Capsule’s Home Of Metal project got a great mention in yesterdays FT newspaper in reference to the very exciting announcement by Black Sabbath about their reformation next year and embarking on a world tour.

Yet Brummies have rarely boasted of their music, unlike chirpy Scousers and cocky Mancunians – a result of Birmingham’s modesty as well as wariness of mainstream indifference to the subculture.
That is changing. Home of Metal, a series of exhibitions and events in the region, has been held over the past few months. An international conference on heavy metal has just taken place at the University of Wolverhampton. It discussed academic studies from the use of “grotesque realism in grindcore politics” to the role of women in “death metal”.
All this comes amid society’s yearning to return to its industrial roots in what George Osbourne calls a ‘march of the makers’. Yet manufacturing’s recovery is stalling amid turmoil in European markets. With the desired rebalancing so hard to achieve, heavy metal looks a more assured export.

Brian Groom

Read full article HERE

We also appeared on Sky News alongside the guys from Polar Bear Records & Alex of former Brummie band Beestung Lips who declared he was “Frankly power-chuffed” by the announcement. No doubt this statement will in itself go down in history.

‘Metal on Film’
1-4 September 2011
part of the Black Country Weekender

Brace yourself for a juggernaut of Heavy Metal cinema, blazing a trail across the Black Country with an awesome programme of documentaries, rare archive, late-night horror and special guests. The heart of the action will be at the Light House Cinema in Wolverhampton, with a menu of movies that will take you from Midlands’ foundries to Moroccan rooftops, from spandex nonsense to raw doom.

Below are some of the highlights, but you can read the full programme at www.homeofmetal.com

The Home of Metal Roadshow – FREE

The Vintage Mobile Cinema is a beautiful 1960s cinema on wheels that has been restored and will be traveling across the Black Country for the weekend. Come onboard and watch archival and Heavy Metal related short films, exploring the industrial landscape of the region.

Thursday | 3pm – 8pm | Queen Square, Wolverhampton
Friday | 10am – 4pm | Dudley Museum & Art Gallery
Saturday | 11am – 4pm | The New Art Gallery Walsall
Sunday | 11am – 4pm | Haden Hill House

Detailed programmes for each day can be found here.

Between the Hammer and the Anvil | Friday 2 Sept | 6pm | The New Art Gallery Walsall | FREE

As part of a special knees up, Home of Metal is taking over the gallery with films, live music and a Silent Metal Disco. ‘Patch Jacket’ is a collection of shorts exploring the full spectrum of Heavy Metal devotion and Gentlemans Pistols will be bringing their no frills, filthy rock n roll.
Sponsored by The Kraken Rum – cocktails will be available.

Black Sabbath AKA I Tre Volti Della Paura | Friday 2 Sept | 11pm | Light House, Wolverhampton | £5.80/£4.40 concession

The legend goes that some blokes from a heavy blues band called Earth passed a film poster in Perry Barr, and decided to pinch its title for their new name. Expect women in peril, clunky dubbing, bags of suspense, lush, lurid colours and Boris Karloff threading it all together in style.

Sound It Out | Saturday 3 Sept | 4pm | The Public | FREE
Nottingham-based filmmaker Jeanie Finlay’s latest film sees her camera trained on the employees and punters of Sound It Out, Teesside’s last surviving independent record shop, and crafted a moving portrait of vinyl obsessions. We’re delighted that she will be present to talk about the film.

In Bed with Chris Needham + Q&A | Saturday 3 Sept | 6pm | Light House, Wolverhampton | £5.80/£4.40 concession

A self-portrait of Loughborough teenager, Chris Needham deals with adolescent trials including woman trouble, musical differences and an annoying little brother. Chris is still pledged to Heavy Metal, and will be here to talk about his film afterwards.

Heavy Metal Parking Lot : Silver Jubilee | Saturday 3 Sept | 8.30pm | Light House, Wolverhampton | FREE

It’s 25 years since Jeff Krulik and John Heyn walked around the Capital Center’s parking lot in Maryland, interviewing boozed up rockers before a Judas Priest gig. The resulting document has become required viewing on tour buses across the globe, and now you can enjoy the clothes, the hair and the language in all their glory. Featuring live music from Stinky Wizzleteat and Selfless, DJs and food. Sponsored by The Kraken Rum – cocktails will be available.

