With a huge array of gigs on the horizon we thought it was only right to curate this month’s playlist around these artists. Take a listen as we move between genres covering everything from avant garde saxaphone to post punk and sludge metal.

You can get tickets to see everyone of these artists live including SUMAC (Old Man Gloom, ISIS) with Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean, Colin Stetson (grammy-award winning saxophonist and composer) with Dal:um, Orcutt Shelley Miller (Sonic Youth, Harry Pussy), the prolific The Ex, critically acclaimed Agriculture + Healing Wound, fan favourites SUNN O))) and THE NONE with their curated hometown line up of Machiavellian Art, Monoxide Brothers and NOT SOUP.

Supersonic Playlist! March: Music To Look Forward To!

1. Orcutt Shelley Miller – A Long Island Wedding
2. NOT SOUP – Public Nuisance
3. Monoxide Brothers – Spine
4. The Ex – Monday Song
5. THE NONE – At Hope
6. Machiavellian Art – Burning Mind
7. SUMAC & Moor Mother – Scene 1
8. Agriculture – Living Is Easy
9. Healing Wound – Purging Visions
10. Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean – Upheaval
11. SUNN O))) – Glory Black
12. Colin Stetson – The love it took to leave you
13. Dal:um – Cracking

THE NONE + MACHIAVELLIAN ART + MONOXIDE BROTHERS + NOT SOUP

SATURDAY 18 JULY 2026
Castle & Falcon, Birmingham

| TICKETS ON SALE NOW |

On Saturday 18th July we welcome THE NONE for a curated hometown throwdown at the Castle & Falcon, bringing together a celebration of Birmingham’s music community with Machiavellian Art, Monoxide Brothers and Not Soup joining the bill.

THE NONE are a band of lifelong musicians. Comprising of Birmingham and Supersonic Recordings own Kai Whyte (Blue Ruth, Youth Man) on vocals, bassist Gordon Moakes (Bloc Party, Young Legionnaire), guitarist Jim Beck (Cassels) and drummer Chris Francombe (Frauds), they make an uncompromising vision of noise rock with melody at its heart, channelling the spirit of The Jesus Lizard, Silverfish and Unwound. The band formed at the start of 2023 and bonded over hours in the rehearsal room – making noise, discussing shared obsessions, and, most importantly, playing together. The anonymity of their name reflects a creative approach which favours egoless experimentation and open collaboration. This ethos, the combined decades of music making, and the unique musical identities of all four members can be clearly heard in the art they create.

| SUMAC TICKETS | COLIN STETSON TICKETS | ORCUTT SHELLEY MILLER TICKETS |

| SUPERSONIC TICKETS | THE EX TICKETS | AGRICULTURE TICKETS | SUNN O))) TICKETS

SUPERSONIC FESTIVAL 2026 – LIMITED DAY TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

| DAY TICKETS | LINEUP | 

Supersonic Festival returns in 2026 for a joyful, limited-edition weekend in Digbeth, Birmingham on 25–26 April. We are thrilled to announce the release of a super-limited number of day tickets.

SATURDAY 25 APRIL

BONG II | GREET | MILKWEED | MMM | ØXN | TRAIDORA

+ WORKSHOP: ECO-FRIENDLY FABRIC SYNTHESIZER BUILDING WITH LIA MICE

+ SUPERSONIC MARKETPLACE

SUNDAY 26 APRIL

AMERETAT | ANCIENT HOSTILITY | DJ HARAM | FEEO | GUTTERSNIPE | MICROPLASTICS | PROSTITUTE

+ WORKSHOP: UNITE AND UNITE: PROTEST SONG – DEBBIE ARMOUR WITH ANCIENT HOSTILITY

+ FREAK ZONE PUB QUIZ

Saturday’s programme brings together a powerful and eclectic line-up: ØXN, featuring members of Lankum, Percolator and Katie Kim together they conjure experimental doom-folk shaped by motorik rhythms and Lynchian atmospheres, steeped in storytelling of love, loss and ritual. Milkweed weave British and Appalachian folk traditions with hauntological textures and fractured “plunderphonic” soundscapes that unsettle history and memory. Emerging from the cosmic remnants of Bong, Bong II reunite Mike Smith and Dawn Terry with Smote’s Daniel Foggin, pushing their ritualistic, drone-heavy repetitions into newly charged terrain. GREET crafts dark, cinematic folk rooted in the wild Yorkshire landscape, suspended between myth and reality. MMM is Gayle Brogan, Nick Jonah Davis and Elizabeth Still (Haress) together they offer a sonic response to the 5,000-year-old Calanais Stones on the Isle of Lewis, drawing on archaeology, astronomy and ancient lore. Led by Venezuelan-born trans artist Eva Leblanc, Traidora channel resilience and lived experience into raw, uncompromising music, now amplified by a powerful four-piece queer lineup. A late-night party will be announced soon.

Alongside the music, the Supersonic Marketplace, in collaboration with The Goths Playground, takes over the Zellig Building in the heart of Digbeth, free and open to all. A vibrant hub of independent culture, it brings together record labels, zine-makers, illustrators, DIY designers and curious traders offering everything from rare vinyl to handmade goods and folklore-inspired art. And Join Lia Mice, an award-winning multidisciplinary artist, educator, and pioneering maker of digital musical instruments, for a focused eco-friendly fabric synthesizer workshop.

