“Hey Colossus are the closest thing the UK has to inheritors of the crown of the Butthole Surfers…. like the whole Texas Chainsaw Massacre family drunkenly shouting along to Neu! and Loop during Ragnarök” Stool Pigeon

http://noisestar.co.uk/colossus/

Apathy is everything to these five losers who’ll just about manage to turn up and play without being sick.
Lo-fi grit and metal maledom are fractured and recombined into monotone slabs which reference distaste for modern life as much as they poke fun at the traditions of the punk/hardcore idiom. Still barely functioning after four years of staring at the walls and occasional live performance, the band will finally have their debut album and a split 7″ record with Kilslug in tow with them for the latter part of 2012. All proceeds will be spent on plastic surgery.

http://drunkinhell.bandcamp.com/

You know who these men are. They have been other men. Who they were before does not matter. What matters most is who they are now. These men, with two menacing guitars, violent drums, and wild words will fill that void in you. They will build bunkers out of your bones. They will make weapons out of your teeth. They will drink your tears and feed on your meat. Born from the ashes of Arab on Radar, Doomsday Student come from that untouchable tradition of noise rock from Providence, Rhode Island.

http://www.doomsdaystudent.com

Clifford Torus is Anders Hana (Moha!, Ultralyd & Noxagt) on drums and electronics with Leon Barnett (Horacio Pollard, Neigh%Music) on guitar & vocals.
Heavy, hypnotic, drenched in feedback and driven by a super charged rhythm, Clifford Torus deliver a mesmerising multi-layered rhombus harsh noise, rattle your brains to pieces drums and shamelessly long effects boards to spawn boundless intertwining grooves of pure honey-gore.

For this performance, Clifford Torus will be bringing the mighty Kjetil D Brandsdal of Noxagt for bass duties.

http://cliffordtorus.blogspot.co.uk/

We’re thrilled to announce a whole host of exciting artists to the 10^th anniversary festival. Supersonic favourite Merzbow will perform a solo set as well as the ever changing Jarboe, Italian psych metal group Ufomammut and one of the most exciting live acts around at the moment – the inimitable Hype Williams.

Also added to the line up is Doomsday Student (born from the ashes of Arab on Radar), Norway’s Stian Westerhus, noise legend Kevin Drumm and Birmingham’s finest PCM. Add to that the frantic Clifford Torus, the ethereal sounds of SWLLWS and the crushing Mothertrucker along with electroacoustic artist Thomas Ankersmit, psych band Hookworms and noise rockers Hey Colossus!

We’re also excited to invite back the filth of Drunk in Hell, and special appearance from KK Null and Ruins Alone. To keep you dancing all weekend we’ve got Australia’s My Disco and the kraut/electronica duo Warm Digits and for those calmer moments, the gorgeous, stripped back songs of Richard Dawson.

Believe it or not, there are still some more very special additions to add to their already mega tenth birthday line up which we shall unveil soon, as well as more information about the art exhibits and film programme which is still taking shape behind the scenes. But for now, please enjoy this Supersonic Festival mixtape, featuring a selection of the line up so far, for your listening pleasure. Please feel free to host this on your site and help us to spread the word.

As a reminder, here is a list of the line up as it stands; Body/Head/Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore/Carlton Melton/Clifford Torus/Dope Body/Drunk In Hell/ Dylan Carlson/Flower-Corsano/Goat/Hey Colossus/Hookworms/Hype Williams/Jarboe/JK Flesh/Kevin Drumm/KK Null/Lichens/Merzbow/My Disco/PCM/Rangda/Richard Dawson/Ruins Alone/Sir Richard Bishop/Six Organs Of Admittance/Small But Hard showcase/Stian Westerhus/SWLLWS/Thomas Ankersmit/Tim Hecker/Ufomammut/Warm Digits / Mothertrucker / Zeni Geva.

Go HERE for ticket info
Go HERE for line up info

We’re looking for a designer/illustrator to work on this year’s Supersonic Festival. We’re looking for a creative and innovative team or individual to create a brand new look and feel for the festival, helping us to celebrate the 10th anniversary of one of the most dynamic arts events in the world.

The deadline is looming – please send your expression of interest to us by 5pm on Wednesday 30th May by sending a covering letter, CV and links to examples of work to [email protected]. Shortlisted candidates will then be invited to tender.

Read more about the position via https://supersonicfestival.com/info/jobs/

Unpredictable guitar combo pairing Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth and free-noise guitarist Bill Nace.

