Supersonic zine on Issuu
Ross Cotton, Capsule’s very own Lester Bangs, has produced a classic zine to celebrate this year’s festival. If you’re in Birmingham, pick a copy up on your travels. If not, you’re also in luck because Ross has made it available via the Issuu self-publishing site. Click the link below for loads of pre-festival opinion, interviews, a guide to Birmingham and amazing illustrations.
ARTSCARE podcast featuring Electric Wizard, KARP, Scorn, Lucky Dragons and many more.
Our good friends over at ARTSCARE in Bristol have put together a fantastic new podcast featuring some of the Supersonic acts. ARTSCARE are a DIY crew promoting great unsigned talent from Bristol and beyond. They specialise in limited edition CD runs, online promotion and showcase events for artists and bands who are willing to pitch in, roll their sleeves up and be proactive. Righteous people in other words. Enjoy their sounds here:
soundcloud.com/artscarebristol/supersonic-podcast-2011
ARTSCARE have also produced a History of Metal in Bristol documentary. Check out part one here.
$100 and a T-shirt- a film about zines
‘$100 and a T-shirt’ is a cultural analysis of what causes zine makers to tick; what the hell zines are, why people make zines, the origin of zines, the resources and community available for zine makers, and the future of zines. The film interviews around 70 zine makers, ex-zine makers, and readers from the northwest USA. Four years in the making, the film features footage of the Portland Zine Symposium, a zine bicycle tour of Portland, and activities bringing zine culture to life. If you’ve ever wanted to know more about zine history and about what writers are doing right now to make their publications relevant to the 21st Century, this film may give you some clues.
Also, look out for our zine panel discussion that follows the film, and make sure you take a look at the Birmingham Zine Festival exhibition and stalls.
microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/title/1011
$100 & A T-Shirt from Cantankerous Titles on Vimeo.
To make your weekend with us whole, we’ve got an excellent programme of films, exhibitions, talks and workshops. Particularly exciting is the news that Whitehouse/Cut Hands front man William Bennett will be talking about his new project, his West African musical influences and his music’s inclusion on the Vice Guide to Liberia. This talk will then be followed with a screening of the Vice film that examines the dark history of the war torn country and the fate of its people today.
We’ll also be screening an exciting selection of film shorts from the exceptional label, Fonal. The Finnish label includes artists Es, Islaja (pictured), Lau Nau and of course Circle, who will be performing at the festival this year.
Conny Prantera is an artist and illustrator who lives and works in London. Through her intricately detailed drawings, she tells us a story of disquieting and disturbed beauty. Here at Supersonic she will be showing a new piece titled Kore Kosmou, a video installation consisting of photomontage and drawings, meticolously put together frame by frame, animated and synced to a series of purposely created audio loops and drones
Other screenings include a package of late night horror, programmed by Psychotronic Cinema. Responsible for he legendary “All Night Horror Madness” event and the upcoming “All Night Bad Movie Experience” they’ll be bringing ‘Flesh for Frankenstein‘ and ‘Suspiria‘ to the festival as a late night treat.
Birmingham experimental artists and producers SOUNDkitchen will be in residency at the festival, presenting their ‘Cinema for the Ears’. Working in collaboration with BEAST (Birmingham ElectroAcoustic Sound Theatre), they promise a concoction of installations and performances in a site-specific immersive sound sculpture. They will also be contributing the sonic element to the Imperfect Cinema performance on Sunday – creating an alternative documentation of the festival.
Other fantastic local folk getting involved are the Birmingham Zine Festival. Celebrating alternative publications for Supersonic 2011, the festival organisers have invited some of their favourite small press publishers to sell their books, comics and zines, along with an exhibition of zine artwork. Continuing the zine celebrations, there will be ascreening of ‘$100 and a t-shirt’, Joe Biel’s documentary exploring the thoughts and experiences of zine-makers in North America. Also a panel, From a to Zine, featuring Alex Zamora, Nic Bullen and Charlie Woolley will discuss the history of zines, their inspirations and how this feeds into modern DIY creativity and publishing.
