Capsule Film from Film Ficciones on Vimeo.

For your viewing pleasure – a short film to celebrate our 10 years of work.
This amazing bit of documentary footage was created by Scott aka Film Ficciones

Tonights show with Baroness & Taint at the Hare & Hounds has sold out.
This amazing limited edition poster designed by Jimbob of Taint will be on sale at the gig.

Don’t miss out on the following shows – they’re selling fast:
Thursday 11th February: CLUSTER + Einstellung at Town hall Birmingham
Friday 12th March: AUTECHRE + Rob Hall, Russell Haswell, Didjit at the Rainbow Warehouse
Tuesday 16th March: MONO + Rose Kemp at The Asylum
Friday 9th April: EYEHATEGOD + guests at The Asylum

Advanced tickets from: www.theticketsellers.co.uk
Swordfish + Polar Bear

We’re delighted to announce a show with Japanese band MONO for Tuesday 16th March. After last years sell out show at the Hare & Hounds, we’ve made sure that they’ll be no disappointed punters this time round with the show taking place at The Asylum in Hockley,  Birmingham.
Tickets available from www.theticketsellers.co.uk

Mono are a Japanese instrumental rock band formed in 1999 in Tokyo, Kantō, Honshū. The band consists of Takaakira Goto (electric guitar), Yoda (electric guitar), Tamaki Kunishi (bass guitar, electric guitar, piano, glockenspiel), and Yasunori Takada (drum kit, glockenspiel, synthesizer).

The band’s style of instrumental rock music is influenced by the genres of experimental rock and shoegazing, as well as by both the classical and contemporary classical periods of classical music, and also by noise and minimalism. Mono’s sound is characterised by the lead and rhythm guitars of Goto and Yoda respectively, both of whom make use of reverb, distortion and delay effects. Mono’s live performances are renowned for their intensity, both in their playing and in their dynamics.

I’ve actually seen grown men at Roadburn Festival be moved to tears while watching them.

Well our 10th birthday celebrations are now over, it’s been a blast! Thanks to all those artists that performed, to VIVID for hosting us and to all of you that attended it was indeed a marathon of aural delights.
(photos from our closing party to follow)
We’ve had a wonderful year with some fantastic and memorable performances, far too many highlights to mention (37 in total) – however a special mention must go to the SUBLIME FREQUENCIES show, SUPERSONIC Festival 09 and the Making Do event at New Art Gallery Walsall.

2010 is shaping up to be a pretty special year, already confirmed are BARONESS who will kick off proceedings in mid January at the Hare & Hounds, followed by THE EX & BRASS UNBOUND, Krautrock legends CLUSTER will be performing at Town Hall Birmingham. EYEHATEGOD will be making their first appearance in over 10 years in April at the Asylum and this is just for starters. We have plenty more treats up our sleeves including announcements for SUPERSONIC 2010. But for now have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy new year – thanks for your support.
The Capsule Team X

Little Chris aka Brumcast has put together a podcast show dedicated to celebrating Capsules 10th birthday, it features some of the artists performing over the next few weeks as part of our birthday season. It’s certainly getting us excited about what’s on the horizon.

LISTEN HERE

1. Beestung Lips – Reverse Alchemy (2:14)
2. Pram – Mother of Pearl (3:16)
3. Una Corda – Three (6:54)
4. Lightning Dust – Dreamer (3:46)
5. Modified Toy Orchestra – A Grand Occasion (2:07)
6. Tweak Bird – Whorses (2:29)
7. Einstellung – Tot (4:01)
8. PCM – Davros Dominion (5:05)
9. Six Organs Of Admittance – Shelter From The Ash (3:24)
10. Om – On The Mountain At Dawn (21:18)

Opening Party
Tuesday 1st December 2009
Capsule are 10! launch party
Monotonix + Beestung Lips
Esquilax + Cum Dogs
@ VIVID. Heath Mill Lane . Birmingham
LIMITED CAPACITY
Doors 8.00pm
Advanced Tickets: www.theticketsellers.co.uk

The launch party of Capsule’s 10-year retrospective exhibition features a number of special guests Israel’s garage rockers Monotonix, who certainly know how to start a party, rock you senseless and leave you wanting so much more will be headlining the opening show. In celebration of some of the ground breaking local music Capsule have championed Esquilax will be performing a special one off live performance, alongside Cum Dogs, a new project from Modified Toy Orchestra’s Brian Duffy. Infamous locals Beestung Lips will also be joining the proceedings.
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Wednesday 2nd December 2009
Capsule are 10!
Tunng + Six Organs Of Admittance
Lightning Dust + Bela Emerson
@ Town Hall Birmingham
Doors 7.00pm
Advanced Tickets ONLY from https://tickets.thsh.co.uk/
or phone – 0121 780 3333

