It’s that time again to get curious, to get adventurous and to get ready. After taking a year out to re-imagine the festival following our tenth anniversary, Supersonic Festival is now back and going old skool in special two-day “Limited Edition” format this May 30th-31st. Tickets HERE.

The line-up so far includes post-punk legends SWANS, avant garde rockers WOLF EYES, multi-instrumentalist ensemble EX EASTER ISLAND HEAD, straight-talkers SLEAFORD MODS, sonic explorer BASIC HOUSE, Baltimore duo MATMOS, electro-violinist AGATHE MAX, Norwegian songwriter JENNY HVAL and more…. For a taste of what’s to come have a listen to our Supersonic 2014 playlist featuring these artists:

Supersonic Festival’s playground for 2014 will be the iconic Custard Factory, home of Capsule HQ. This ever-evolving industrial arts complex will shapeshift once again this May to play host to Supersonic’s enticing programme of experimental music, film and art. But this is Supersonic “Limited Edition” don’t forget, so expect a few extra special treats… and remember tickets are limited to 400 so do not miss out. Keep your eyes peeled for further line-up announcements over the next few weeks. Tickets are available from HERE.

Charlemagne Palestine and Rhys Chatham first met in the late 60’s in New York and last Saturday saw the two giants in modern composition collaborate for the first time in 30 years.

Their performance gave us an insight into 2 performers who respect and admire each other and even featured some audience participation. Their onstage banter was one of old friends enjoying themselves.

The evening began with a captivating performance by Ex Easter Island Head in their large guitar ensemble guise. 12 guitarists (plus 1 drummer) played adapted guitars that created a joyous cacophony of repeated phrases and harmonics.

All images

by Katja Ogrin

Last week was a fantastic week for the Discovery season with both Bring To Light and Box Of Light providing weird and wonderful sounds and visuals throughout the library, including a magnificent residency from Film Ficciones where artist Scott Johnson explored early techniques of creating moving image.

Girls Who Draw in the Pavilion. Photo by Gush Sohal.

For half term week Girls Who Draw are in residency with their Museum of Mythical Creatures. The museum is a collection of magical characters, fabulous beasts and imaginary beings inspired by myths, legends and folklore from around the world. Created by illustrators Girls Who Draw, they have painted, printed, cut, drawn and even sewn an array of imaginative artwork, done wall murals from scratch and unusual objects to inspire, intrigue and entertain visitors of all ages. Over the last few years Girls Who Draw has evolved from a small group into a larger network including both emerging and established illustrators.

Rhys Chatham

And this Saturday, a magnificent show in the Library of Birmingham Studio Theatre sees two giants of contemporary composition perform a UK exclusive collaboration. Rhys Chatham and Charlemagne Palestine first met in the late 60s in New York, at the end of 2012, they decided to revisit their collaboration. Support comes from Ex Easter Island Head’s large guitar ensemble, utilising an ensemble of experienced local musicians the piece sees an ensemble of guitarists playing modified ‘third bridge’ guitars from a unique graphic score to create a unique shimmering soundworld, rich in heavenly drones, overtones and repetition.

Tickets are available via www.birmingham-box.co.uk

We are delighted to announce that tickets are now on sale for our Discover New Music series for the opening of the Library of Birmingham.
Tickets can be purchased via the Box office www.birmingham-box.co.uk 0121 245 4455

Our adventure with the role and function of the Library of Birmingham continues with a series of cutting edge live music performances. The breadth of performances on offer showcase some of the most exciting music around, from internationally renowned artists to young Birmingham bands making a real impact on the independent music scene.

Leftfoot presents Omar
Friday 6 September 2013
Venue Studio Theatre Library of Birmingham
Ticket price £15
Box office www.birmingham-box.co.uk 0121 245 4455

A British soul singer, songwriter and musician, Omar learned his craft classically, playing the trumpet, piano and percussion. Making albums since the early 1990s, his work is often compared to Stevie Wonder’s work of the 1970s. He is described by some as the father of British neo soul.
www.omarmusic.co.uk

Leftfoot was founded back in 2000 by Adam Regan and Richard Whittingham, and has evolved into one of the most important left-of-centre, soul- based projects in the UK. Voted the best Club Night by Gilles Peterson in 2003, the intervening decade has witnessed Leftfoot’s pioneering progression, hosting guests across a vibrant palette covering house, hip-hop, disco, jazz, funk, soul, reggae, electronic drums & bass, techno, Afrobeat, Latin and more.

