“It was an incredible experience that was quality throughout – every detail accounted for, every nerve stimulated! Fantastic to spend an entire weekend talking about and listening to music with people who really love it too. And getting to tell the musicians how much you appreciated them was a real bonus. A life changing experience – never been more in love with music- THANK YOU! XXX” Audience feedback

We hope each year people go away from Supersonic having discovered a few gems, often the line up is made up of names that you might not recognise just yet! – but its worth being adventurous as the rewards are well worth it.
Here are  some of the highlights from previous Supersonic Festivals including 2008’s immense performance by the  incredible Harvey Milk featuring the mighty Joe Preston – these guys blew audiences away on the Saturday night – fists in the air, tears in the eyes!!! Supersonic were proud to bring these guys over to Europe for the first time after a few years of gentle persuasion. Other great performances were by Merzbow in collaboration with Keiji Haino as Kikuri, the Danish ensemble Efterklang, comic antics by Fucked Up and the blissful end performance by Krautrock legends Harmonia.

Harvey Milk 2008

2007 saw a unique collaboration by the Oxbow Duo with Stephen O’Malley,  Justin Broadrick, Dave Cochrane & Chipper, the first European show for David Yows Qui, a near riot during Wolf Eyes and a co headline performance by Sunn0))) and Mogwai.

2007 report for Supersonic by BBC

2006 saw the thunderous High on Fire headline the outside stage whilst in the Factory club audiences went berserk for Zombi & Circle.

High On Fire 2006

Zombi 2006

Circle 2006

2005 was the infamous year of the bomb – when the whole of Birmingham city centre was evacuated due to  a bomb scare including our festival – we all had to vacate the Digbeth area but not before having witnessed amazing sets by Battles, Dalek and Tunng amongst a host of others. The much anticipated collaboration by Stephen O’Malley and Merzbow had to be postponed as did a perfromance by PTV.

2005 Supersonic short film
In 2003, our very first Supersonic Festival took place over the water at the Custard Factory, with live performances by Coil and a very early live show by LCD Sound System. Happy days!

Coil Supersonic 2003

Let us know what your highlights have been…

First ever Supersonic Festival design by CHU

Walsall born artist, CHU ( famous for his ‘Your Mum Rang’ sticker campaign) has produced a three colour signed screen print, limited to an edition of 50, 500mm x 700mm on archival acid-free, bright white Bread & Butter 270gsm.

They’ll be available from the Dreweatts collections during February, further details here.
Designed for Supersonic Festival 2003 which saw live performances from Coil, V/VM, LCD Sound System and The Bug amongst a host of other fine acts. Brings back happy naive memories of building a stage over the ‘lake’ at the Custard Factory, until we realised we could have electrocuted the entire audience, happy days.

Supersonic Festival 2003 over water

SUPERSONIC 2009 24TH – 26TH July Birmingham UK
Crafting extraordinary events for adventurous audiences combining music, art, film & cake.

“Of this welter of well organised, wisely curated festivals (ATP, Faster Than Sound, Sonar, Greenman) perhaps the best organised and most wisely curated was Supersonic. Plotted by Birmingham promoters Capsule, 2007’s Supersonic inhabited the nexus where metal, folk and noise met.” Plan B Magazine

“Supersonic, in our opinion the best festival in the world right now”
Rock-A-Rolla Magazine

”AS British music festivals go, Birmingham’s annual Supersonic event is the best kind of mixed musical bag, a dizzying assortment of avant rock textures and Heavy Metal thunder on a bill which swings from the sublime to the ridiculous without once seeming ostentatiously eclectic.” The Wire

We are pleased to announce the first confirmations – including HEAD OF DAVID who bring their driving bombast to proceedings for the first time in 23 years – for this year’s festival, which will take place in Birmingham on 24TH – 26TH of July 2009.

Now in it’s 7th year, the event will once again take place at the Custard Factory utilising the many rooms for music, art, film & of course cake.

Additional confirmations will follow in the upcoming weeks, but the line-up is shaping up to be another extravaganza – the rather incredible former Swan, JARBOE; the expansive drone-noise of GROWING; Brighton’s prog adventure, DIAGONAL; the wild avant futuristic jazz of ZU; the stoned pysch of EARTHLESS, the Virginian sludge rock of PONTIAK, the industrial experiments of 65 DAYS OF STATIC, the immense duo that is FLOWER/CORSANO DUO, KHYAM ALLAMI and one of the finest folk vocalists NANCY WALLACE will be featured in the line-up, once again highlighting the highly eclectic booking policy of the festival.

