Looking forward to the Starless & Bible Black show at the Hare and Hounds on 8th October 09, especially after reading these brilliant reviews!

Anglo-French folk rockers named from Dylan Thomas via a King Crimson LP.Can you have too much of a nice thing? The world is currently awash with pretty female-fronted folk rock, the kind of thing that once had Mike Mansfield presenting a Cue The Music TV special on Judie Tzuke and gravely cooing, “Ah , a voice of the purest crystal.” The second album from this Manchester based group starts a bit like that. But by track three, Hanging On The Vine, they reach more challenging terrain. Singer Helene Gautier channels Sandy Denny over Cortez The Killer-period Neil Young.
There’s also sci-fi synth from the impressively titled Raz Ullah, adding to a
musical mood like a haunted stroll across the moors. By the time they’ve reached Les Furies, Raz is percolating away in full-on Floyd mode, the bass is burbling fruitily and it’s clear the more mind-blown fringes suit them well.
Roy Wilkinson Mojo Magazine

Shape of the Shape is the second album from Mancunian collective Starless and Bible Black and this time they’ve kicked the banjos into touch, opting instead for the sound of the 70’s. The musicianship on this album is exquisite, and showcased perfectly by a warm, organic recording which derives from twilight sessions in the magical wilderness of Snowdonia. The music may have become more eclectic but everything on the album still rotates around the soulful vocal talent of Hélène Gautier who shimmers and smoulders throughout. The end result of this melding of talents is an album which is essentially timeless and which demands attention; this is a record to be savoured on those dark winter’s evenings ahead.
The Music Fix

Heavyweight in quality but fluid and expansive in execution, Shape Of The Shape is epically beautiful. Exquisite guitar-based arrangements are layered and unfolded with a natural, organic grace made almost spiritual with dreamy, synth elevations. Moody yet warm, these compositions are the type that need little help from production gloss, reverberating with a sheer, natural pulse that really can’t be faked. They somehow manage to be both nostalgic and freshly modern, a clever feat indeed.
Wears the Trousers Magazine

8.10.09
Starless & Bible Black
Health & Efficiency
Fox
Lewis Garland
Hare and Hounds, Birmingham
8pm
£6
https://www.theticketsellers.co.uk

Go and support your local independent retailers and artists/designer makers at Marvins Magical Mini Mart which is part of the Pop Up Style shop in Birmingham city centre  this Saturday. Includes a stall by our very own Mr Ben Javens (responsible for a vast number of our gig posters) and the very talented Needles & Hooks (aka Sara our artist liason at Supersonic), not to mention a whole host of great illustrators and print makers.

Open this Saturday 10am – 6.00pm located on the second floor of the old Jade shoe shop on Corporation Street.

Ben Javens has a load of his screen printed posters along with a healthy amount of Capsule goodies

There is some fuzzy felt action going on
so go and say hello!

Thanks to all who attended the Fuck Buttons gig – a great show – good to see the Capsule audience having a dance.

Next show is Starless & Bible Black who present some dark folk rock from the renowned Static Caravan label. Support come from multi instrumentalist Fox and Health & Efficiency, a new act exploring psych, folk, no wave noise and electronic soundscapes.

Just confirmed as additional support for this show is Lewis Garland. Intimate folk tinged sounds act as a backdrop for intricate wordplay.

Should be a great show and only £6!

Thursday 8th October 2009
Starless & Bible Black
Health & Efficiency + Fox + Lewis Garland
@ The Hare And Hounds . Birmingham
Doors 8pm
Advanced Tickets: http://www.theticketsellers.co.uk

After Andrew Hung’s storming DJ set at the Milk Kitchen fundraiser last weekend -Fuck Buttons return to Birmingham for an intimate show at the Hare and Hounds.

Fuck Buttons live at Supersonic Festival 2008

Support will come from Zun Zun Egui‘s frenzied dance rock  and local love Theo and his complex percussive acrobatics. One for the dancers.

22.09.09
Fuck Buttons
+Zun Zun Egui
+Theo
Hare and Hounds
8pm
£7.00 Advanced www.theticketsellers.co.uk

Capsule’s first gig after Supersonic Festival will be the mighty and monstrous Electric Wizard with support from Blood Ceremony. A great way to kick things off after the summer and you seem to agree as all tickets online and in the shops have SOLD OUT! A few tickets will be kept on the door so anyone without one should get to the venue early.

11.09.09
Electric Wizard
+ Blood Ceremony
Hare and Hounds
8pm
£10.00

The very talented Mr Ben Javens, responsible for a good percentage of our Capsule posters has recently produced a series of 4 1/20 limited edition screen printed posters for our gigs. They’re a bargain at just £10 each – grab them while you can from his SHOP

A Hawk & A Hacksaw
Ltd edition of 20, hand pulled, two colour screen print on 300gsm cartridge paper. The dimensions are 594mmx420mm. All prints are signed and numbered by hand and will be sent out in a heavy duty postal tube.

Melt Banana
This is a ltd edition of 20, hand pulled, two colour screen print on 300gsm cartridge paper. The dimensions are 280mmx594mm. All prints are signed and numbered by hand and will be sent out in a heavy duty postal tube.

Mono
Once again this is a hand pulled screen print, printed on A2 (420mmx594mm), 215gsm cartridge paper, which are signed and numbered by hand and will be sent out in a heavy duty postal tube.

Vetitver

Hand pulled by Ben, onto some rather lovely 300g water colour paper, the dimensions of which are 380mm x 550mm, signed and numbered by hand.

This Saturday sees a host of local bands and friends come together to help  our buddy Steve Gubbins who is putting together an event to raise money for the Down Syndrome Association. They’ll be some awesome acts playing including Glatze, Pete Prescription, Stinkywizzleteat, Dream Dreams The Dreamer Awkestra as well as a number of DJ’s including none other than one half of Fuck Buttons, Andrew Hung, Rough Trade DJ’s and the Capsule Grannies – thats us, expect some power ballad action – oh yes reach and grab!

There is also going be some cake as well as a raffle, this is going to be great fun and all for a great cause, come along and support it.

Saturday 29th August at The Victoria – 48 John Bright Street, Birmingham, B1 1BN 8pm till 2am. £5 entrance all proceeds to Down Syndrome Association.
Find out more – http://milk-kitchen.blogspot.com

Just click on the image above to vote

Capsule has made it through to the first round for the SXSWi panel in Austin, Texas – we’ve proposed a panel around the Home Of Metal project, but to be considered for the final submission we need you folks to comment & vote on our idea, most importantly are your comments – to create a discussion and to show it’s a topic of relevance.

You’ll need to sign up to the link below – there have been 2200 proposed panels but only room for 300 panels.
Please feel free to help us spread the word, if you know other people that attend SXSW or folks that would find this subject of interest. This is a great opportunity to raise the profile of the Home Of Metal project and of work going on in the West Midlands. The voting closes on September 4th.

New Ways of Collecting: Digital Archives and Contemporary Histories
http://tinyurl.com/kjacgm

Description:
How does Web 2.0 make us rethink the notion of collecting? Bedroom enthusiasts now have tools that enable them to interact with global audiences. They can work at the same level as professional archivists, and amateurs may have more virtual visits than some physical museums. This session will explore the Home of Metal Digital Archive as a case study focusing on music collections and illustrating successful 21st century collecting strategies.

many thanks as always from Lisa & Jenny