The Supersonic Festival 2025 timetable is here!
Plan your weekend of adventurous music, DIY culture, and mind-expanding experiences in the heart of Digbeth start plotting your journey.
Tickets for Friday/Weekend go offline at 15:30 but you will be able to purchase them at our box office from 17:00

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Location & Opening Hours:
Zellig Building, Digbeth, Birmingham
Saturday 14:00 – 21:00
Sunday 13:00 – 21:00
Free entry – all welcome

Supersonic Festival’s much-loved Market Place is back for 2025 this year housed at the Zellig Building in the heart of Digbeth and best of all, it’s free and open to the public all weekend.

A vibrant hub of independent culture, the Market Place is home to record labels, zine-makers, illustrators, DIY designers, and pedlars of all manner of curiosities. From rare vinyl to handmade goods, anarchist prints to folklore-inspired art, visitors can explore an eclectic mix of stalls, alongside band and festival merchandise from this year’s stellar lineup.

This year’s Market Place features an incredible range of independent vendors including Alt Vinyl, Another Realm, Black Lodge Press, Boswellian Artefacts, Bunny Bissoux, Dao Dao Studio, Dog Section Press, and Edgeworld Records.

Whether you’re crate-digging, sipping tea, dancing to a DJ set or tucking into a piping-hot roti, the Supersonic Market Place is your go-to destination for discovery, inspiration, and independent culture in full force.

But the Market Place is more than just shopping it’s a space to connect, unwind, and get inspired. Across Saturday and Sunday, the space will host a lively programme of free, drop-in workshops, talks, and guest DJ sets. Highlights include:

Saturday

• Backxwash in Conversation
• Workshops with SEEMAWORLD & Black Lodge Press
• DJ Sets from The Quietus, Pan Pan (weird & wonky selections), and Hipkiss & Graney (camp chaos from disco to video games)

Sunday

• Witch Club Satan in Conversation
• Workshops with SHELANU & Supersonic Me
• DJ Sets from MCSAIMA (Desi beats), Alastair Shuttleworth (avant-garde), Die Das Der (noise!), and ANAWIM (femme pop to Riot Grrrl)

Feeling peckish? We’ve got you covered with incredible street food traders serving up delicious dishes throughout the weekend:

• Beet The System – A vegan co-op serving legendary fresh tempeh and loaded chole fries to die for.
• Newdlez & Co – Authentic Thai street food straight from the heart of Bangkok with a homemade sauce that’s vegan and gluten-free.
• Poutine Punks – Canada’s messiest comfort food with attitude: crispy fries, rich gravy, squeaky curds and bold toppings.
• Really Awesome Coffee – Top-notch barista coffee, velvety hot chocolate, smoothies, frappes and more.
• Sri-Licious – Freshly made Sri Lankan street food packed with bold flavours and loads of vegan and gluten-free options.

Plus, the Supersonic Tea Room will keep you fuelled with a tempting selection of cakes (vegan and gluten-free options included) and our all-time favourite pocket snack: the mighty samosa. There will also be a Purity Bar serving a range of ales, ciders and non alcoholic options.

Grab a treat, rest your trotters, and soak up the sounds in this relaxed, community-focused space.

Plus shops open in Zellig The Goth Playground / House of Thieves / Doctor Oculus and more

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Rooftop Saturday at Supersonic 2025 is where chaos meets community in a joyful whirlwind of underground delights, your perfect hangout spot to soak up the atmosphere and let loose.

This year’s rooftop stage features Karl D’Silva, whose critically acclaimed debut album blends alt-pop with South Yorkshire’s electronic legacy, MADRIGIRL (aka Jude Rees), conjuring otherworldly soundscapes from ancient instruments, and ZD Grafters, the father-son duo tearing up genre boundaries with raw, jazz-infused energy. Dark Mountain (DJ set) brings together Robyn (Catgut) and Weaver (CORE. Festival) for dancefloor weirdness, while 0121queercore offers a fierce DIY space for queer expression, riffs, and radical joy.

Don’t miss the rare collaboration between Smote x One Leg One Eye, a transcendent ritual of motorik rhythms and abyssal drones, or The Palestinian Sound Archive DJ set, preserving culture through decolonial sound and storytelling. And of course, Pocket Signs return with their annual dose of rooftop mayhem, equal parts anarcho-pagan theatre, rave chaos, and am-dram absurdity. Expect the unexpected.

Supersonic update – important news!

Once again, we’ve been pushed out by developers in Digbeth. The space we’ve used for years that has housed our beloved marketplace and food court, the beating heart of Supersonic, is no longer available to us, pulled out from under us just weeks before the festival. This isn’t an isolated incident, sadly it’s part of a long and painful pattern. Over the years, we’ve slowly been losing vital spaces that once made Supersonic possible. We were pushed out of the Custard Factory after more than a decade of calling it home. Then, last year, we lost the warehouse space for our main stage to yet another developer and relocated to the O2 Institute.

While we continue to make the best of that situation, it comes at a serious cost as we lose the ability to run our own bars, a crucial source of income, and have had to absorb significant hire fees working with other venues. These financial hits don’t just make things harder; they put the very future of Supersonic at risk.

Make no mistake: what’s happening in Digbeth is a slow erasure of independent culture. Supersonic was born here in 2003, when Digbeth was a raw and wild frontier for creativity. We built installations under viaducts and hosted stages in warehouses. Now, those spaces are being replaced with soulless, profit-driven developments that leave no room for culture to breathe.

But we are not giving up.

Thanks to the grit and determination of our team, we’ve secured a new home for this year’s festival hub at the brilliant Zellig Building. Perfectly located between our two main venues XOYO and the O2 Institute, this space on Saturday and Sunday will house the food court, a Supersonic bar and tea room, seating, talks, workshops, guest DJs, and our fantastic market of independent stallholders, plus band and festival merch.

We also have bars at XOYO main live space, who are working with us as a genuine partner. Both Zellig and XOYO are helping us reclaim some of the income we’ve lost elsewhere. That bar income is absolutely crucial to making Supersonic viable.

So we’re asking, no, urging you to support us by using the bars at Zellig and XOYO throughout the weekend – every drink you buy helps us stay viable.

Please pick up something special from our incredible stallholders, and support our delicious food traders. Every purchase you make is a show of solidarity, not just with Supersonic, but with the wider independent community that makes this festival what it is.

Supersonic has always been more than a festival. It’s a community.  And right now, we need that community more than ever.

If you believe in independent music, in bold ideas, in the spaces where real culture happens, not curated by developers, but created by people, stand with us.

With love from Supersonic x

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 Snaprockpop

BURSARY & GRANTS

Creative Debuts: Black Artists Grant

Monthly.

One-off £500 grant to be given to black artists every month.

A no-strings attached grant for black artists to be spent making new work, buying equipment or materials, travel, research, visiting exhibitions or conferences, or to even just cover some life expenses.