Rise of Birmingham
Wednesday 2 October 2013
Venue Studio Theatre Library of Birmingham
Ticket price £5
Box office www.birmingham-box.co.uk 0121 245 4455

The city’s music scene has been making an impressive impact on the national indie scene in recent years. Last year, NME celebrated the ‘Rise of Birmingham’ and the diverse indie music scene here. This night will see some performances from some of the best emerging bands in the region including:

Free School
Bringing the sunny Balearic sounds of summer and the icy kosmische sounds of winter, Free School are maximalist and minimalist all at once. wearefreeschool.com

Victories At Sea
Victories At Sea are an experimental three piece, citing influences as wide and diverse as Slowdive, Boards of Canada, and M83 through to more unadulterated alternatives such as Echo and The Bunnymen. victoriesatsea.co.uk

Victor
Noise quintet whose diverse influences blend to create a mash up of genres, creating a new sound that has something for every alternative pallet.
 facebook.com/ victortheverbose

Youth Man
They generate an infectious energy during their intense live show as three individuals grapple with their instruments to whip up a reckless tornado of sound, flailing limbs and musical angst that is a feast for the senses.

Bring To Light Weekend
Friday –Sunday 25-27 October
Venue Rainbow Warehouse + Studio Theatre Library of Birmingham
Ticket price £40 weekend ticket
Box office www.theticketsellers.co.uk
0844 870 0000

Capsule will curate a weekend of adventurous music, celebrating the very best in new music and performance. Producing extraordinary events for adventurous audiences, Capsule have a keen eye and ear for the most exciting music and performance around.

Over the last 10 years Capsule’s Supersonic Festival has gained a reputation as one of the best experimental music festivals in the world, at its heart a passion for genre bending sound and performance. The festival will return in 2014 at a brand new city centre based location.

A Supersonic Festival inspired weekend, Bring to Light’s varied programme will combine electronic music, folk, black metal, electro acoustic composition, hip hop and more.
Friday’s programme will see performances in the industrial space of the Rainbow Warehouse in Digbeth, for the rest of the weekend dynamic new music will invade the Library of Birmingham.

This weekend of dynamic and innovative sound will include:
Dinos Chapman / Shangaan Electro / Josephine Foster / Clipping / Deafheaven / Masaki Batoh / Robedoor / Zomes / High Wolf / Kogumaza / Richard Dawson / Sleaford Mods / Sarah Angliss / Delia Darlings / Laurence Hunt / Hordes

Rhys Chatham & Charlemagne Palestine
+ special guests Ex Easter Island Head
Saturday 2 November 2013
Studio Theatre Library of Birmingham
Ticket price £12
Box office www.birmingham-box.co.uk
0121 245 4455

Charlemagne Palestine is an American composer, performer, and visual artist. A contemporary of Philip Glass, Terry Riley, Phill Niblock, and Steve Reich. Rhys Chatham is a composer, guitarist and trumpet player from Manhattan, currently living in Paris, who altered the DNA of rock.
Chatham and Palestine first met in the late 60s in New York, at the end of 2012; they decided to revisit their collaboration. This will be a UK exclusive and an incredible opportunity to see two giants in contemporary composition perform together.

Ex-Easter Island Head are a Liverpool-based ensemble composing and performing for solid body electric guitar, percussion and other instruments. Their music – played on horizontally mounted mallet-struck guitars alongside a battery of unusual percussion – has been compared to the likes of Steve Reich, Balinese Gamelan and Claude Debussy.

Large Electric Ensemble was commissioned for the inaugural World Event Young Artists (WEYA) festival, held in Nottingham 2012. Utilising an ensemble of experienced local musicians the piece sees an ensemble of 12 guitarists playing modified ‘third bridge’ guitars from a unique graphic score to create a unique shimmering soundworld, rich in heavenly drones, overtones and repetition.