An extraordinary night of entertainment at the spectacular Town Hall Birmingham. Special guests include old friends Tunng who combine a perfect mixture of skewed electronica and pastoral English Folk music. Six Organs of Admittance, psych-folk-pop, hippie jams updated for the kids of today. Lightning Dust, the side project of Amber Webber and Joshua Wells, both members of Canadian band Black Mountain. Complimented by the bewitching Bela Emerson, an innovative and prolific performer of electric cello, electronics, tenor viol and musical saw.
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Tuesday 8th December 2009
Capsule are 10!
Lightning Bolt + Tweak Bird +Pete Prescription
@ Vivid . Heath Mill Lane . Birmingham
SOLD OUT
Doors 8.00pm

The mighty Lightning Bolt will be performing an intimate gig in Vivid art gallery as part of Capsule’s 10th birthday celebrations. This strictly limited capacity show re-lives the first time Lightning Bolt played for Capsule back in 2004 in what is now the theatre space of the Custard Factory. Nothing less than a thrill to witness, Tweak Bird’s heavy, progressive psychedelia has earned them a reputation as an exciting new live act.  The man behind the world’s only and best Happy Hardcore covers band, Pete_Prescription completes the line up, expect Krautrock, melody, Noise or something else entirely.
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Thursday 10th December
Sunn 0))) + Om
The Asylum, Hockley, Birmingham B19 3LS
Advanced Tickets: www.theticketsellers.co.uk
Polar Bear/Swordfish

Capsule’s favourite cult doom outfit Sunn 0))) will be performing their ‘Monoliths and Dimensions’ album, illusory, beautiful and not entirely linear Sunn 0))) have become one of the most important experimental acts in the world. Om provide support to create what should be a show rich in darkness and intensity.
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Friday 11th December
Pram with Visuals by Film Ficciones + Light Trap
@ Vivid . Heath Mill Lane . Birmingham
LIMITED CAPACITY
Doors 8.00pm
Advanced Tickets: www.theticketsellers.co.uk
Polar Bear / Swordfish

Members of Haxan, Una Corda and sound artist Nicholas Bullen collaborate to create a progressive, experimental adventure in sound, Light Trap. Following this will be an eerie Victoriana inspired Pram performance alongside Film Ficciones in the warehouse space of Vivid.
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Sunday 13th December
Capsule and 7 Inch Cinema present:
Afternoon Tea – a light buffet with a healthy serving of films
Vivid, 140 Heath Mill Lane, Birmingham B9 4AR FREE EVENT
2pm – 6pm

Almost since day one, 7 Inch Cinema have been crouching in a corner at Capsule gigs with a video projector gaffa-taped to a stool showing films of hairy men shouting and small dogs in space. To celebrate the grannies’ remarkable and unexpected longevity they shall be gathering up some filmic highlights from the last decade and showing them at Vivid, alongside the customary mix of light snacks and word-searches.
FEEL FREE TO BRING CAKE TO SHARE
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Wednesday 16th December
Beak> (Geoff Barrow – PORTISHEAD)
Einstellung + Thought Forms
Vivid, 140 Heath Mill Lane, Birmingham B9 4AR
Advanced Tickets: www.theticketsellers.co.uk
Polar Bear/Swordfish

BEAK> were formed in January 2009 by three Bristol musicians, Billy Fuller, Matt Williams and Geoff Barrow. Geoff Barrow is a musician and producer best known for forming and producing music group Portishead and part owner of the independent record label Invada Records . Einstellung blend glorious monotonous Krautrock with melodic tones and heavy slabs of Sabbath riffage, whilst finding time to declare sonic warfare on those tinnitus victims who have passed the point of no return.
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Thursday 17th December
Capsule & Created In Birmingham present:
Knowing Me Knowing You
FREE EVENT with complimentary wine from Barefoot Wines
6.30pm – 9.00pm
Wouldn’t it be lovely if we all just talked a bit more? If you’re doing something super awesome, got some plans under your creative sleeves, putting on interesting gigs, exhibitions and the like then tell people about it at this little talky talky chit chat in association with Created In Birmingham. Or if you’re just interested in meeting some like minded folks feel free to come along.
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Saturday 19th December
Capsule 10th Birthday Closing Party
Modified Toy Orchestra
PCM + Calvados Beam Trio
Una Corda + Stinky Wizzleteat
Plus a selection of special guests DJs
Vivid, 140 Heath Mill Lane, Birmingham B9 4AR
Advanced Tickets: www.theticketsellers.co.uk

The closing party to Capsule’s 10th birthday celebrations will see a gathering of some of Birmingham’s most mind blowing experimental live acts – paying tribute to the ten years of exciting, genre pushing music that Capsule have produced and provided a stage for. Modified Toy Orchestra are a collection of abandoned and reconstructed Childrens electronic toys, conducted by a selection of musicians to create electronic music in a league of its own. PCM, the dark lords of drum n bass have long been key figures in the Midlands underground dance scene and firm Capsule favourites.
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So folks as you know by now Capsule will be celebrating our 10th birthday in December and as part of a month long celebration we’re moving into Vivid, an art space in Digbeth. Not only will we be hosting a series of live shows with the likes of Lightning Bolt, Monotonix and Beak> alongside some of our favourite Brummies – we’re also producing an exhibition which delves deep into our archive. This will feature 10 years worth of flyers, photos and related ephemera.

