Wednesday, 11 May 2011

White Stripes' favourites Smoke Fairies bring their beguiling brand of dark folk and blues to the Trade Club on Sunday.

Smoke Fairies Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies worked with Stripes mainman Jack White on their first single 'Gastown' and the musical polymath also contributed guitar and drums.

The duo met up in their school choir discovering folk working as car parking attendants at the Sidemouth Festival and are just back from a tour in the US supporting Brit winner Laura Marlin.

They are touring in support of their debut album 'Through Low Lights and Trees', produced by Head famed for his work with incomparable PJ Harvey.

A packed weekend of gigs kicks off on Thursday with former Tinariwen guitarist Aya Danto joining Rhythmbridge's Paul Dear and Creddy for an unique musical fusion. There will also be an update on the Tuareg, the forgotten people of the volatile North African region.

Friday sees a return of old friends The Owter Zeds who have been the primary party band for the valley for a lifetime - if you're under 27 anyway. Quality support comes from hotly tipped indie sensations Fishing for Bishops who played a sell out gig at the club recently.
On Saturday, punks from far and wide wild descend on the valley when Zounds headline a 'Songs From Under The Counter Culture' event celebrating the timeless power of protest songs.

Zounds recorded on the legendary anarchist Crass label with a more hippe/punk vide than the label founders and they are joined by Anarcho-punk Andy T who was one of their labelmates.

Support comes from the 'three chords good, four chords bad' bouncy punk of Eastfield, who recently celebrated 15 years of catchy songs about trains, dodgy 70?s film stars and more songs about trains. This is scheduled as the first of regular punk nights at the Trades and all bands will be finished before the last trains to Leeds & Manchester.

"Smoke Fairies have been on the road non-stop for the last year turning them into a formidable live act and, let's face it, if Jack White loves them they must have something special," Trades Club spokesperson Paul Clarke told the Hebden Bridge Web .

"We're looking forward to welcoming Zounds who have been a thorn in the establishment's side for almost three decades and in these troubled times we really need to celebrate the power of protest songs."