Smoke Fairies (Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies) are a British band hailing from Chichester.

History

Blamire and Davies met at school in

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

during the late 1990s. They spent 2002 in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, where they absorbed American blues music. When they returned to England they discovered British folk music at the Sidmouth Folk Week Festival while working as car park attendants. They later settled in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, for a year before returning to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to start performing.Ben Umstead
"Interview with the Smoke Fairies"
''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'', 18 July 2011.

2007-2009

In 2007, Smoke Fairies toured the UK in support of

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. He became known as the frontman of the band Roxy Music and also launched a solo career. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established ...

and the following year they released their debut single, "Living with Ghosts", on Music for Heroes. Richard Hawley was an early supporter of the act, saying they were "frankly the best thing I have heard in years". They supported Hawley on his Truelove's Gutter Tour of the UK in October 2009. In December 2009, Smoke Fairies became the first UK act to release a single on Jack White's label

Third Man Records Third Man Records is an eclectic, vinyl-focused independent record label founded and owned by Jack White, Ben Blackwell, and Ben Swank. The company operates out of three locations—Nashville, Detroit, and Soho in London—with multiple entitie ...

. The double A-side single, "Gastown" / "River Song", was produced by Jack White who also played guitar and drums. Smoke Fairies performed at the 2010 South by South West (

SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

) festival in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and supported

Laura Marling Laura Beatrice Marling (born 1 February 1990) is an English Folk music, folk singer-songwriter. She won the Brit Award for Brit Award for British Female Solo Artist, Best British Female Solo Artist at the 2011 Brit Awards and was nominated for th ...

on a month-long tour of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

2010-2012: Through Low Light And Trees, Blood Speaks

They signed to

V2 Records V2 Records (or V2 Music and V2 Benelux; V2 being an abbreviation for Virgin 2) is a record label that was purchased by Universal Music Group in 2007, sold to PIAS in 2013 and partially acquired by Universal in 2022 (as part of larger PIAS 49% ...

/Cooperative Music and released their debut album '' Through Low Light and Trees'' in September 2010,David Sheppard
"Review: Through Low Light and Trees"

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, 8 September 2010 latterly self-released in the

in June 2011 via Year Seven Records.Kevin O’Donnell
" Jack White Faves Smoke Fairies"
''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'', 14 June 2011. The album was produced by long-term

PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer-songwriter. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined local band Automat ...

collaborator Head and recorded at

Sawmills Studio Sawmills Studios is a recording studio founded in 1974 by record producer, Tony Cox (record producer), Tony Cox. It is located in Golant, on the banks of the River Fowey in Cornwall. Description The studio building is located on the tidal ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. To promote the album the band was invited to record a live session for

Marc Riley Marc Riley (born 10 July 1961) is an English radio DJ, alternative rock critic, musician, and former music businessman. He currently presents on BBC Radio 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he co-owned a record label, In-Tape, and also w ...

on BBC Radio 6, and was invited back for another session a few months later. The duo also recorded a live session with their band for John Kennedy's "X-Posure" on XFM. In November 2010, Smoke Fairies' recording of Neil Young's "Alabama" appeared on a special ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...

'' album to mark the approaching fortieth anniversary of Young's ''

Harvest Harvesting is the process of collecting plants, animals, or fish (as well as fungi) as food, especially the process of gathering mature crops, and "the harvest" also refers to the collected crops. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulses fo ...

'' LP. The band embarked on its first headline tour of the UK – a sell-out – in January–February 2011 and performed at several festivals that summer, including

Primavera Sound Primavera Sound (commonly referred to as Primavera) is an annual music festival held at the Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona, Spain, during late May and early June. It was founded in 2001 by Pablo Soler as "a showcase for Spanish Noise rock, noise ban ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

. Before heading to the

in June 2011 to perform at

North by Northeast North by Northeast (or NXNE) is an annual music and arts festival held each June in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The festival's main focus is live music, particularly emerging talent. Acts that have had break out appearances at NXNE at small venues ...