ARTIST DEVELOPMENT

Artist Call out: Wolverhampton Art Gallery: More Art Inc Programme

Deadline: 31^st August 2025

Seeking 10 emerging artists (within first 5 years of their practice) to be given exhibition opportunities and to take part in third instalment of “MORE ART INC.”

Duration: Up to 10 days, Oct 2025 – March 2026 (Sessions will be between the hours of 10:30am – 4:30pm – Weekdays – Day and timings to be confirmed.

“MORE ART INC” is an artist incubator program facilitated by Wolverhampton Art Gallery. Applicants with strong connected to Wolverhampton and the Black Country area are encouraged.  The programme will provide mentorship and support to develop their practice alongside 20 days of access to space and equipment and a £250 bursary.

BOM’s Immersive Arts Bootcamp

Opportunity for participants to learn how to use Unreal Engine 5 to create unique Immersive projects with sessions covering Blender, virtual production and AI, with additional drop-in sessions to support learning. This course is free and funded by WMCA given participants live within the West Midlands. Each course lasts 12 weeks. Please note this is an intermediate skill level bootcamp for participants aged 19+. There are two start dates to choose from September – November 2025 or January – March 2026. Participants required to complete 100 hours of guided training over 12 weeks.

Field Studies 2025 International Summer School: A Choral Method. LUCA School of Art, Ghent

Field Studies is a transdisciplinary summer school exploring new approaches to creative practice and collaboration in art, performance and music, led by an international group of artists and practitioners. The programme alternates between open workshops, talks by artists and visiting lecturers, satellite events in the city, and collective practice in smaller studios where students and tutors create new work. The programme starts on Wednesday 10^th September 11am and ends 3pm on Sunday 14^th September 2025.

There is no interview, audition or selection process.

The fee for the Field Studies 2025 is £430 per participant.

Earthsonic Local: Create Music Telling the Story of Climate Change

Deadline: 10:00am, 1^st September 2025

EarthSonic Local is a UK-wide initiative uniting 8 local venues in empowering 18-30 year olds to create new music, telling the story of climate change.

At the end of the projects participants who have completed the course will receive a certificate of completion from Music and Sonic Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University. Original research and course evaluation will be conducted independently by researchers from Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Hull and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

BBC Young Composer

Deadline: 25^th September 2025

BBC Young Composer creates opportunities and resources for 12–18-year-olds across the UK who make their own music. Winners participate in a tailored development programme working with a mentor composer on a project with the BBC Concert Orchestra, culminating in a performance of broadcast opportunity.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Project Coordinator – Big Bear Music and Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival

Recruiting for a full-time, permanent staff member to support all areas of the company’s administration and marketing.

Young Trustee: Kent Music

Deadline: 8^th August 2025

Seeking new trustee volunteers aged 16-25 who may be music students, young creatives or someone eager to learn how charities run to join Kent Music’s board in helping widening access to high-quality music education by working closely with schools, colleges and cultural organisations.

Creative Call out: Upskill & Upgrade – Creative Scratch Day

Deadline: 8^th August to Pitch your creative idea

We’re looking for 4 artists/ creatives to share or test a creative idea, workshop or activity as part of a Scratch- style event led by and for the Inclusive Network. You must register or already be a registered member of the Inclusive Network to apply. Creative Scratch Day is a practical and informal space to test or share creative ideas, workshops or activities on 3^rd October, 4pm-8pm at Centrala, Birmingham.

Your idea should link to one or more of the following themes: Wellbeing, Upskill & Upgrade, Activism/ Sector Change/ EDI or Interactive Participatory. In return a £200 honorarium will be given to support planning, materials, time and travel.

Sonica Open Call 2026 

Deadline: 12 noon Monday 25^th August 2025

Sonica is a 11-day biennial festival in Glasgow, dedicated to world-class visual sonic arts. The award-winning festival will take place across the city from Thurs 24^th Sep – Sun 4^th October 2026. Only one project is accepted per applicant. This opportunity is open to artists at any career stage from all backgrounds in the Uk and Ireland working in: Sonic installations (especially for outdoor or site-specific spaces), Audio-visual performances, and Real-time visuals for performance

A fee of £750-£1000 is offered alongside travel, accommodation and per diems for artists outside Glasgow

Artist Call out: Smethwick Puppetry Festival 2026

Smethwick Puppetry Festival are looking for artists or companies with a show involving puppetry. Smethwick Puppetry Festival will run from 14^th – 22^nd February 2026 during half-term holiday.

This year’s 2025 festival featured wonderful puppet shows for families, performances for adults, puppetry workshops, exhibitions and more—taking place across 10 community venues in Smethwick.

Seema Mattu: Saheli Open Call – Band Members Wanted

Deadline: Monday 15^th September

Incidental Artist Seema Mattu is calling out for musicians and vocalists to join Saheli, a new sonic collective which will be part of the making of an artwork ​that will launch at Eastside Projects in May 2026, before touring to FACT (Liverpool) and Focal Point Gallery (Southend) across 2026 and 2027. This is an evolving project that will develop with the band.

• Looking for 5 band members: musically minded South Asians in the UK with priority given to South Asian queer, trans, non-binary, indigenous, a dalit (or self-preferred term), and/ or a woman.
• Each member paid £2500 for regular band rehearsals in Birmingham from November 2025.
• Stages of forming Saheli, auditions and rehearsals will be filmed for documentary footage.
• 18+ to participate

Carousel Trustee: South East England

Deadline: Midnight 30^th September 2025

Carousel is looking for new trustees to join our team. We support learning disabled people to achieve their artistic ambitions and are looking for people who share our vision for excellence, access and equality in the arts.

Music and Sound Facilitators 2025 Call outs

Deadline: 1^st February 2026

Oxford Contemporary Music (OCM) and Music at Oxford (MaO) are seeking to expand and diversify their networks of music facilitators who can deliver music/sound workshops and projects in Oxford and Oxfordshire. Many of their workshops are about using music and sound as a tool to engage and deepen learning, enabling accessible participation regardless of musical ability and experience.

Artist Curator Traineeship 2025-27: Eastside Projects

Deadline: Friday 3^rd October

Join the Eastside Projects team and learn how to be an artist-curator through hands-on experience. This is a fixed term contract for 18 months, paying £12.60 per hour.

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We’re thrilled to welcome The Bug feat. Warrior Queen, and Hang Linton to the Supersonic Festival 2025 line-up. They join an already formidable programme that promises a powerful celebration of sound, resistance, and radical joy.

We’re excited to host The Bug feat. Warrior Queen at this year’s Supersonic Festival, bringing together two formidable forces for a powerful, bass-driven live experience. Their collaboration promises an electrifying set where Warrior Queen’s commanding voice meets The Bug’s seismic production, creating a soundscape that’s raw, immersive, and unforgettable.

