Wolves in the Throne Room

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During the Summer of 2002 at an Earth First rendezvous in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State, guitarist Nathan Weaver was inspired to create a band that merged a Cascadian eco-spiritual awareness with the misanthropic Norwegian eruptions of the 90’s. The band envisioned would strive to create a mythic space where artist and listener alike could strip away the mindset of the mundane to reveal a more ancient and transcendent consciousness. The mysterious and wild energies of the untrammeled forests of the Northwest would be channeled into sonic form.

http://www.wittr.com

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Monarch

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Located in the far reaches in the south of France lies Bayonne, a small City untouched by modern architecture and home to one of the slowest, heaviest and loudest funeral doom metal bands Europe has to offer. They call them selves Monarch and they ascended to this Earth in the year of 2004.

Drawing comparisons to the likes of heavy weights Khanate, Burzum, Corrupted and the Melvins, Monarch are a unique band with the pure intent on creating blood curdling feedback drenched physical sound through the use of insane volume and low end frequencies, oh, and with a wall of sweet vintage amps.

http://www.myspace.com/monarchuberalles

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Lucky Dragons

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Lucky Dragons are about the birthing of new and temporary creatures–equal-power situations in which audience members cooperate amongst themselves, building up fragile networks held together by such light things as skin contact, unfamiliar language, temporary logic, the spirit of celebration, and things that work but you don’t know why. There have been hundreds of these simple yet shifting and unpredictable instances–with audiences ranging from the intense intimacy of one person to the public spectacle of thousands of people. At the heart of it all is playing together–building up social collectivities, re-engaging the wonder and impossibility of technological presence. It sounds–and looks–like simple and ancient patterns coming together and falling apart in a sincere attempt to let wires and screens and words become clear and crystal.

http://www.hawksandsparrows.org/

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Eternal Tapestry

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Eternal Tapestry will make you wish you were raised in Portland. Eternal Tapestry will make you believe that mixing the experimental sounds of Jackie O’ Motherfucker, the drones of Barn Owl and the ambient folk flavors of Plankton Wat is possible. Eternal Tapestry will bring back to your memory the krautrock-ish psych sounds of Popol Vuh. Eternal Tapestry is a visual sound that you would want to have constantly looping in your head.- magalighosn.wordpress.com

http://www.myspace.com/eternaltapestry

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Electric Wizard

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The heaviest band in the world. The oblivion and ecstasy of crushing doom and high grade marijuana, a sonic aural trip far, far away from this world, where only cyclopean walls of crackling vintage valve amplifiers set to the full overdrive and primal ritualistic beats can wash away all the filth and drudgery of everyday life. Our music is DoomMetal, the only true definition. We toll the bell of hell, our sound is a crushing behemoth of funeral march psychedelia.
Violent, bleak and ritualistic, we bow to the black altar of the RIFF. We do not rock, we kill!

http://www.myspace.com/electricwizarddorsetdoom

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Cloaks

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After a storming DJ set at last year’s Supersonic, we’ve invited Cloaks back for more, considered to be one of the more abstract and uncompromising production teams to have emerged from the spannered and industrial-edged UK dubstep scene. Their distorted and often claustrophobic sound, created using found sound and circuit bent instruments was first debuted on the London based Werk Discs, with their output drawing comparison to not only modern bass music but to the darker sounds of noise and industrial.

http://www.3by3cloaks.blogspot.com
http://www.3by3music.com

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Bardo Pond

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Bardo Pond are an American psychedelic rock band from Philadelphia, formed in 1991, and who are currently signed to London based label Fire Records. The current members are Michael Gibbons (guitar), John Gibbons (guitar), Isobel Sollenberger (flute and vocals), Clint Takeda (bass guitar), Jason Kourkonis (drums), and Aaron Igler (synth/electronics). Bardo Pond’s drug-inspired music is often classified as space rock, acid rock, post-rock, shoegaze, noise or psychedelic rock.

