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With less than a week to go until Supersonic’s 10th anniversary celebrations, the festival’s running order has almost fully taken shape and is gearing up to be one of the best editions in Capsule’s illustrious history. We can now unveil the icing on the cake of this year’s delicious looking lineup; an exclusive Q&A session with artist Edwin Pouncey (AKA Savage Pencil). Pouncey’s lurid, halucinatory artwork will be familiar to any readers of the Wire, as his intensely vivid and sharply satirical Trip or Squeek strips have been gracing the publication’s pages for over 10 years. Therefore, it’s only fitting that the Wire’s deputy editor Frances Morgan will be sitting down to quiz Pouncey on his artistic process.

Though his acerbic work can be seen as part of the rich lineage of satirical illustration, Edwin’s distinctive style is informed by a myriad of fascinating influences, assimiliating the ’60s freak scene, Japanese monster movies and the weird fiction of HP Lovecraft into own his eye scorching vision. Casting a wry and intoxicated eye at pop culture (and contemporary avant-garde music in particular), Pouncey makes use of a recurring cast of characters including such luminaries as Steve Reich, Stockhausen, Moondog, Mark E Smith, Sonic Youth, Robert Wyatt, Suicide, Kraftwerk, Crass, Lou Reed, Jandek, Throbbing Gristle and Sleep, weaving them into his obtuse visual tapestry with aplomb. In the process, Pouncey’s art itself has become as much a part of the current experimental art landscape as the artists he has paid tribute to, with the works of Savage Pencil adorning album covers and shirts from the likes of Sonic Youth, The Fall, Sunn O))) and numerous others.

With a career spanning almost four decades, Edwin is celebrating by compiling all of his Trip Or Squeek cartoons in one weighty tome for the first time. Containing over 100 comic strips, the book features extensive notes, a discography and never-before-seen preparatory sketches by Savage Pencil, in addition to an illustrated foreword by artist Gary Panter. The book is indenspensible for anyone with a passion for experimental art and psychedelic illustration, and it’s an honour to welcome him along to our tenth anniversary. We urge you to grab this opportunity to gain an insight into the mind that guides the Savage Pencil…

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Supersonic always throw in a few wild cards each year to surprise and astound you, and this year sees the inclusion of the mysterious collective known as Moonn O))). The project represents the meeting of several multi-disciplinary artists, primarily Mark Wagner and Sanna Charles of acoustic doom duo Sunday Mourning, and London based artist and illustrator Conny Prantera. In addition to his own music, Wagner has provided remixes for the likes of Teeth of The Sea and Gum Takes Tooth, whilst Prantera has previously unveiled exhibitions at Supersonic like the intricate video installation Kore Kosmou, so it’ll be fascinating to see how these different individuals combine their crafts into one unified experience. What’s even more exciting is that Moonn O))) also comprises several other artists (namely Emiliano Maggi of the experimental act Estasy, photographer Marko Righo and costume designers Kamellia McKayed and Gloria Carlos), who’ll be contributing their respective skills to what promises to be an utterly bizarre feast for the senses.

There are no prizes for guessing where these artists have drawn their inspiration for the project, but the angular, free-form sounds these individuals have created is quite a unique beast indeed, comprising low-level drones, murmured vocals, dark soundscapes and even a Roky Erickson cover. The collective will be debuting a conceptual performance, inspired “by the Heavens Above”, in a ritaulistic meeting of drone and performance art that’s sure to be a mystical and mysterious voyage for the more intrepid listener…

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We’re thrilled to announce that Ufomammut will be playing all of their new magnum opus ‘ORO’ at Supersonic this year! Birmingham is the perfect place for this spiritually charged metal odyssey to take place, not just because of its gritty, post-industrial aesthetic; the city is unquestionably where the screeching, fanged foetus of heavy metal was violently ejected from the cosmic womb and let loose to terrorize the world at large. Despite what some journalists will tell you, the exact moment when this happened is easily identifiable and can be pin-pointed when Tony Iommi first summoned that planet-obliteratingly evil chord that opens Black Sabbath’s infamous titular song. The streets and factories of Birmingham did more than act as the genre’s birthplace, as the industrial environment that Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward grew up in played a pivotal role in influencing the bleak and terrifying sound that epitomised the genre’s early classics. It’s hard to imagine ‘Electric Funeral’ coming out of anywhere but the turbulent mechanical landscape of Birmingham circa 1970, as metal’s most important 4 piece allowed themselves to vent away the pent-up depression brought on by menial factory jobs, against the backdrop of the most ominous riffs in existence -“dying world of radiation, victims of mad frustration” indeed.

As part of Capsule’s Home Of Metal initiative, we’re proud to present the Crossroads of Sabbath walking tour this year, an in-depth look at the city that changed the face of music forever led by music historian and Sabbath enthusiast Rob Horrocks. It’s heartening to know the world is still populated by a healthy number of Sabbath devotees as the tour is completely over-subscribed and is now fully booked! But don’t worry if you missed out on tickets as Supersonic has more than enough riff related goodness for you this year, with a couple of bands cut from the same recognisable lineage that Sabbath themselves prompted all those years ago.

First up is the hugely influential guitarist Dylan Carlson. His band Earth (which, incidentally, is what Bill, Geezer, Ozzy & Tony referred to themselves as in their early blues-rock incarnation) are perhaps the most extreme manifestation of Sabbathian lore to rear its head thus far. Records like ‘Earth 2’ and ‘Phase 3: Thrones & Dominions’ took gargantuan Sabbath style riffs and reduced them to a crawl, producing a long, resonant drone that enraptured many across the globe (not least two youngsters named Anderson and O’Malley). This special set finds Dylan distancing himself somewhat from his Earth colleagues, and branching out with a new set of musicians. Dylan’s solo work has been shrouded in secrecy so far, but it would not be entirely unfounded to expect a continuation of the mystical, folky direction Carlson has pursued on the last two Earth records, the ‘Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light’ duology. However, Dylan could well have a trick or two up his sleeve, making this an essential experience for Earth fans!