Initial line up :
Head Of David/ 65 Days of Static / Berg Sans Nipple / Caribou / Cave/ Chris Herbert / Diagonal / Earthless /Flower & Corsano Duo / Genghis Tron / Growing / Jarboe / Khyam Allami / Master Musicians Of Bukake/ Nancy Wallace / Pontiak / PRE / Theo / Venetian Snares /Zu / ZzZ’s
Many more to be announced over the coming months

Tickets go on sale early April
https://www.theticketsellers.co.uk/

For hotel deals and to volunteer check
www.capsule.org.uk/supersonic

A piece written by Plan B Magazines editor Louis Patterson on the Guardian Blog about the Home Of Metal project. It seems has stirred quite a debate, though some people have clearly missed the point of the article  which is not saying that Birmingham isn’t a musical city but rather we haven’t marketed ourselves as such despite our rich musical heritage.

“Some cities are music cities: they have music in their DNA. Think of Manchester as you stroll along and see if you don’t get a hint of swagger in your step, your legs encased in a pair of voluminous corduroys as She Bangs the Drums filters down from some passing cloud.
Birmingham, however, is not a music city. That’s not to say it has no history of music. Indeed, from 1970s rock giants Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, through to later, less well-known but hugely influential outfits such as Napalm Death and Godflesh, the city has a history of music to all but rival Manchester. Yet, though Sabbath and Priest were certainly big bands, they were never Brummie bands, at least not in the way the Smiths or Oasis became synonymous with Manchester. Why?”

Read more here
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2009/feb/05/birmingham-rock-metal

This is one of the comments from the article:

“This may come as something of a shock, but Black Sabbath are a 100 times more influential than The Smiths or Joy Division ever will be. I live in the US and they are feted as gods by folks here…It’s a bloody inspired place.”

The legendary Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, whom we had the honor of meeting and interviewing at the end of last year when he was given a walk of stars, has kindly agreed to loan us one of his custom guitars for our next Home Of Metal event and also has given us his full support for the project.

“I’m really proud to be a Brummie and to call Birmingham my home, that’s why I’m supporting the Home of Metal events and message.  Your surroundings and experiences influence your music so it’s important for people to know where that music came from!“

The next Home of Metal Open day takes place on Saturday 7th of Feb at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery in Waterhall, 11am – 4pm.
Fans are encouraged to bring along related memorabilia, photos and stories to be recorded and digitised to add to the archive. Its a free event all are welcome.

Above photo of Tony Iommi taken by Steve Gerrard, whose photos of Metal fans will also be on display on the 7th of Feb.

We have just confirmed a slew of aural delights for your listening & viewing pleasure over the coming months. The very talented artist/illustrator (best known for his designs for Static Caravan recordings) Ben Javens has created some quite extraordinary posters for us. Its well worth checking out his blog and shop to sample more of his work.

First off on Friday 30th of Jan – WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, an eco Black Metal band of the darkest and most ferocious kind, support comes in the form of the mighty Welsh trio TAINT and ex Doom/Police Bastard and featuring Brummie of the Year, Johnny Dooms band HAXAN – this will take place on Friday 30th of Jan at The Dragon Bar, located on Digbeth High Street. (+ a plug for House Of Gods 16th Birthday at the Rainbow Warehouse which takes place on the same night with the dark lords PCM live from 10pm – 6am)

Then in Capsule style we have a special event for Friday the 13th of Feb with a headline show by Birmingham’s PRAM, visuals by Filmficciones, support from Jagjaguwar (home to Bon Iver + Black Mountain) latest signing WOMEN, this is on  Friday 13th of Feb at the Hare & Hounds.

Later that month, a very rare live collaboration between drummer extraordinaire CHRIS CORSANO and the legendary jazz Sax player PAUL DUNMALL, with support from THEO aka Sam Knight, the solo guitar/drums act which blew audiences away when he performed last year for Capsule.
Advance tickets for these shows are available from www.theticketsellers.co.uk, and we’ve introduced an e-ticket which means a minimal booking fee for you. Tickets are also available from Swordfish in Birmingham city centre and Polar Bear on York Road in Kings Heath.

Tickets are also on sale for American folk band VETIVER and in time to celebrate their 10th anniversary MONO from Japan will be performing in Birmingham in March.

A hearty congratulations to Johnny Doom for being voted Brummie Of The Year on Birmingham: Its Not Shit, he won with 31% (879 Votes).
This is what he had to say about his triumphant win:

Hooooray!

Huge thanks to everyone who voted!