The Bug is the visionary project of Kevin Martin, known for his punishing live shows and an expansive catalogue including Techno Animal, King Midas Sound, and Razor X Productions. . His sets are renowned for their intensity, fusing industrial dub, dancehall, grime, and acid ragga with collaborations from MCs like Flowdan, Dis Fig, and Manga Saint Hilaire. Warrior Queen, born in Kingston, Jamaica, brings a lifetime of musical heritage, rising from local sound systems to global stages. Her music is a powerful blend of reggae, dancehall, and UK underground influences. She’s collaborated with industry legends including Dub Gabriel, Skream, and Lee “Scratch” Perry, and remains a dynamic presence on the scene.

“Its always a pleasure to come back to Birmingham for the mighty SUPERSONIC festival… Without doubt one of my favourite festivals, full stop. It has never compromised, and always stayed fiercely 101% independent, which i guess you could say I also aspire to myself… So I would definitely call Lisa Meyer and her crew my soul sisters/brothers. This year, I will come back to perform with Warrior Queen. Getting the call from Supersonic, certainly brings back amazing memories, as Warrior and I played the inaugral Supersonic festival in 2003(Alongside Coil, and LCD Sound System, if memory serves correct), we have zero intention of mellowing..lol…Fire will be in the house, fully… We are psyched !” – The Bug

Hang Linton is a fearless sonic rebel from Leeds, fusing avant-funk, dance-punk, and breakbeats into a raw, unapologetic sound that challenges the polished and conventional. Armed with a sampler, synths, and relentless energy, Hang Linton channels the spirit of counterculture movements, delivering performances that are both chaotic and deeply authentic. Named one of NME’s HOT 100 for 2025 and a BBC 6 Music “Hot Tip,” they’ve earned praise for their debut EP Demonstrations, including a 4/5-star review from NME, and have shared stages with Yard Act and Kimya Dawson. Their intense, euphoric sound earned them DJ Mag’s Electronic Music Award, making them one of the UK’s most exciting new artists. As Capsule, we were lucky enough to host Hang Linton in Bradford in celebration of the 1 in 12 and Bradford City of Culture 2025. There, Hang brought an unforgettable mix of intense energy and pure joy to the stage, captivating everyone in the room. We’re beyond excited to see them perform again at Supersonic!

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This year, Supersonic Festival teams up with NeoAncients, in association with Weird Walk, for a special rooftop takeover on Sunday — a celebration of folklore, radical histories, and sonic ritual.

Curated with a deep reverence for ancestral knowledge and future imaginings, the line-up includes live performances by Jennifer Reid, reviving 19th-century broadside ballads and working-class song; Dawn Terry, whose accordion, hurdy-gurdy, and vocals evoke earthy, intimate storytelling; Calliope, a folk-informed collective exploring diasporic futures and lost pasts through sound and enchantment; and Elspeth Anne, whose stark, spellbinding songs echo with defiance and raw beauty.

Plus, two unmissable DJ sets: a folk horror psych set from Fliss Kitson of The Nightingales, and a special guest appearance from long-time Supersonic friend Voice of the Seven Woods, blending deep psych-folk treasures.

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We have just released a limited number of day tickets for Supersonic Festival 2025

Friday 29 August
Big Special / Mermaid Chunky  / Moin / Skloss with visuals by Thomas Hooper / Water Damage
Zahra Haji Fath Ali Tehrani / Zu  / Hesska DJ Set

Saturday 30 August
Aunty Rayzor / aya / Backxwash / Buñuel / Death Goals / The HIRS Collective / Meatdripper
OMO / Penelope Trappes / Rún / Witch Club Satan + more to be announced

Sunday 31 August
Abdullah Miniawy / Bridget Hayden and the Apparitions / Cinder Well / Divide and Dissolve
Hedgling / Jackie-O Motherfucker / Maria W Horn + Sara Parkman present Funeral Folk
Poor Creature / Rich(ard) Dawson / Six Organs of Admittance + more to be announced

Witch Club Satan

We’re incredibly excited to welcome Backxwash for a UK exclusive, bringing her blistering blend of industrial hip-hop and metal to the Supersonic stage. This year also sees the first-ever UK performances from Witch Club Satan, a Norwegian , all-female black metal trio whose ritualistic live shows fuse primal energy with feminist rage and Funeral Folk, the collaboration between Swedish artists Maria W Horn and Sara Parkman, evoking themes of memory, loss, and the natural world.

Moin

After selling out the Barbican, Moin will bring their post-punk-inflected, experimental sounds to Supersonic, offering audiences a chance to witness their dynamic live performance. Also joining the line-up are Poor Creature, who are made up of members of Lankum and Lanless, Water Damage, an experimental super group from Austin, Texas, known for their hypnotic, longform compositions built on repetition, feedback, and sheer intensity.

Zahra Haji Fath Ali Tehrani

We’re also delighted to add a DJ set from Hesska, alongside a special performance by Zahra Haji Fath Ali Tehrani, the Iranian/Irish vocalist and composer.

And this is just the beginning — we’ll be announcing more programme highlights in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Photo by John Convery

APPLY HERE

“I loved hosting my workshop at such an eclectic and vibrant festival, everyone that participated in the workshop had such a positive and open attitude to creating something, whether they were creative or not. It was an absolute pleasure to host at Supersonic!”

– 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.

From in-depth sessions to indulgent fun, we want you to craft something extraordinary for our curious audiences. Whether you’re flying solo, a group or 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; new and returning.

Workshop proposals should present a singular, innovative idea that encapsulates a clear understanding of what Supersonic is about.

We’ve previously hosted workshops around singing, zines, upcycling, life-drawing, yoga, costume-making, sculpture – you name it!

The application deadline is 5pm, Monday 9 June, 2025.

The fee is £150 + 2 weekend tickets (inclusive of materials).

For enquiries please contact: info@capsule.org.uk

Photo by Snaprockandpop

Our internationally renowned Supersonic Festival returns to Digbeth August 29 – 31st and we need a dedicated team of volunteers to help deliver it!

APPLY HERE

“The volunteer care in terms of orientation and guidance, as well as helping people feel welcome was of the very highest quality. I found the organisation, care towards community and prioritisation of excellent music to be absolutely impeccable”
– Volunteer feedback from last year.

Supersonic has secured its experimental reputation with consistently innovative and explosive concoctions of visual installations, films, exhibitions and music. Guaranteed to open eyes and ears to music and art outside the predictable genre labels and familiar performance spaces.

You will be part of an ever growing, friendly community of music and art lovers helping to maintain the values of bringing the extraordinary to curious audiences in an all-inclusive way. This will be an invaluable experience into how our festival runs but not only that, you’ll be contributing to something truly Superspecial whilst making friends along the way!

It’s worth noting that volunteer shifts will take place within a festival environment which can be loud and busy with people. 