Italy’s finest space-doom trio Ufomammut are making the pilgrimage to Supersonic this year, riding a wave of inspiration off the back of their recent two-part album ‘ORO’. Despite sharing traits with many of their amp laden, doom saying peers, Ufomammut’s style is very unique and distinctive, with a rich psychedelic aura and a visceral, gut-punching intensity. If you replaced Electric Wizard’s weed stash and horror movie collection with several grams of peyote and a copy of Pink Floyd’s ‘Meddle’, the ensuing voyage would seem like a pleasing parallel to the path Ufomammut have carved out for themselves. In the two years that have passed since their humongous modern day classic ‘Eve’, the band have returned from the wilderness like psychedelic visionaries, armed with the two records that comprise ‘ORO’, ‘Opus: Primum’ and ‘Opus: Alter’. A dense and imposing body of work, the ‘ORO’ saga is more than the sum of its parts, and Ufomammut have a real treat in store for us this year. In addition to this exclusive sneak peek at their new video, the band has just revealed that they’ll be playing ‘ORO’ in its entirety at the festival, offering an ecstatic voyage into a vast, deep space riff utopia that will consume and unravel the very fibre of your being. And what self-respecting Sabbath fan wouldn’t want that?

Dylan Carlson will play Supersonic on Saturday 20th October, and Ufomammut will appear on Sunday 21st October.

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There are several exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime collaborative performances taking place at this year’s Supersonic, ranging from Lash Frenzy’s all-star noise ensemble to KK Null’s performance with local tuba-drone pioneers ORE, and of course, the pairing of several string, woodwind and brass musicians with Eugene S. Robinson and Niko Wenner for the much anticipated Oxbow Orchestra. There must be something about the adventurous atmosphere of Supersonic, as the festival has a long history of inspiring musicians to step out of their comfort zones and join forces with one another to contribute something truly special to the festival. Indeed, these one-off spectacles and collaborations are part of what makes the festival so unique, and have provided avid concert goers with a veritable smörgåsbord of cherished memories over the years. Here are just a few of the highlights – which one was your favourite?

2011 – Fire! & Oren Ambarchi

Last year’s edition of the festival saw Swedish avant-jazz trio Fire! team up with Australia’s finest purveyor of drones (and frequent Sunn O))) collaborator) Oren Ambarchi, for an enthralling set that touched on noise, jazz, and musique concrète with the kind of subtle elegance and deft textural sensibility we’ve come to expand from these fine musicians. Evidently these guys enjoyed the performance as much as the audience did, as Fire! recruited Ambarchi once again for their third album,  ‘In The Mouth – A Hand’, which was released last year.

2010 – Lash Frenzy VS KK Null

When these two noise titans clashed together two years ago, the results were akin to a nuclear bomb detonation, obliterating all in its path (it’s rumoured that there are still children being born in Digbeth with tinnitus to this very day). Holding the honour of being one of Supersonic’s loudest ever performances (and, as those who have attended the festival before will attest, this is certainly no small feat!), the Library was packed to the rafters for this one-off show, with a lengthy queue of dedicated noise addicts stretching around the block. Be sure to get there early for this year’s special performances to avoid listening from outside!

2010 – Khyam Allami & Master Musicians Of Bukkake Present Bosphorean

Providing some respite from the ear-bleeding antics of the aforementioned duo, 2010 also found Iraqi Oud virtuoso Khyam Allami teaming up with mysterious psych-rock collective Master Musicians of Bukkake for this exclusive performance. Named after the Bosphorus Strait that divides East and West, Europe and Asia, this was an extremely diverse set that sought to bridge musical schisms, joining Allami’s meditative Eastern melodies with the Master Musicians’ penchant for acid fried jams, taking the audience on an aural pilgrimage to the furthest regions of their collective psyche and sounding rather fantastic in the process.

2008 –Kikuri, feat. Merzbow & Keiji Haino

The pairing of two of Japan’s most extreme musical exports was never going to make for easy listening, but nothing could have prepared us for the deafening onslaught produced by these masters of their respective crafts. Masami Akita’s torrential outbursts of static and rich, layered walls of feedback provided the perfect counterpoint to Haino’s chilling, ethereal wail and guitar mangling histrionics, resulting in an eclectic and vibrant set that’s often spoken of in hushed tones by Supersonic veterans.

2007 – Oxbow Duo Presents: Love’s Holiday Orchestra

When Oxbow’s Eugene & Niko performed at the festival 5 years ago, they brought along an all-star ensemble (featuring Godflesh/Jesu mastermind Justin Broadrick, Sunn O)))’s Stephen O’Malley and ex-Head Of David bassist David Cochrane) for an unforgettable and thrillingly intimate set, never to be repeated again (but fear not – Oxbow will be returning this year with a small orchestra in tow, and Justin Broadrick will also be putting in an appearance with his new JK Flesh project).

The performance was captured on tape and released on wax as part of Capsule’s limited edition vinyl series. Unfortunately all 1000 copies are long sold out, but there are still a number of great releases available, chronicling Supersonic sets from the likes of Harvey Milk, Tweak Bird and Iron Lung – the perfect way to relive those Supersonic memories and keep your excitement under control during the wait for this year’s edition!