Sunday plays host to Leeds duo Guttersnipe who will unleash their mutant, queer-fuelled rock assault with the feral intensity of new album Extinction Burst! (Night School Records), while London-based producer feeo threads hyper-personal storytelling through ambient, drone and minimalist electronics. Supersonic also hosts a worldwide exclusive from Microplastics, a new live project featuring 96 Back, aya and Jennifer Walton. Evolving from DIY roots into full-throttle band form. Iranian diaspora collective Ameretat fuse traditional musical and literary influences with crust, hardcore and drone. DJ Haram (also one half of 700 Bliss alongside Moor Mother) brings her incendiary blend of rap, club and Middle Eastern electronics. Detroit’s Prostitute channel volatile post-punk and Arab rock energy. Ancient Hostility join forces with the Supersonic Choir for close-harmony folk rooted in resistance and radical history.

Beyond the live programme, Sunday invites participation and play. Unite and Unite: Protest Song sees Debbie Armour (Burd Ellen) and Ancient Hostility lead an open, all-welcome singing workshop culminating in a pop-up Supersonic Choir performance, no experience needed. We present the ever-mischievous Freak Zone Pub Quiz hosted by broadcaster Stuart Maconie, promising leftfield trivia, deep musical cuts and plenty of surprises.

Workshops run all weekend, alongside a host of guest DJs.

SUNN O)))

THURSDAY 2 JULY 2026
O2 Institute Birmingham

| SKIDDLE TICKETS | TICKETMASTER TICKETS |

SUNN O))) returns to the live aspect in its core, original raw form. Founders/guitarists Stephen O’Malley & Greg Anderson will perform as a duo immersed in profound valve amplification, spectral harmonics, distortion and volume. Pure and primeval riffs of temporality, massively heavy structures of sound pressure. Witness a live experience of physical sound, fog and glacial maximalism like no other..

SUNN O))) will be touring in support of their first album of new material since 2019’s acclaimed Pyroclasts. Their tenth album – their debut for new label Sub Pop demonstrates the duo’s mastery of time and space, light and dark, and their willingness to evolve their unmistakable sound into bold new forms.

Listen To the New SUNN O))) Track “Butch’s Guns” HERE

| SUMAC TICKETS | COLIN STETSON TICKETS | ORCUTT SHELLEY MILLER TICKETS |

| SUPERSONIC TICKETS | THE EX TICKETS | AGRICULTURE TICKETS |

AGRICULTURE + HEALING WOUND

SATURDAY 20 JUNE 2026
Castle & Falcon, Birmingham

| TICKETS ON SALE NOW | 

Extreme music has the ability to be a powerful mode of expression for feelings of absolute bliss, overwhelming love, and awe-inspiring sublimity – extreme emotions no less, and those which black metal quartet Agriculture evokes with its ecstatic subversion of the sub-genre’s tropes. After having them join us at Supersonic 2024 while they were touring the Living Is Easy EP, they blew us away with their honest and powerful music. Now they’re back with their new album The Spiritual Sound.

| SUMAC TICKETS | COLIN STETSON TICKETS | ORCUTT SHELLEY MILLER TICKETS |

| SUPERSONIC TICKETS | THE EX TICKETS | 

Photo by Paulo Gonzales

SUPERSONIC IN CONVERSATION WITH BRIAN COOK OF SUMAC‼

| EVENT | TICKETS |

We caught up with Brian Cook over email ahead of SUMAC’s show at The Castle & Falcon on Wednesday 8th April, where we spoke about the formation of SUMAC, the extensive musical backgrounds each member brings into the project, and their incredible collaboration with Moor Mother, released last year.

Supersonic: How did forming SUMAC come about?

Brian: It was a little unorthodox. Or at least it wasn’t the usual “I answered an ad in the local paper” or “me and my buds jammed one night.” Aaron moved up to the Seattle area from LA in the early 2010s and given that we’d known each other through music stuff since 1998 or so, we started regularly meeting up for coffee hangouts. Both of our old bands had broken up recently so we were commiserating a fair amount on that shared experience. Somewhere along the way we started kicking around ideas for a music project. It was nothing serious in my mind… I had started playing with Russian Circles a year or two earlier and wasn’t looking to add more touring to my plate, but there was a lot of crossover in the kinds of heavy music we appreciated, I remember Caspar Brötzmann Massaker and Khanate coming up a fair amount, and I think we were both interested in tapping into something that our other projects hadn’t explored. Aaron took the initiative and started inquiring about drummers. Kurt Ballou had just recorded a Baptists record and suggested their drummer Nick to Aaron. Next thing I know, I get home from a Russian Circles tour and find out Aaron has an hour’s worth of material with this Canadian guy I’ve never met. A few weeks later I tracked the bass for the album in our friend Mel’s basement. All this time I was thinking it was a pretty interesting endeavour, but it certainly wasn’t a “band.” I hadn’t even met Nick yet. It was a total studio project. But Aaron and Nick felt really good about the musical chemistry between them, and once we got a final mix of the first album The Deal, I realised that maybe there was something here that needed to be explored more deeply. Not long after, we started playing shows, and that’s when it felt like a real band.

Supersonic: How does your history in other projects shape what happens in SUMAC?