The festival is small enough for every volunteer to give real input and value in the following areas:

• Artist Liaison
• Box Office
• Hospitality
• Site Set up
• Merch
• Promotion

You must be able to volunteer for all three days of the festival and will work up to 16 hours (spread over the weekend).

Volunteers must be over 18 years old.

Application deadline: Monday 23rd June.

Reference: Once the deadline has passed, we will source references for all first-time volunteers before we can confirm your place.

Deposit: All volunteers are required to submit a £50 deposit by August 1st (unless you are unable to do so and have contacted us beforehand). This will be returned in FULL the week after the festival. We’ll be in touch about this in July.

Rota: You will be emailed your shifts two weeks before the festival.

If you have any questions, then please email volunteer@capsule.org.uk

SUPERSONIC FESTIVAL WELCOMES THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONS TO THE 2025 EDITION; ABDULLAH MINIAWY, AYA, BIG SPECIAL, JACKIE-O MOTHERFUCKER, PENELOPE TRAPPES, RÚN, SKLOSS, SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE

| TICKETS ON SALE NOW!!! | LINE UP INFO | HOTELS |

As well as General Weekend tickets we are including a payment plan option this year to help spread the cost, these must be purchased by the end of April. Plus we have Solidarity Tickets for those who can afford to pay more to help us subsidise a % of tickets for those on low incomes or unemployed.

To purchase Weekend Tickets + Solidarity go HERE
LAST CHANCE TO PURCHASE WEEKEND TICKETS VIA OUR PLAYMENT PLAN go HERE

Supersonic will return to Digbeth, Birmingham on the 29th-31st August 2025, making space for moments of collective joyful communion and true escapism against a backdrop of a world in turmoil. Says artistic director Lisa Meyer, “We are living in abhorrent times, so now more than ever we must cherish our creative spaces. I am so grateful that our audiences and artists trust in us. This is what keeps pushing the festival forward.”

The Supersonic line-up is as follows:

ABDULLAH MINIAWY | AUNTY RAYZOR | AYA | BACKXWASH | BIG SPECIAL | BRIDGET HAYDEN AND THE APPARITIONS | BUÑUEL | CINDER WELL | DEATH GOALS | DIVIDE AND DISSOLVE | HEDGLING | HIRS COLLECTIVE | JACKIE-O MOTHERFUCKER | MARIA W HORN & SARA PARKMAN present FUNERAL FOLK | MEATDRIPPER | MERMAID CHUNKY | MOIN | OMO |
PENELOPE TRAPPES | POOR CREATURE | RICH(ARD) DAWSON | RÚN | SKLOSS |
SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE | WATER DAMAGE | WITCH CLUB SATAN | ZU 

Aya Photo by Dee Iskrzynska

New names have also been added to the lineup, including Aya, notorious for her raw energy, humour, and unpredictability. Combining high-concept ideas with DIY aesthetics, Aya uses voice, electronics, and razor-sharp wit to blur the boundaries between performance art, rave, and stand-up comedy. Her shows can feel like a shared exorcism—funny, chaotic, sweaty, and emotionally charged.

Abdullah Miniawy photo by Danio Holtz

Egyptian born Abdullah Miniawy merges the spiritual intensity of Sufi chants with the improvisational freedom of jazz. Accompanied by trombonists Robinson Khoury (2024 Django Reinhardt Prize from the Academy of Jazz) and Jules Boittin, Miniawy’s sound is one of resistance, ritual, and reimagining—music that doesn’t just cross cultures, but reshapes them.

Penelope Trappes

Penelope Trappes creates immersive, emotionally resonant soundscapes that blend ambient, shoegaze, and experimental electronics. Her music is intimate and atmospheric, with reverb-drenched vocals and minimalist textures that evoke a haunting, dreamlike world. Jackie-O Motherfucker, the experimental collective founded in Portland, Oregon, in 1994, will bring their dynamic fusion of free jazz, psychedelic folk, drone, and space rock, renowned for their unpredictable live shows.

Six Organs of Admittance photo by Kami Chasny

Supersonic is excited to welcome back Six Organs of Admittance, who present an ever-evolving blend of ecstatic melody, acoustic intricacy and spiritual noise. Skloss, the Austin-by-way-of-Glasgow duo of Karen Skloss and Sandy Carson will bring heavy psychedelia, post-metal drones, meditative rhythms, and raw distorted riffs. Rocket Recordings latest signing Rún, an Irish band whose sound is rooted in folk tradition but deeply exploratory and atmospheric (channeling influences from Coil to Pauline Oliveros), will also be welcomed to the Supersonic stage. And Black Country duo Big Special will fuse the grit and spirit of their industrial roots into a raw, urgent and evocative sound that blends the personal with the political.

Big Special Photo by Isaac Watson

“We’re buzzing to be on this year’s Supersonic line up. To get the nod from our hometown’s top alt festival for outside the box artists is a proper sense of pride. It’s always been the festival that showcases the most interesting experimental genres, and some of the best up and comers from scenes you never knew existed… it’s a festival that helps cement Brum as the cultural hub it is.”
– Big Special

To purchase Weekend Tickets + Solidarity go HERE
LAST CHANCE TO PURCHASE WEEKEND TICKETS VIA OUR PLAYMENT PLAN go HERE

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

BURSARY & GRANTS

PRS: PPL Momentum Music Fund

Deadline: May 12, 2025.

The PPL Momentum Music Fund offers grants of £5k-£15k for UK based artists/bands to break through to the next level of their careers. Activities eligible for support include recording, touring and marketing. Previous recipients include Big Joanie and Little Simz.

PRS: Early Career Promoter Fund

Deadline: May 15, 2025.

Grants of up to £3,500 for independent promotors to support with –

• The booking, programming and promotion of gigs, concerts, club nights, showcases, tours
• Costs associated with those activities (eg venue hire, production, artist and/or DJ fees)
• Capacity building (including mentoring, coaching, shadowing, workshops etc)
• Other expenditure

Arts Council: Developing your Creative Practice

Deadline: May 22, 2025. 

£2,000-£12,000

Supporting individual creative and cultural practitioners to focus on their development and take them to the next stage of their practice.

• building new networks​
• experimenting with new collaborators or partners ​
• international travel to explore your practice​
• professional development activities, such as training or working with mentors ​
• research and development time to explore your practice and take risks

PRS Foundation: The Open Fund for Music Creators

Deadline: September 1, 2025.

Supporting the development of music creators with grants of up to £5000.

Projects must fulfill all of the following: support the creation, performance and promotion of outstanding new music in any genre, enable the UK’s most talented music creators to realise their potential and reach audiences.

The White Pube: The Creatives Grant

Monthly.

One-off £500 grant to be given out to a different working class creative practitioner based in the UK once every month.

To support creatives of all ages who are early in their careers and would benefit from this no-strings attached financial support to help them in whatever they like – be that money to cover time to make, or money to fund materials, equipment, research, subscriptions, development, travel, or even rent and bills.

