GUIDE & PLAYLIST: Supersonic Festival 2024

EVENT: Supersonic Festival

WHERE: Digbeth, Birmingham, UK (O2 Institute & XOYO)

WHEN: 30th August – 1st September 2024

TICKET INFO:
Weekend ticket: £170 / Day tickets & 2 Day tickets: £40-£110

Full info about other ticket options available here

GENERAL INFO:
Supersonic Festival returns with another eclectic and exciting programme of alternative music and events for their 2024 line-up! Described as “championing experimental and adventurous music and creating an inclusive and joyful space where all are welcome,” the team have organised another three days of arts and intrigue for curious festival-goers to immerse themselves in.

DJ SETS & EXCITING EXTRAS

Alongside the music line-up (which you can read more about below), Supersonic have a vast selection of extracurricular activities to get involved in. There will be DJ takeovers all weekend, featuring actress and activist Maxine Peake, Boss Morris (a group of female creatives & musicians who share a progressive vision of morris dancing), Poor Creature, Hesska and Nyahh Records. On Saturday night, there will also be a huge gothic camp queer party courtesy of Homobloc x Fvck Pigs.

BBC 6Music presenter Stuart Maconie will return to host the iconic Freak Zone pub quiz, and there will be an ‘In Conversation’ event with two icons: Maxine Peake will be speaking with performance artist Cosey Fanni Tutti about her life and art on 31st August.

WORKSHOPS

FYI: Entry to most of these workshops is included in the Supersonic Festival ticket – a festival ticket for the relevant day (or the full weekend) is required

On Saturday 31st August, Do.om Yoga will return to the festival for a “Cosmic Resonance” meditation workshop (tickets here). Decolonise Fest (a collective of DIY punx of colour) will also be back hosting a “Decolonising Publishing Through Zine Making” workshop on the XOYO rooftop. You can also join Birmingham-based creative Maisie Violet Rees at her drop-in “Upcycled Objects” workshop, where she will assist you in creating your own unique upcycled objects.

On Sunday 1st September, experimental folk artist Debbie Armour (Burd Ellen) will be leading the “Ghost Songs – Exploring Revenant Ballads” workshop. Attendees will learn about Revenant Ballads – “manifestations of grief occupying a third space — an ambiguous zone between this life and what is beyond.” This event it currently at capacity, but you can sign up for the waiting list here. You can also try Transfer Printing with Shelanu, which translates as ‘belonging to us’. They are a collective of migrant and refugee women working with Craftspace to develop craft and social skills, and you can join them in making your own Supersonic key ring or pendant to take home with you.

LINE UP & RECOMMENDATIONS

As always, there are so many excellent bands and artists on the Supersonic line-up that it’s hard to pick favourites. But, at Get In Her Ears, we focus on female, non-binary and LGBTQ+ talent, so we’re putting the spotlight on sets from eclectic artists like Brìghde Chaimbeul, Dame Area, Daisy Rickman, Jacken Elswyth, Mary Lattimore, MC YALLAH & DEBMASTER, The Body & Dis Fig and Womb x Water.

You can listen to their work on our accompanying Spotify Playlist at the end of this feature. We also have a more fleshed out list of artist recommendations below…

GAZELLE TWIN

Having already witnessed the spine-tingling sensation of Elizabeth Bernholz aka Gazelle Twin’s live interpretation of her latest album Black Dog at Bush Hall in London, we can’t wait to relive it all again on Friday night at Supersonic. The electronic artist’s fourth record is an exquisitely raw, truly haunting piece of art, on which Bernholz reflects on her experiences with the paranormal, postpartum depression and the powerful fears and inner forces that direct us through life. We spoke to the artist about her anticipations for this year’s festival and much more in a recent interview, which you can read in full here.