Brian: I think there’s always something to learn from working with other musicians, so our other bands all certainly informed SUMAC. One thing that has been frequently mentioned in our discussions is that SUMAC is definitely Aaron’s band. He’s the guy with the vision and the ideas. But Nick and I have plenty of room to shape the songs with our respective instruments. I think playing with other bands allowed me to get to a point where I can play in a band like SUMAC and have enough faith in Aaron’s concepts and Nick’s ability to create patterns and grooves out of Aaron’s riffs that I can play more of a supporting role. Traditionally, all my old bands were at least on the surface, total democracies. Anyone could bring in ideas. Anyone could veto something. There still tended to be an imbalance in creative input, but at least the door was open. But stepping into Russian Circles, where there was this established writing dynamic between Mike and Dave that I didn’t want to undermine, was helpful in learning to serve the band rather than showboat my ideas. So by the time SUMAC came around, I think it was a lot easier to check my ego and lean into a specific role. But strangely enough, there’s so much improvisation in SUMAC that it really does wind up being a sonic democracy in a lot of ways, but it’s housed in a framework built by Aaron.

Supersonic: What has been one of the most memorable gigs you’ve played?

Brian: Well, on a very basic level we’re a big loud rock band, though we do want to push back at and challenge a lot of the norms surrounding that classification. That said… we’re guitar, bass, and drums and we have a lot of gear and we want to play venues where we can do big loud rock band things. But we do occasionally venture into some non-traditional spaces. For example, we somehow got booked in Oxnard, California at this “coffee shop” called Mrs. Olson’s. I don’t really understand how this place was a functioning business. I believe there was a kitchen but they weren’t open for food service. It didn’t look like a place where you’d want to get a coffee. There was a bar, but even that aspect of the venue seemed barely operational. It was situated in a marina, so I imagine the rent wasn’t cheap, but it was fairly derelict, so maybe it was in its death throes at the time. The interior design aesthetic was a combination of patriotic slogans, camo tactical gear, medieval stage props, neon black light paint murals, and Tool memorabilia. As you can imagine, it had a very heavy “everyone here has a meth habit” vibe, which was confirmed at the end of the night when I walked in on a bunch of employees and their friends doing key bumps in the men’s bathroom. There was a stage but almost no PA. And of course, it was booked by an outside promoter, so no one on site seemed to know what was going on, and there was a palpable sense of hostility emanating from the staff. Everything really felt like a bad vibe. About 20 to 30 people showed up for the show. It should’ve been a disaster… one of those nights where you go to sleep wondering where you made the wrong turn in life… but it wound up being one of our favourite shows of the tour. The energy in the room was so fucked up that we just kinda leaned into it. It felt like a truly lawless space, and once we determined that we weren’t going to wind up like that band in The Green Room, we just kinda savoured the fact that we had this platform in this dodgy area where we could just kinda go musically feral. One of the joys of SUMAC is that the songs are very malleable and have a lot of space where we can explore, and as long as we’re allowed to play at our chosen volume, we can usually take advantage of even the weirdest rooms and bend them to our will.

Supersonic: Tell us about your latest album with Moor Mother, how did this collaboration come about?

Brian: Aaron was a big Moor Mother fan early on, and it wound up that there was mutual admiration. I think we’d talked about doing some tour dates together years ago, though they never came to fruition. Maybe that’s how we wound up on her radar. I don’t know. But I believe Camae was the one who initially proposed the collaboration. Though we’ve teamed up with artists like Keiji Haino for collaborative improvised albums in the past, we were trying to create something that was structured but that left a lot of room for Camae to be front and center, so there was a conscious effort to go a more minimalist route with the music. As with any collaboration, it’s an experiment in seeing how different musical approaches can feed into each other.

SUMAC play The Castle & Falcon on Wednesday 8th April, and tickets are on sale now. With April fast approaching, we’d strongly recommend grabbing yours sooner rather than later.

SUPERSONIC FESTIVAL 2026 – TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

| TICKETS | LINEUP | 

Supersonic Festival returns to Digbeth, Birmingham on 25–26 April 2026 for a special limited edition. As Digbeth continues to be reshaped by gentrification and redevelopment this more intimate edition is both a response and a refusal. While making space to imagine Supersonic’s future.

ØXN

Artistic Director and co-founder Lisa Meyer says: “Digbeth was once our wild frontier,  a place where anything felt possible. This edition gives us the breathing space to reflect, plan for the future, and come together once again through the power of art and music. In dark times, creating space for collective, joyous catharsis feels more important than ever.”

DJ Haram by Suchi Jalavancha

Though reduced in size, the 2026 programme remains rich and adventurous. Supersonic is proud to present a worldwide exclusive from Microplastics, a new live band featuring 96 back, aya and Jennifer Walton, whose evolution from DJ collective to rock band has been years in the making. Detroit’s Prostitute bring volatile live shows fusing experimental post-punk with Arab rock, while ØXN (featuring members of Lankum, Percolator and Katie Kim) return with their haunting, motorik-driven doom-folk.