Festival and their own headline shows, returning again in August 2011 Jessica & Katherine toured the U.S. with Rasputina. Smoke Fairies again returned to the US in October to play support for

Blitzen Trapper Blitzen Trapper is a Portland, Oregon-based experimental country/ folk/ rock band associated with Sub Pop Records, Vagrant Records, Lojinx, and Yep Roc. Formed in 2000, the band currently operates as a quartet, with Eric Earley (guitar/harmon ...

and Dawes making their second coast-to-coast tour of the year. Smoke Fairies' follow-up album, '' Blood Speaks'', was released on 21 May 2012, again with a delayed release in the US of 23 April 2013. Again produced by Head '' Blood Speaks'' was this time recorded in West London's Eastcote Studio and is inspired by London and by travelling. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' rated the album 7.2 remarking that Jessica and Katherine "don't trade vocal duties so much as appear to sing from the same body".

2013-2015: Smoke Fairies, Wild Winter

Smoke Fairies signed with Full Time Hobby records in 2013 and released their self-titled album ''"Smoke Fairies"'' on 14 April 2014. The album spawned singles ''Eclipse Them All, We've Seen Birds'' and ''Shadow Inversions''. It was produced by Kristofer Harris at Squarehead Studios in Kent. Well received,

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quietu ...

called the record "brilliantly immersive" and suggested the band were "starting to approach the very English singularity of Her Holiness

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Bush began writing songs at age 11. She was signed to EMI Records after David Gilmour of Pink Floyd helped produce a demo tape. In 1978, at the ...

". On the same theme ''

'' magazine chose the album track "Your Own Silent Movie" to feature on their compilation ''The Dreamers – 15 Tracks of

-Inspired Dream Pop''. An ‘Instrumentals’ CD, originally released as a bonus disc to the Smoke Fairies 2014 LP, was provided as part of a Rough Trade exclusive bundle. It featured five tracks from the album, recorded as instrumentals. The CD was then sold separately on their UK tour as a tour special in 2014. Later that year the band recorded the Christmas record ''Wild Winter'', which was released only in Rough Trade shops for Christmas 2014. The Christmas after the album saw a full worldwide release and received praise from the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' and ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''. "Wild Winter" was again produced by Kristofer Harris. The album inspired a beer brewed under the same name by the London brewery Signature Brew. Jessica and Katherine also contributed vocals to the track "Valentina", a tribute to

Valentina Tereshkova Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova (born 6 March 1937) is a Russian engineer, member of the State Duma, and former Soviet cosmonaut. She was the first Women in space, woman in space, having flown a solo mission on Vostok 6 on 16 June 1963. S ...

—the first woman in space—on '' The Race For Space'', the second album by

Public Service Broadcasting Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...

. Smoke Fairies toured the UK supporting and performing with Public Service Broadcasting in 2015. It was preceded by the self-released Live in St Pancras Old Church.

2019-2020: ''Darkness Brings The Wonders Home''

In August 2019, the band announced their return with a video for the track "Out of the Woods", produced by

Phil Ek Phil Ek is an American record producer, engineer and mixer. Ek began his career in Seattle, Washington in the early 1990s recording live sound in clubs. He then moved into studio recording, recording small projects and demos for local bands. Aro ...

. ''

Louder Than War ''Louder Than War'' is a music and culture website and magazine focusing on mainly alternative arts news, reviews, and features. The site is an editorially independent publication that was started by the English musician and journalist John R ...

'' described the track as "dark, stark, skeletal blues". On 25 September 2019, the band announced the album, ''Darkness Brings the Wonders Home'', also produced by Ek, which was released on 31 January 2020. During the promotion for the new record Davies and Blamire launched the podcast ''Smoke Signals'' about the music industry. The podcast's second series was launched a year later, and ranked highly with Apple Podcasts having a 4.9 out of 5 rating. Released on the band's own label Year Seven Records, ''Darkness Brings the Wonders Home'' charted the band #1 in the

UK Indie Breakers Chart The UK Independent Singles Breakers Chart and the UK Independent Album Breakers Chart are music charts based on UK sales of singles and albums released on independent record labels by musical artists who have never made the UK top 40. It is com ...