Go here for weekend and day ticket info.
A special Q&A will see Whitehouse/Cut Hands man William Bennett, the influence of West African sounds on his own work, his new Afronoise project and his music’s inclusion on the Vice film.
VBS TV travels to Liberia in West Africa to explore a country ravaged by years of civil war. Liberia was originally planned and founded as a homeland for former slaves back in 1821. But fast-forward over a century and a half, and a military coup, and you find the first Liberian Civil War as Charles Taylor’s US-backed opposition overthrows a government unfriendly to US interests. The film explores the current fate of the Liberian people and that of the warlords themselves.
Fonal Records is an independent record label from Finland that has been releasing experimental music since 1995. Initially established by Sami Sänpäkkilä to release his own recordings under the name Es, Fonal is a truly independent record label in every sense and now has over 80 releases to its name, This music video screening presents a variety of techniques ranging from animation to live action. Videos have been shot with mobile phones, super 8, 16mm film and Red One cameras, and all have been made with a zero budget. This special programme includes work from such label luminaries as Lau Nau, Kemialliset Ystävät, Paavoharju, Islaja and Shogun Kunitoki.
Eleanoora Rosenholm: Valo kaasumeren hämärässä from Sami Sänpäkkilä on Vimeo.
Dir:Paul Morrissey – 1973 – UK/Italy/France
High and low art collide in this gorgeously photographed, sex and gore filled, delirious trash-art gem. Udo Kier’s demented central performance ranks as one of the most intense and outrageous in cinema history.
This screening is part of Psychotronic Cinema’s late night horror at Supersonic. Psychotronic Cinema programmes cult classic films at UK cinemas and is responsible for the legendary “All Night Horror Madness” event and the upcoming “All Night Bad Movie Experience”.
SOUNDkitchen
SOUNDkitchen is a collective of sound artists and composers bringing new and experimental sounds to Birmingham through exciting line-ups, eclectic electronic performances and collaborations with various local and national organisations. SOUNDkitchen aims to present anything and everything that’s experimental and electronic, crossing genres from electroacoustic to soundscapes to noise to ambient drones to Afrobeat, Dubstep, Balkan music and many more.
For Supersonic 2011, SOUNDkitchen will present two works. They’ll be resident in a special area where they will be serving-up audio delights in their Cinema for the Ears. Working in collaboration with BEAST (Birmingham ElectroAcoustic Sound Theatre), they promise a concoction of installations and performances in a site-specific immersive sound sculpture. Secondly, they will provide a live soundscape/soundtrack to Imperfect Cinema‘s screening of films made by festival-goers attending the latter’s workshop.
For Supersonic 2011, the festival organisers have invited some of their favourite small press publishers to sell their books, comics and zines, including:
There will also be zines and an exhibition of artwork from Adam Cadwell, Carla Smith, Catherine Elms, Dina Kelberman, Joe List and many more. The zine celebrations will also be working their way into other aspects of Supersonic. ‘$100 and a t-shirt‘, Joe Biel’s documentary exploring the thoughts and experiences of zine-makers in North America, will be screened. In addition to this, a panel featuring Alex Zamora, Nic Bullen and Charlie Woolley will discuss the history of zines, their inspirations and how this feeds into modern DIY creativity and publishing.
Featuring Alex Zamora of Fever Zine, Nic Bullen, formerly of Napalm Death and Charlie Woolley, archivist of a unique collection of fanzines and political ephemera dating from the punk movement and its aftermath assembled by artist and collector Toby Mott. The panel will discuss the history of zines, their inspirations and the resurgence of zine culture.
Alex Zamora is a music and arts journalist who runs Fever Zine,a quarterly publication focusing on music , art and DIY culture.
http://www.feverzine.co.uk/
Nic Bullen is a musician and visual artist who co founded the band Napalm Death. Bullen collected and produced a number of zines during the 1980s.