The grant is open to anybody who makes stuff, this can be art, writing, performance, sound, music, craft, comedy, games etc

Creative Debuts: Black Artists Grant

Monthly.

One-off £500 grant to be given to black artists every month.

A no-strings attached grant for black artists to be spent making new work, buying equipment or materials, travel, research, visiting exhibitions or conferences, or to even just cover some life expenses.

ARTIST DEVELOPMENT

B:MUSIC She:Music 

Deadline: April 28, 2025. 

A 3 year programme that aims to promote bold cross-genre collaborations and break down the barriers that women face in creating innovative, genre-defying music.

• Working with Girl Grind UK and Women in Jazz to provide performance platforms for women.
• Provide work placement opportunities for women in technical and production
• Provide 6 open workshops for women wishing to pursue careers in the music industry, based on general themes of: self-employment; self-promotion & contracts; events management; how to make venue spaces (performance, recording, practice, etc) as safe as possible
• To create a network of women who will encourage, inspire & support each other.

Sound and Music: In the Making

Deadline: May 5, 2025. 

The UK’s only year-long artist development programme for talented young music creators and composers aged 14–18.

It supports those passionate about making music in any form and is open to all, regardless of instrument, musical interests, creative goals, background, or location. 

The programme brings together 50 young music creators from across the UK for a week-long residential at the University of Huddersfield where they will create, record and perform their own original new music and access a wealth of workshops, learning sessions and career development. 

They are guided by artists, top composers, industry professionals and tutors throughout the week and then during their subsequent 12-month virtual journey, transforming their composing and performing skills while building their confidence, experience, and creative ambition. 

Means-tested bursaries are available, which can cover up to 100% of the fee and in some cases can also contribute to travel costs. 

Diaphonique – Franco – British – Irish Fund for Contemporary Music 

Deadline: May 15, 2025. 

Franco-British-Irish fund for classical and contemporary music, is pleased to announce the opening of its 2025 call for projects.  Diaphonique supports artistic collaborations between France, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, helping musicians, composers, and institutions bring ambitious joint projects to life.  

Open to ensembles, institutions, and creators wishing to develop original projects between the three countries. It aims to encourage contemporary creation, the dissemination of repertoire, and the establishment of long-term partnerships in classical and contemporary music.   

China Plate: The Optimists Summer Course 2025

Deadline: May 23, 2025.

Unique training opportunity for emerging artists, creative practitioners or aspiring producers hoping to develop your professional producing skills in the subsidised arts sector.

Drawing on China Plate’s extensive experience and real examples in theatre producing, the training course provides knowledge and insight on the practicalities of making, funding, touring, and promoting your work.

Sessions will take place in-person between 14 June and 2 August at venues across the West Midlands.

Bursaries are available, covering the full cost of the course.

Culture Central – Various Programmes

INCLUDING:

• Inclusive Network – unites trailblazers, leaders, and creative activists to support, empower, and provide opportunities for traditionally excluded groups within the creative workforce. 
• West Midlands Cultural Response Unit 2025/26 – WMCRU meetings will explore key strategic challenges and opportunities that affect the sector and the region. It is aimed at those leading strategic activity in their organisations or networks. 
• Grow – a mentoring scheme that works across art forms, skills and experience levels.  
• Collective – Culture Central x people make it work x Collective is a three year leadership programme for those traditionally excluded from senior roles in the cultural sector. 

LES SAVY FAV

+ Special Guests

THURSDAY 30 OCTOBER 2025

The Castle & Falcon, Birmingham

| TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY 10AM |

“it’s unpredictable and chaotic but in a joyous way and they involve the crowd more than most bands – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a band try and move the security barrier before, let alone lift audience members over to bring them closer.”

– Paper Champion Zine

DEERHOOF

+ Special Guests

THURSDAY 24 JULY 2025

The Castle & Falcon, Birmingham

| TICKETS |

by Satoru Eguchi

One of the finest bands out there Deerhoof are returning to Birmingham on Thursday 24 July at the Castle & Falcon

For a band that seems to thrive on collapse, it’s simply amazing that this US/Japanese quartet is now celebrating its 31st year. Deerhoof long ago established themselves as one of the greatest rock groups ever to stride the earth. And if you think that’s an exaggeration, you haven’t seen them live. The furiously inventive quartet releases new albums on the schedule of a young band still hungry for its first break. Each one discovers some previously unknown combination of candy-coated hard-rock riffs and free-jazz percussive freak-outs, sideways J-pop hooks and fearsome dissonance, trenchant social commentary and surrealist humour. Their music is joyful and foreboding, cybernetic and deeply human, carrying an implicit note of defiant optimism in their refusal to bow to convention!

“noise pop has never been so much fun”

– The Quietus

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

★★★★★ – The Guardian

“Two decades in, Supersonic remains the ultimate annual platform for interesting, experimental and boundary-pushing music in the UK and beyond. More than just a brilliant festival, Supersonic is the nexus point for the genuine underground – one of the country’s most important incubators for the culture we see as totally critical.” – The Quietus

FIRST NAMES REVEALED…

AUNTY RAYZOR | BACKXWASH | BRIDGET HAYDEN AND THE APPARITIONS | BUÑUEL | CINDER WELL | DEATH GOALS | DIVIDE AND DISSOLVE | HEDGLING | HIRS COLLECTIVE | MARIA W HORN & SARA PARKMAN present FUNERAL FOLK | MEATDRIPPER | MERMAID CHUNKY | MOIN | OMO | POOR CREATURE | RICH(ARD) DAWSON | WATER DAMAGE | WITCH CLUB SATAN | ZU
+ more to be announced

Clockwise – Bacxwash, Rich(ard) Dawson, Moin & Witch Club Satan

Highlights include, a UK exclusive from Backxwash showcasing her incoming album ‘Only Dust Remains’. Rich(ard) Dawson will also be presenting music from his new album, End of the Middle with drummer Andrew Cheetham. Performing in the UK for the first time Swedish artists Maria W Horn & Sara Parkman present Funeral Folk, a singular and ritualistic musical exploration of death and grief. We are proud to host the first UK show for Witch Club Satan, an occult, feminist Black Metal trio from Norway. Three-piece experimental outfit Moin join us, alongside Water Damage, a Texas-based droning supergroup, composed of experimental veterans from projects including Black Eyes, Swans, and USA/Mexico. Plus loads more vital new music.

Clockwise Divide And Dissolve, Maria W Horn & Sara Parkman, Hirs Collective & Poor Creature

To get to know our 2025 lineup, have a listen to our Supersonic Festival Playlist! Enjoy all of our announced artists from Mermaid Chunky to Zu in one place and follow our profile to be the first to sonically witness future curated playlists!