, a #1 in the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart and a Top 10 UK Independent Album. The band toured the UK with the album in January and February 2020 with John J. Presley and Sean Fallowfield. The single "Elevator" taken from the album was released on limited edition 7-inch picture-disc during the UK's coronavirus lock-down in April 2020 gaining them more number one chart placings. A #1 in the UK Physical Singles Chart and a #1 in the UK Vinyl Singles Chart. During the pandemic Davies and Blamire live-streamed three performances via their

facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

page raising over £2000 for chosen charities The Red Cross,

RSPCA The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales which promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest a ...

and

Emmaus UK Emmaus (, ) is an international solidarity movement founded in Paris in 1949 by Catholic priest and Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, Capuchin friar Abbé Pierre to combat poverty and homelessness. Since 1971 regional and national initiatives hav ...

2022-present: ''Singles'', ''Carried In Sound'', ''Wild Winter (re-release)''

On 4 November 2022, the band released a compilation album ''Singles'', reaching #2 in the Official Independent Album Breakers Chart. The collection of 18 official singles was released on Year Seven Records and available as a double-LP and CD, with signed, limited edition variants. The release was followed by a one-night-only performance of the entire album at Omeara, London, on 7 November 2022. The band's sixth studio album, ''Carried In Sound'', was released on 17 November 2023 and reached #3 in the Official Independent Album Breakers Chart. The record was self-recorded and self-released on the band's Year Seven label, available in blue or orange vinyl and CD versions. In the run-up to the release, the band shared several stripped-back performances and works in progress, and discussed their inspirations on social media and their

Patreon Patreon (, ) is a monetization platform operated by Patreon, Inc., that provides business tools for content creators to run a subscription service and sell digital products. It helps artists and other creators earn a recurring income by provid ...

site. A music video to accompany the first single, "Vanishing Line" was announced in September 2023, filmed in the

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

countryside. To promote ''Carried In Sound'', the band, together with multi-instrumentalists Neil Walsh (Viola) and Rob Wilks (Drums), embarked on a five-date sell-out tour across the UK. In addition, the band performed several in-store record signing gigs. On 13 December 2024, to mark the 10th anniversary of their album ''Wild Winter'', the band re-released the record with revised artwork, together with a re-brewing of its Wild Winter beer, available on a two-night tour in Hastings and London.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Through Low Light and Trees'' (UK: V2 / Cooperative Music, 6 September 2010. U.S.: Year Seven Records, June 2011) * '' Blood Speaks'' (V2 Records, 21 May 2012) * ''Smoke Fairies'' (Full Time Hobby, 14 April 2014) * ''Wild Winter'' (Full Time Hobby, 8 December 2014) Reissued (Year Seven Records, 13 December 2024) * ''Darkness Brings the Wonders Home'' (Year Seven Records, 31 January 2020) * ''Carried In Sound'' (Year Seven Records, 17 November 2023)

Compilations and other albums

* ''Strange the Things'' (Concentrated / Concentrated People, 6 August 2007) *''Ghosts'': A compilation of A sides, B sides and an EP from the recent Past (453 Music / Music For Heroes Records, 13 April 2010) * ''Live at St Pancras Old Church, recorded on 24 October 2013'' (Year Seven Records, October 2015) *''Singles'': A compilation consisting of all 18 released singles across a double-LP, CD and digital download (Year Seven Records, 4 November 2022)

