“I volunteered at Supersonic as it seemed a great way to meet people & see plenty of the bands on the roster.

I had a cracking time working with the other volunteers, and meeting some lovely people (Michael Rother was a treat). Plus, Capsule really deserves our help as they consistently puts on some of the best live shows around.”
Ben Martin – volunteer 2010

SUPERSONIC NEEDS YOU!

Capsule’s internationally renowned festival runs 21-23 October 2011 and there are plenty of opportunities to get involved as a volunteer.

We need a dedicated team of volunteers to help deliver Supersonic over the festival weekend (21-23 October) and also in the run up to the festival (early October onwards).

The festival is small enough for everyone involved as a volunteer to gain an overview of how the festival works, and to give real input and value. We expect a minimum of 12 hours over the festival period in exchange for a weekend wristband.

In addition to festival volunteers, we are also seeking a small team of professional quality photographers to help us document the festival.

HOW TO APPLY:

If you are interested in volunteering for Supersonic Festival, please click here to download the application form.

Completed application forms should be emailed to volunteer[at]capsule.org.uk before Friday 23 September 2011. Please mark in the subject line of the email VOLUNTEER or PHOTOGRAPHER.

The first volunteer meeting will take place on Monday 26 September, 7pm where you will be able to find out more about the festival and meet the team.

NB/ unfortunately we can only consider applicants who are 18 years old and over.

Supersonic Festival info - www.supersonicfestival.com

Some more exciting announcements for this year’s Supersonic Festival, including music, exhibitions, workshops and films.

Supersonic favourite DJ Scotch Egg will be returning to the fest with his gabba/glitch/gameboy core. Scotch Egg will also be performing with Drum Eyes, memories of their amazing performance at Supersonic 2009 meant we had to invite them back. DrumCunt will join the bill with their noisy grime/dub infused electronica.

UK electronica outfit Modulate will be bringing an audio visual set whilst Jefre Cantu-Ledesma will perform his own brand of shoegaze. We’re very pleased to announce that Spanish doom band Orthodox will be joining the bill, they merge their love for Sabbath with jazz and folk influences to create an intriguing sound.

We do like things to get a bit filthy at Supersonic hence why we’ve invited Klaus Kinski, a Welsh Arab on Radar who won’t let you stand still and Birmingham’s Backwards, whose double bass attack is punctuated with free sax improv. Pther bands to add to this agenda are Drunk in Hell, they’re pretty horrible, and that’s a good thing and Selfless, a crusty grindcore band in the true Brummie tradition.

Of course, we want our audience to get their own hands dirty and get involved – which you can do by joining one of this year’s workshops. Imperfect Cinema invite you to take part in a Super-8 workshop and document your time at the festival, recordings will then be included in a performance/screening encompassing film, field recordings and an opportunity to share your personal festival experience. Details have also been announced for the Dirty Electronics workshop ‘Mute Synth‘ – The Mute Synth is a noise based device that utilises feedback and explores the relationship between artwork and circuit board. Participants will begin on the workbench, devising the instrument, and move to the stage to explore the instrument and perform through it. Spaces for both workshops are limited, book your place by contacting admin@capsule.org.uk.

We’re particularly excited to announce a very special performance brought to you by Ore, who merge classical, doom and experimental sounds through the medium of contra bass and depth of brass.

We’ve had exhibitions in sheds before, but never sheds that have been converted into orthodox style churches. Look out for Herman Inclusus and his beautiful illustrations.

Two essential new music documentaries will get exclusive screenings at the festival this year. Still Before is a tour diary of avant rockers Oxbow, exploring the WHYS of art creation, the touring life and 20 years in, the motivations for continuing the same. Blood, Sweat + Vinyl: DIY in the 21st Century focuses on Hydrahead, Neurot, and Constellation and shows historic documentation of these fiercely independent labels and the bands they support.

You can read more info on these announcements and the rest of the line up HERE

They join the current line up of ALVA NOTO / a.P.A.t.T. /AGATHE MAX /ANTILLES /ASTRO /BARDO POND / BARN OWL / BYETONE/ CIRCLE/ CLOAKS /CUT HANDS /ELECTRIC WIZARD / ENVY / ETERNAL TAPESTRY/ FIRE!/ KOGUMAZA/ LUCKY DRAGONS/ MONARCH/ NATHAN BELL/ PART CHIMP/ PHARAOH OVERLORD/ PEKKO KAPPI/ SCORN/ SECRET CHIEFS / SILVER APPLES / SKULL DEFEKTS / SLABDRAGGER/ TEETH OF THE SEA / THE BERG SANS NIPPLE/ TONY CONRAD/ TURBONEGRO/ WHITE HILLS / WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM / ZOMBI / ZU93

Still more to be announced, including day tickets and volunteer opportunities. Watch this space.