Tickets will go on sale at 10am on Friday

The initial Supersonic line-up as follows:

AUNTY RAYZOR | BACKXWASH | BRIDGET HAYDEN AND THE APPARITIONS | BUÑUEL |
CINDER WELL | DEATH GOALS | DIVIDE AND DISSOLVE | HEDGLING | HIRS COLLECTIVE |
|  MARIA W HORN & SARA PARKMAN present FUNERAL FOLK |
|  MEATDRIPPER | MERMAID CHUNKY | MOIN | OMO | POOR CREATURE |
| RICH(ARD) DAWSON | WATER DAMAGE | WITCH CLUB SATAN | ZU |
+ more to be announced

★★★★★ THE GUARDIAN

 “One of our most diverse, exciting and forward-thinking festivals.” – THE WIRE

“As long as festivals as uplifting, as communal, and as defiant as Supersonic continue to defy the odds, there is hope.”
– THE QUIETUS

“Despite facing many challenges last year brought on by gentrification and a precarious festival landscape, I was truly humbled by the incredible response to the festival; it felt triumphant in the face of adversity.
We are living in abhorrent times, so now more than ever we must cherish our creative spaces. Supersonic Festival is committed to doing things differently and to putting a spotlight on lesser-known artists, to challenge the commercial logic of wider music festival culture with an alternative and more risk-taking programme and by presenting some of the most vital artists of the underground. I am so grateful that our audiences and artists trust in us, this is what keeps pushing the festival forward.” 
– Lisa Meyer, Artistic Director of Supersonic Festival

Backxwash Photo by Méchant Vaporwave

For 2025, Supersonic welcomes back Zambian-Canadian producer and rapper Backxwash with open arms, as a UK exclusive performance of her forthcoming album, Only Dust Remains. This first release outside of her critically-acclaimed album trilogy showcases her evolution into a broader and more diverse sonic landscape.

“Supersonic was a great experience!! The energy from the crowd and the attention to detail from the organisers made our first UK show unforgettable. The festival has an incredibly unique curation of many talented artists and fosters a community-driven environment. I’m so grateful to be returning this year to perform my upcoming album and look forward to this year’s lineup.”
– Backxwash

Alongside Backxwash, Rich(ard) Dawson will also be performing music from his new album, End of the Middle. Richard Dawson’s music echoes with the voices of the past, present and future. Following many memorable appearances on Supersonic line-ups gone by, Supersonic is delighted to welcome him back for a special performance with drummer Andrew Cheetham.

Funeral Folk Photo by Gustav Broms

Funeral Folk is a collaboration between Swedish artists Maria W Horn & Sara Parkman. Performing in the UK for the first time, a singular and ritualistic musical exploration of death and grief. Alongside these meditations on death, Funeral Folk also embraces themes of renewal and reincarnation, with celebratory undertones woven into its complex compositions.

Witch Club Satan is an occult, feminist Black Metal trio from Norway who identify as witches, and invite their ancestors, and the women who were burnt on stakes to scream through them on the stage. The lyrics are written and performed as spells, and the concerts form a ritualistic, holistic experience, with extreme visuals and sensory elements. Supersonic is proud to host their first UK show.

Moin are a three-piece experimental outfit from London, whose members, while never having played Supersonic Festival as Moin, are no strangers to its stage. The group is comprised of Tom Halstead and Joe Andrews of the experimental duo Raime (Blackest Ever Black, RR), whose own immersive sound has graced the Supersonic stage in the past, alongside the endlessly inventive percussionist Valentina Magaletti, known for her work with Tomaga, Vanishing Twin, Holy Tongue, and Ondatta Rossa – all projects that Supersonic Festival have been fortunate to host in the past.

Witch Club Satan by Helge Brekker

Supersonic exists increasingly as a political act as much as a festival, and when times become dire, it’s important we have music which channels our fears and anxieties into cathartic rage and noise. HIRS Collective are here to do just that, a dynamic, shapeshifting ensemble rooted in individualisation and anarchist ethos. Death Goals will bring the queercore fury, with a cacophony that combines post-hardcore, screamo and noise rock. And Divide And Dissolve are returning to perform from their forthcoming album Insatiable, Takiaya Reed will provide floor-shaking, life-affirming drones, in music that is heavy and beautiful. Divide and Dissolve’s music is an acknowledgement of the dispossession that occurs due to colonial violence, it honours ancestors, opposes white supremacy and calls for indigenous sovereignty. Insatiable in particular, is an album about love, and an urgent call to imagine a better world before it’s too late.

Supersonic will also be host to a performance from the doom cabaret collective OMO, a band featuring members of iconic Scottish acts like Mogwai, The Twilight Sad, Desalvo, Aereogramme, and Stretchheads. Water Damage are a Texas-based droning supergroup of sorts, composed of experimental veterans from projects including Spray Paint, Black Eyes, Swans, more eaze, USA/Mexico, and more. Adding to the heaviness of the lineup are Meatdripper (featuring Kaila Whyte of THE NONE), an entity summoned from the remnants of punk, experimental, and noise rock bands. Forged in the industrial haze of Birmingham, this band was never meant to exist – Supersonic hosted their debut live performance last year and couldn’t resist bringing them back for more.

Mermaid Chunky Photo by Simon Pizzey

Supersonic aims to help attendees unload from the heaviness of the world by bringing the party. Mermaid Chunky will be joining the festival for an expanded performance which can only be described as a kaleidoscopic, hypnotic dance ritual of joyous chaos. They will also be the guest artists performing at the Supersonic Kid’s gig. Nigerian sonic trailblazer Aunty Rayzor (Nyege Nyege) will be delivering commanding rap verses and catchy pop hooks, driven by exuberant bass, playful rhythms, and unmatched energy. Buñuel will return to the festival, featuring Eugene S. Robinson (formerly Oxbow), whose truly wild noise rock takes the listener to extreme places in unpredictable fashion. There’s also Zu, an atypical Italian trio of drums, electric bass and baritone saxophone, who blend math rock, no wave, punk, jazz, and grindcore into a sonic explosion.

Aunty Rayzor

Joining the programme, Supersonic have provided a selection of some of the most exciting folk acts in the underground today. Those include Cinder Well, the project of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter/producer Amelia Baker whose songs carry a heaviness in their words and atmosphere as opposed to distortion. Hedgling are an Irish duo consisting of Natalia Beylis and Willie Stewart, whose music utilises found objects and dissolving tapes loops to evoke the parallel worlds that co-exist around, above and beneath us. Poor Creature are Cormac Mac Diarmada (Lankum), Ruth Clinton (Landless) and John Dermody (The Jimmy Cake). They take songs of love, loss and the supernatural from Irish and American traditions, reimagining them in new arrangements that are by turns sparse, dreamy, psychedelic and propulsive. Bridget Hayden and the Apparitions will also play. Hayden is an experimental musician whose haunting, atmospheric sound draws from the landscapes of Todmorden, West Yorkshire. With a voice weathered by time, her music blends aching folk abstractions with immersive, reverb-soaked textures.