EPs

* ''Frozen Heart'' – "Frozen Heart", "Fences", "Morning Light", "We Had Lost Our Minds", "He's Moving On" – 7-inch vinyl limited edition, (Music for Heroes Records, July 2009) * ''The Three of Us'' – "The Three Of Us", "Radio Clicks On", "Bells", "The Wireless" – 9-inch vinyl, limited edition of 500 (V2 / Cooperative Music) & 2 x 7-inch vinyl, limited edition of 1000 (453 Music, USA, Record Store Day, 2012) *''This Is A Reflection'' – "Do I Need You", "Wish You Well", "She Sells Sanctuary", "The Visitor", "Requiem" – 12-inch vinyl & CD exclusive to Rough Trade Shops (V2 / Cooperative Music, 2012) *''Upstairs at United, Vol. 6, recorded 17 October 2011'' – "Phone Line", "The Water Waits", "Dancing Light", " Wake You Up", "Good Man" – 12-inch vinyl (453 Music - Record Store Day, 2013) *''Instrumentals'' - Sing along bonus CD – "Misty Versions", "Koto", "Eclipse Them All", "Hope Is Religion", "The Very Last Time" - (Full Time Hobby, 14 April 2014)

Singles

* "Living with Ghosts" / "Troubles" – 7-inch limited edition of 500 (Music for Heroes Records, August 2008) * "Sunshine" / "When you Grow Old" – 7-inch limited edition of 1000 (Music for Heroes Records, October 2009) * "Gastown" / "River Song" – 7-inch limited edition of 150 on tri-colored vinyl; Texas-sized 8" limited edition (

, September 2009) * "Hotel Room" / "Human Concerns" – 7-inch limited edition of 300 (V2 / Cooperative Music, 2010) * "Strange Moon Rising" / "Requiem" – 7-inch limited edition of 500 (V2 / Cooperative Music, 24 January 2011) * "Strange Moon Rising (radio edit)" / "Alabama" – 7-inch limited edition on white vinyl, UK tour edition (V2 / Cooperative Music, 24 January 2011) * "Hotel Room" / "Strange Moon Rising" – 7-inch limited edition of 500 on blue-marbled vinyl (453 Music, World Record Store Day, 16 April 2011) * "Storm Song" / "Storm Song Demo" – 7-inch limited edition of 500 (V2 / Cooperative Music, 16 May 2011) *"Let Me Know" / "Film Reel - Remix" – 7-inch limited edition of 300 (V2 / Cooperative Music, 2012) *"Simple Feeling" / "I Wonder As I Wander" – 7-inch limited edition of 500 (Snowflake Singles Club, 2 Dec 2013) *"Eclipse Them All" – digital release (Full Time Hobby, 2014) *"We've Seen Birds" / "Monochrome Days" – 7-inch limited edition of 500 (Full Time Hobby, 2014) *"Christmas Without A Kiss" – digital release (Full Time Hobby, Dec 2014) *"Out of the Woods / Disconnect" – 7-inch limited edition of 300 picture disc (Year Seven Records – exclusive to Rough Trade Shops, 2019) *"Elevator" / "Les Fleur" – 7-inch limited edition of 300 picture disc (Year Seven Records, 2020) *"No Matter How This Goes, Just Make Sure That You're Kind" – digital release (Year Seven Records,15 April 2020) *"Vanishing Line" - digital release (Year Seven Records, 19 September 2023)

Videos

Official videos, published on Smoke Fairies

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

Channel) * Living With Ghosts - July 2008 * Frozen Heart - July 2009 * Hotel Room - October 2010 * Strange Moon Rising - January 2011 * The Three Of Us - March 2012 * Let Me Know - August 2012 * Upstairs At United - April 2013 * We've Seen Birds - March 2014 * Shadow Inversions - June 2014 * Three Kings - December 2014 * Christmas Without A Kiss - December 2015 * Out Of The Woods - Aug 2019 * Disconnect - November 2019 * Elevator - March 2020 * River Song - September 2022 * Gas Town - November 2022 * Vanishing Line - September 2023