TURBONEGRO TO HEADLINE SUPERSONIC

Big news came our way recently when the self-proclaimed “Third-biggest Formula Rock Band in the World” Turbonegro returned with news of a brand new front-man, Tony Sylvester. It has been a whirlwind few weeks ever since, having returned to the stage at the annual Turbojugend Fan Club Convention in Hamburg on Friday July 15, after a two year hiatus to the roaring approval of their denim-clad fans.

Now, Supersonic have ensnared the almighty Kings Of Deathpunk for a UK exclusive headline performance at the festival. Bringing all the glam, good tunes and great vibes (and hopefully hordes of denim-clad followers) we couldn’t be more excited!

The line up includes, Tony Sylvester (Vocals), Happy Tom (Bass), Euroboy (Guitar), Pål Pot Pamparius (Keys/Guitar), Tommy Manboy (Drums/Percussion) and Rune Rebellion (Guitar). Tony Sylvester comments on playing the festival:

“I was so chuffed that Lisa and Jenny asked Turbonegro to headline Supersonic and that the first show with the new line up in the UK will be there. Not only are they the best promoters in the UK, but I’ve been lucky enough to have been involved with the festival itself since its second year: announcing bomb threats, swimming in the fountains, playing Northern Soul, arguing on panels, you name it. This will be the first time I’ve actually played there however!”

ARE YOU READY?

They join the current line up of: ALVA NOTO / a.P.A.t.T. /AGATHE MAX /ANTILLES /ASTRO /BARDO POND / BARN OWL / BYETONE/ CIRCLE/ CLOAKS /CUT HANDS /ELECTRIC WIZARD / ENVY / ETERNAL TAPESTRY/ FIRE!/ KOGUMAZA/ LUCKY DRAGONS/ MONARCH/ NATHAN BELL/ PART CHIMP/ PHARAOH OVERLORD/ PEKKO KAPPI/ SCORN/ SECRET CHIEFS / SILVER APPLES / SKULL DEFEKTS / SLABDRAGGER/ TEETH OF THE SEA / THE BERG SANS NIPPLE/ TONY CONRAD/ WHITE HILLS / WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM / ZOMBI / ZU93

Tickets for the festival are only £75 for three days of music, film, art and cake and are available www.supersonicfestival.com

Previous Capsule zine cover by Matt Snowden

Capsule are currently putting together a zine about all things Supersonic and we’re looking for illustrators to contribute. If you’re interested, please contact admin@capsule.org.uk by 16th August and we can send you more details.

It’s that time of year again when things start hotting up on the Supersonic front. The wonderful Little Chris of Brumcast fame has lovingly put together a series of podcasts together for your listening pleasure. Here is the first Supersonic special – ENJOY!

There is a great piece in the Guardian today with an interview with yours truly entitled ‘Pop music’s mavericks: In the conformist age of Simon Cowell and the overhyped indie band, is there still room for the maverick in music?’

I encounter Supersonic organiser Lisa Meyer at Euston station on the way to a meeting. With her black hair and piercings, she doesn’t look like a typical festival mogul, and indeed Supersonic – which runs every October at Birmingham’s Custard Factory – is far from Reading or Glastonbury.

Last year’s bill included heavy dub and extreme metal bands, noise pioneers Swans, and local grindcore outfit Fukpig, who “terrified everybody in their wake”. Somehow, the revelation that Meyer was an art student whose degree project was a sculpture of her head made from blue cheese – “It looked like marble, from a distance” – is not surprising. She transferred this worldview into music, putting together a festival dedicated to celebrating extreme noise.

Like many great events, Supersonic came about by not so much ignoring the rules as not knowing them. Meyer and a friend had enjoyed small-scale all-dayers in Leeds and Nottingham, and wondered if they could host a much bigger version. So they started emailing their favourite bands, using the computer at an arts centre. “We didn’t know what we were doing,” Meyer says. “We’d get really excited if we went back the following week and someone had actually replied.” Perhaps intrigued by how innocent enthusiasm bypassed accepted channels, people did reply.