Charlie Woolley is an artist and archivist of the Mott Collection. The collection is a fascinating piece of punk history and also includes political propaganda and memorabilia.
Conny Prantera is an artist and illustrator who lives and works in London. Here at Supersonic she will be showing a new piece titled Kore Kosmou, a video installation consisting of photomontage and drawings, meticolously put together frame by frame, animated and synced to a series of purposely created audio loops and drones. The subject of the installation is the 4 Elements of the Natural World: Air, Water, Earth and Fire. Through her intricately detailed drawings, she reveals an imagery of disquieting visions: a collection of relics from a world of wonder, which appears disturbing and suspiciously sardonic at the same time. But while with one eye she winks, to reassure us all is well, with the other she threatens with a baleful presage.
DRAWING OBSESSIVE from conny.withloveandsqualor on Vimeo.
Limited edition Supersonic poster by Cataract Op
Supersonic have commissioned the very talented Simon Fowler of Cataract Op to produce a limited edition print for this year’s festival. Available in an oversized A2 edition of 120, it comes in eye-catching (and possibly mouth-watering) black and metallic silver on 225gsm manilla archival paper. And guess what? It’s only available at the festival, a bargain at £30. You’ll be needing to purchase a ticket to get your hands on this beauty.
Simon Fowler is a London born artist and printmaker, predominantly working with pen and ink and traditional print-making techniques such as lino and vinyl engraving to achieve images of intense detail and expansive beauty. He’s produced recent artwork for Earth, Sunn O))) and Devilman (DJ Scotch Egg/Dokkebi Q) and has recently started producing an ongoing series of limited edition prints for Cafe OTO’s visiting artist residencies. Simon also co-runs Cataract Publisihing with writer and poet Paolo Chianta.
Dir:Dario Argento – 1977 – Italy
Dario Argento’s 70s masterpiece remains an iconic milestone in horror cinema, playing out as a hallucinatory onslaught of dreamlike imagery, atmosphere, colour and sound. Goblin’s legendary score will need little introduction to Supersonic fans.
This screening is part of Psychotronic Cinema’s late night horror at Supersonic. Psychotronic Cinema programmes cult classic films at UK cinemas and is responsible for the legendary “All Night Horror Madness” event and the upcoming “All Night Bad Movie Experience”.
The Quietus: Q&A with editor John Doran
The Quietus is one of Capsule’s favourite sites. Spending a few hours in their company is always a pleasure and mainman John Doran has been involved with Supersonic before, most recently hosting a Q&A with Neu!’s Michael Rother on 2010. Here, we turn the tables and subject him to our own Q&A, courtesy of Ross Cotton.
How would you describe your relationship with Supersonic Festival?
Head over heels in love. Luckily my girlfriend feels the same way.
Which acts are you looking forward to most in this year’s line-up, and why?
Electric Wizard because they are pure, heavy evil, straight from some kind of black hole of doom. The Skull Defekts (will they find the Higgs Bosun?) will be amazing. Simeon of The Silver Apples is always amazing. WITTR, White Hills and Circle.
What has been your ultimate favourite performance at a previous Supersonic and why?
Probably either Beestung Lips in 2008 just because it was so fucked up, exciting and funny, Arbouretum in 2009 or King Midas Sound last year. Or SunnO))). It’s hard to pare it down to one set.
How would you describe Supersonic to a potential, fresh audience?
The right balance of pancreas bursting harsh noise, frollicking and cake.
What does Supersonic offer differently compared to any other festival?
The compactness of it is a real selling point. There’s always a good vibe there and you’re guaranteed to come away having seen something amazing you weren’t previously aware of.
Anybody attending this year’s Supersonic Festival will be happy to hear that another exciting arts festival will be taking place in the Eastside area of Birmingham at the same time. The Event is a contemporary arts festival showcasing the best in artist-led activity and will take place from 21 – 30 October 2011 at a variety of venues including former industrial warehouses and recently opened artist-led gallery spaces.
