Thanks to all who made it on Sunday for our event at IKON. Part of the gallery’s Autumn Almanac series, celebrating the city’s cultural activity, we were invited to program a night of music and sound art. This seemed a wonderful way to round off our wonderful Home of Metal year, celebrating the sound of Birmingham with two exciting performances that explored the concept of Heavy Metal and created something entirely new.

Fresh from their Supersonic debut, Ore played their tuba doom. Referencing Metal, Classical and Experimental sounds.

Andrew Moscardo Parker took inspiration from the newly reformed godfathers of Metal, taking the first three notes of the song ‘Black Sabbath’ ( these notes were known as the Devil’s Intervals in Medieval times) and creating a 30 minute string piece. Eight string players surrounded the audience to create a truly immersive piece of work.

Capsule’s very own Ms Sara Fowles (centre) contributes viola

Huge thanks to all the players, to SOUNDkitchen for contributing field recordings based around the notion of ‘Metal’ and to IKON.

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Home Of Metal in the FT

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.

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The sound of Birmingham


Join us this Sunday as part of Ikon Gallerys Autumn Almanac. Capsule present an evening inspired by the sound of Birmingham (visit https://third.co.uk/ for more info) its industrial heritage and metal origins.

Andrew Moscardo-Parker performs as Lash Frenzy. Central to his sound work is a rejection of

narrative and a focus upon the present, the ‘now’. His work as Lash Frenzy explores the action of playing, turning performances into immersive, participatory events. For this performance, Andrew will be paying tribute to Birmingham musical history, as the piece will work around the first 3 notes of the song ‘Black Sabbath’. These particular 3 notes are called Tritones and were known in Medieval times as the ‘Devil’s Intervals’.

Ore are a drone doom tuba group. The Sound of Ore can be heard where classical, experimental and metal musics engage. The material is rare; a synthesis of musical elements. Ore forge the power and depth of brass with the care of craftsmen. It is the sound of Birmingham: its industrial heritage, metal-working origins and creative innovation. Listen HERE

In addition you will be able to hear a selection of works by SOUNDkitchen, in response to Capsule’s Home of Metal project, sound artists have submitted material based on the notions of ‘metal’.

Tickets available online HERE and will also be available on the door.
The event begins at 8:00pm.

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Melvins – WHAT A NIGHT!

Wowza. What a show. Was great to have Capsule favourites Melvins playing in Birmingham. Thanks to all who came out, it was a great crowd and a perfect post Supersonic party.

Here’s some pictures of the show taken by Katja Ogrin


Join us for our next event – we’re showcasing some excellent Birmingham talent at IKON’s Autumn Almanac on 20th November, including Ore and Andrew Moscardo Parker

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Melvins tonight!


Missing Supersonic? Fear not, your live music enjoyment is not over for the year by a long shot. We’ve got Melvins playing at HMV Institute tonight.

A firm Capsule favourite, this will be unmissable.

Tickets are still available this afternoon from theticketsellers

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Supersonic just 1 week away!


With just under a week until this years festival and with such a packed programme we thought we’d assist you in the digestion of it all. In this mailout we’ve highlighted just some of the lovely stuff you can check out the over the weekend.

For all the latest news & further details about the line up relating to SUPERSONIC see our website http://www.supersonicfestival.com

SUPERSONIC KIDS GIGS

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There are still spaces available for families to join in with the Supersonic Kids Gigs, big sounds for little people. Two special performances will be taking place at the mac, introducing little ones to experimental sounds. On Saturday 22nd families can catch Lucky Dragons and on Sunday 23rd, The Berg Sans Nipple will bring their nimble fingered electronica wizardry. Tickets can be bought directly from mac.

http://www.supersonicfestival.com/line-up/special-events/supersonic-kids-gigs-2

WORKSHOPS

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There are still limited places available for our various workshops, which include building the Mute Synth and a large group performance with DIRTY ELECTRONICS

GET A GRIP screen printing workshop and make a unique festival T-shirt

IMPERCT CINEMA – a workshop to contribute to an alternative documentation of the festival using endangered media technologies!

* you must sign up in advance of the festival.

http://www.supersonicfestival.com/line-up/workshops

SONIC GRAFFITI

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Sound artist Sam Underwood has become quite a favourite at Supersonic, last year playing in the fantastic Lash Frenzy vs KK Null, delivering a Noisebox workshop and playing as Glatze in 2009. This year, as well as performing the tuba doom group ORE which promises to be very special indeed. Sam will be giving tours of his recent work ‘SONIC GRAFFITI’. Throughout industrial Digbeth, Sam has installed sound pieces for you to tap into the dark, decayed world around you. Meet Sam for a pre festival tour on Friday 21st October at 8pm outside VIVID, or if you can’t make that, there is another opportunity on Sunday 23rd October, same time and place.