For the first Supersonic, in 2003, a barely known LCD Soundsystem played their first show outside London for £600, alongside Sleazy Christopherson’s influential Coil. It wasn’t plain sailing: after someone dived into the venue’s water feature and then ran on stage, dripping on the electronics, they were told they could be sued; another year brought a bomb scare. But gradually Supersonic has grown to attract a global audience.

“We’re not approaching bands who want to play V festival,” Meyer says, with huge understatement. The music at Supersonic is a mix of the popular but culty – Psychic TV, Mogwai – and challenging unknowns. The idea is that by appealing to minority tastes that aren’t catered for elsewhere, Supersonic can assemble a huge community for which like-minded bands will want to play. Battles are just one band who performed there when they were (fairly) unknown and returned when they were (fairly) famous. Meyer’s matter-of-fact enthusiasm lures – and pacifies – notoriously difficult artists. Psychic TV’s Genesis P-Orridge may have been called a “wrecker of civilisation” in the House of Commons and undergone feminising surgery in the name of art, but Meyer found him “lovely – like your favourite auntie”.

Read the full article written by Dave Simpson HERE
For more information and tickets for this years festival see HERE

Further line up announcements for this year’s Supersonic Festival include exciting appearances from Circle and Pharaoh Overlord. Fresh from their artist residency at Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands , Circle and Pharaoh Overlord will both perform at this year’s festival. Circle bring together krautrock beat, heavy riffs and showmanship to induce a trance like state, while Pharaoh Overlord (featuring members of Circle) lets out their stoner/space rock side. To celebrate the appearance of these Finnish legends we will be screening a new documentary ‘Man with a Video Camera’. The film follows a Swedish Circle fan who decides to make a documentary of the band, and finds them to be kindred spirits despite their lack of interest in his film…

Here are Circle performing at Supersonic Festival 2006

Other acts confirmed to play are Silver Apples, enormously influential pioneers of electronic music, their odd breed of psychedelia has inspired scores of other bands. Nathan Bell, formerly of Lungfish will perform his cyclic banjo music. Avant -garde violinist and sound artist Tony Conrad will also be appearing – an experimental musician, film maker and writer, every performance of his is a unique event.

Early bird tickets went flying out the door and are now sold out. Weekend tickets are available here for £75, giving you three days of music, art, film and cake.

—

Supersonic Festival 2011

21-23 October

feat: Bardo Pond, Circle, Cloaks, Electric Wizard, Fire! feat. Oren Ambarchi, Secret Chiefs 3, Zombi, ZU93, a.P.a.t.T, Agathe Max, Antilles, Astro, Blarke Bayer//Black Widow, Eternal Tapestry, Lucky Dragons, Monarch, Pekko Kappi, Scorn, The Skull Defekts, White Hills, Wolves in the Throne Room, Nathan Bell, Tony Conrad, Silver Apples, Pharaoh Overlord and many more to be announced.

A 10 artist show at Umbrella Arts in New York opens on 23 June 2011, one of the featured photographers is Jamie Robinson. Jamie will be displaying artist portraits from Supersonic 2010.

Swans

Lichens

http://www.jwrobinson.co.uk/

Early Bird tickets for this year’s festival have been snapped up. Weekend tickets are still available though at just £75 for 3 days of music, art, film and of course cake.
Keep your eye on Supersonic Festival for more line up updates and news.

This year’s Supersonic Festival runs 21-23 October 2011 and there are two excellent opportunities to get involved as an intern. The festival is small enough for you to gain not just an overview of how the festival works, but to give real input and value.

I would definitely recommend the internship to any individuals seeking a fast paced, hands on internship which is hard work but also lots of fun

Laura Coult, Production intern 2009

Capsule have two internship opportunities:
1. Marketing/Communications
2. Artist Liaison/Production

As an intern you will be required to contribute at least 10 days between July to October, and then follow up report based work in November/December. You will receive valuable work experience and be credited as part of the core team that delivers Supersonic Festival.

To register your interest please send an email to: admin[at]capsule.org.uk and mark in the SUBJECT of the email either ‘Marketing/Communications internship’, or ‘Artist Liaison/Production internship’. On receipt we will send you an application form and further information on the role.

Deadline for completed applications is 3 June 2011
Interviews will be held Thursday 9 June 2011

Good luck!