Talking To...Smoke Fairies
#NK If I remember rightly you and Katherine actually met at school?
#JD We met on the first day of secondary school, when all the schools in the area send their oldest pupils to the big school. There's lots of new people and originally we didn't like each other.
After a year of being in the same classes, we gradually came to see that we were quite similar.
#NK Did that apply to your tastes in music back then? There's a definite feel that you hunted off the mainstream.
#JD I guess we weren't really into radio friendly. I think our music crosses a few genres and that's always going to be part of your history. I think it's hard to pinpoint a genre that we were into.
#NK It's got that sort of Lady Of Shallot set to music, almost from the pictures, but with a real narrative.
#JD I can see where it's coming from. I think it's something that's brought on by the vocals, the harmonies we produce can be quite choral at times and I think that adds to that sense of otherworldliness.
#NK At times it becomes almost Gregorian, the voice as an instrument type thing. It's something you don't hear enough of.
#JD I agree with that. We definitely feel that. You can build a lot of texture with just vocals and vocal sounds. It's something we definitely have a lot more to explore. It's something we'll do more of.
#NK With that exploration can you also see yourself moving towards more of a band rather than a duo?
#JD Well we go on tour with a band and it has increased our enjoyment of playing live. Not only because, when a song kicks in, you get to hear all the intricacies in the music, but also because it now means that when we're playing as a duo we really get to hear the contrasts. I think we could go heavier and with more instruments even when it's just the two of us. We're open to whatever happens as long as it feels right.
I don't think we'll close our minds to anything, we don't want to be defined by genre or expectation. If we want to do a happy song we don't want to feel trapped by melancholy and that's live and with our writing.
#NK It's always good to keep the audience on their toes.
#JD Hopefully we'll be a band that's able to do that. I find it funny that there are some people that like a band to stay as they first discovered them. I don't think it's beneficial to music not to grow.
#NK It's quite an extensive tour you're off on...
#JD And it's January so we're hoping that it doesn't snow. Fingers crossed.
#NK You've already played a lot of different places this year, including Cecil Sharpe House, it must be interesting discovering venues for the first time.
#JD Definitely. Each venue warrants its own set list. In Liverpool we played the Kasbah Club, which is very dark and had a real grimy rock 'n' roll feel to it. It feels right to give that a different set than if we play in a church which has a more serene feel.
You have to do a different show that reflects the venue you're in and that's what makes touring so exciting. You never know quite what you're going to walk in on.
#NK 'Cause you're only just back from one of those rush around Europe type tours.
#JD We were ten days in Europe, but it was pretty intense.
We've never been to Europe before and it was interesting to see how the different countries had got into our music. It was a pretty amazing trip, cars, ferries, planes, trains, aside from the music, all the scenery so different.
We were trying to work out...We seem to be quite popular in Germany, who seem to prefer their music darker. Spain seems to focus more on live music and the experiences that brings. Seeing how different audiences respond to music, as well as listen to it. How you can affect different people in different ways.
#NK Well, good luck with the tour and the album, I hope both deliver what you want from them. To bring the interview to a close, what was your highlight of 2010 and what's your hope for 2011?
#JD The highlight has to be recording the album. Everything just came together and we're really pleased with the result. Twenty eleven...Hopefully making another album that has a similar effect on people.
#NK Thank you.