Bring To Light review

Masaki Batoh at Bring To Light

In case you missed it, The Quietus published this great review of our mini Supersonic Festival, Bring To Light.

“…another name should be added to Birmingham’s ‘Star Walk’ that genuinely lines its crippled pavements. And that name is Capsule. They are the small but dedicated team behind the mighty Supersonic Festival, an annual masterclass in extreme musical wonderment and as reliable in their curation as a fresh pack of Jaffa Cakes. However this year is a little different. In the usual Supersonic slot, a much smaller event called Bring To Light is scheduled, mostly set in Birmingham’s shiny new Library but with less bands, and less ‘bigger’ bands at that. However, such is my trust in Capsule, only a lunatic on the scale of Pinky (of Pinky And The Brain fame) would skip this…

Capsule’s uncompromising events have frequently saved me (and most likely many others) from severe internal tumult. Bring To Light is no exception – a bombardment of the revolting and the sublime which has furthered my pride in their work.”

Read the full review featuring Richard Dawson, Dinos Chapman, Evil Blizzard, Clipping and more via The Quietus

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What a year!

Masaki Batoh at Bring To Light

Each end of year round up we’ve done in recent times seems to involve a few ‘wow, huge year’ mutters, but 2013 might have just surpassed them all. We produced a four-month opening season for Europe’s largest public library as well as our year round Capsule programme; to feature all the stuff we’re proud to have presented would be damn near impossible, but here are just some of our highlights of an epic year. Images by Katja Ogrin.

Discovery season at Library of Birmingham

 Together We Breathe – opening day

The season began with a magnificent performance by over 100 brass players. Encircling the crowds on opening day in the Book Rotunda, Together We Breathe brought together horns, trumpets, trombones, cornets and tubas to create a mass of sound. The performance was created by Australian sound artists Super Critical Mass and the project was documented by the BBC for the Culture Show.


Pavilion Photography is by Gareth Gardner

The Pavilion and creative residencies

Studio Myerscough created a structure to act as a billboard for the entire Discovery Programme. Situated in the Library foyer, The Pavilion housed a rolling programme of creative residencies. A neon crown of signs uses words that originated from discussions and workshops with the Birmingham 2022 group. Residencies included Craftspace inviting stories of migration, the stunning Library of Lost Books, Stan’s Café’s Commentators and The Outcrowd Collective’s delving in the House of Beorma Archive.

Lucy McLauchlan’s piece spans the Book Rotunda

Discovery Trail

Capsule curated a trail of art works to lead visitors around the library. Laura Kate Chapman’s illustrations were inspired by the Parker Collection of Children’s Books and Games, Matt Watkins created an animation piece inspired by the world’s most expensive book and Lucy Lucy McLauchlan’s site specific work in the Book Rotunda gave some remembrance to John Madin’s library.

Discover New Music

A series of live music performances showcased some of the most exciting music around. Rhys Chatham and Charlemagne Palestine performed a UK exclusive collaboration, with added cuddly toys and audience debate and Portishead’s Adrian Utley headed a large-scale guitar orchestra.  Rise of Birmingham saw some of Capsule favourite bands from the region perform in the library, including Victories at Sea and Free School.

Tucking into dessert at Down the Rabbit Hole

Other highlights included the literary inspired dining experience Down the Rabbit Hole, presented by Companis, and Volume: Birmingham’s Art, Book & Print fair with a keynote from Bill Drummond. We’re really proud of the Birmingham 2022 project, where a group of young people worked with us on Discovery season brochure, and were given a platform to ponder the shape of culture in ten years.

University of Birmingham artist residency

We embarked upon a new partnership with the University of Birmingham, supporting an artist to make new work in response to the university’s varied collections. Sound artist Sarah Farmer spent a number of months researching at the Lapworth Museum of Geology and the Winterbourne botanical collection and created a number of sound based works, as well as screenprints, in response to her time there. It was very exciting to introduce an artist to this collection, there’s a wealth of stuff to draw inspiration from and we look forward to doing more work with the university in the future.

Richard Dawson performed a Kids Gig

Bring To Light

Our mini Supersonic saw us invading the library with new music, from Masaki Batoh’s brain pulse noise, Robedoor’s bass heavy drone and the filthy noise rock of Evil Blizzard, we didn’t hold back. We kicked it all off at the Rainbow from a messy Friday night with Sleaford Mods (video), Dinos Chapman and the fabulous Shangaan Electro who also performed a free show in the library amphitheatre. Other highlights included Sarah Angliss and her theramin laden story telling, an info show around pioneer Delia Derbyshire and a Kids Gig performance from Capsule favourite Richard Dawson.

Shellac at the Rainbow Warehouse

Live shows

Our first live show of the year was such a standout, Barn Owl, Grumbling Fur and Ex Easter Island at the stunning St Paul’s church. Other highlights of the year  have included Nazoranai (Stephen O’Malley, Keiji Haino, Oren Ambarchi) and Nicholas Bullen at the CBSO Centre and a night with Mississippi records exploring the phenomenal Alan Lomax archive with Vivid Projects. And let’s not forget that the mighty Shellac were back in Birmingham last month, thanks to all who came and made it such a fun show, the band said you were a particularly lovely crowd!

Thanks to all who have come along, watch this space for news of next year’s programme.

 

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Shangaan Electro photos

The South African collective Shangaan Electro came to Birmingham last month as part of Bring To Light, for two performances and a free dance workshop. They illuminated the amphitheatre of the library and were the perfect close to Friday night’s programme at the Rainbow.  Photos by Katja Ogrin.