WE NEED YOU!
Which comes onto our call out – if you have any photos from past shows or video footage, sound recordings, related stories, memories, reviews, blog posts  please get in touch – all contributions will be included in our exhibition.
Get in touch directly – info[at]capsule.org.uk

or if you have a comment/story or memory of fav show to add you can leave something in the comments on this blog post.

Matt Snowden aka one half of Esquilax and the brains behind the Dream Dreams The Dreamer Orkestra popped by last week with a box full of treasures which included loads of old Capsule flyers and photos he’d taken at past gigs. It sure brought back a load of good memories for us.

This photo was taken at an Oxes show in 2001 at the Jug Of Ale – it was a rather sweaty & raucous night to say the least.
Here is one of Lightning Bolt from 2004 when they played in what is now the theatre space at the Custard Factory – again this was one of those unforgettable shows.

Summed up perfectly by Kris from Ideal Skate shop
“Sat at home on a Monday night 6 years ago I got a call recommending that I come to the Custard Factory to see this band that I had not heard of and an hour later I was in the most amazing sonic maelstrom. This was the first time I saw Lightning Bolt.
It was the best chance i ever took…..
Thank you Capsule.
I owe you…xxx”

Dig deep and hunt out those old photos or just send us a comment – all contributions gratefully received – there may even be prizes!!!

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.

Ok folks we have a number of shows coming up over the next couple of months and we’re pretty stoked on the selection.

Kicking off with ELECTRIC WIZARD,  a crushing behemoth of funeral march psychedelia with support from Canadian flute-tinged witch rock, BLOOD CEREMONY - think Jethro Tull mixed with Sabbath!
Be aware that this show is selling very fast and our capacity is limited!

A welcome return by Capsule favourites FUCK BUTTONS, with support from ZUN ZUN EGUI, a  heavy dance band, they fire up mighty, eternal grooves worthy of some dust-caked Lagos street jam. THEO - Taut, chugging guitar loops layer up with frenetic tapping patterns that interweave in spiralling complexity.

STARLESS & BIBLE BLACK have drawn together the sounds of ‘70s Topanga Canyon country-rock, ‘80s Mancunian jangle, and space-age psychedelic drones to make a dynamic, warm and woodsy sound. Support from FOX, intimate, acoustic-led songwriting combining a wide variety of instruments, including guitars, banjo, percussion, keyboards, theremin, mandolin + new Birmingham based collective Health & Efficiency, who combine banjo, two basses, two guitars, synths, samplers and more effects and loop pedals.

ISIS are back in Brum, expect heavy, slow and brutal sounds, whilst hypnotising and entrancing you all with their live show. They will be bringing with them a very special support act – more news on that soon. This will be our first show at The Asylum in Hockley, which we’re really excited about using, good beer prices & great PA.

EFTERKLANG with support from NANCY ELIZABETH will also be taking place at the Asylum on the following night – expect an upbeat atmosphere and with  a sense of hope and optimism, these guys will leave you with a massive smile on your face – what more could you want from a gig.

These are just for starters – also confirmed for November DAMIEN JURADO, WOODS/ESPERS/THE CAVE SINGERS + OXBOW

Tickets can be bought in advanced from www.theticketsellers.co.uk
Polar Bear – York Road, Kings Heath
Swordfish – Birmingham city centre

We have some pretty amazing shows in the lead up to Supersonic Festival, which include a welcome return of Japanese band Melt Banana, who sweat out a super-adrenalized, maxi-caffeinated collision of frenzied drum rhythms and torturous guitar squeals they are joined by a special performance by  Lash Frenzy (members of Einstellung) Vs Mort and circuit-bender extraordinaire Glatze – this show takes place at the Rainbow Warehouse in Digbeth.

Melt Banana

Followed by the first ever Sublime Frequencies tour with Group Doueh (from the Western Sahara) and Omar Souleyman (from Syria) plus Sublime Frequencies DJ set and on certain dates Sublime Frequencies film screenings – this will be a truely unique evening taking place at the Hare & Hounds – not to be missed!

On the 23rd of May Capsule will be taking over Vivid, an arts venue located in deepest darkest Digbeth. Bring ear plugs its going to be a loud one with live performances by  one man noise outfit Prurient playing in collaboration with Cold Cave (members of -Some Girls, Give Up The Ghost, Xiu Xiu), with support from rowdy locals Beestung Lips, Nicholas Bullen & Iron Fist Of The Sun.

Then to round off May we invite back silver clad doom disco divas Chrome Hoof who were one of the highlights of Supersonic 07, for those of you not familiar with these guys think Grace Jones meets Sabbath with a little Sun Ra for good measure!

to follow info our June shows…coming soon
Tickets for all the above shows can be purchased from www.theticketsellers.co.uk
Polar Bear on York Road in Kings Heath + Swordfish in Birmingham city centre

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.