http://www.supersonicfestival.com/line-up/special-events/sonic-graffiti-2

SUPERSONIC QUIZ

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Think you know your Electric Funeral from your Electric Wizard? Well put your music trivia knowledge to the test with Club Unlikely infamous QUIZ. It’s free to enter, just come on down to bar 70eights on Sunday 23rd and register your team by 2.15pm.
http://www.supersonicfestival.com/line-up/special-events/club-unlikely

EXHIBITIONS/INSTALLATIONS

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Home of Metal has been a huge focus for Capsule of the past couple of years, and we were thrilled with the reception of our exhibition at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, celebrating 40 years of Heavy Metal and its unique birthplace. We’ll be bringing an element of this exhibition to Supersonic this year, to celebrate Birmingham and the Black Country as the birthplace of Heavy Metal. Grindcore CUT N PASTE is an exhibition that will explore the formation of Grindcore, Napalm Death’s early years and the cut n paste aesthetic and DIY approach at the heart of the music.

After the success of the Gods White Noise event last year, VELZUVIAL will extend the concept to see a 24 hour improvised performance. This new performance is commissioned by Supersonic and Eastside Projects and is a collaboration between artists Christian Jendreiko and Andrew Moscardo-Parker (aka Lash Frenzy). It will take place at Eastside Projects from Sat 22nd 9pm til Sun 23rd 9pm. The performance will feature a core team of players as well as a number of special guests.

http://www.supersonicfestival.com/line-up/exhibitions

MARKET PLACE

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We’ve now announced the numerous stallholders you can meet at this year’s MARKET PLACE. Go along and check out their wares, and put a face to that awesome label/distributor. Stallholders include Southern Records, Burning World, Cold Spring, Bad Egg, Future Noise and many more.

http://www.supersonicfestival.com/info/market-place/

PODCAST

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The third installment of Brumcast’s Supersonic podcast is now online where you can check out Nathan Bell, Barn Owl, Drunk in Hell and many more.

http://www.supersonicfestival.com/news/supersonic-podcast-no-3-2/2011/

LINE UP & TICKETS

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Weekend Tickets £75 + booking fee BUY NOW

Friday tickets are £20 + booking fee BUY NOW

FRIDAY Doors 9pm  – 2.30am (Box office closes at midnight)
APPAT/CLOAKS/DRUMCUNT/MIKE WATT + THE MISSINGMEN/PART CHIMP/SCORN/SCOTCH EGG/SECRET CHIEFS 3/SLABDRAGGER/

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Saturday tickets are £35 + booking fee BUY NOW

SATURDAY Doors 4pm – 1.30am (Box Office closes at 11pm)

– AGATHE MAX/ALEXANDER TUCKER/ANTILLES/BACKWARDS/BARDO POND/BERG SANS NIPPLE/ELECTRIC WIZARD/KLAUS KINSKI/KOGUMAZA/LUCKY DRAGONS/MONARCH/MUTE SYNTH/NATHAN BELL/ORTHODOX/PHAROAH OVERLORD/SKULL DEFEKTS/TEETH OF THE SEA/WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM/ZOMBI/

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Sunday tickets are £35 + booking fee BUY NOW

SUNDAY Doors 2pm  – 1.30am (box office closes at 10.30pm)

– ALVA NOTO/ASTRO/BARN OWL/BYETONE/CIRCLE/CUT HANDS/DRUNK IN HELL/DRUM EYES/ENVY/ETERNAL TAPESTRY/FIRE!/ICONACLASS/MODULATE/ORE/PEKKO KAPPI/SELFLESS/SILVER APPLES/TONY CONRAD/TURBONEGRO/WHITE HILLS/

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Sonic Graffiti launch tomorrow

Tomorrow will see the launch of an exciting new commission between VIVID and Capsule:

MR. UNDERWOOD
SONIC GRAFFITI 2011

Walking the streets near to VIVID and Supersonic Festival, the ubiquitous signs of
neglect passing you by, your attention is captured by a symbol you’ve seen somewhere
else before…

Set into a decaying wall there is a headphone socket. You unplug from your own music
and plug yourself into the city. The sounds you hear are of and from this place, dark
and decayed. As you listen you examine the surface before you more closely. You’ve never
paused here in this way before. What beauty you have missed.

A special “Crash EP” featuring four compositions by Mr.Underwood will be
contained within the installations. Each piece is based on a field recording taken
close to the site in which you find it. The EP will be available for download but you
are encouraged to listen to the pieces in situ, as the chance sounds that surround
you at the time of listening are considered part of the compositions. The pieces
will require you to interact with them in a variety of ways to trigger or manipulate
the sound. Go explore! Headphones are available from VIVID during exhibition
opening hours for a small deposit.

Join Mr. Underwood for a special tour, leaving from VIVID on Friday 23
September, 6pm. Meet at VIVID reception at 6pm. Bring your own headphones
.

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