Rich(ard) Dawson by Sally Pilkington

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

GROVE performing at Supersonic Festival 2024 by Robert Barrett

BURSARY & GRANTS

Youth Music: NextGen Fund

Deadline: February 7, 2025.

The Youth Music NextGen Fund is for early-stage musicians and wider music adjacent creatives to invest up to £3,000 in their own projects and make their ideas happen. It’s open to 18–25-year-olds (and up to 30-year-olds who identify as d/Deaf, neurodivergent or Disabled) who live in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. The fund is especially aimed at those whose lack of finance holds them back from pursuing their goals.

UK Harp Association: £1000 Commission Fund

Deadline: March 1, 2025.

The March Creative Fund will be allocated as a single award of £1000 to support a new commission involving the harp. The commissioned work can be a solo piece or an ensemble work that features the harp prominently and can be written for any type of harp.

PRS Foundation: The Hitmaker Fund

Applications open from February 3 – March 3, 2025.

The Hitmaker Fund offers an opportunity for songwriters and producers working in popular music genres to further develop their careers and writing/production with grants of between £5,000 –  £10,000.

PRS Foundation: Women Make Music 

Applications open from March 3 – March 31, 2025.

Supporting the development of outstanding women, trans and non binary songwriters and composers of all genres and backgrounds at different stages of their career. The fund can support projects by women, trans and non binary songwriters, composers, artists, bands and performers who are writing their own music.

PRS Foundation: Composers’ Fund

Applications open from February 17 – April 1, 2025.

The Composers’ Fund supports up to 15 composers per year who can make the case for the kind of support that would enable them to make a significant step change in their career. A contribution of up to £8,000 – £15,000 is available to composers who are already making a significant cultural contribution in the UK and have the potential for greater impact in the UK and overseas. Previous projects have included recordings, the promotion and performance of existing works, international co-commissions and development, performer collaboration, residencies, sabbaticals or childcare costs and project or promotional support.

PRS Foundation: PPL Momentum Music Fund

Applications open from April 14 – May 12, 2025.

The PPL Momentum Music Fund offers grants of £5k-£15k for UK based artists/bands to break through to the next level of their careers. Activities eligible for support include recording, touring and marketing. Previous recipients include Big Joanie and Little Simz.

PRS Foundation: The Open Fund for Music Creators

Applications open from March 3 – September 1, 2025.

Supporting the development of music creators with grants of up to £5000. Projects must fulfill all of the following: support the creation, performance and promotion of outstanding new music in any genre, enable the UK’s most talented music creators to realise their potential and reach audiences.

ARTIST DEVELOPMENT

Help Musicians: Next Level Awards

Deadline: February 28, 2025.

For an individual musician with a strong track record but lacking the resources to embark on larger and longer-term projects. This programme offers one-to-one business advice and peer support, alongside financial support to help you pursue your opportunity, this is designed to help you take your career to the next level.

PRS Foundation: Power Up

Deadline: March 13, 2025.

The POWER UP Participant Programme is designed to elevate exciting Black music creators and industry professionals and address barriers for those at crucial career stages.

Participants will bring their expertise and experiences to the network and will POWER UP through:

• Grant support of up to £10,000
• Capacity building and mentoring
• Support from and access to partners
• Marketing and promotional support from the PRS Foundation and POWER UP partners

We are ecstatic that Supersonic Festival is returning once again to our home in Digbeth from 29 – 31 August! Get ready for a weekend packed with the best in experimental and DIY music, cutting-edge art, immersive workshops, talks, and exhibitions. 

Despite challenges with venues and rising costs, our team is hard at work curating a mighty fine lineup to bring our community together this August! A super limited number of EARLYBIRD TICKETS will be released at 10am on Friday 31 January.

Early Bird tickets have sold out but our standard weekend tickets go on sale at the end of February.

We’ve thought carefully about ticket pricing, and we want to make sure the festival remains accessible. We recognise that not everyone has equal access to live events and that the cost of entry is a barrier to some people. We are working to create an inclusive space which is accessible to all, regardless of their financial situation. This year, we’ll be working with partners to give away a % of free tickets to people in our music community who are on low wages or are unemployed, supported by our Solidarity ticket scheme.

Photo by Catherine Dineley

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.

If you’re traveling from outside Birmingham and looking for a place to stay – check out our info page for exclusive hotel deals and accommodation recommendations.

Sign up to our mailing list for all further updates – the first lineup announcement and standard weekend tickets will be available at the end of February!

DRUM ROLL PLEASE! Supersonic Festival will be returning on 29 – 31 Aug 2025 bringing you the best in experimental and DIY music, art, workshops, talks and exhibitions!

So grab your diaries, and pencil in those dates! The team are working hard behind the scenes prepping a jaw-dropping line-up for our wonderful audiences worldwide. First line-up announcement, hotel deals and tickets will be going on sale end in the coming months – keep those eyes peeled!

In the meantime, here’s a very happy reminder of what happened last time we all met under the rumbling roofs of Digbeth…

THOU

With support from Moloch + Special Guests

MONDAY 14 APRIL 2025

The Castle & Falcon, Birmingham

| TICKETS |

Supersonic Festival are thrilled to welcome the thunderous Thou back to Birmingham. Brace yourself for the sludgiest riffs known to man and the deep, guttural sounds that only Thou can deliver!

Thou has always been a force of raw energy and unapologetic dissent, defying easy categorization and challenging listeners to confront the complexities of existence. Though often lumped in with New Orleans sludge bands like Eyehategod and Crowbar, Thou transcends genre boundaries, drawing inspiration from a diverse array of influences spanning from ’90s proto-grunge icons like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden to the raw intensity of obscure ’90s DIY hardcore punk found on labels like Ebullition, Vermiform, and Crimethinc. 

Their latest record Umbilical, Thou’s first full-length release of original music since their 2018 Sacred Bones debut Magus, is their firmest nod to the latter – a record filled with mosh-ready riffs, heavy breakdowns and scathing vocals. The band’s aesthetic and political impulses have always been punk and like anyone embroiled in the subculture Thou have been exploring what it means to exist within and without a rigid morality. That exploration takes thematic centre on Umbilical and their self-assessment is as harsh as that of the world around them.

Moloch formed out of the Midlands DIY punk and hardcore scene in 2007, and have been ruining your night for almost 20 years of tears.

We are proud members of PRS Foundation, Talent Development Network (TDN) 2024. 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

GROVE performing at Supersonic Festival 2024 by Robert Barrett

BURSARY & GRANTS

Arts Council England: Immersive Arts

Deadline: 2 December 2024

A brand new funding and support programme for UK-based artists, designed to help them develop their art by using immersive technologies. Artists at all levels of experience are invited to apply, to explore, experiment or expand how they work with this exciting field of practice.