Anthologies

*"Good Man" on ''Live at the Electroacoustic Club'', Vol. 2 (Running Jump Records, 13 November 2006) *"Troubles" on ''What's Kickin, Vol. 2 (Stovepony Records, 14 May 2007) *"Troubles" on ''Shivering Sands and Scavenging Birds'' (Thames Delta Recording Co., 14 October 2009) *"Frozen Heart" on ''Now Hear This!'' ''- Hand-Picked By The Word'' (Word Magazine, October 2009) *"Strange Moon Rising" on ''Ones to Watch 2011'' (Classic Rock Magazine, 2010) *"Hotel Room" on ''The Residential Sweetener'' ''2'' (Republic Of Music/Resident, 2010) *"Hotel Room" on ''October Revolution Sampler 2010'' (Chrysalis Music, 2010) *"Hotel Room" on ''Republic Of Music Presents...'' (Republic Of Music, 2010) *"Strange Moon Rising" on ''Half A Decade Of Being Half-Cut'' (Release The Hounds, 2011) *"Alabama" on ''Harvest Revisited'' (Promotional CD issued with

Mojo Magazine ''Mojo'' (stylised in all caps) is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer. Following the success of the magazine '' Q'', publishers Emap were looking for a title that ...

, January 2011) *"Storm Song" on ''Rough Trade - Counter Culture 10'' (Promotional CD issued by Rough Trade, February 2011) *"The Three Of Us" on ''Piccadilly Records 2012 Sampler'' (Republic Of Music, 2012) *"She Sells Sanctuary" on ''The Residential Sweetener 4'' (Republic Of Music/Resident, 2012) *"Eclipse Them All" on ''What The Hell Are You Doing? Full Time Hobby 10th Anniversary'' (Full Time Hobby, 2014) *"Your Own Silent Movie" on ''One For The Road - Uncut's Guide To The Best New Music'' (Uncut, April 2014) *"Your Own Silent Movie" on ''The Dreamers'' (

Inspired Dream Pop,

, October 2014) *"All Up In The Air" on ''Efflorescent'' ''- Echoes Live 22'' (Echodiscs, 2016) *"We've Seen Birds" on ''Jimmy Sings The Hits, Yngdave Plays The Licks!'' (WFMU, 2016) *"Out Of The Woods" on ''Resident Annual'' ''2019 - Sampler #12'' (Republic Of Music, 2019) *"Disconnect" on ''Piccadilly Records Sampler 2020'' (Piccadilly Records, 2020)

Guest Appearances/Credits

* Backing Vocals on Kid Harpoon's track "Once" (Young Turks, October 2009) * Backing vocals on Richard Hawley's ''False Lights from the Land'' EP (

Mute Records Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller (music producer), Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure (duo), Erasure, Einstürze ...

, 7 June 2010) * Vocals on "If I Were A Carpenter" from ''Reasons to Believe - The Songs of Tim Hardin'' - compilation album, (Full Time Hobby, 20 April 2013) * Vocals on

's track "Valentina" on their ''The Race for Space'' album (Test Card Recordings, 2015) * Backing vocals on

Duke Garwood Duke Garwood (born 1969) is a British multi-instrumentalist from London. Biography Duke Garwood has released six studio albums: ''Holy Week'', '' Emerald Palace'', '' The Sand That Falls'', '' Dreamboatsafari'', '' Heavy Love'', and ''Garden o ...

's ''Garden of Ashes'' album (

Heavenly Recordings Heavenly Recordings is a London-based independent record label founded by Jeff Barrett in 1990. Heavenly released the first albums from Saint Etienne, Beth Orton and Doves, and early singles by Manic Street Preachers. Current Heavenly artists i ...

, 2017) * Backing vocals on The Veils' ''....And Out Of the Void Came Love'' album (Da Da Bing!, 2023)

References

External links

*
NME ArticleGuardian article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smoke Fairies British folk rock groups Musical groups established in 2006