Loads of you got behind me this year (oooooer!)…and i am truly greatful for your support.

As alot of you will know, I have been around Brum for ages playing
noisy music, getting trashed and generally trying to enjoy myself in
this grey sprawling metropolis…..

I started off playing at the Mermaid pub in Sparkhill in the late
eighties with my punk band Doom…then moved to Moseley in the early
nineties allowing me to meet hundreds of strange and interesting new
folk which made way for much partying, debauchery and mayhem!!! Many
fun times have been had at Eddies, Excels, the Coach and Horses, the
Jug of Ale, the Cocks, the Hare and Hounds, Scruffies…even the Moseley
Dance Centre!!! eeek!

Getting a job at Kerrang has also been a dream come true, allowing
me to focus on my main passions (music and talking bollox!) and this
year has been especially fantastic being involved in the Home Of Metal
project, working at Supersonic, meeting Tony Iommi from Sabbath, making
a new album with my band Haxan, supporting loads of underground music
(not just metal!) and generally trying to promote my love for a city
that deserves much more recognition for its humour, intelligence,
creative community and it’s overall output.

Thanks and viking hails to my inner circle…. Frances, Clive, Nick,
Dee, Rachel, Stu, Jo, Rick, Sam, Mum, Dad, Julie and Sue, Allie, the
entire Kerrang team, Carmen and the stay sick rockers, Capsule ladies,
Stagecraft crew, the Moseley and Kings Heath massive, my listeners, the
brummie punks, the brummie metallers and anyone else who knows me or
voted for me…..

Hail Satan!

xx

johnny doom

I was asked to write a piece for Night times Newspaper this week in response to Birmingham City Council and their Big City Plan – they wanted to hear from what our ideas and thoughts were about Digbeth. Here is the piece for you to read:

Capsule is an award-winning organisation based in Digbeth and have developed our creative business over the past 10 years in this area. We produce and curate the Supersonic Festival which is currently housed within the Custard Factory as well as partnering with other arts organisations in the area including Eastside Projects, Vivid and Ikon Eastside. The festival takes place over 3 days in July, attracting an audience of 5000 people, 80 % of which come from outside the region and 6% are international visitors coming from as far as Japan, Australia and the USA. Supersonic attracts the highest calibre of leftfield/experimental artists to the UK, whilst offering unique collaborations and performances. We have gained an excellent reputation including such accolades as being named ‘Festival of the Year’ by Plan B Magazine up against such festivals as Sonar in Barcelona, and receiving £350,000 value of press for Supersonic 2008, and in turn for Digbeth and the City.  Our audience stay in hotels, eat and shop in the area as well as engage with other creative activity that takes place in the city.
Capsule on average produce and promote an additional 25 live events a year again bringing to the city some of the most exciting international acts as well as supporting regional talent.

Currently our success has happened in spite of the city rather than because of it,  just think what could be achieved if we worked together.  Travelling frequently to other cities these are some suggestions to make Digbeth blossom as a cultural quarter:

• Why do people get on planes and trains to come to Supersonic – because we offer them a totally unique experience of the highest quality.  There is a real opportunity to acknowledge what makes Birmingham a unique city and invest in independent and niche activity.  Steer clear of a homogenised approach – learn from those that do it well and have a track record.
• Lets learn from other cities like Berlin, Glasgow and Manchester and take risks with our empty buildings – an opportunity to invest in content to be housed in these empty spaces to animate the area, lets not be so precious i.e. noise restrictions – creativity is often loud and messy lets embrace and celebrate this.
• Encourage more creative companies to have the opportunity to be able to buy their own buildings rather than be tied to short-term leases.
• Create flexible spaces that can house a variety of activity which changes from week to week, this will keep the area vibrant.
• Don’t just invest in a couple of landlords this creates a monopoly.
• Lets get the basics right – look at infrastructure: cash points, post offices, signage, and streetlights.
• Think about the visitors experience as well as what its like to work in this area, lets make it the highest quality experience – currently feels like quite an intimidating, unfriendly area.
• Creative quarters need to grow organically, invest in supporting growth rather than imposing structured ideas of what you think creativity should be.
• Remember areas develop over time not over night.

FYI in a similar vein – Great piece written recently by Jon Bounds of Birmingham’s Not Shit on the idea of a creative director for Birmingham – and the best put analogy I’ve read/heard for how Birmingham get things wrong – “I want to stop being embarrassed by Birmingham, like in the way you’re embarrassed by dad dancing.”, “it’s like it’s organised by the PTA”, “no-one wants to say anything because they [the organisers] are so nice”.