PRS Foundation: Early Career Promoter Fund

Deadline: 13 December 2024

The fund aims to help emerging promoters to do what they do best – book and promote shows to develop scenes, support artists and DJs and to reach and engage audiences locally, regionally, and nationally, and build sustainable careers in the grassroots music sector.

Grants will be available to support a range of activity including the booking, programming and promotion of gigs, concerts, club nights, showcases, tours and the costs associated with those activities such as venue hire and artist and/or DJ fees. As well as money to be used for mentoring, coaching, shadowing, workshops, masterclasses, and other skill building and networking opportunities.

Sound and Music: Awards for Young Musicians – Awards Programme

Deadline: 31 December

For talented young people from low-income families, helping them to overcome financial and social barriers they face to progression. We provide flexible funding towards musical costs (like tuition, instrument costs or travel) plus individual support to cater to personal circumstances. This could be anything from mentoring and workshops with professional musicians, the chance to observe them perform, free tickets to concerts and performance opportunities.

They currently have funding particularly aimed at supporting young musicians in the West Midlands region.

Arts Council England: Supporting Grassroots Music Fund

Deadline: end of 2024

ACE is still welcoming applications from the Midlands for their Supporting Grassroots Music fund, open to venues (live and/or electronic music), music festivals, promoters, recording and rehearsal studios. Interested in applying? Find out more and submit your application by the end of 2024.

Need advice or support, especially if you’re applying for the first time? You can email Midlands Relationship Manager, Rosie Tunley at rosie.tunley@artscouncil.org.uk

Vaughan Williams Foundation: Supporting the work of Professional Composers

Deadline: 3 January 2025

The Foundation offers funding towards: the performance, commissioning or recording of music by professional British/Irish composers active in the last 100 years; or projects and organisations in the UK which create developmental opportunities for composers, or which promote wider awareness of British/Irish music of the last 100 years.

Arts Council England: Incentivising Touring

Deadline: 20 January 2025

This is a £5 million pilot offering repayable grants for theatre and dance, to address growing challenges around mid and large-scale touring. The scheme has been collaboratively developed with the sector, and aims to support regional touring with commercial potential, helping to provide more people across England with access to a wide range of high-quality cultural experiences.

Arts Council of Northern Ireland: The National Lottery Support for Individual Artists Programme – Travel Awards 

Deadline: rolling 

For individual artists and established music groups (up to 2 members) to travel from Northern Ireland to develop their skills and expertise. Applicants must provide evidence that they’ve been invited by a host organisation in the country to which they intend to travel.

Youth Music: Application Access Fund to support d/Deaf and Disabled applicants

Deadline: rolling

If you identify as d/Deaf, Disabled or Neurodivergent  and need further support to make an application to Youth Music, you can apply to our Application Access Fund. This provides funding to cover any additional access costs that might be required for you to make an application to one of Youth Music’s main grant funds.

ARTIST DEVELOPMENT

Sound & Music: In Motion

Deadline: 4 December 2024

Designed to support you to develop clarity around your goals for your artistic and professional development as well as produce a creative project that can support you to achieve these goals. For any composers working with music and sound in the UK.

As a composer on the programme, you will receive:

• An artist bursary of £1,800
• A production grant of up to £4,000 to support with project or artistic development expenses
• Regular 1:1 sessions with a dedicated team member
• Coaching sessions with an accredited coach
• An allowance to pay for mentoring sessions
• Group-sharing sessions and workshops, including a two-day residential called the Networking Days

Saffron Music: Emerging 2024-25

Deadline: 8 December 2024

Artist development programme for a black (or of black heritage) woman, non-binary person, trans, intersex or gender non-conforming music creator based in Bristol or Southwest England.

Successful applicants will receive funding to cover the costs of creating and self-releasing their music, in addition to 1-2-1 mentoring, peer support sessions and community masterclasses. Programme activity also includes a 5-day residential retreat at Hawkwood in Stroud.

Alumni includes Supersonic Festival performer GROVE!

Vivid Projects: Vivid Lab Call Out

Deadline: 10 December 2024

Vivid Lab offers an environment for artists to develop projects that explore new processes, ideas, techniques and critical thinking. They will work responsively with your research and development proposal and can support your practice through mentoring, bid writing, access to audio-visual resources, a project space and unique archival resources. They welcome proposals focused on digital art, live performance, sound art, installation, moving image, AV and archival exploration, collaborative & social practices, web based works along with interests focused on programming, writing and curating.

Elvtr: Music Composition For Games

Apply now! Online course running from 10 December – 30 January

Create strong, recognizable musical motifs that enhance the game’s identity and resonate with players through emotional storytelling. The course is perfect for composers at any stage. Whether you’re interested in learning advanced techniques, looking to break into game music, or seeking structured learning.

Learn from the BAFTA-winning composer Jason Graves, renowned for his innovative approach to orchestration and cinematic narratives for games including Call of Duty: Warzone2, The Dark Pictures Anthology, Moss, Tomb Raider.

Arts Council England: Developing Your Creative Practice

Deadline: 12 December 2024

This fund is designed to support your growth and help you reach new heights in your art. Whether you’re interested in diving into research, expanding your network, or experimenting with your work, this opportunity is here to help you invest in yourself and your next steps.

Somerset House Studios Assembly Residency

Deadline: 31 December 2024 

Studios is inviting applications from artists working in music and sound for a 12-month residency (April 2025 – March 2026). This opportunity is open to three artists whose practices are interested in experimentation and cross-disciplinary collaboration, demonstrating an engagement with bold ideas, urgent issues and/or new technologies.

The residency will be shaped through mentorship from artists including Beatrice Dillon and Elaine Mitchener. During this period, participating artists will develop new live work to be presented at Assembly, the Studios’ bi-annual series of experimental music and performance, returning in Spring 2026.

TRAINING

Help Musicians: Booking Tours and Gigs to Promote Your Music 

Event takes place Monday 2^nd  December from 6 – 7PM online. Sign up places are still available – first come first served.

For musicians looking to boost their income through innovative merch strategies. The session will also cover effective strategies for approaching and building relationships with promoters, venues and funders, providing valuable insights in securing gigs, tours and festival spots. Discover how to maximise promotional opportunities on tour, including timing new releases and merchandise drops.

Help Musicians: Making Money from Merch 

Event takes place Monday 16 December from 6 – 7PM online. Sign up places are still available – first come first served.

For musicians looking to amplify their reach and expand their audience. Free online event with insights from Andy Allen, CEO of BSI Merch.

SUBMISSIONS / RADIO

Sound and Music: Open submissions for Club Together Club community radio show in Bristol/Berlin.

Deadline: 3^rd December

For female, non-binary or gender non-conforming artists. Opportunity to have your music and a 5-10 interview played on Berlin based radio station Club Together Club.

JOB FEATURE

Oxford Contemporary Music: Programme Producer (22.5 hours per week)

Deadline: 10am on Wednesday 11 December: