SuperSonic happens yearly and attracts a multitude of attention from all corners of the UK and further afield - there really. isn't another event like it in the UK that mixes such a prolific blend of artists. Previous perfomances by Coil, LCD Sound System, Senor Coconut, Battles, Modified Toy Orchestra, High on Fire, Thrones to name but a few.This years festival will take place at the Custard Factory, Birmingham on July 13th/14th.
”AS British music festivals go, Birmingham’s annual Supersonic event is the best kind of mixed musical bag, a dizzying assortment of avant rock textures and Heavy Metal thunder on a bill which swings from the sublime to the ridiculous without once seeming ostentatiously eclectic. Not only is the music consistently better than that of most UK weekenders, the atmosphere is equally enticing, making this the perfect festival for people who ‘wouldn’t normally do this kind of thing’…The organisers of Supersonic deserve credit for joining the dots between the cerebral pleasures of the avant garde and the primal pull of planet rock, striking a delicate balance between chin-stroking and headbanging few other British events bother to attempt. There’s a kind of straightforward karma at work here, the thought and care invested in making this event a worthwhile experience for all involved guarantees good word of mouth, and this in turn ensures its survival. One would like to think that Supersonic could provide a good example to the UK’s ailing – in terms of quality, rather than lucrativeness – festival circuit.”
The Wire
SUPERSONIC 2006
SUPERSONIC 2008 - Film and Talk Information
As a follow-up to last year's series of talks and round table discussion on the Midlands musical heritage, this year's festival boasts a pair of follow up discussions from experts in the field:
Mark Pilkington will be presenting 'From Heretics To Headbangers: Occultism, Rock and Pop Music in the UK' exploring the roots of contemporary British occultism and considering its baleful influence on 20th century popular music and Nicholas Bullen (Black Galaxy, Scorn, Napalm Death) brings us 'The Aesthetics of Grindcore' - both of these will take place on Saturday 12th in the Theatre Space.
Sunday will see presentations by Japanese artist Yukio Fujimoto who is renowned for his experimental use of sound + Brian Duffy the brains behind Modified Toy Orchestra who's work explores the hidden potential and surplus value latent inside redundant technology; a process creating sophisticated new electronic instruments from abandoned children's toys, they will be joined by French composer and multi-instrumentalist Pierre Bastien who will present both a performance and installation.
The film program this year will be curated in association with VICE Magazine & VBS -As well as bringing you the first screening of their award winning HEAVY METAL IN BAGHDAD documentary, there will be the best of their Soft Focus interviews (including IAN MACKAYE, PENNY RIMBAUD, HENRY ROLLINS, MARK E SMITH, KEVIN SHEILDS & WILL OLDHAM) and a host of short films.
In addition to this, the good people at SOUTHERN RECORDS and THRILL JOCKEY have opened their archives for us, and will be provided rarely seen and unseen videos and live footage- including THE WORLD PREMIERE of the FANTOMAS/MELVINS Live In London 2006 full length feature!
EYES (USA) Nail In The Coffin Records (Xiu Xiu, Meth And Goats, Laser Mountain, etc). Cosmic sensory overload of electro/R&B/pop/outsider free jazz worship. Totally good and totally from Chicago, USA. www. myspace. com/iieyes
EATS TAPES : Using a battery of hardware sequencers, synths, modified drum machines, cassette players and a midi Nintendo, Eats Tapes (Marijke Jorritsma and Gregory Zifcak) specializes in noisey, spazzy techno bangers with irresistable hooks. Fusing a variety of influences, they comfortably straddle the Bay Area's myriad club, psychedelic noise, and art rock scenes.
Portmanteau are two silly young men from Bristol have decided that bass heavy electro, owls, and bright colours make for the best possible way to while away the hours. Portmanteau combines live instrumentation, children’s instruments, synthesisers, samplers, visuals, and their owl known only as “the Colonel”
MOHA! (Berlin/Norway) members of NOXAGT & ULTRALYD on Rune Grammofon Records play a mindbending and intensely mathematical mix of free noise/rock/electronica www. myspace. com/themoha
