Capsule is a cultural alchemist: an innovative curator initiating, producing multi disciplinary work, this encompasses festivals, cultural events, and artist development through partnerships with a range of organisations. Capsule crafts extraordinary cultural projects for curious audiences; we seek to reveal the otherwise indescribable connections between art forms. Our aims are to introduce new audiences to our programme of activity, provide a platform for new work sonic/visual practice, expand the opportunities available for artists to develop and champion the unclassifiable. We have a unique ability to present the highest quality experimental work in a playful and imaginative way in different contexts, allowing us to reach out to diverse audiences. We create a context and critical mass for new work.

From hand crafted wooden structures designed by the award winning Studio Myerscough which acted as a billboard for the opening of the largest library in Europe to an immersive installation with remote control cars with styli attached, which raced across a track constructed from 1000’s of disused vinyl records nestled under a giant viaduct, to a stupendous procession of unexplored rhythms, unsung songs, unexplainable creatures and un-mythical beings set on a village green in Stoke on Trent.

 

Key projects include:

Supersonic Festival – an experimental music and arts festival

 

“UK’s best small festival – by embracing the heaviness in Birmingham’s heritage, and adding a strong dose of eccentricity, Supersonic is world-class.” – The Guardian

 

Nowhere else will you find a festival experience quite like Supersonic’s – since 2003, we have been hosting superior weekends for the adventurous audience, taking care to present only the most artistically relevant and irreverent acts from the UK and across the globe, while simultaneously making sure to fill every moment with the opportunities to let loose and party, or sit down at engaging talks, discussions and workshops, or take in exclusive screenings and exhibitions.

 

“the mother of British underground festivals” – The Quietus

 

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Home of Metal – a large scale heritage project

 

“Home of Metal turns the Midlands up to eleven. Heavy Metal was born in the Black Country when its furnaces still blazed. Now the area is celebrating its heritage” – Stuart Jefferies, The Guardian

Home of Metal’s exhibitions and events join the dots between music, social history, visual art and fan cultures to produce a new perspective on Heavy Metal. One that is celebratory, eschews notions of high/low art and joins audiences and performers together. Home of Metal is devoted to the music that was born in and around Birmingham. Music that turned up the volume, down-tuned guitars, and introduced a whole new meaning to the word ‘heavy’.

‘Maverick’ The Guardian

‘Supersonic blazed out of the traps nearly 20 years ago as an important part of the musical calendar if you were into progressive, extreme, underground and exciting music and culture, but as time has gone on, and most other events of its scale have stumbled and fallen, it’s simply become one of the most important fixtures in the world. Long may Supersonic thrive… and see you down the front.” The Quietus

‘connects, challenges and inspires’ The Skinny

‘The Birmingham-based Supersonic Festival,  has a distinct identity in the UK’s increasingly crowded festival calendar – but it’s also commendably hard to sum that identity up in a few words.’
Frieze Magazine on Supersonic Festival

‘Contrast, without which we cannot perceive the world, is a phenomenon that defies homogenisation, where pleasure is relief from pain, and pain can be a prime for pleasure; where art is opposed to commerce, and the mundane is pushed back, often all too temporarily, by creativity. Capsule, the curators of the annual Supersonic Festival clearly understand this: from the coarse granularity of its urban, industrial environment so strongly set apart from the fallow fields of most other  festivals, to the finer details of its handpicked programme of new music, installations, workshops, walks and talks, all deftly juxtaposed across a long weekend, the festival never fails to nurture new connections and rupture old ones.’
Musique Machine on Supersonic Festival

‘Its squalid bogs and towers inspired the landscape of Tolkien’s Middle Earth and, during the seventies, it became the concreted ‘Detroit of England’ which galvanised Justin Broadrick to pioneer industrial metal. There was also that sentient, superhero-car called Brum. But let’s not focus on the far-away or recent past – alongside these aforementioned institutions another name should be added to Birmingham’s ‘Star Walk’ that genuinely lines its crippled pavements. And that name is Capsule.’ The Quietus

‘Fiercely independent, outward looking and highly collaborative’
Mark Ball, director of Lift Festival

‘a willingness to escape the traditional’
Spencer Hickman, Rough Trade/Death Waltz Records

‘The work with Capsule has been incredibly rewarding. Home of Metal has been the most successful festival in the Black Country in recent history. Bringing some of the highest visitor numbers to the region for an event of this kind, attracted more press, media and braodcast coverage than any other event or festival and created more political and local authority director interest than any other events programme – all due to Capsule’s diligent and hard efforts. I would recommend Capsule to others as an organisation that do go that one step further and really make a difference’
Max Bailey, Black Country Arts Partnership

