Smoke Fairies, The Sage, Gateshead
- Written by Lee Hammond
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Opening up this evening's proceeding is the wonderful Samantha Crain,hailing from Oklahoma this beautiful songbird cuts a lone figure on this large stage. With heartfelt, delicate songs the incredible silence that falls over the audience is well deserved as every member pays this lady the utmost attention. The stand out track, ‘Ghosts of Boston’, is actually written about New York but apparently it has too many syllables, therefore Boston was put in its place. With a voice that makes our hairs prick up, our senses are suitably heightened prior to the wonderful Smoke Fairies taking to the stage.
Dressed all in white these two beautiful songbirds collect their guitars, and set about showing The Sage a night to remember. Opener ‘Waiting For Something to Begin' is such a beautiful track full of intertwining harmonies and a true beauty conveyed by the lyricism . With four albums now under their belts, Smoke Fairies have truly honed their craft, something which is evident in their intricate guitar playing, gorgeous harmonies and fantastic stage presence, this evening sees them playing tracks from across their back catalogue.
Tonight, Smoke Fairies show a more darker brooding side than normal, with tracks like ‘Eclipse them All’ and ‘Shadow Inversions.’ There seems to be a much darker feel to those tracks, a lot less peaceful than others in this evening's set. That said though ‘Shadow Inversions’ is definitely a highlight, its darker melody, synth lead and almost haunting vocals really allow it to stand head and shoulders above the rest.
Whilst these girls have nailed their more delicate side, tracks like ‘Misty Versions’ allow them to show off their slightly rockier side, whilst ‘We’ve Seen Birds’ is almost a pop track. This evening sees us almost put in to a trance by the beauty of these ladies' tracks. It’s hard not to intently listen and pay attention and, barring the odd ignorant fool, this evening’s crowd are as attentive as you could possibly wish for.
The band close out their main set with the brilliant ‘Are You Crazy?’ a track that epitomises this evening's set; a beautiful track with their trademark harmonies and delicate vocals. However, tonight is marred only by a small number of individuals unable to respect the artists on stage.
This evening has proved that the Smoke Fairies are truly a multi-faceted pair of ladies, with a multitude of talents at their disposal. They cross musical boundaries effortlessly, putting together a beautiful collection of songs that we have thoroughly enjoyed this evening.





So with Kendal Calling fast approaching, we decided to give you our run down of the ten most exciting bands on the lineup. With a huge array of artists across eight stages, there’s something for everyone down at Lowther Deer Park this year. However, we’ve tried to pick our favourites, some you’ll have heard of some you may not. These are in no particular order but be sure to check them all out though!
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