The Beyond | Saturday 3 Sept | 11pm | Light House, Wolverhampton | £5.80/£4.40 concession

After our Saturday night party, you can check out a late night screening of this video nasty. Napalm Death lynchpin Shane Embury has selected one of his favourite horror movies, where a  hotel conceals the gateway to hell. Expect gore, mayhem and face chewing spiders.

Cathy Come Home + Q&A | Sunday 4 Sept | 3.30pm | Light House, Wolverhampton | £4.70/£4.20 concession

The gripping tale of a family turfed out of their home, Cathy Come Home is best known as a campaigning drama-documentary that helped to change housing policy. It’s also a vivid snapshot of Birmingham in the 60s, filmed on the same Aston streets where Black Sabbath played as kids. Producer (and long-suffering Villa fan) Tony Garnett will be here to talk about the film.

This is Spinal Tap | Sunday 4 Sept | 8.30pm | Light House, Wolverhampton | £4.70/£4.20 concession

What better way to round off the weekender than with the mother of all metal films? A spoof documentary (or, if you will, rockumentary) which set out to satirise the worst excesses of hair metal and pomp rock, This Is Spinal Tap ended up becoming a touchstone and perhaps even an inspiration for many of the bands it took the mickey out of.

Full film schedule is available at www.homeofmetal.com

An overall ‘Metal on Film’ pass is available for £25 and can be booked online at www.light-house.co.uk

Last Thursday Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery’s Gas Hall hosted the launch of the Home of Metal Exhibition. In attendence were notable members of both the music and art communities. Slade singer Noddy Holder, former Judas Priest guitarist KK Downing and Brian Tatler from Diamond Head were among the guests at the official opening which was launched by Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi.

The great Tony Iommi speaking at the launch

MoragLukeRob (L-R) Exhibition designers Luke Morgan and Morag Myerscough with Home of Metal Researcher Rob Horrocks

Photographer Steve Gerrard infront of fan portraits

Kerrang! DJ Johnny Doom relaxing in a mock-up of Ozzy's living room

Collector Bill Sneyd with his Judas Priest Collection Display

Black Sabbath member Tony Iommi with Home of Metal contributor and Black Sabbath fan Chris Hopkins

Artist Bunny Bissoux and her fantastic Home of Metal family tree

AMAZING Home of Metal Cupcakes by Kiss Me Cupcakes. Metal themed Cocktails were also provided by Bitters 'n' Twisted venues.

Former Judas Priest member K.K. Downing with a Harley Davidson

Lyndon Laney, founder of Laney Amps playing a Juneau Projects guitar

Exhibition Officer Tom Grosvenor

Founding member of Napalm Death Nic Bullen

Tony Iommi thanking Home of Metal co-founder and Artistic Director Lisa Meyer

Please visit www.homeofmetal.com for the origional article and much more.

We are delighted to say that after 4 years of research, fund raising and general blood sweat & tears Home Of Metal has finally opened. Here are some photos and we would encourage you to go and check out the exhibitions for yourself. Both the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery show (18th June – 25th Sept) and Wolverhampton Art Gallery exhibition (18th June – 17th Sept) opened this weekend in perfect time for Fathers Day. I was honoured to have spent the afternoon on Wednesday with Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath doing a number of interviews, you can catch them on BBC Front Row and on 6 Music, there is a BBC Radio 2 dedicated programme being made too, I’ll post up details when aired.

The exhibition at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery explores the industrial backdrop of the region and how that impacted on bands like Black Sabbath & Judas Priest.

There are a selection of Judas Priest stage costumes as well as some examples of Tony Iommi of Black Sabbaths jackets on display – looking at the theatrics of Heavy Metal.

In our resource section you can have a go yourselves playing a selection of Gibson guitars – including Flying V’s

In this section see early Napalm Death flyers, fanzines, hand written lyrics and set lists

The exhibition is on till the 25th September – Tickets: Book online or ring 0121 303 1966, for further information and access details see HERE

Photos by Katja Ogrin

At Wolverhampton Art Gallery we have an exhibition entitled ‘You Should be Living’. Featured artists, include Matius Faldbakken, Ben Venom, Harminder Judge, Banks Violette,  Amy Sarkisian, Seldon Hunt and Mark Titchner who use typography, vintage t-shirts, sculpture and sound to explore the varying aesthetics of Heavy Metal and its relationship to contemporary art. The artists, both national and international, take inspiration from the genre, whilst exploring notions of fantasy, chaos, performance and musical devotion.