KIM GORDON

A founding member of Sonic Youth – where she plays bass and guitar and sings, Kim Gordon has also been involved in numerous collaborations with other artists and musicians including Julie Cafritz and Yoshimi in Free Kitten, Mirror/Dash with Thurston Moore and others including Lydia Lunch, Vincent Gallo, and Yoko Ono. With an extensive history in the world of art, both as an artist, writer and curator Gordon has maintained ongoing creative relationships with visual artists such as Dan Graham, Raymond Pettibon, Mike Kelley, Jutta Koether and Richard Prince and exhibited her own installation work across the US, Japan and Europe.

BILL NACE

Guitarist Bill Nace has ripped a new black hole in the free rock universe as a constant, energising presence in the Boston area performing with Chris Corsano in Vampire Belt (and together with Jessica Rylan as Vampire Can’t), Thurston Moore in Northampton Wools, x.0.4 with Jake Meginsky & John Truscinski and a coruscating duo with free reed player Paul Flaherty. His collaborations even extended to a short-lived association with Brighton noiseniks Dylan Nyoukis & Karen Constance (aka Blood Stereo) under the Ceylon Mange moniker.

Since announcing the initial line up for Supersonic Festival’s 10th birthday, early bird tickets have sold out (and in record time) and the event is really starting to take shape.

Supersonic now proudly announce an extremely special collaboration of the unique and unpredictable guitar pairing of the iconic Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth and free-noise guitarist Bill Nace. Together, they are known as BODY/HEAD.

So far they have only played a one off UK show, released a limited cassette on Ecstatic Peace and included a cover of ‘Fever’ for an Ultra Eczema compilation.  Given the credentials of both musicians, Supersonic are confident that BODY/HEAD will deliver a mind-melting performance.

Tickets are available via https://www.theticketsellers.co.uk/

There are other ways you can support the festival. We have set up a We Fund campaign to help us to deliver the festival this year, allowing us to continue this ambitious event. We’d truly appreciate your support.

There will be another announcement to follow in a few short weeks with more acts joining this celebratory event.

Supersonic Festival celebrates its 10^th year in 2012, and we are looking for your support to make it the best yet.

Capsule truly appreciate the support we receive from Supersonic Festival’s loyal audience. We wanted to acknowledge this by keeping Early Bird tickets at the same price, despite costs rising each year. Early Bird tickets remained at £70 for a weekend bursting at the seams with exciting music, performance, film, talks and more.

Due to rising costs, we are increasingly looking for new ways to continue what we do. We have created a ‘We Fund’ campaign to allow people, if they are in the position to, to support us further by making a donation to the festival this year. Your donations will help us to continue to put together a highly ambitious festival programme, allowing us to take risks on emergent artists and unique collaborations. We are hoping our loyal audience can help us further our ambition for this unique event.

£20 or more pledge – Thank you for your support! You will receive a festival brochure, badge and personalised thank you letter.

£50 or more pledge – Thank you for your support! You will receive a festival brochure, badge and personalised thank you letter. As a further acknowledgement of your generous pledge we will invite you to a Supersonic Tea Party.

 £150 or more pledge – Thank you for your support! You will receive a festival brochure, badge and personalised thank you letter. As a further acknowledgement of your generous pledge we will invite you to the Sonic Feast, join us and a number of performers for a special sound led dining experience.

£500 or more pledge – Just cos you can. Thank you for your support! You will receive a personal thanks in the festival brochure of which you will receive a copy, plus a badge and personalised thank you letter. You will also receive a token of Capsule’s sincere appreciation. Your generous pledge will help us to realise the festival this year.

Click through to the Supersonic Festival We Fund campaign

There are other ways you can support and enjoy the festival. Each year we recruit a number of volunteers to assist us in the delivery of Supersonic, where you can gain real insight into the running of a live event, and enjoy it! For more info go to https://supersonicfestival.com/info/volunteers/

Operations Manager

Fixed Term Contract 12 months / 4 days a week

£25-£30k pro rata (dependent upon experience)

Preferred Start Date August 2012

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 14^th June 2012

This is a unique opportunity to join one of the UK’s most dynamic arts organisations.

Capsule are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic professional with a successful track record in project management. You must be proficient in all areas of logistics and financial management with specific experience of working within the cultural industries and have experience of advocacy, fundraising and networking at a national level.

With new projects on the horizon & 2012 being Supersonic Festival’s 10th Anniversary this is an extremely exciting time for a passionate individual to join Capsule’s team.

Salary will be within the range advertised, depending on skills and experience of the candidate. There will be a 6 month trial period, with a view to full time employment being offered at the end of the contract period.

