what initially felt like an apathetic concern for the audience, I was uncertain whether the Smoke Fairies were striving for an effortless cool or were simply fatigued from almost two decades of performing. A newcomer to the band could have mistaken them for novices due to their seemingly uninterested attitude. However, as the show progressed, their dad jokes about Meatloaf and a story about an angry cat shirt was awkward yet charming and also resonated with performances like ‘Elevator’ which, as sheepishly stated by Jessica Davies, is about awkward encounters in elevators. Considering much of their discography is decidedly sombre, these lighter moments added variety to what felt a very one-dimensional performance.

Undoubtedly, The duos signature style of performance isatmospheric and brooding. They have found a cosy niche within alternative rock, having progressed in more recent years to have a more complete rock sound with heavy bass and drums to compete with their soaring voices. This translated well into the church space of the art centre, filling the rafters with their building, sombre vocals. However, the mood felt stagnant at times, with some songs tonally blending into one.

Some rock bands are not designed to leave you sweaty and breathless. Instead, Smoke Fairies have a more acquired taste. They offer gloom with slow but enchanting riffs and lamenting vocals. However, there are humorous subtleties like the song ‘Chocolate Rabbit’ with vocals that seems incongruous to their sound. While highlighting these moments could have added to their performance, they stayed true to what they know and did it well.