Pictured the work of Amy Sarkisian + Jim Faure

In the Focus gallery there are a selection of images depicting the Black Country and  it’s industry backdrop.

With a new commission by Damien Deroubaix & Nic Bullen referencing 30 years of Napalm Death.

The show at Wolverhampton is free – more information HERE

For the full Home Of Metal season of events & exhibitions see www.homeofmetal.com

Four decades since heavy metal was unleashed onto the world, Home of Metal arrives this summer, presenting a series of ambitious exhibitions and associated cultural programme which explore the foundations, social context and heritage of heavy metal culture, which has gone on to be a global phenomenon.

Tickets for our huge Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery exhibition are now on sale! Book them here.

18th June – 25 September 2011
Home of Metal: 40 years of Heavy Metal and its unique birthplace
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
http://www.homeofmetal.com
http://www.bmag.org.uk/

A spot of Black Sabbath colouring in

One of the regulars…

For all the family (this kid was wearing a ‘Sleepyhead’ Motorhead t-shirt!)

Killer DJ skills

Uber fans

And some great memorabilia!

Go to http://www.homeofmetal.com/ for more memorabilia and Home of Metal news…

From Thursday 17th to Saturday 19th June 2010, 10am to 6pm, Home Of Metal will be taking up residence in a disused shop located at City 10, 18 Queen Square in Wolverhampton city centre, inviting fans to bring along their memorabilia & stories to be photographed & recorded to contribute to the digital archive or drop in to look at some of the Home Of Metal related wares we have already discovered!

WE NEED YOU!

Home Of Metal are looking for everything from concert tickets to photographs, badges, album covers, t-shirts, demo tapes, fan letters, fanzines, flyers, lyrics, posters, press articles, set lists and promotional materials to build the collection online, which will inform a series of major exhibitions which are being developed for 2011.

On Saturday 19 June, from 2pm to 6pm, renowned rock photographer Steve Gerrard will be in residence, fans are invited to have their portraits taken by him in their prized band T-shirts to feature in the Home Of Metal Exhibition.

Valerie & Mike Smith courtesy of Steve Gerrard

These are the sorts of things we’re looking for so go hassle your dads, search out your lofts…

Black Sabbath poster courtesy of Neil Parry

Patch jacket courtesy of  Ken TLF

Live Led Zep photos courtesy of Lee Dunning

Selection of T-shirts courtesy of Rex68

Judas Priest T-shirt Painkiller 1991 tour – courtesy of Billy

We launched our new HOME OF METAL website just recently and already have had some amazing contributions to the archive. We’ve been asking people to add their Black Sabbath, Led Zep, Judas Priest, Napalm Death & Godflesh related memorabilia to the archive to help to inform our exhibition in 2011 at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. Even if you don’t have memorabilia you can help us by rating your favourite artefacts.

Currently the top three are:

In first place is this fantastic cartoon book of Sabbath uploaded by Doug Roemer from Arlington in the US.

In second place we have an awesome Tony Iommi incorporating the Sunn 0))) logo tattoo uploaded by Stephen O’Malley belonging to his friend from Finland

and in third place we have a great piece of history – a Black Sabbath at the Mayfair in the Bullring Birmingham poster from 1970 declaring that there was ‘ No Restrictions on Dress or Hair whatsoever’ uploaded by Neil Perry of West Brom

We’ve also had some great Godflesh related flyers, posters and live photos uploaded. Feel free to help us spread the word and dig out your related memorabilia – gig tickets, photos, posters, t’s, set lists, badges  and your memories or just rate the items you like best. Have a look at HOMEOFMETAL.COM

Our Home Of Metal project was featured in +1 magazine after editor David Hopkins came up for our last open day at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery…some amusing thoughts of possible future souvenirs and branding Birmingham and the Black Country as the birth place of Metal

“Though the The Home Of Metal is a tailor made vehicle for fanboys’ adoration for all things Page, Plant, Butler, Broadrick and Halford the project ultimately aims to repackage Birmingham in musical, tourist-friendly wrapping paper. Just like  Manchester and Liverpool have so successfully done with Madchester/The Smiths and The Beatles respectively. But the Black Country’s considerable musical pedigree is arguably going to be harder to sell to their local authority as a potential money spinner. As even with the best will in the world Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Napalm Death and Godflesh aren’t quite as brochure friendly as the fab four. ‘Nazi Punks Fuck Off’ souvenir pencil case anyone?”
By David Hopkins

“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.