TRISTWCH Y FENYWOD

Tristwch y Fenywod – which translates as “The Sadness Of Women” – are a Welsh-language gothic rock power-coven. Conjured from the experimental underground of Leeds, the collective take inspiration for their songs from bog bodies, flickering landscapes and queer enchantment. Formed of Gwretsien Ferch Lisbeth (Guttersnipe, Petronn Sphene), Leila Lygad (Hawthonn) and Sidni Sarffwraig (Slaylor Moon, The Courtneys), their music has been described as the “rediscovered unholy grail of edgy, atmospheric, occult feminist goth.” The dual-zither which leads their music is Gwretsien’s innovation, giving them a unique Celtic darkwave sound. Their first record will be released this summer by Night School Records. Catch them at the festival on Friday.

GROVE PRESENTS: TOYA DELAZY & TALIABlE

Returning to Supersonic festival for the second time, electronic artist & producer Grove will be presenting their new collaborative project featuring Toya Delazy and TaliaBle. Fascinated by each artist’s ability to blend genres like afrorave, Hip Hop and punk, Grove shares their expectations for the eclectic set:

“Toya Delazy and TaliaBle are two of the most incendiary, powerful and badass live performers I’ve ever seen, so to host them head to head for a soundclash at Supersonic is a dream. Both are pioneers in fusing genres, with Toya’s statement ‘afrorave’ combining their Zulu roots with heavy rave music, to TaliaBle’s punk-drenched hip-hop setting rooms into a frenzy. If my past experiences with these two is anything to go by, this SOUNDCLASH is going to be heavy, energetic and WILD. I feel Supersonic Festival is the perfect place for this big, bad extravaganza. It’s one of the UK’s best melting pots of sonic wizardry, with the best audience to match.” The performance will take place on Friday.

EMMA RUTH RUNDLE

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of her first official album, Some Heavy Ocean, American songwriter and visual artist Emma Ruth Rundle will be performing the record in full on Saturday night. Described as “a collection of impassioned, cathartic songs, exorcising the ghosts of one of life’s dark detours,” we’re looking forward to hearing the artist’s melancholic sounds live for the very first time.

ØXN

ØXN are an experimental Irish super-group consisting of Percolator’s John ‘Spud’ Murphy and Eleanor Myler, Lankum’s Radie Peat and multi-instrumentalist Katie Kim. The first signing to Ireland’s iconic label Claddagh Records in 18 years, ØXN dig deep into the earth and excavate tales of love, loss, longing, revenge and ritual. Blending these traditional folk elements with their eclectic sonic textures means that their set on Sunday is not one to be missed.

F*CHOIR

F*Choir are firm favourites here at Get In Her Ears. They are a queer, all-genders community choir led by composer and multidisciplinary artist Jenny Moore. Collectively, they use their voices to sing songs about gender, sexuality, freedom and rage, rejecting the use of traditional sheet music and gendered voice parts. We have witnessed the raw joy and power of their live performances many times, and we recommend you do the same on Friday evening.

MATANA ROBERTS

Critically acclaimed avant-jazz practitioner Matana Roberts will be bringing their radical “panoramic sound quilting” to Supersonic on Sunday. Roberts creates a “sound art tapestry” from a mixture of field recordings, loop & effects pedals, saxophone sounds and spoken word recitations. On their most recent offering from their Coin Coin project, Roberts creates an “adventurous and socially engaged definition of what jazz can mean today, maintaining a deep and substantive engagement with narrative, history, community, and political expression within sonic structures.”

UPCHUCK

Festival-goers will be able to immerse themselves in Atlanta five-piece Upchuck’s boisterous blend of punk, psych and hardcore noise on Saturday. Formed from connections made in skateboarding, construction, and teenage delinquency, the band offer their listeners the opportunity to transcend the chaos of everyday existence by swirling around in the pit, sweating the stress out together.

THE NONE

Another experimental super-group here! With Birmingham and Supersonic Recordings’ Kaila Whyte (Blue Ruth, Youth Man) on vocals, Gordon Moakes on bass (Bloc Party, Young Legionnaire), Jim Beck (Cassels) on guitar and drummer Chris Francombe (Frauds), THE NONE are a live force to be reckoned with. They formed at the start of 2023 and bonded over hours in the rehearsal room together, making noise and discussing shared obsessions. The elusive nature of their name reflects the band’s creative approach; ego-less experimentation and open collaboration.

