We’re delighted to welcome Emily Doyle our new Festival Assistant to the team for Supersonic 2022!
Emily is an avid gig-goer and multidisciplinary creative who moved to Birmingham for uni and never left. She enjoys doom, noise, and mushroom cultivation!
Capsule is delighted to announce three new members have joined the board. Pictured, from left to right…
Pippa Moore, based in Brighton, is the Head of Fundraising at the De La Warr Pavilion (DLWP) in Bexhill, East Sussex. In 2017, Pippa helped to develop and fund the Outlands experimental music touring network. Outlands included nine national partners, including Supersonic, who commissioned and toured six new productions across the UK and the world.
Dr. Lina Khatib is the co-founder of the World Metal Congress and the director of the 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.
Benedict Fisheris 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.
Capsule is looking to recruit a part time, freelance Festival Assistant to support this year’s Supersonic.
This role is designed to support the organisation, working across Supersonic Festival and our year-round live events programme. This role is based at the Capsule office in Digbeth, Birmingham.
For Supersonic Festival you will support all aspects of marketing and festival logistics. During the weekend itself this role will lead the festival’s ‘Marketplace’ with market traders, a small stage and workshop areas supported by a team of volunteers and any offsite projects. This role will also be responsible for capturing live audience feedback and contributing to the various social media platforms. To increase your social media traffic here see more boosting tools.
You will also work on all aspects of the year-round, live programme – supporting the promotion, research, marketing, venue and artist liaison.
We are committed to diversity and inclusion, and are keen to attract people of different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. We actively seek board members to reflect a multitude of experiences and backgrounds. We particularly encourage applications from BAME and LGBTQ+ candidates, people with a disability.
We are a small but ambitious organisation. This role would be ideal for an emerging and / or early-career, freelance arts professional, keen to expand their knowledge and enthusiasm and develop their skills in both the promotion and production of live events within a highly creative and dynamic organisation.
Application process:
To apply for this opportunity please email a completed equal opportunities form, CV, and a letter of application outlining how you feel you would fulfil this role to (maximum of 2 sides of A4) to [email protected] with ‘Festival Assistant’ in the subject line.
The deadline for applications is 5pm Monday 9 March, interviews will be taking place on Monday 16 March. We will notify candidates that we wish to interview by 5pm Wednesday 11 March. If you haven’t heard from us by then please assume your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. Due to the high volume of applications we cannot provide feedback on unsuccessful applications.
Capsule Board is seeking new members
Deadline: Friday 21 February 2020
“★★★★★ – The UK’s best small festival, Supersonic is world-class.” THE GUARDIAN
At a pivotal point in Capsule’s 20 year-long history of crafting extraordinary projects for curious audiences, we are looking for new Board members to work alongside our small but ambitious team to help deliver our vision.
We are committed to diversity and inclusion, and are keen to attract people of different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. We actively seek board members to reflect a multitude of experiences and backgrounds. We particularly encourage applications from BAME and LGBTQ+ candidates, people with a disability.
We are particularly interested in attracting applications from the following kinds of people:
For more info and the recruitment pack see HERE
Capsule is delighted to announce that Stuart Rogers, formerly Executive Director Birmingham REP, has joined the organisation as Chair of the board.
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.
Stuart has also undertaken a range of consultancy and training work including work for Arts Council England, The British Council, The Soros Foundation, Amsterdam Summer University, L’Université de Dijon, L’Institut Francais, NOROC, The Arab Arts Association Hackney Empire, M6 Theatre Company, Action Transport Theatre Company, Dance 4, Nuffield Theatre Southampton and The Welsh College of Dance & Drama.
We’re delighted to have been shortlisted for the Birmingham Awards for Arts & Culture Award of the Year. It’s been quite the year for us at Capsule.
Achieving a 5 star review and being named the UK’s best small festival by The Guardian for Supersonic Festival for our 15th edition.
“Finally cements the Midlands’ reputation as the home of a global musical phenomenon” – The Observer
As well as successfully conceiving and delivering our mammoth Home of Metal season this summer, which included our blockbuster exhibition ‘Black Sabbath 50 Years‘ which has attracted visitors from all over the world as well as create a strong sense of civic pride for the people of Birmingham. We achieved some pretty impressive press coverage which included: Channel 4 news, ITV news, BBC news, The Guardian, The Observer, The Times, I newspaper, Time Out, NME, Liverpool Echo as well as numerous European publications.
Dedicated fans and curious cultural audiences have travelled from countries as diverse and far as flung as Finland, Uruguay, France, Netherlands, Mexico, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, Australia, Russia, Japan, Spain, Myanmar, USA, Malta, Greece and more, truly illustrating just how global the heavy metal phenomenon and influence is.