The Event is delivered by some of the city’s key artist-led groups to explore a range of contemporary arts activity including visual arts, performance, live art, film, video, web-based, installation, intervention and sound, all demonstrating the diversity of the thriving arts community in the city.
Check the website for news of the programme along with special collaborative events.
New Spotify playlist
We’ve announced more new artists since our last Spotify playlist so, to make your listening experience simple and seamless, here’s a link to an updated version. Now with added Mike Watt, Drum Eyes, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, Klaus Kinski, DJ Scotch Egg, Drumcunt and Orthodox. Enjoy! (But our sincere apologies for those horrible meerkat adverts.)
http://open.spotify.com/user/littleredrabbit/playlist/1G2nW0tTKUmIoANAR4t14a
Rock-a-Rolla: Q&A with editor-in-chief Vuk Valcic
For our 12th Q&A we’re going off-piste and instead of talking to the artists performing at Supersonic 2011, we’re checking in with Vuk Valcic, editor of Rock-a-Rolla magazine. Capsule has a long standing relationship with the magazine and we salute their coverage of independent, progressive music. Read on to find out Vuk’s fondest Supersonic memories and why he thinks the festival is essential.
How would you describe your relationship with Supersonic Festival?
Rock-A-Rolla has been Supersonic’s media partner since the very early days of the mag – in fact going all the way back to our first year of existence. Capsule have always had a knack for selecting interesting and vital artists, and the line-up has always been spot-on in terms of what we cover in the magazine. We’re also friends and fans.
Which acts are you looking forward to most in this year’s line-up, and why?
As always, pretty much all of them, but for my part Secret Chiefs 3, Zombi, Zu93, WITTR, White Hills, Circle, Fire!, Barn Owl and The Skull Defekts are all particularly unmissable. Secret Chiefs 3 should be every festivalgoer’s top priority.
What has been your ultimate favourite performance at a previous Supersonic and why?
Tough question. There’s no way I can choose just one, but let’s go with Oxbow Duo and Wolf Eyes in 2007, Asva and Dälek in 2008, and SunnO))) and Thorr’s Hammer in 2009, all of which were memorable for various reasons. And of course Zu a couple of years back – one of the best live bands out there.
How would you describe Supersonic to a potential, fresh audience?
In one word: essential. It’s the only festival that keeps getting it right year in, year out. For crucial, cutting-edge underground rock, metal and experimental music, there’s simply no other festival quite like it in the UK. On a more personal note, it’s like getting all the bands you read about in Rock-A-Rolla together in one place for an awesome weekend.
What does Supersonic offer differently compared to any other festival?
The line-up is just plain different to any other UK festival you can think of, and it’s always outstanding. It speaks for itself, really. Other than the band selection, the Custard Factory setting makes this a completely different beast to the outdoor festivals doing the rounds – no mud and Portaloos here, just great music and a great atmosphere.
What impact does Supersonic have on Birmingham’s music scene?
I think it goes beyond Birmingham – and the UK for that matter. It undoubtedly plays a major part in putting Birmingham on the map and of course brings festivalgoers to the city, which can only be a good thing, but more importantly Supersonic has far-reaching impact on underground music worldwide.
Interview by Ross Cotton
Imperfect Cinema Q&A
For the last day of our film programme week, we spoke to Dan Paolantonio from the DIY film collective Imperfect Cinema to get the low-down on what to expect at Supersonic 2011.
1. Which five words describe what you know about Supersonic?
Eclectic, adventurous, surprising, engaging, cake!
2. What can people expect of Imperfect Cinema at the festival?
A combustible collision of DIY punk ethics and car boot sale film cameras! We hope that our event will not only inspire new context for endangered imaging technologies, but also a form a unique audio-visual documentation of Supersonic, founded in collaboration, and the creative risk of improvised performance! We are absolutely delighted to be working in partnership with Sound Kitchen this year & to continuing Imperfect Cinema’s close working relationship with the inimitable Nicholas Bullen!