http://www.bardopond.org/

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Astro

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Solo project of Japanese musician Hiroshi Hasegawa of the influential noise music group C.C.C.C. Astro’s music is made using assorted analog equipment including Moog, EMS, and Flower Electronics synthesizers. His music covers a wide range of styles in the experimental psychedelic music field; from space music to psychedelically tinged harsh noise.

http://www2.odn.ne.jp/astro/

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Antilles

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A well-kept secret in the French underground community, Antilles is a new act formed by three activists (Erik Minkkinen and Lionel Fernandez from Sister Iodine, Jerome Berg from The Berg Sans Nipple). Their music is a mind-blowing mixture of psych noise and tribal percussions. Dance, shake, forget time and space while listening to their mutant live show.

http://www.myspace.com/thebergsansnipple

http://www.sister-iodine.net

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a.P.A.t.T.

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a.P.A.t.T. sound like the best bits of everything you’ve ever heard. File next to ABBA / Zappa skipping through all the genres on the way. Completely original bewildering 2-7 piece band using all the genres possible to create a daft yet beautiful mess. Running all over stage whilst swapping instruments. Eclectic doesn’t cover it.

http://www.apatt.com/

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Agathe Max

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Agathe Max is a French musician based in Lyon. She mostly performs as a solo violin act, enhanced with various loops, distortions and other effects. She has been very much on tour in the last few years sharing gigs with important international acts such as Carla Bozulich, Jonathan Kane, Rhys Chattam, David Daniell and Melt Banana. Her music is either composed or improvised, depending of the shape of the project. In addition to her musical career, Agathe Max is also a visual artist, a jeweller and an activist in the musical and artistic community in Lyon.
http://www.myspace.com/agathemax

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Pekko Kappi

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Pekko Käppi studied jouhikko playing at the Ala-Könni School in Kaustinen in 1997 and since then it has been his main instrument. As a singer and a researcher he is well-versed in the Finnish runo-singing tradition. He graduated from the Department of Music Anthropology at the University of Tampere. His debut album “Jos ken pahoin uneksii” was released in 2007 and nominated for the Finnish ethno-grammy award. Currently Käppi is teaching at the Folk Music Department of Sibelius-Academy.  Kappi has a strong ethnomusical approach in his work, but has worked with various artists across  different genres of music.

www.pekkokappi.com

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Line up announced & tickets on sale

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Supersonic Festival 2011
Fri 21 – 23rd October
Birmingham UK

Line up includes special guests Zu93, Electric Wizard and Secret Chiefs 3
joined by
a.P.A.t.T., Agathe Max, Antilles, Astro, Bardo Pond, Blarke Bayer/Black Widow, Cloaks, Eternal Tapestry, Fire! w/ Oren Ambarchi, Lucky Dragons, Monarch, Pekko Käppi, Scorn, The Skull Defekts, White Hills, Wolves In The Throne Room, Zombi

Limited early bird tickets available from www.theticketsellers.co.uk

In-keeping with tradition, Supersonic Festival 2011 will return to its natural home, the Custard Factory, Birmingham for another year. This year, we are proud to welcome to the main stage one of the heaviest bands in the world, Electric Wizard. Zu93, an exciting collaboration that began three years ago when members of Italian avant rock band ZU, and David Tibet first met. Supersonic are also proud to welcome back Zombi, after bringing them to the UK for the first time back in 2006. Also gracing the main stage is one of the most visible and prolific names in the avant garde underground, Secret Chiefs 3. Providing an alchemical fusion of wild sounds spanning multiple genres, including “Morricone-esque cinematic grandeur, midnight surf guitar, traditional Middle Eastern rhythms and time signatures, demonic death metal, and electronic deviance” (Pitchfork).

Particularly exciting is the announcement that Supersonic will bring an extra special collaborative project to UK shores going by the name Fire! Combining the musical talent of Mats Gustafsson on sax, rhodes and electronics, Andreas from Wildbirds & Peacedrums on drums, Johan Berthling from Tape on bass, plus mind-bending master musician Oren Ambarchi playing guitar and electronics, Fire! perfectly amalgamate noise, rock and free-improv with a groovy Krautrock mantra. This promises to be the collaboration that everyone will be talking about!