Visitor map for Home of Metal ‘Black Sabbath 50 Years’
In addition as part of the season we partnered with Eastside Projects to present a new exhibition by Monster Chetwynd, at New Art Gallery Walsall we invited Alan Kane to present 4 Bed Detached Home of Metal, which included works by Jeremy Deller, Una Hamilton Helle, Des Hughes, Jim Lambie, Sarah Lucas, Jessica Mallock, Mike Nelson, Simon Periton, Mark Titchner, Cathy Ward, Charlie Woolley and, of course, Alan Kane. And invited fans to display their metal collections within the gallery.
Ben Venom
At mac we presented the first UK solo show by US artist Ben Venom, All This Mayhem, as well as showing a selection of metal fan portraits in their Battle Jackets, with an exhibition titled Hand of Doom. We partnered with Centrala to create an exhibition which explored the Polish music scene under state control through archival material including letters, cassette tapes and zines, collected by Polish fans.
Our Home of Metal Volunteers
All made possible by an incredible group of volunteers that have worked with us and very generous funders and sponsors Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund, Laney Amplification, Colmore Business District, BIMM.
In Kind support came from Crystal Head Vodka, Hobgoblin, Music For Nations – Sony, Gibson Guitars, Eagle Rock Entertainment, BMG, Action Graphics, Dunlop
We’re up against all the big guys, so it would be quite something to be recognised for the work we’ve done to put Birmingham on the map culturally.
Supersonic Festival 2019 celebrated our 15th edition, with a sell out event and incredible press reviews which included a 5 star review by The Guardian, naming us the UK’s best small festival.
“By embracing the heaviness in Birmingham’s heritage, and adding a strong dose of eccentricity, Supersonic is world-class.” Read the full article HERE
Neurosis at Birmingham Town Hall photo by Joseph Singh
Here is a taster of some of the other amazing press coverage we received
The Quietus wrote “Supersonic Festival celebrates weirdness. It encourages unbridled creativity. It expands the imagination. It promotes the free and limitless pursuit of expression in order to expand the body, the mind, and the human spirit. It forges unlikely connections between ostensibly different areas, ideas, people and disciplines.”
Read the full article HERE
“Supersonic Festival has grown into one of the world’s most important events for new music. Cherry-picking the finest experimental music from all over the globe, its line-up grows increasingly diverse with each passing year. Now in its 15th year, Supersonic has become known as an event that consistently represents some of the globe’s best and most innovative music.”Louder
Read the full article HERE
“Supersonic has built its deserved reputation for excellence via the steady guiding hand and considerable curatorial nous of Capsule, the team behind it. This year they are in overdrive in celebration of Birmingham as the Home of Metal.” Echoes and Dust
Read the full article HERE
“The chance to see Godflesh and Neurosis play Birmingham’s Town Hall was a rare – possibly a once-in-a-lifetime – treat….This year we get a black sistah punk, a trigger synth party noise machine, Portuguese purveyors of ‘skull cave echo’, supernatural soundscapes and meditative poetry.” Express & Star
Read the full article HERE
Home of Metal – Exhibition Pop-up Shop Coordinator (Freelance Role)
2 x Freelance Roles / 3 – 4 days per week (June – September)
Fee: £90 per day
Employer: Capsule
Location of post: Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Closing date: 5pm, Friday 31 May, 2019
Interview date: Friday 7 June, 2019
Start date: week commencing 24 June, 2019
The role:
We are currently recruiting staff to maintain and manage the Home of Metal Exhibition Pop-up Shop – enhancing visitor experience and providing a high level of customer service.
Background and context:
Black Sabbath – 50 Years is a major exhibition exploring the legacy of Black Sabbath and their global fan base. A blockbuster exhibition devoted to the music that was born in and around Birmingham. Music that turned up the volume, down-tuned the guitars, and introduced a whole new meaning to the word ‘heavy’. The exhibition celebrates Black Sabbath from the perspective of their fans, to show the impact and cultural legacy of the band as pioneers of Heavy Metal, and to celebrate this unique, significant part of British music heritage. For further information about Home of Metal please visit: www.homeofmetal.com
Application process:
Detailed information about this role can be found Home of Metal Exhibition Pop-up Shop Coordinator
To apply please send an up to date CV in a PDF file and accompanying letter (of no more than 2 sides of A4) outlining your relevant experience and why you are interested in this role to Beth at [email protected] by 5pm, Friday 31 May 2019. For pdf conversion use sodapdf online tool.
Interviews will be taking place on Friday 7 June and we will notify candidates that we wish to interview by 5pm Wednesday 5 June. If you haven’t heard from us by then please assume your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.
Due to the high volume of applications we cannot provide feedback on unsuccessful applications.