“Godspeed You! Black Emperor are a band that can use the trappings of feedback, noise, and drones in equal balance with melody and rhythm to lead you to genuinely higher place.”
read the full review HERE

Thanks to Katja Ogrin for capturing this epic performance, and a huge thanks to so many of you that turned out to see Godspeed’s first performance in the Midlands in over 13 years. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait quite so long for their return.
If you get the chance check out Dead Rat Orchestra who are a truly unique ensemble and played an amazing opening set.

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

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

Thanks to all who came to this show at the magnificent Town Hall. It was a sell out show and both MTO and Micronormous were wonderful.

The Times review by Stephen Dalton:

With a rocket that can count up to ten in different languages, a toy guitar, a Speak and Spell and a creepy-looking Hula Barbie, no Orchestra comes anywhere close to being like Modified Toy Orchestra.

Read the full Brum live review here
Pictures: Katja Ogrin, Words: Ross Cotton

Next Capsule show is 29th September at Hare and Hounds – avant folk artist Josephine Foster performing a special collection of traditional Spanish folk songs along with the Victor Herrero band, support from sound artist Swallows.Tickets can be purchased in Polar Bear, Swordfish and here

Review of EINSTELLUNG & CLUSTER at Town Hall Birmingham by Paul Jeffery photos by Katja Ogrin

Cluster, with their roots in the late 60s, defined the roots of everything from experimental ambient to dance, with a mighty dollop of krautrock thrown-in for good measure!
I’d not set foot in Brum Town Hall before, but it’s a cracking venue, all Victorian pomp and splendour sympathetically and expensively restored. Acoustics are good, spacious, but easily filled by relatively modest amp stacks.

First on were a band I was only very vaguely aware of – Einstellung, a Brum-based four piece relentlessly compared to Neu!. They offer-up a kind of ambient drone-metal, heavily guitar-lead, and occasionally pitching and bucking with some ferocity within the confines of their longish set pieces, ultimately yielding a sound that fits within the looser boundaries of Krautrock. These are not wet-behind-the-ears newcomers either, having all served time in other successful bands before. Their particular fusion rocks too – and I have honestly never heard guitar feedback used quite so creatively or effectively as in their set closer. On reflection I would have been pleased if I’d showed-up for this set alone.

Read Full review HERE

For your viewing pleasure, photos from our sold out Baroness + Taint show at the Hare & Hounds on Friday night – it was immense and we are very much looking forward to their return later in the year.
Photos by Katja Ogrin

An absolutely stunning show by both OM & SUNN O))) last night at the Asylum, the low end rumblings set car alarms off throughout the neighbourhood. Not to mention the low level fog that covered Birmingham after the show – incredible!
The security at the venue were none to0 impressed 😉

Photos by Katja Ogrin

Tonight further theatrics in the form of PRAM accompanied by visuals by Film Ficciones and support from LIGHT TRAP
doors are at 8pm at VIVID, Heath Mill Lane in Digbeth. Just £6 and with a tasty selection of Purity Ale & Barefoot Sines on offer in our bar.
Advanced Tickets http://www.theticketsellers.co.uk

“Looking forward to another wet cold night in darkest Digbeth can only mean another Capsule show, this numbering three out of ten for their tenth birthday celebrations this month. Boasting a return to Birmingham for perennial favourites and sonic demolition artists Lightning Bolt the lineup was bolstered by two support acts spanning widely varying styles, yet with a shared love of volume.

…. Peaks and troughs in the set were all relative with the vocals, bass and drums coalescing into one thick, million decibel morass that assaulted the senses, although the sold-out crowd – gathered around the band as is Lightning Bolts wont – treated every song with rabid enthusiasm, and at multiple points audience members spilled into the band. Wildly and wilfully careering into such musical reference points as grindcore, mathrock, doom – even techno and drum n bass, Lightning Bolt may not seem like the ideal band to shake your ass to, but by the end of their set the mob had gone wild to such an extent the dancefloor looked like a nightmarish Hieronymus Bosch painting in neon crayons.” READ MORE
Review by Duncan Wilkins on BRUM LIVE

Some pretty amazing photos were taken last night from what was a deafeningly good show, the atmosphere was electric and folks went nuts!
Please send us your photos from last night to add to our archive. lisa[at]capsule.org.uk

Now a day of rest followed by another ear shattering show featuring the mighty Sunn 0))) + Om on Thursday at The Asylum. Tickets available from www.theticketsellers.co.uk + Polar Bear in Kings Heath

Friday we’re back at VIVID with PRAM accompanied by visuals by Film Ficciones + Light Trap doors 8pm