3. Why do you explore filmmaking as a medium – what does it do for you that nothing else does?
This is of course the burning question and one which I feel has a real relevance to our appearance at Supersonic this year! Filmmaking for me is actually very much a musical experience, in that it conjures those feelings that I am only otherwise able to experience when listening to music (and as I play the guitar with all the grace & dexterity of a chimp wearing boxing gloves, everyone should actually be incredibly relieved that i am most often found behind a camera rather than in front of a Marshall stack!).
4. Who or what else on the bill are you hoping to see? (And why?)
Where do I start! Barn Owl for their expansive sonic vistas, Wolves in The Throne Room for their unique blend of grim meets green, Drunk in Hell for their single riff bludgeoning, Scorn for that singular low-end, Mike Watt because the old punk in me needs to get over Minutemen, Ore out of sheer curiosity, Silver Apples because I never thought I ever would, and of course Backwards (if only to confirm that this experience will be as utterly dreadful as Nic Bullen’s boasts!).
5. Finally, your essential ‘surviving-Supersonic’ items are…
An open mind, earplugs, optrex, funds for cake, and a calm & discerning eye when considering everything on offer this year!
Blood, Sweat & Vinyl: DIY in the 21st Century
Blood, Sweat & Vinyl is a documentary film by Kenneth Thomas focussing on the artist-run record labels Hydra Head, Neurot, and Constellation, and their many associated bands. Thomas considers the film to be, in part at least, an answer to those who question where the spirit of punk rock is today. Including the thoughts and experiences of artists like Neurosis, ISIS, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Pelican, Oxbow and Evangelista, the film promises to be an in-depth and illuminating look at the connections and networks built up by artists committed to uncompromised work and self-expression.
Scott Kelly (Neurosis/Neurot): “It’s not just a business we’ve started, it reflects on our entire adult life.”
Seldon Hunt: “It’s a strange thing that metal has a strange image of being kind of childish and kind of stupid. In a sense, it’s the 21st and late 20th century equivalent of classical music.”
Aaron Turner (Hydra-Head/ISIS): “It’s part of this larger extended network. To me that’s one of the most satisfying parts, just making connections and being involved with the really active, progressive, interesting community of musicians, labels and artists.”
Kenneth Thomas has spent the last 15 years capturing and displaying a unique vision via his multi-disciplinary skills in shooting, directing, editing, and photography. His primary interest is in documentary work which focuses on capturing authentic experiences. Thomas’ previous work includes directing music videos and filming for The Residents, X, The Chameleons UK, Queens of the Stone Age, ISIS, Neurosis, Yanni, Bruce LaBruce, William Shatner and many other artists.
Blood, Sweat + Vinyl – Hydra Head Records clip from kenneth thomas on Vimeo.
Tomorrow will see the launch of an exciting new commission between VIVID and Capsule:
MR. UNDERWOOD
SONIC GRAFFITI 2011
Walking the streets near to VIVID and Supersonic Festival, the ubiquitous signs of
neglect passing you by, your attention is captured by a symbol you’ve seen somewhere
else before…
Set into a decaying wall there is a headphone socket. You unplug from your own music
and plug yourself into the city. The sounds you hear are of and from this place, dark
and decayed. As you listen you examine the surface before you more closely. You’ve never
paused here in this way before. What beauty you have missed.
A special “Crash EP” featuring four compositions by Mr.Underwood will be
contained within the installations. Each piece is based on a field recording taken
close to the site in which you find it. The EP will be available for download but you
are encouraged to listen to the pieces in situ, as the chance sounds that surround
you at the time of listening are considered part of the compositions. The pieces
will require you to interact with them in a variety of ways to trigger or manipulate
the sound. Go explore! Headphones are available from VIVID during exhibition
opening hours for a small deposit.
Join Mr. Underwood for a special tour, leaving from VIVID on Friday 23
September, 6pm. Meet at VIVID reception at 6pm. Bring your own headphones.
Film week, day 3: ‘Still Before’, a film about Oxbow
‘Still Before’, a film by Manuel Liebeskind, draws the most intimate tour portrait of this exceptional band from San Francisco and is perhaps as close as one can come to the exhaustion of everyday tour life. Here at Capsule HQ we’ve only seen the trailer, but, believe us, that was more than enough to whet our appetites. ‘Still Before’ is also highly notable for being filmed entirely on an iPhone with a 640×480 pixel resolution, probably the first feature-length to be so.
We can’t imagine it would be easy to get close to a band like Oxbow, so how did Liebeskind do it? Turns out he’s their former booking agent, soundman and general man-Friday and thus the band gave him unprecedented access. Through his film, Liebeskind attempts to uncover the obsessions, machinations and thought processes behind making, playing and touring music that embraces art as though its life depended on it. Across five countries, over a dozen shows, and in front of rapt audiences, ‘Still Before’ explore the whys of art creation, the touring life and the motivations for continuing the process over two decades.
STILL BEFORE from Manuel Liebeskind on Vimeo.
Supersonic film week, day 2: Man With A Video Camera
Supersonic 2011 are pleased to present ‘Man With A Video Camera’, a documentary about the Finnish band Circle. Happily, Circle themselves are also performing this year, thus squaring the, um, circle. In fact, although we say ‘documentary’, ‘Man With A Video Camera’ is closer to an anti-documentary. As with, say, ‘Lost In La Mancha’, Terry Gilliam’s film-about-making-a-film-of-Don-Quixote, the actual story appears to be somewhere else, somewhere unplaceable. Perhaps that’s because filmmaker Esko Lönnberg himself has come from elsewhere, into Circle’s world…
Lönnberg left his middle-class job in Sweden and returned to his hometown of Pori, Finland to pursue his artistic desires. The shooting for the film mostly takes place in the countryside where the band is recording their next album. The circumstances turn out to be chaotic and most of the band appear totally uninterested and unengaged. But, Esko tries to keep the crowd together, even though he does not know himself if he is going to end up with fiction or non-fiction. Throughout, Esko captures everything essential and unessential on video while the band plays.
In the end, this unique film tells you all you need to know about documentary-making, its perils and its rewards.
http://www.fonal.com/shop/petrihagner_manwithavideocamera_dvd
We’re delighted to let you know that we’ve been nominated for an AIM Indie Champion award, for our work with Home Of Metal and Supersonic Festival.
We’re up against some pretty outstanding folks including our goods friends John & Luke at The Quietus ( but do feel free to vote for us !)- more details here http://www.musicindie.com/awards/indiechampion
Film week, day 1 : Kill All Redneck Pricks: KARP LIVES! 1990-1998
All this week at Supersonic we’re going to be previewing this year’s fantastic film programme. Day 1 is the turn of ‘KARP LIVES! 1990-1998’.
This film is a biography of a friendship. Set in the indie rock utopia of an evergreen forested Olympia Washington of the early 90’s, this film chronicles the journey of the love of three friends from childhood to adulthood over a span of 20 years. Nestled in the mythology of bands such as Beat Happening, Bikini Kill, Unwound, and the Melvins, the story of KARP is the story of a childhood love forced to make adult changes in order to survive an adult world and how the choices we face as we follow our dreams affect those whom we love most. It is the story of how so often the thing that frees you can become your largest obstacle.
This is how a forum poster recalls it:
“Karp played a show in my living room in Columbus, Ohio in 1995 or 1996 (the years start to blend together). We had held dozens and dozens of shows there with no real incident. These were loud and sometimes crazy shows. When Karp played the police came. With all of the doors and windows closed you could still hear it blacks and blocks away. One of the loudest bands i have ever seen and i mean that as a high compliment. I am quite excited to see this.”
Don’t forget too that bassist Jared Warren will be playing in The Melvins at their Capsule-promoted show at the Institute on 1st November.
Supersonic is produced by Capsule:
Unit 317, Zellig
Gibb Street
Birmingham UK
B9 4AT