‘The personal approach as real enthusiastic members of the fanbase of the music they are curating, as well as being the curators themselves, provides a level of respect and integration which has continued to be a pleasure to encounter’
Stephen O’Malley, artist and musician

‘I’ve performed at Capsule organised events / Supersonic a number of times and every time has been an invaluable experience.  I’ve also been invited to take part in large scale participatory projects with internationally renowned artists which have been some of the most inspiring and rewarding musical experiences I’ve had.’  Katharine Eira Brown, artist and musician

‘Capsule are responsible for initiating an array of consistently diverse and engaging projects, including projects in which I have played a role. Each occasion has been facilitated by an openness to communication which has assisted in the development of the project and has been marked by their wanton enthusiasm and determined professionalism which create an ideal environment for collaboration.’
Nicholas Bullen, artist and founding member of Napalm Death

‘I like to think of Capsule as the peristaltic pump of the independent music scene , a reliable heart pumping blood to the tips  and branches of good music wherever that might be.’
Geoff Dolman, Static Caravan

‘a highly visual festival experience with some of the most eclectic, deconstructed musical minds on the planet.’
Clash Music on Supersonic Festival

Evolving, challenging music that demands interaction from the audience is Supersonic’s speciality.
Stool Pigeon on Supersonic Festival

‘the most consistently brilliant and forward-looking festival in the UK, if not the world’
Vice on Supersonic Festival

‘memorable to me and I’m sure to each and every attendee, was the richness of the events. The visual art was extraordinary, the Birmingham Museum show alone was something that a few of us thought of hiding out at for a few weeks, the movies, the MUSIC!!’
Professor Deena Weinstein on Home of Metal

Artistic Director/CEO: Lisa Meyer
Executive Producer: Kate Self
Operations Assistant: Dani Mercier
Programme Assistant: Conor Boyle
Finance Administrator: Neisa Reid
Festival Manager: Sean O’Keeffe
Home of Metal Project Manager: Nicola Shipley

Capsule also work with a range of regular freelancers on different projects including:
Production: Urban Audio www.urban-audio.co.uk
Photography: Katja Ogrin www.katjaogrinphotography.com
Design and illustration: David Hand www.alongbirdalley.co.uk 
Website: Jacob Masters www.gabba.net

Volunteers
There are plenty of opportunities to be a volunteer at Capsule and join our team, you are able to gain an overview of how our projects work, and to contribute real input and value to what we do. In addition we have a number of intern opportunities during the lead up of Supersonic Festival. Get in contact via volunteer[at]capsule.org.uk

We’re recruiting a Supersonic Festival Assistant! 

Supersonic Festival which takes place 30 August – 1 September in Digbeth, Birmingham. It has been named as the UK’s premier experimental music festival, with rave reviews from The Independent, Arts Desk and The Quietus to name but a few, and topping The Guardian’s Guide to the best experimental music festivals in Europe.

 

Role: Festival Assistant (supported by Youth Music)
Deadline for application:  Wednesday 3 April, 5pm
Interview date: Wednesday 17 April
Start date: subject to availability / for negotiation
Fee: £5,225 (55 days, £95 per day)
Location: this is an in person role, based in our Digbeth offices

 

We are thrilled to announce that this year’s Supersonic Festival is backed by Youth Music. Thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery, we have been awarded Incubator Funding which will go towards creating a new role for an emerging music industry professional, aged under 25 from an underrepresented background.

For more information: Festival Assistant Role

Ahead of the deadline we will hold an online, Find out more introductory session where you will be able to meet some of the team and find out a little more about our work and the role on offer. This session will take place on Thursday 21 March, 6-7pm via zoom. If you would like to attend, please send an email to [email protected] with ‘Youth Music Online Session’ in the title and we will send you sign up information.

 

If you would like to make an application, please send the following to [email protected] by Wednesday 3 April, 5pm:

• An up to date CV
• A document that outlines why you are interested in the role and what interests, skills and experience you will bring (this could be a short cover letter that is no more than 1 page long, a creative deck, or a short – no more than 5 minute long – video piece)
• An optional example of your digital work
• And a completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form

 

Benedict Fisher
A communications specialist, Ben has worked in the arts, tourism, property, and utilities sectors. He is currently director of communications at the Solicitors Regulation Authority. A huge fan of Capsule’s work since 2002, he has enjoyed dozens of our events over the last two decades.

Kirsty Jennings
Is managing Director for Anagram, an award-winning creative studio specialising in interactive storytelling and immersive experience design that challenges the status quo. Prior to joining Anagram, Kirsty worked as Business Director for the internationally renowned artist group Blast Theory for eight years. In this post, Kirsty produced artworks across multiple immersive forms including Karen (2015), a digital artwork exploring data profiling; politically-charged immersive theatre pieces such as Operation Black Antler (2016); large scale international collaborations such as 2097: We Made Ourselves Over (2017) and live interactive feature films including Bloodyminded (2018).