White Hills will bring their mind-melting psychedelia to the festival for those people looking for “the rightful heir to Hawkwind’s massive legacy.” (Goldmine) whilst Lucky Dragons will astound with their notoriously immersive live shows where the audience is as integral to their performance as they are. The Skull Defekts are amongst the line up bringing their unique form of experimental rock as well as Wolves In The Throne Room, heralded by the press as one of the most promising Black Metal bands to emerge from the United States.

Experimentalists of the truest kind, Eternal Tapestry have confirmed their invitation, so expect finely crafted free improvised guitar with structured rhythms and lots of layered ambient sound. Add to that, Bardo Pond who will also take to the stage later this year performing their notorious esoteric psychedelia, replete with droning guitars, feedback, dense distortion and surges of reverb and white noise. Meanwhile local legend Mick Harris (Former member of Napalm Death) performs as Scorn, taking blast- beats to an entirely other level. And for that dose of chaotic sounds and wild unpredictability comes Japanese noise artist Astro, solo project of Japanese musician Hiroshi Hasegawa of the influential noise music group C.C.C.C and also a.P.A.t.T who sound like the best bits of everything you’ve ever heard.

Bringing something new to the festival is Antilles, a well-kept secret in the French underground community, whilst fellow French violinist Agathe Max will be gently weaving her elegant violin threads into cacophonous sounds. Keeping up the French connection are Monarch, one of the slowest, heaviest and loudest funeral doom metal bands Europe has to offer, driven by the pure intent on creating blood curdling feedback drenched physical sound through the use of insane volume and low end frequencies, and with a wall of sweet vintage amps. Welcomed back with open arms is innovative artist Cloaks, returning for a consecutive year.  And coming all the way from Melbourne Australia will be Blarke Bayer / Black Widow, a wildly experimental duo comprising Ben Andrews (Blarke Bayer) also a member of My Disco Robert MacManus (Black Widow) formerly a member of Grey Daturas. Pekko Käppi is sure to take our breath away, performing traditional Finnish runo-singing.

On top of all that there is still art, film, panel discussions and most importantly cake, details of other special guests to be revealed…

For further details about our line up check HERE
For our special hotel deals check HERE

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Peter Broderick set from 2010

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Stunning footage of Peter Brodericks set from Supersonic 2010, it’s not all about the heavy noise but lots more – filmed and edited by by HTF Media
Keep an eye on this space news of Supersonic 2011 coming very soon

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Suggestions for Supersonic 2011

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This great image is courtesy of Poupi postcards

Happy new year all, Some of you may remember our blog post calling for suggestions to be made for Supersonic 2010, well now is your chance to let us know who you’d like to see perform at Supersonic 2011. You never know your dream just may come true – after all many of you asked for Corrupted in 2009 and Godflesh for 2010, and so they came!

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Review in The Wire magazine

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Great review in the current issue of  The Wire Magazine

Supersonic confirms that there’s certainly something in the air in Birmingham, or, as one of the organisers suggests, in the city’s architecture, that makes even the older artists come across as fresh. That’s because you’re not observing them on display in a ‘zoo’, but working in their natural habitat: a post-industrial space. So many other music festivals offer what you expect to hear, merely affirming your good taste in music, Supersonic is a place to be educated and surprised: new, experimental and intellectually nourishing material is cleverly smuggled in under a black cloak of fist-pumping riffs and cathartic noise.

David Moats

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RIP Sleazy

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Peter ‘Sleazy’ Christopherson: 1955-2010

Along with the rest of Throbbing Gristle, Sleazy was a bold provocateur and activist. But he was also one of the most innovative musicians of his generation. Coil played the first ever Supersonic Festival in 2003, it was a real honour.

It is with great sadness that this morning the Quietus is having to report that Peter “Sleazy” Christopherson of Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV, Coil and X-TG has died. He was 55, and reportedly passed away in his sleep. The news was broken in the early hours of the morning by Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti, who tweeted “Our dearest beautiful Sleazy left this mortal coil as he slept in peace last night.words cannot express our grief”. The Throbbing Gristle website simply features Sleazy’s name, and the dates of his life: 1955 – 2010.