 

 

 

 

Go here for more Bring To Light photos.

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Bring To Light photos

Gnod performing at the library

Thanks to all who came to Bring To Light at the weekend. Our mini Supersonic was a huge success; so many great performances in a new setting.images by Katja Ogrin.

Dinos Chapman

Friday night was a messy start with Black Metal bands Hordes and Deafheaven. The line up then veered into many directions with a stellar performance from Sleaford Mods, an amazing audio visual set from Dinos Chapman and the grin inducing Shangaan Electro. Props to those in the audience who joined Shangaan on stage too!

Deafheaven

Dinos Chapman

Sleaford Mods

Saturday and Sunday saw an array of weird and wonderful performances invade the Library of Birmingham, including deep drone from Robedoor, robotics and theremin from Sarah Angliss, the brain pulse music of Masaki Batoh and psychedlics from High Wolf.

Grumbling Fur

Richard Dawson

High Wolf

Robedoor

Robedoor

Gnod

Kogumaza

Milque & Muhle record stall

Laurence Hunt

Sarah Angliss

Masaki Batoh with his brain wave volunteer Lauren Barley

Clipping

Evil Blizzard

Evil Blizzard

You don’t need to wait long for more experimental music in the library, Rhys Chatham and Charlemagne Palestine perform a UK exclusive collaboration on Saturday 2nd November. Support comes from Ex Easter Island Head’s large guitar ensemble featuring members of Kogumaza.Tickets are available via www.birmingham-box.co.uk

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Sleaford Mods vid from Bring To Light + Sunday line up

Courtesy of HFT Media here is a video of Sleaford Mods performing on Friday night at Bring To Light.

Today will see performances from Sarah Angliss who mixes theremin, saw and electronics with an ensemble of strange automata , Delia Darlings pay sonic homage to pioneering composer Delia Derbyshire, Laurence Hunt explores the realm of sound via drums/percussion, Brain Pulse Music created by Japanese artist Masaki Batoh (Ghost), Clipping mix gangster rap, music concrete and harsh noise and we finish off the weekend with a live performance unlike any other by Evil Blizzard, comprising of four bassists, a singing drummer and a baby’s head theramin.
We kick off at 2pm – tickets are still available on the door.

Sunday 27 Oct

Library of Birmingham Studio Theatre doors 2.00
2.00         A celebration of the pioneering composer Delia Derbyshire
4.30         Laurence Hunt
5.30         Sarah Angliss
6.45         Masaki Batoh
8.15         Clipping
9.45         Evil Blizzard

 

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Gnod at Bring To Light

 

Some good news and bad news. Sadly, due to personal circumstances Josephine Foster is no longer able to come

to Birmingham and her performance at Bring To Light is cancelled. We really hope to bring back over soon.

But Gnod have joined the bill and will play Saturday night in the Library. You can purchase tickets via www.theticketsellers.co.uk

“Mainlining a torrent of psycho-delic, reverb drenched, doomsday motorik and improvised sounds is the master and mystery of Gnod. Audiences have come to expect bizarre humanoid toasting over cosmic synth eeriness pinned down with a combination of duelling deep-vein-thrombosis juggernaut riffs and heart-pounding beats. Gnod explore the possibilities of a big, awesome sound with an uncompromising aesthetic.

To date the band have releases with Not Not Fun (USA), Blackest Rainbow (UK). Tamed Records (France) and Rocket Recordings (UK) to name a few and are gaining a cult following on the live scene in grimy venues & dark club spaces all over Europe with their head-spinning, mind-bending, bowel-shaking live shows.”

ingnodwetrust.tumblr.com

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Bring To Light schedule

We know you enjoy a schedule so in order for you to plan the weekend ahead here are the times for Bring To Light.

Friday 25 Oct
3.00 Shangaan Electro dance workshop – Free but please book in advance
DanceXchange, Thorp Street, Birmingham, B5 4TB

Rainbow Warehouse – doors  from 8pm

8.15          Hordes
9.00         Deafheaven
10.10        Sleaford Mods
11.10        Dinos Chapman
12.40       Shangaan Electro

Saturday 26 Oct
2.00 – 3.00 Kids Gig with Richard Dawson at Symphony Hall – Free no need to book

3.00 Shangaan Electro Amphitheatre Library of Birmingham free performance

Library of Birmingham Studio Theatre doors 4.00
4.20          Grumbling Fur
5.30          Richard Dawson
6.40          High Wolf
8.00          Robedoor
9.15          Josephine Foster
10.30        Kogumaza

11.30 – 2.00 after party Prince of Wales pub 85 Cambridge St, Birmingham, West Midlands

Sunday 27 Oct

Library of Birmingham Studio Theatre doors 2.00
2.00         A celebration of the pioneering composer Delia Derbyshire
4.30         Laurence Hunt
5.30         Sarah Angliss
6.45         Masaki Batoh
8.15         Clipping
9.45         Evil Blizzard

For further details about the line up see www.capsule.org.uk/project/bringtolight/
Weekend and day tickets from theticketsellers


For advanced listening check our playlist

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Dinos Chapman on 6 Music with Stuart Maconie

Experimental visual artist Dinos Chapman chats to Stuart Maconie on the Freak Zone about his departure into creating music, his influences and plans for the future. You can listen to the show all week on the BBC website, in preparation for his performance at Bring To Light this Friday 25th October.

Dinos Chapman will be joined on the bill by Josephine Foster, Shangaan Electro, Richard Dawson, Sleaford Mods and many more.

Limited are available via theticketsellers.co.uk and Milque & Muhle records in the Custard Factory.

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