Laura McDermott
Is Creative Director of the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts. The space (formerly Gardner Arts Centre) is an interdisciplinary arts hub connecting University of Sussex to Brighton & Hove and the wider national and international arts and research community. Previously (2009 – 2015) Laura was Joint Artistic Director (with Harun Morrison) of Fierce Festival – an international festival of live art, queer politics and activism in Birmingham.  In 2012-13 Laura was awarded a CLORE Fellowship in Arts Participation and Engagement, supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Laura was a creative producer at BAC (Battersea Arts Centre) in London, from 2005 – 2009, where she programmed seasons, festivals and was lead producer for the Punchdrunk and BAC co-production The Masque of the Red Death.

Dr. Lina Khatib
Is the co-founder of the World Metal Congress and the director of the SOAS Middle East Institute. She is also Chair in Middle East Studies and Professor of Practice in Politics and International Studies at SOAS University of London. Previously she was director Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House. Outside of her work in policy and music, she has created visual art, published seven books and is currently developing a theatrical performance. She is also an Associate of the Imperial War Museum Institute.

Patrick Moran
Is Acting Co-Head of Barbican Immersive exhibitions and partnerships and the Editor of BURIED ZINE. Patrick has over ten years of experience developing and delivering large-scale exhibitions across four continents. He has worked with world-class venues, including the Art Science Museum Singapore, Le Lieu Unique, and the CCCB, Rio de Janeiro. His curatorial projects include Virtual Realms: Videogames Transformed, Mangasia: Asian Comics: Evolution of an Artform, and Game On. Patrick also edits the long-running metal zine BURIED ZINE, which presents interviews with bands from the global metal underground with art and literary commissions.

Paul Williams
Is an award-winning producer and filmmaker, celebrated for bold and critically-acclaimed work which spans feature documentaries, factual TV and fiction with a distinctive focus on music, the arts and culture. Following a long association with the avant/experimental record label, Table of the Elements, his first feature documentary was the 2016 Tony Conrad: Completely in the Present; Other notable work includes The Ballad of Shirley Collins; and the BBC Arts feature Other, Like Me – The Oral History of COUM Transmissions & Throbbing Gristle. Paul is presently in production with a feature documentary.

Pippa Moore
Is the Director of Development at the Young Vic theatre in London. Pippa was formerly Head of Fundraising at the De La Warr Pavilion, where she helped to develop and fund the Outlands experimental music touring network in 2017. Outlands included nine national partners, including Supersonic, who commissioned and toured six new productions across the UK and the world.

Shamrez Marawat
Is a Birmingham-based creative entrepreneur and the driving force behind two popular establishments: Bonehead, a beloved fried chicken and craft beer diner, and Deadbeat, a vibrant neighbourhood bar in Stirchley. Sham has built a loyal following for both venues, thanks to a dedication to quality and a talent for collaboration. At Bonehead and Deadbeat, Sham provides a platform for local creative talent, including chefs, bands, breweries, artists, and music promoters. This commitment to community and creativity has made both spots go-to destinations for food, drink, and music.

Stuart Rogers (Chair)
Stuart Rogers was born and educated in Birmingham and has worked in theatre management/production since 1973 when he became Theatre Programmer for the Birmingham Arts Lab. He then moved on to manage the Gulbenkian Studio Theatre and Newcastle Playhouse in Newcastle upon Tyne, followed by periods as Executive Director for Chester Gateway Theatre and Nottingham Playhouse. Following a couple of years in the southern Italian city of Bari working with the international touring theatre company Teatro Kismet, Stuart returned to Birmingham in 2002 to take up the post of Executive Director at Birmingham Repertory Theatre. He left that position in 2019 to concentrate on freelance producing.

Past Board Members

Gina Crane (Director of Communications and Learning Esmée Fairbairn Foundation), Anna Russell (Regional Director National Trust), Debbie Kermode (CEO/Artistic Director Midlands Art Centre).

Please note our new postal address:

Capsule
Unit 317, Zellig Building
Gibb street
Digbeth
Birmingham UK
B9 4AT

0121 7730402

info(at)capsule.org.uk

Follow us on Twitter @supersonicfest

Please note, we welcome new artists to send samples of their work for future consideration however Capsule receive a lot of emails and letters from artists and whilst we endeavour to look into everything that’s sent our way, we cannot guarantee a personal response.

Capsule gratefully acknowledges the support we receive from Arts Council England as part of their National Portfolio Organisations

Capsule is committed to ensuring digital accessibility. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone applying relevant accessibility standards. For more detailed information download our policy which we will review periodically.