From The Quietus

There is also a piece on the Guardian website

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Supersonic 2010 video

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So it’s almost a month since Supersonic Festival 2010 – here is a little video which whizzes through some of the highlights.

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Supersonic 2010 collective memory

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Frank makes his first appearance at Supersonic 2010 photo Bunny Bissoux

A massive thank you to all the artists, our incredible team and of course our audience for making this years Supersonic Festival a truly remarkable event. It is always such a pleasure to welcome back old friends and make new ones. Thank you & we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

We will start posting up our Supersonic Collective memory over the next few days, so feel free to send your comments, blog post links and photos to us.
Supersonic photos should be added to our Flickr group (if you could tag them with band name & supersonic 2010)

SUPERSONIC QUESTIONNAIRE
We know that people who come to SUPERSONIC are a knowledgeable and opinionated lot so we’d like to ask for your assistance to develop and improve the next festival by answering a few questions about you and your experience. This should take no more than 6 minutes of your time, and your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Your answers here will aid us in keeping costs down and in making sure new and interesting artists will keep coming to the festival – so your input really does matter in making SUPERSONIC work.

Some nice press quotes:
Supersonic Festival is one of the most celebrated dates on the UK festival calendar.” Clash Magazine

Birmingham’s “foremost purveyors of what is interesting, exciting and invigorating about music in the twenty-first century” strike gold again at this year’s Supersonic festival” Bearded Magazine

“Always brave, always new and always excitedly different.” Virgin.com

“Not for the casual music imbiber, this is the perfect, in fact the only place to be if you want to be challenged, inspired, and even occasionally shocked as well as amused and entertained.  Cerebral and visceral – this could just be the ideal music festival experience.” TLOBF

Supersonic Festival, bringing forward a mouth-watering banquet with a taste for pure and unadulterated sound, verging on the eccentric, the unexpected and the just plain bizarre” Sound Sphere Magazine

Reviews:
Bearded Magazine
Fact Magazine
Gonzo Circus (Netherlands) Fri/Sat/ Sun
Music OMH
The Word
The Music Fix
Sssend – For electronic music
The Quietus
KindaMuzik.net (Netherlands)
Drowned In Sound
Sonic Abuse
Fused Magazine
Virgin.com
The Line Of Best Fit
Spheremag
Clash Magazine
ATTN:Magazine
SoundSphere Magazine
Brum Live

Blog Reviews:
Platform by rosiemackie
Platform by Ross Cotton
First Fold at Supersonic
Quaint Living
Get A Grip
Prick Your Finger
Birmingham Jazz
Khyam Allami
Asheq – Fri/Sat/Sun
mapsadaisical

Bunny Bissoux
– (includes photo of Frank the pup)
3by3
Glass Candle Grenades
noimspartacus
King Midas Sound
Mr.Underwood – talks about his kids gig, noise box workshop and also as part of Lash Frenzy
Punch-noise posterous + Edge Trinkets
Bottle in My Stomach
MTV Blog
The Rock Club
Demon Pigeon
E-festivals – Fri/Sat/Sun + photos
Proskynesis (Poland)

Brighlight
Thrash Hits
Amplificasom (Portuguese)
Alanas artwork
Fierce Festival
El Peso De La Vida (Spanish)
The Garbage Dump (Spanish) Fri/Sat/Sun
Toby Mearing – review of Stinky Wizzleteat
Chris Hathway
Russ L – Sonic Boom

Radio:
Rhubarb Radio – play back includes Tweak Bird, Pierre Bastien, Factory Floor, Hallogallo and Jailbreak + The Quietus show

Photos:
Pete Ashton – Nisennenmondai


Supersonic Festival Flickr group

Videos:

Here’s a selection of videos from YouTube. If you have a video of your own, or any others that you would like to share, post a link in the comments section at the bottom of the page. In no particular order::