Key areas of responsibility:

–       Daily operations management

–       Project management

–       Project logistics

–       Team management / recruitment

–       Fundraising

–       Finance management

–       Liaising with and managing project stakeholders

–       Report writing and project evaluation

Person Specifications

Essential

The successful candidate must;

Ÿ       Have demonstrable experience of project management /event co-ordination and managing staff  – at least 3 years experience but can be over freelance contracts.

Ÿ       Have experience of working on arts events or festivals

Ÿ       Have experience of financial management to include production and management of project budgets and cash flow, company accounts and bookkeeping procedure

Ÿ       Have experience of fundraising within the cultural sector

Ÿ       Proven ability to manage a range of personnel (freelance, employed, volunteers)

Ÿ       Knowledge of legislation, regulation and compliance in relation to HR, health and safety and governance.

Ÿ       Be computer and web-literate Have excellent communication skills – both spoken and written

Ÿ       Have imagination and the ability to work creatively

Ÿ       Be resourceful, level-headed and able to work under considerable pressure

Ÿ       Be passionate about creating exciting events which reach out to a range of audiences

Ÿ       Have the ability to work collaboratively with teams (internal and external)

Ÿ       Have the ability to be self motivated and also be able to motivate others

Ÿ       Must have the capacity to work long hours.

Desirable:

Ÿ       Driver with full / clean UK license and own car

Ÿ       Advanced IT skills including both creative and practical software applications

Ÿ       First aid trained

To apply please contact Capsule for an application pack:

Email: [email protected]

Or telephone 0121 248 2252

Applications must include current CV, completed application form and covering letter

Deadline: 5pm Thursday 14^th June

We’re working with goCarShare to encourage people to pool their car journey to the festival this year. It’s an opportunity to save money and reduce your environmental impact. The service operates around Facebook, so you can even discuss the driving mixtapes beforehand.

So if you need a ride to Supersonic, have a look here http://gocarshare.com/festival/supersonic-festival

We’ve been waiting with baited breath for new Rangda material since their incredible debut ‘False Flag’ on Drag City. We’re told a new record is on the way and to heighten the anticipation, Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance) posted the below video on his website. They performed new material at a show in New York:

Image – http://calsidyrose-wedontrentpuppies.blogspot.co.uk

FREELANCE DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION OPPORTUNITY FOR SUPERSONIC FESTIVAL 2012
Fee: £3500 (plus print budget TBC)

Supersonic needs a new look:
At the grand old age of 10 everyone needs a new party outfit, Capsule are seeking an innovative design and illustration team to help develop a new look for this year’s festival. Help us celebrate our birthday in style.

Working with Capsule’s Creative Director you will be responsible for the design and production of the marketing campaign for Supersonic Festival this will include a wide range of design applications from print to online including the Supersonic Festival brochure.

Capsule and Supersonic Festival is renowned for its strong brand and playful aesthetic and the successful candidate must suit this ethos. We are looking for someone that can deliver a unique, illustration led campaign matched with excellent layout skills, to take the Supersonic brand forward. The ability to manage print production is also essential.

To be considered for an invitation to tender, interested candidates should apply by email, please send the following:
• Up to date CV
• URL links to examples of current and previous work
• Covering email stating why you’re interested in the opportunity

Please email to [email protected]
Deadline: Wednesday 30th May 2012

Shortlisted candidates will be sent an invitation to tender by the 6th June, interviews will be held on the Thursday 14th June 2012 (please note it is possible for interviews to take place via skype)

Supersonic Festival takes place 19th-21st October, the design campaign needs to be delivered between June – October therefore the successful candidate will be required to start with immediate effect.

To get a sense of previous catalogues please see –

http://issuu.com/HeavyObject/docs/ss_11_catalogue_web/1
https://supersonicfestival.com/archive

Lots of shiny good reviews pouring in for JK Flesh’s Posthuman record. JK FLesh is Justin Broadrick of Napalm Death, Godflesh, Jesu, Greymachine, Final and countless other project and bands. JK Flesh is the name assigned to him by Kevin Martin (The Bug, King Midas Sound) when they were collaborating as Techno Animal.

Metal Hammer says “if Birmingham never gives us anything else ever again, there is always ‘that band’…Napalm Death” and describes Broadrick’s new project as “devastating” and “soul crushing”. Read more here.

After previously hosting Godflesh, Jesu and Final performances at Supersonic, we’re pretty thrilled to have Broadrick’s new project at the festival this year.