Adrian Utley’s Guitar Orchestra performs Terry Riley’s in ‘C’
 + special guests Pram
Sunday 24 November 2013
Studio Theatre Library of Birmingham
Ticket price £15
Box office www.birmingham-box.co.uk 0121 245 4455

Adrian Utley is devoted to breaking new ground and exploring the potential of the guitar. As a member of the experimental electronic band, Portishead, Utley is jazz trained, with a passion for the minimalist approach to playing. To celebrate his love of experimental techniques, Utley’s task for the Discovery Season is to spearhead a guitar orchestra that will be re-interpret Terry Riley’s ‘In C’, which although written in 1964, is one of the most influential music pieces of the 20th century.
The audience will witness fifty three different ways of the playing the C note which will form an unforgettable performance, supported by organ music and percussionists. To commemorate this unique concert, Invada Records will release a recorded live version in the Autumn of 2013.

Birmingham’s Pram craft fairytales from concrete reality. The second city’s spin cycle of perpetual renovation, from the slum clearances to its current cosmetic upgrade, is etched in Pram’s restless groove, an endearing and gently refusenik mix encircling early Rough Trade innovators The Raincoats, astro jazz, sci-fi soundtracks, creepy Victoriana, tropical analogue and tumbledown funk.

Image by Katja Ogrin

Gig Junkies have published a glowing review of the show with Barn Owl, Grumbling Fur and Ex Easter Island Head.

“The reassuring predictability of any Capsule event (nothing so vulgar or prosaic as just a ‘gig’ about Capsule) will be its…well, unpredictability. And none more so that with this electronica/existential/experimenta triple line-up. Though it did take some getting used to watching congregated punters with pints shuffling politely in to high, wooden box-stall pews surrounded by the austere beauty of St Paul’s neo-classical columns and pediments.”

Read the full review by John Kennedy, with photos from Katja Ogrin via www.gigjunkies.com

Here’s a sample of some of the sounds we’re currently enjoying. Featuring Grouper, Delia Derbyshire and Dinos Chapman’s new music project, and artists we’re looking forward to seeing perform in the next few months, including Barn Owl, Daniel Higgs and The Horse Loom.

Ex Easter Island Head are a Liverpool based ensemble who usually perform as a trio but are known to expand to up to 30 players. An inventive and surprising group, their experimentation with rhythm and minimalism makes for a captivating live show. We’re thrilled that they’ll be performing at St Paul’s Church on Saturday 27th April, along with Barn Owl and Grumbling Fur. Tickets are available via theticketsellers.co.uk

“In the tradition of minimalist composers like Steve Reich and Rhys Chatham, Liverpool’s Ex-Easter Island Head draw a great deal of resonance from a stripped back set-up, consisting largely of guitars laid out horizontally and played as percussion instruments (hence the name of 2012’s Mallet Guitars Two). Their sound gradually ebbs and flows, building up to vast tropical storm clouds of rhythm and natural reverb.” The Quietus

Ex Easter

Island Head performing Mallet Guitars One:

Just came across this in depth interview with Ex Easter Island Head at The Quietus from last December, just after the release of Mallet Guitars Two (pretty much on constant rotation at Capsule HQ). They talk about their memorable live performances, and you can get a flavour of what to expect from their show at St Paul’s Church on 27th April.

“I take joy engaging an audience with something that’s hopefully a little bit out of the ordinary. Also I enjoy the physicality of the experimenting aspect of our setup. Because we’re not using any effects, there’s lots of physically messing round with guitars and other instruments which is just fun, really! With the sort of music we like to play as well there’s that locked groove, hypnotic feel that you’re striving for with certain parts and big, enveloping drones. When you manage to nail that in the right space with good sound and a good audience, you can really get lost in it – a bit of a cliché I know, but for good reason!” Read the full interview

Tickets for the show, which also features Barn Owl and

Grumbling Fur, are available from www.theticketsellers.co.uk