Peter Broderick

oVo

Devilman

Cloaks

King Midas Sound

Nisennenmondai

Gum Takes Tooth

Godflesh

Blue Sabbath Black Fiji

Lash Frenzy vs. KK Null

Gnod

Cave

Dethscalator

Jailbreak

Pierre Bastien

Bong

Voice Of The Seven Thunders

Hallogallo

Melt Banana

Nic Bullen

Drum Corps

James Blackshaw

Swans

Ruins

Zeni Geva

Barn Owl

Eagle Twin

Fukpig

Gnaw

Master Musicians Of Bukkake

Lichens

Mothlite

Mugstar

Part Wild Horses Mane On Both Sides

Steve Tromans & Dan Nicholls

Other:
Last Fm – Supersonic group

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Supersonic Festival – Day 2.

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Photographic highlights from Day 2 at Supersonic::

Blue Sabbath Black Fiji (c) Katja Orgin::

Cloaks (c) Mark::

Tweak Bird (c) Mark::

Stinky Wizzleteat (c) James Robinson

Dosh (c) Julia Murphy::

Gnaw (c) James Robinson::

King Midas Sound (c) Katja Ogrin::

Godflesh (c) James Robinson::

Melt Banana (c) Katja Orgin::

Swans, Hallogallo, Factory Floor, Chrome Hoof, Zeni Geva & more still to play tonight. There are very limited tickets left on the door.

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Supersonic 2010 – Day 1.

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In case you missed day 1 of Supersonic here’s some photographic highlights::

Devilman::

Napalm Death::

Dead Fader::

Demons::

Drumcorps::

PCM::

With Godflesh, King Midas Sound, Melt Banana, Cloaks, Cave and Tweak Bird still to play, be sure you don’t miss a second night.

If you can’t make it, and you have a good excuse, Rhubarb Radio are streaming live sets from the festival all night, so I guess that’s the next best thing.

x

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Before you arrive

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Please read this useful info, will save you calling our office:

Recently we’ve been receiving lots of emails asking lots of questions, most of which were already covered on the supersonic website.  To make life easier, we’ve collated all of the information here into the Supersonic Festival Frequently Asked Questions List.  If you do have a question, check the list.

Alcohol: “Can I bring my own alcohol?”
Unfortunately not, you maybe searched on arrival and if you are found to be carrying drinks, these will be confiscated.

There are five licensed bars on the festival site.  If you look under 21, please bring some photo ID along.

Cash Points
There are only a few ATM machines in Digbeth, so you might want to take out money prior to arriving at the festival site.  There is one cash machine on site at H&S News – this machine will charge you £1.78 per withdrawal.
There are also cash machines located near-by at:
Nisa | Digbeth High Street | B5 5NR (about a 3 minute walk from the Custard Factory)
Free cash machine(!)
The Forge Tavern | 129 Great Barr Street | B9 4AY (it’s on the corner of Fazeley Street, at the top of Heath Mill Lane)

Charge of £1.75 per withdrawal

Children

Children can come along, but it is essential that you contact us beforehand and they usually have to leave the festival site by 9pm.  ([email protected] or 0121-248-2252).

Directions: “How do I get to Supersonic Festival?”

Supersonic Festival is held at the Custard Factory | Gibb Street | Birmingham | B9 4AA

BY TRAIN
The Custard Factory is a 10 minute walk from both New Street and Moor Street Stations.
1. Exit New Street Station via the main doors (signposted taxi rank)
2. As you approach Debenhams, turn left and walk through the tunnel (under the USC store)
3. When you emerge, Moor Street Station will be ahead of you.
4. Continue with Moor Street on your left, toward Selfridges Car Park.
5. At the crossing, turn right towards The Bull Ring Tavern.
6. Turn left onto Digbeth High Street
7. Walking down the high street, you’ll pass The Fancy Fabric Store, The HMV Institute and South Birmingham College.
8. Keep walking, and you’ll come to the Custard Factory, you can’t miss us.

