Smoke Fairies will put out a 10th anniversary reissue of their themed album “Wild Winter” via the band’s own imprint Year Seven Records on 13th December 2024. Originally released in 2014 exclusively through Rough Trade, “Wild Winter” quickly sold out before a global reissue in 2015. For the coming winter the album has been repackaged in new artwork designed by Jessica Davies and available on limited edition ‘Snowglobe Blizzard’ vinyl and CD formats.
“Wild Winter”, marked for its haunting, unconventional take on seasonal music, comprises ten tracks including ‘Christmas Without A Kiss’, ‘3 Kings,’ the Handsome Family cover ‘So Much Wine’ and the band’s version of Captain Beefheart’s ‘Steal Softly Thru Snow’ (linked below). The album has been said to capture the beauty of winter with introspective, atmospheric tracks that explore themes of isolation, holiday traditions, and the darker side of the season.
Smoke Fairies (Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies) explain: “We have a love / hate relationship with winter and the Christmas holiday. When it was suggested Smoke Fairies make a Christmas album the last thing we wanted to do was make a classic, jolly, celebratory album that can only be played once a year. Sometimes winter provides us with a sense of togetherness and love and sometimes it leaves us feeling alienated, cold and playing a glockenspiel alone in a darkened room. It’s part of the year that will always be bittersweet and wild. This was the inspiration behind the record. We got together with our band, played around with the songs a few times then headed off to the studio to record them all live. It’s buzzy and raw and not one tinkling of sleigh bells can be heard.” You can pre-order “Wild Winter” here.
As part of the anniversary celebrations, Smoke Fairies will also revive their collaboration with Signature Brew for a special re-release of their Wild Winter ale. Originally brewed to complement the album, this seasonal ale will be available again, bringing fans a taste of the album’s wintery ambience.
The band will mark the anniversary with two intimate live performances: at The Piper in Hastings on Thursday 19th December 2024 and in London on Friday 20th December 2024 offering fans the opportunity to experience “Wild Winter” up close and to get their hands on a pint of the beer at the same time.
Tickets for the shows can be found here.