JK Flesh at this year’s Roadburn Festival:

Weekend tickets are available for Supersonic Festival from https://www.theticketsellers.co.uk

In record time, Supersonic Festival early bird tickets have sold out. Thanks to all who got in there fast, its great to see our enthusiasm for this festival shared by so many. Don’t fret you haven’t got a ticket yet, weekend tickets are only £80 for a full weekend of live music, performance, film, art and all the cake you can stuff in your face, they’re available HERE. Watch this space for further line up announcements.

Here’s just one of the many acts you have to look forward to…

Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe is an artist and multi instrumentalist working with voice in the realm of spontaneous music Through collaboration Robert has worked with such artists as Lucky Dragons, Alan Licht, Lee Ranaldo, White/Light, Kevin Martin, Tyondai Braxton and Genesis P-Orridge.
http://www.lichensarealive.com/

If you prefer old SST label cassette tapes or an early Spaceman 3 cassette you recently found wedged in the back seat of your car to super slick modern day music production, you may dig Carlton Melton. Their music is recorded live inside a geodesic dome, and is entirely improvised.
http://carltonmeltonmusic.com/

Godflesh, Head of David, Napalm Death, Techno Animal, Jesu, Greymachine, Palesketcher – just some of the projects from the insanely prolific Justin Broadrick, who in his new relationship with 3by3, raises his Techno Animal moniker JK Flesh from the dead for its debut full-length outing, to once again prove his mastery of all things brutal. 
Soul-crushingly dark beats and bass, layered with Broadrick’s inimitable guitar and vocal fuzz, providing a stark contrast to 2010’s Palesketcher output, that will resonate with fans of Godflesh and the post-dubstep landscape alike.
justinkbroadrick.blogspot.com/

Legendary Earth guitarist Dylan Carlson recently set out to pursue a solo endeavour, up to now he has released a cassette as drcarlsonalbion but there still remains an air of mystery and much anticipation as to what direction this solo musical endeavour will go next. For Supersonic, he will be teaming up with a number of other musicians including Teresa Colamonaco on vocals, Michael York on bagpipes, and Rogier Small on snare drum.

http://drcarlsonalbion.wordpress.com/

A collective who hail from a small and very remote village in deepest, darkest Sweden, Goat produce heavy, afro psych punk, with absorbing percussion. Old tales of voodoo and curses from their village Korpolombolo inspires their music. One to watch!

http://goatsweden.blogspot.co.uk/

ZENI GEVA is a Japanese prog-hardcore band, led by singer and guitarist KK Null, a pioneering group of innovators and legends.
ZENI GEVA was founded in Tokyo in 1987 and quickly found a dedicated fan base in Europe and the US. Their popularity in the west enabled ZENI GEVA to be one of the first Japanese bands to tour in Europe and the US with bands like Neurosis, Melvins, Dazzling Killmen, Don Caballero, Eyehategod, Pain Teens, Shellac, Bastro, Crash Worship and more.

http://zenigeva.jpn.org/

Canadian based composer and sound artist, Tim Hecker has spent the last decade inhabiting a unique intersection between noise, dissonance, and melody. In his varied and celebrated works, digital and organic sources tightly intertwine. The immense power and menace of his live shows make Hecker a contemporary master of volume and texture.

http://www.sunblind.net/

Born in the gutter of Baltimore County, raised in the sludge of the Copy Cat. Dope Body was born ad mist the post-hype of Baltimore underground. They are a collage of musical styles encapsulated by a classic (noise) rock structure. Rather than compare their ferocity to another contender, just know that Dope Body is punk spelled other-wards and standing on its hands,

There new full length (Natural History) is releasing May 2012 with Drag City.

http://dopebody.tumblr.com/

BOHREN (English translation: Drilling)

If you enjoy it slow and low, Germany’s  Bohren & Der Club Of Gore will very likely do the trick. In fact, with each subsequent release the German quartet’s music grows increasingly refined.

Bohren are often dubbed doom-jazz, though this hardly defines the sound. Consider, maybe, the recent crop of jazz-oriented Rune Grammofon releases, then remove 1/2 of the notes and replace any and all folksiness with foreboding minimalist dirge and a Sunn 0))) streak. Now, mix in some John Cage, because Bohren & der Club of Gore are masters of silence, using space and shadows to create (and maintain) dynamics. They appeal to listeners of black metal as well as drone. But for all of that gloom/doom, one  could also see them appealing to fans of minimalist ambience and spare electronics, as well those who enjoy adventurous “out” jazz. But regardless of your genre identification, you’d do best to concentrate, and let it work its way into your head. Time is on their side.

http://www.bohrenundderclubofgore.de/