9. If you reach The Rainbow, you’ve gone too far.

BY PLANE

Birmingham International Airport (BHX) has a number of budget flights from Europe and further a field.  It is located less than 30 minutes by taxi from the Custard Factory, or there is a train from Birmingham International to Birmingham New Street Station which takes about 15 minutes.

BY COACH
(Please note that since Supersonic last year, a shiny new coach station has opened in Birmingham.)
1. Exit the coach station and head towards Rea Street.
2. Turn Left at Rea Street.
3. After 120 metres, you’ll emerge onto Digbeth High Street opposite The HMV Institute.
4. Turn right and walk up Digbeth High Street.
5. You’ll pass South Birmingham College on your left, The Irish Centre on your right and the Custard Factory itself on your left again.
6. Cross the road at the lights by The Old Crown.

7. You’ve arrived!

BY CAR
B9 4AA is the postcode you’ll need for your Sat Nav.
The Custard Factory is easily accessible from the M6, M5 and M42.
1. Whichever direction you’re coming from to get to Birmingham follow signs for the A41.
2. Once you’re on the A41, follow signs for the City Centre.
3. You’ll find yourself heading towards town, along Digbeth High Street.
4. Pass through a couple of sets of traffic lights before you see a Renault garage on your left.
5. Get into the right hand filter lane at the next set of lights, where there’s an old Tudor building on your right (that’s Birmingham’s oldest pub, The Old Crown, established in 1368).
6. Turn right onto Heath Mill Lane.

7. A few hundred yards along and on your right, just past Air nightclub, is the entrance to the Custard Factory car park (its gates are made up of cubes of squished cars).

Lost Property: Lost something at the festival?
Any lost property found by Supersonic staff will be safely stored in the production office; lost property found by Custard Factory or Factory Club staff will be stored in their office.

If you lose something over the weekend, contact a member of Supersonic / Security Staff.  If you realise you’re missing something after the festival contact [email protected] or [email protected].

Performance Times

Stage times for each artist will be posted a week before the festival.  In the meantime, a break down of artists and the days they’re playing is available here.

Festival Times
Friday / 22 / October:: 9.00pm – 2.30am
Saturday / 23 / October:: 4pm – 1.30am

Sunday / 24 / October:: 2pm – 12.30am

Smoking

Normal smoking rules apply: you can smoke in any outdoor area on site, you cannot smoke inside any enclosed public buildings, tents, portacabins, or near a fuel source.

Taxis
There are loads of taxi firms in Birmingham – Here’s numbers for a couple of them:
Atlas Cars 0121-643-8888
Ambassador Cars 0121-449-8888
T.O.A. 0121-444-8888
Royal Cars 0121-444-8888


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Countdown to Supersonic

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Pip Flatpack recommends

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We’ve asked a number of Supersonic regulars to tell us what they are most looking forward to at this years festival, Pip Mcknight is the co-director of the wonderful Flatpack Festival, this is what she recommends…

Nisennenmondai
I’d never heard of Nisennenmondai before Supersonic 2009 and happened upon them by accident- a commotion of drums, guitars, small arms and black fringe.  Can’t wait to see them again.

People Like Us
Been a fan of People Like Us since hearing ‘In the Pantomine’ as a snot-nosed teenager and still try to catch her WFMU show ‘Do or DIY whenever  I can (find the archives here http://wfmu.org/playlists/PL).
We had the pleasure of sharing a bill with Vicki at Press Play festival last month where she performed Genre Collage.  It’s a gentle, dark trip.

Pierre Bastien + Male Instrumenty
Meccano? Small Trumpets?  Not sure what to say about this other than I’m excited and intrigued.

Factory Floor
It’s been said before but I’m going purely on second hand experience.  I was on responsible adult duty, minding the sleeping kids at Green Man Festival when my fellow travellers returned from Factory Floor on the Far Out stage. They were giddy, wild eyed and their hair was all kind of messed up, like they’d been having a very good time.

77 Boa Drums
+ Subllime Frequencies, Palace of the Wind
Well god knows after an afternoon of noisy stuff, all we really need to wind down is some ritual beats.  And if it’s spiral shaped then all the better.  Om shanti shanti shanti.

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