Traidora by Doomridermedia

Elsewhere on the lineup, Milkweed weave British folk, Appalachian song and hauntological sound collage; Bong II reunite members of Bong and joined by Daniel of Smote for ritualistic, drone-heavy explorations; and DJ Haram delivers boundary-pushing club, bass and rap-rooted electronics. The bill is completed by Ameretat, blending Iranian musical traditions with crust and hardcore; cinematic Yorkshire folk project GREET; site-responsive collaboration MMM brings together Gayle Brogan, Nick Jonah Davis and Elizabeth Still of Haress who have immersed themselves in the archaeology, astronomy and lore of extraordinary 5000-year-old Calanais Stones on the Isle of Lewis and Traidora, whose raw, uncompromising sound channels lived experiences of resistance and survival.

Stuart Maconie at Supersonic 2024 by John Convery

STUART MACONIE’S FREAK ZONE PUB QUIZ RETURNS!
| SIGN UP HERE | SUPERSONIC 2026 TICKET HOLDERS ONLY

“We at the Freak Zone are delighted to once again be involved with Birmingham’s Supersonic Festival, the UK’s home of left field and experimental metal, folk, electronica, sludge, doom, drone and all genres in-between. We feel we are kindred spirits; both keen on both challenging, adventurous and unusual music and committed to having fun as well as having our heads expanded. Come and join us in Digbeth this spring!” – Stuart Maconie BBC Radio 6 Music

Further artists will be announced in the coming weeks, alongside a full programme of workshops, talks and guest DJ sets.

SUPERSONIC 2026 LINEUP ANNOUNCED AND TICKETS ON SALE

THURSDAY 29 JANUARY AT 12:00

| MORE INFO | TICKETS |

The time is nearly upon us. This Thursday at 12:00, we will be announcing the Supersonic Festival 2026 lineup. At the same time, remaining tickets for this year’s festival will be released via our website.

With 50% of tickets already sold through our earlybird release, and a reduced capacity for this year’s event, only a very limited number of tickets will be available. We strongly recommend acting quickly if you’re hoping to join us.

We are proud members of PRS Foundation, Talent Development Network (TDN) 2025. One of the many ways we are using this support is to produce a regular news item for UK music creators specifically designed to signpost the most significant national and international opportunities.

Please help us spread this work by sharing the newsletter resource with your peers, and also if you know of any other relevant opportunities that we haven’t included, please send any upcoming opportunities to us info@capsule.org.uk

SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST

Photo by John Convery

BURSARY & GRANTS

PRS Foundation: Early Career Promotion Fund

Deadline: 12 February 2026

Grants of up to £3,500 will be available to support a range of activity, including:

• The booking, programming and promotion of gigs, concerts, club nights, showcases, tours and other performances
• Costs associated with those activities (including venue hire, production, artist and/or DJ fees, crew fees, administration and other related costs)
• Capacity building (including mentoring, coaching, shadowing, workshops, masterclasses, and other skill building and networking opportunities)
• Other expenditure which helps grantees to programme a diverse range of artists, develop new audiences and build their skills

ARTIST DEVELOPMENT

Serious & Black Lives in Music: Equaliser Mentorship Programme 

Deadline: 28 January 2026

Supporting emerging live sound engineers from Black and global majority backgrounds with paid opportunities across the Barbican, the Royal Albert Hall and Britten Pears Arts.

Successful applicants will partake in a year-round programme where you will have the opportunity to:

• Paid placements with live sound teams at the Barbican, Royal Albert Hall and Britten Pears Arts
• Practical experience in sound engineering, technical setup, and concert production
• Participation in Serious’ Take Five residency (23–27 February 2026) a fully residential programme where the mentee will shadow production staff, support live sound tasks, and mix a final performance
• Mentorship, seminars, panel sessions, and networking across the wider music industry
• Opportunities to work on major events such as the EFG London Jazz Festival

Eligiblity:

• Be based in the UK (nationality not required)
• Be from a Black or global majority background
• Have a minimum of one year’s production or engineering experience
• Be available 23–27 February 2026 for the Take Five residency

Brighter Sound: Change the Record Retreat

Deadline: 6 February 2026

Brighter Sound are inviting people of marginalised genders working across the music industry to join them for a four-day retreat in March 2026.

Supported by Sony Music, it’s a supportive, open space to step back from day-to-day pressures and explore the core question: What tools can I use and develop to drive change in the music sector?

The programme has been curated around six key themes: Agency, Autonomy, Social Justice, Care, Vision, and Belief.

B:Music: Aspiring Music Leaders

Deadline: 16 February 2026 

This is for 18-28 musicians with an interest in teaching or community work.

• Receive mentorship
• Develop skills to lead your own music workshops to classes and groups
• Shadow secondary and primary outreach including Generation Birmingham and B:Music Summer School 2025

This is a paid learning opportunity, with the intention of welcoming successful applicants to our B:Music team of tutors once they have completed their training.

Manchester Collective: EXPERIMENTA 

Deadline: 19 February 2026

Manchester Collective invite three music creators without formal training in classical music

• to work with singer/composer Héloïse Werner and percussionist Beibei Wang to experiment with new techniques in writing for other musicians
• receive mentoring from Héloïse Werner and Jasmin Kent Rodgman and be invited to showcase their work (or work in progress) at The White Hotel (Salford) in July 2026.
• Receive a bursary of £1,125 to support your participation.

EXPERIMENTA 2026 is open to music creators who

• create original music
• are based in the north of England OR are from the north of England and based elsewhere in the UK. The north of England includes Cheshire, Cumbria, County Durham, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Yorkshire
• have experienced barriers to entering the classical music sector. This could be due to disability, neurodivergence, socioeconomic disadvantage, being a woman (including trans women), non-binary, trans, global majority, and/or LGBTQ+
• have not completed conservatoire training or studied classical composition at university level
• are not currently in full-time education
• are aged over 18

Fierce Festival: Fierce Jams

Deadline: 2 March 2026

Exclusively for Birmingham-based live artists and contemporary performance makers.

Fierce Jams is a new, ongoing, and nomadic performance series, indulging small-scale experiments in contemporary performance and live art. It is an excuse for Birmingham’s performance community to gather and to develop their practice in conversation with each other.

Each edition will feature 4 local artists – selected through a mixture of invitations and an open call – plus a guest national or international artist.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Tomorrow’s Warriors: Learning Outreach and Engagement Office

Deadline: 4 February 2026

A full-time year long paid internship (and bursary) working withing a learning, outreach and engagement office.

Career development opportunity for a bright, hardworking young person passionate about music, especially jazz.

Tomorrow’s Warriors seek to address the under-representation in the music industry of Black talent, women/girls and people from working class backgrounds.

Fierce Festival: Festival Producer

Deadline: 23 February 2026

Experience freelance producer wanted to shape and lead the delivery of the longest-established live arts festival in the UK – which will take place this October.

• Work with the festival co-directors, the production manager and wider team, to deliver an extraordinary programme of local, national and international performance.
• Manage teams, co-ordinate with artists and partners, and work to create a festival which embeds our values of Trust, Rigour, Disruption and Joy.

Photo by Snap Rock and Pop

APPLY HERE

“The audience at Supersonic are so open and up for anything!” – Workshop Leader feedback from last year.

We are on the lookout for some wonderfully creative minds to bring us unusual, imaginative and engaging new workshops that will take place as part of the festival weekend (April 25 – 26).

From in-depth sessions to indulgent fun, we want you to craft something extraordinary for our curious audiences. Whether you work alone, as a group, or are part of an organisation, we want to hear ideas that embrace our passion for collaboration between both artists and audience alike.

We are a festival which celebrates expressive, challenging and generally out-there music and art. We remain inclusive, accessible and engaging to varied audiences both new and returning. We’re looking for fun, creative and joyous workshops to fit in with our festival environment! We’ve previously hosted workshops around singing, zines, upcycling, life-drawing, yoga, costume-making, sculpture – you name it!

Workshop proposals should present a singular, innovative idea that encapsulates a clear understanding of what Supersonic is about. If you have more than one idea we would need separate completed applications.

Workshops can exist as a more casual drop in session in our main festival site, or be a more focused session for a smaller group.

Whilst it’s dark and gloomy outside we’re looking forward to our 2026 programme containing some of experimental music’s central figures. Delve into this playlist and get ready for live shows from SUMAC (Old Man Gloom, ISIS), Colin Stetson (grammy-award winning saxophonist and composer), Orcutt Shelley Miller (Sonic Youth, Harry Pussy) and the prolific The Ex.

Supersonic Playlist! January: Upcoming in 2026!

1. Sonic Youth – ‘Cross The Breeze
2. The Ex – 148
3. Orcutt Shelley Miller – A Star Is Born
4. Harry Pussy – Showroom Dummies
5. SUMAC – Image of Control (II)
6. SUMAC and Moor Mother – Scene 1
7. Old Man Gloom – Heel to Toe
8. ISIS – In Fiction
9. Colin Stetson – The love it took to leave you
10. Orcutt Shelley Miller – A Long Island Wedding
11. The Ex – Monday Song
12. Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld – Captured (Blue Caprice OST)
13. The Ex – Wheel

SUMAC

WEDNESDAY 8 APRIL 2026
Castle & Falcon, Birmingham

| TICKETS |

We’re very excited to host the experimental sludge metal force SUMAC, a project that brings together three musicians whose combined work spans the outer reaches of metal, noise, and free-form improvisation. Known for their crushing heaviness, SUMAC operate at the intersection of visceral power and fearless experimentation.

April and May are looking stacked! Alongside Sumac, we’re also excited to host acclaimed saxophonist and composer Colin Stetson on 14th April, followed by a collaboration of underground legends in the form of Orcutt Shelley Miller (members of Harry Pussy, Sonic Youth, Comets on Fire) on 21st April. Then comes our 2026 limited‑edition Supersonic Festival on 25‑26 April, before experimental post‑punk band The Ex take the stage on 21st May.

| SUMAC TICKETS | COLIN STETSON TICKETS | ORCUTT SHELLEY MILLER TICKETS | THE EX TICKETS |

We are proud members of PRS Foundation, Talent Development Network (TDN) 2025. One of the many ways we are using this support is to produce a regular news item for UK music creators specifically designed to signpost the most significant national and international opportunities.

Please help us spread this work by sharing the newsletter resource with your peers, and also if you know of any other relevant opportunities that we haven’t included, please send any upcoming opportunities to us info@capsule.org.uk

SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST

Photo by Cat Dineley

BURSARY & GRANTS

Interstice Records: Artist Callout

Deadline: 5 January 2026

Interstice are seeking an artist/band to release an EP for. We’re on the hunt for sounds that lean into the unfamiliar, residing in the apertures between rigid boundaries and genres.

The artist/band will receive:

• A bursary of £960
• Digital and physical release of their EP
• Professional mixing and mastering of tracks
• Distribution and promotional campaign
• Option for collaboration with our team’s graphic designer
• EP launch party
• Support from our team throughout

For this release, artists must be 18+ and based in or able to travel to Glasgow.

YSWM: Rewired

Deadline: 11 January 2026

Celebrating 10 years since YSWN’s founding, the Rewired programme is offering a series of micro-commissions and larger opportunities for women and gender-diverse working with electronic music and sound art in Yorkshire and the Humber.

YSWM want to respond to exciting artistic ideas proposed by the YSWN community and embrace varied influences and practices: supporting a diverse cohort of music creators across a range of music genres.

Rewired is offering:

• 3 x micro commissions worth £750 each
• 1 x main commission worth £1,500

PRS Foundation: Early Career Promotion Fund

Deadline: 12 February 2026

Grants of up to £3,500 will be available to support a range of activity, including:

• The booking, programming and promotion of gigs, concerts, club nights, showcases, tours and other performances
• Costs associated with those activities (including venue hire, production, artist and/or DJ fees, crew fees, administration and other related costs)
• Capacity building (including mentoring, coaching, shadowing, workshops, masterclasses, and other skill building and networking opportunities)
• Other expenditure which helps grantees to programme a diverse range of artists, develop new audiences and build their skills

ARTIST DEVELOPMENT

Birmingham Contemporary Music Group: The Crossing Forward Exchange Residency

Deadline: 31 December 2025

A new exchange residency for composers in England and the Netherlands. The Crossing Forward Exchange Residency is a groundbreaking partnership between BCMG and Het Muziek (formerly Asko│Schönberg), Amsterdam. Collaborate with visionary musicians, tap into expert mentoring and technical support, and connect with audiences eager for innovation.

• A residency of six to eight weeks (continuous or split, to be agreed) in Birmingham for applicants based in the Netherlands, or Amsterdam for applicants based in England
• Working sessions with a small ensemble using acoustic and/or electronic instruments, with a conductor and/or soloist where relevant
• Immersion in host activities, including rehearsals, concerts, and learning events
• Financial support: we will provide a commission of up to 3,000 EUR (2,650 GBP); a bursary of up to 3,000 EUR (2,650 GBP); travel support of up to 1,500 EUR (1,300 GBP); and assistance with accommodation

Live & Local: Developing Artists in Rural Touring

Deadline: 4 January 2026

Training day for Midlands-based performers interested in rural touring. You could be a musician, a theatre maker, dancer or spoken word artist. You will also be paid £150 to attend.

22 January 2026 in Nottingham.

Flatpack Festival: Optical Soundwaves

Deadline: 11 January 2026

Artist development programme for a Birmingham based composer interested in writing and performing live music for film running from January – March.

• Workshops and masterclasses delivered by guest composers
• Opportunities to network and collaborate with other composers
• Scratch nights for work-in-progress performances (which could be existing projects or new ones developed as part of the programme)

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Centrala: Community Inclusion Officer

Deadline: 31 December 2025

Part time role to support the delivery of Centrala’s Migration Programme. The role involves building strong, trusting relationships with migrant communities, uncovering what matters to people, and helping them connect, participate, and influence positive change.

This month’s playlist is dedicated to our team’s favourite new releases of 2025. This includes everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Birmingham’s own Meatdripper. As well as Supersonic Alumni The None, Haress, Yves Tumour and Poor Creature to name a few. For your listening pleasure!

Supersonic Playlist! December: Best of 2025!
1. Backxwash – Wake Up
2. Rosalia ft Bjork & Yves Tumor – Berghain
3. aya – Off to Esso
4. Sumac & Moor Mother – Scene 1
5. Smote – The Linton Wyrm
6. Meatdripper – Homegrown
7. The None – In Civic Pride
8. Facs – You Future
9. Industry – War On The Poor
10. Ameretat – Ghazal-e-ātish / Posht-e-pardeh (Ode to the Fire / Behind the Veil)
11. France – B. Destino Scifosi (Partie 2)
12. Haress – Skylarks
13. Bruce Springsteen – Something In The Well

14. Milkweed – The Milk-fed Calf
15. Poor Creature – All Smiles Tonight

THE EX

THURSDAY 21 MAY 2026
Castle & Falcon, Birmingham

| TICKETS |

We’re very excited to welcome the ever-innovative underground experimentalists The Ex back to Birmingham. Emerging from Amsterdam’s political squats during the late 70s punk explosion, they quickly began pushing the limits of the genre, weaving in no-wave and noise influences before incorporating a wide array of ideas drawn from non-Western and non-rock sources. These include Hungarian and Turkish folk songs and, more recently, music from Ethiopia, Congo and Eritrea, while still maintaining the raw energy that motivated their formation.

April & May are looking stacked! Alongside The Ex in May, we’re also excited to host acclaimed saxophonist and composer Colin Stetson on 14th April, followed by a collaboration of underground legends in the form of Orcutt Shelley Miller (members of Harry Pussy, Sonic Youth, Comets on Fire) on 21st April! Then our 2026 limited edition Supersonic Festival on 25-26 April!

| COLIN STETSON TICKETS | ORCUTT SHELLEY MILLER TICKETS | THE EX TICKETS |

We are overjoyed that Supersonic Festival is returning to the Crossing Digbeth from 25 – 26 April! Get ready for a weekend packed with the best in experimental and DIY music!

Despite challenges with venues and rising costs, our team is hard at work curating a mighty fine lineup to bring our community together this April! A super limited number of EARLYBIRD TICKETS are on sale now!

| SUPERSONIC 2026 STATEMENT |

| TICKETS ON SALE NOW |

SOLIDARITY TICKET – We know that some of our long-standing fans can afford to pay more. Inspired by the global “solidarity ticket” movement, we have tiered tickets available. So if you are able to invest in Supersonic through a solidarity ticket, you’ll be subsidising a % of free tickets for others, whilst also ensuring the good ship Supersonic keeps sailing for many future festival editions.

We are also including a PAYMENT PLAN option again this year to help spread the cost, these must be purchased by January 30th and can be found here!

Sign up to our mailing list for all further updates – the first lineup announcement and standard weekend tickets will be available in the coming weeks!

Supersonic Festival 2026 – An Important Update

We’re delighted to let you know that we’ve now confirmed dates of 25-26 April for our 2026 Festival. This is a few months earlier than in recent years and the Festival will be something of a special Limited Edition, with fewer tickets available than this year – so please put the dates in your diary now and be ready to book as soon as we put it on sale to be sure of not missing out!

The reasons behind this decision are largely related to the changing nature of Birmingham. When we first began, Digbeth was our wild frontier, a place where anything felt possible. We built stages in old warehouses, turned empty shops into art spaces, made installations under viaducts, and filled the streets with the energy and creativity of our amazing community.

But times have changed. In recent years, we’ve fought hard to keep Supersonic rooted in the place where it all began, battling against rapid gentrification and the steady rise of faceless apartment blocks replacing the vibrant, independent spaces that once defined Digbeth.  On top of that, the rising costs of delivering an independent festival have made it harder than ever to keep doing what we do.

We look to our European peers with admiration (and, if we’re honest, a little envy): they’re supported by cities that invest heavily in culture, with incredible venues and public funding that make ambitious projects possible. Meanwhile, Birmingham has been a far more hostile environment for independent culture, unable to offer much support for the creativity that gives a city its soul.

While we’ve remained resilient, these challenges have taken their toll, financially and personally. So, for 2026, we’ve made the decision to produce this Limited Edition Supersonic Festival: a smaller, more intimate gathering focused around one main venue in Digbeth and a smaller capacity. This special edition will, of course, still embody everything you love about Supersonic – extraordinary artists, boundary-pushing sounds, and the joy of coming together as a community.

The earlier dates will also give us the breathing space over next summer to imagine what comes next for Supersonic, and to plan for 2027 and beyond. We don’t know yet whether that might mean building new partnerships with venues that share our values, finding a new home elsewhere and/or reinventing what Supersonic can be for the future. But we’re excited to be able to have the time to explore possibilities.

We need your support now more than ever. Buy your tickets early, not just to secure your spot, but to help us focus our energy on what truly matters: the music, the art, and the people who make Supersonic what it is.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for standing with us through it all. Together, we’ll shape the next chapter of Supersonic. We can’t do it without you!

Lisa Meyer, Artistic Director

ORCUTT SHELLEY MILLER

TUESDAY 21 APRIL 2026
Castle & Falcon, Birmingham

| MORE INFO | TICKETS ON SALE NOW |

We’re very excited to host a collaboration of underground legends, in the form of Orcutt Shelley Miller. This unique meeting of three boundary-pushing artists brings together decades of innovation across noise, experimental rock, free improv and beyond.

This month’s playlist is dedicated to songs, old and new, that our team have found themselves listening to ‘On Repeat’. The eclectic list ranges from slack trad band Milkweed, antifascist trans punk from Traidora, Supersonic alumni and tear-jerkers Funeral Folk from Maria W Horn + Sara Parkman, to the 12-minute version of Meat Loaf’s I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)– chosen by our Artistic Director Lisa, who’s had this on repeat ever since our festival afterparty!

Supersonic Playlist! November: On Repeat!
1. Pandagolff – New Balance
2. Shudder To Think – Red House
3. Bailter Space – Begin
4. Maria Somerville – Projections
5. The New Eves – Cow Song
6. Ameretat – Ghazal-e-ātish / Posht-e-pardeh (Ode to the Fire / Behind the Veil)
7. Mercy – Self Sabotage
8. Traidora – Una mujer trans sin pais
9. Milkweed – Exile of the Sons of Uisliu
10. OXN – Cruel Mother (Drokk Remix)
11. Meatloaf – I’d do anything for love (But I won’t do that) 12 mins version
12. Beverly Glenn Copeland – Let Us Dance
13. Funeral Folk Funeral Folk Maria W Horn + Sara Parkman – Till Margareta

COLIN STETSON + SPECIAL GUESTS

TUESDAY 14 APRIL 2026
Bradshaw Hall, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

| MORE INFO | TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY 17 OCT, 10AM |

Supersonic Festival are thrilled to welcome the extraordinary Colin Stetson to Birmingham for a spellbinding performance at the prestigious Bradshaw Hall in the Birmingham Royal Conservatoire. A renowned saxophonist and composer, Stetson is celebrated for his innovative approach to the instrument and his ability to push the frontiers of contemporary music.

To get into the Halloween spirit, here’s our Supersonic Halloween playlist – all the tracks we’re listening to this season: handpicked, mixed, and ready to haunt your speakers. Featuring Black Sabbath, Ragana, The Misfits, Thou, Witch Club Satan, Backxwash, Upchuck, YHWH Nailgun and more!

We’re hosting our very own Halloween party at The Castle & Falcon on 30th October, with Les Savy Fav, Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam, Not Soup & Monoxide Brothers (DJ)! We’ll be running a fancy dress comp too – best costume wins a prize – so get creative!

| TICKETS | MORE INFO |

We’re buzzing to announce that neurotic noise-pop greats Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam will be joining us for the Les Savy Fav Halloween party at The Castle & Falcon on Thursday 30th October! To top it off, we’ll also be running a fancy-dress competition – with a prize for the best costume!

| TICKETS |

Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam is a cult Birmingham indie-rock band known for their energetic live shows, catchy but eccentric songs, and fuzzed-out, guitar-heavy noise.

We’re delighted to share the outcome of this year’s Black Lodge Press Collective Poster Making Workshop at Supersonic Festival! Through cut and paste collage, ink experiments, and DIY printing techniques, our audience came together to create a unifying poster. It reflects the shared values of Supersonic, Black Lodge Press, and our brilliant audience, something that feels especially important in these worrying times. Born from collective creativity, it stands proudly for music, for art, for life, for the death of fascism!

Download your free high-quality PDF version, and feel free to use it however you like!

| DOWNLOAD HERE |

Backxwash by Steve Gerrard

We are once again completely heart warmed by the incredible press, artist and audience response from this year’s festival. A huge thank you to all that joined us in creating joyous memories together. The festival wouldn’t be what it is without the support from our wonderful audience.

“the festival still manages to not just survive, but thrive. It could even be argued that the tougher things get in the city around them, Supersonic’s power increases in reaction. This vitality, you sense, is thanks to two things – firstly, the unbroken sense of community among the crowd, who are as friendly and inclusive as it comes, buying entirely into the festival’s wider DIY ethos. Secondly, the programming itself, which is faultless.” The Quietus
| Read Review |

“Supersonic is as innovative and intelligent as festival bills get. Spread across the buzzing industrial creative hub of Digbeth in Birmingham, its boundary-shattering line-ups proudly provide a home for the heavy, the weird and the experimental. It wears its values on its sleeve, championing individuality, solidarity and defiance in the face of oppressiveness from the gloomy world outside.” Kerrang 
| Read Review |

*****
“the festival was once more a spectacular success.” The Arts Desk

| Read Review |

” Heavy and experimental are the watchwords for Supersonic, but this is a festival concerned less with genre boundaries than with providing a space where undiluted creativity is allowed to run amok. It has been running since 2003, and is one of the most successful small festivals in the country. It is also, arguably, the best.

Supersonic can claim to be not just the best small festival in the country, but the best of any size.” Klof Mag
| Read Review |

“Norwegian black metal trio Witch Club Satan made a thrilling, theatrical and utterly terrifying UK debut at Birmingham’s Supersonic Festival” Louder
| Read Review |

BBC 6 Music Freak Zone Supersonic 2025 Special
| Listen Here |

Witch Club Satan by Sam John Jones

“the diversity and dynamism of Supersonic suggests an organizational wherewithal that at the very least respectable… if not marvellous.” Knotfest
| Review Here |

“The festival’s precarious annual existence makes each edition feel precious rather than permanent. Every year brings fresh threats, yet Meyer and her team continue to pull rabbits from increasingly expensive hats. This resilience isn’t just admirable; it’s essential. In a world trending toward homogenization, Supersonic stands as proof that the weird, the challenging, and the genuinely experimental still have a place.” Montreal Rocks

| Review Here |

“The dedication to showcasing such diverse artistry, and remaining fiercely independent against the ever-growing threat of gentrification, could be felt throughout. If you’ve been on the fence about going in the past, then you need to go. You won’t be disappointed.” Loud Women

| Review Here |

“Battling mounting odds, and the encroaching horde of dead-eyed money men, the Supersonic crew keep the torches burning for the experimental and the just plain weird. Despite continuing venue difficulties, 2025’s edition of the festival was as great as ever, a defiant celebration of musical exploration and the shared magic of performance.” Echoes and Dust

| Friday Review | Saturday Review | Sunday Review |

“This year’s Festival was an exercise in overcoming obstacles for the organisers, who pulled off a faultless programme of events against the odds, as Lisa Meyer and her crew gave us a Pandora’s box of sonic delights to leave us all inspired, invigorated, and definitely making plans to return next year, wherever and however they present this incredible meeting of minds.” Devolution Magazine

| Review Here |

“Diversity has always been a key pillar of Supersonic. Not just in terms of demographics – the festival’s assortment of experimental acts guarantees each year the boundaries of heaviness are pushed in exciting new directions.” Metal Hammer

“Songs about loved ones, vocal meditations, musical trance, folk or post-metal jazz – this year’s Supersonic showed how music allows us to participate in rituals in many ways.” Nowe Idzie Od Morza

| Review Here |

| Supersonic in pictures | BBC Birmingham