 

MELT-BANANA

Tokyo grindcore icons Melt-Banana will be pulverzing festival-goers ear drums on Friday night. Since they formed in 1992, the band have released numerous albums, toured worldwide with bands like Melvins and Napalm Death, and won high profile fans in Steve Albini, Kurt Cobain and Lou Reed. Their relentless, unclassified heavy sound will make for a manic and unique live experience.

MODIFIED YOUTH

This DIY two-piece from Shropshire know how to pack a punk with their grunge and Riot Grrrl inspired sounds. Armed with a drum set and a guitar, they deliver politically-charged, gritty anthems fuelled by power chords and pure DIY enthusiasm. Catch them at the festival on Saturday.

For more information visit Supersonic Festival’s official website

Check out our Supersonic Playlist below, featuring some of the female, non-binary and LGBTQ+ talent playing the festival this year!

 

Kate Crudgington
@kate_crudge

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PREVIEW: All Points East 2024

Annual East London festival All Points East is set to return to Victoria Park over the next two weekends, offering an array of incredible live music spanning multiple genres. Having enjoyed all the good vibes and fantastic music when we were lucky enough to catch Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Amyl and the Sniffers, Angel Olsen and more there last year, we’re super excited about some of the awesome line-ups they have in store for us this year.

Kicking off this Friday 16th August with the captivating R&B of Nigerian artist Tems supporting Kaytranada, there’s a great range of female and non-binary artists playing the festival this year; from the smouldering raw emotion of faves Mitski and Ethel Cain this coming weekend, to the groundbreaking force of queer icons Gossip and riot grrrl pioneers Sleater-Kinney next Sunday 25th August.

Whilst we’re obviously mega fans of bands like The Postal Service and Deathcab For Cutie, in true GIHE style we want to highlight some of the non-male artists that we’re particularly looking forward to – so, we’ve put together a little playlist of a few of our faves who’ll be playing. Have a listen, and nab a ticket to one of the days now.

Photo Credit: Chris Hornbecker

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LIVE (Photos) Deer Shed Festival 2024 (Day 2, 27.07.2024)

Having fallen in love with Deer Shed when I attended for the first time back in 2022, and then going on to have another dreamy weekend at the North Yorkshire festival last year, I was very glad I got to go again this year. Highlighting a real family focus, whilst hosting a range of exciting new artists, it oozes the warmest of vibes and – being smaller in size than most other festivals – creates a space that feels comfortingly intimate; an inclusive safe haven for artists and fans of all genres and ages. Whilst providing a child-friendly environment, this does not take away from the quality and array of performances on offer for everyone to enjoy. Although I’d say I’m in the minority of attendees who does not have children (or isn’t a child themselves!), I in no way feel this to be hindrance – there’s still plenty of adult fun to be had, just in perhaps a slightly less intense, and more safe, environment than most other festivals. Which is no bad thing, in my opinion! 

Amongst those performing, a fantastic amount of female, non binary and queer performers are represented, and. I was lucky enough to catch lots of these over the weekend – a good balance of artists I already knew and loved, and those who I had not had the chance to see before. Following our thoughts about Friday evening at the festival, find some words and photos about our highlights of Saturday below…

Waking up to the sound of children kayaking along the stream on Saturday morning at Deer Shed feels pretty idyllic; almost as idyllic as it does to sit in the sunshine whilst the glistening Geordie folk tunes of Frankie Archer float through the crowd at the Lodge Stage for our first music of the day. From songs endorsing lie-ins, to tales of peacocks showing respect to the hens in their lives, Archer treats us to her beautifully lilting offerings; seamlessly fusing together traditional folk melodies and storytelling with sparkling electronic soundscapes.

Having been scheduled to play earlier in the morning, London-based Blue Bendy now take the afternoon time slot of Chalk, who weren’t able to make it up to Topcliffe in the end – something that front person Arthur Nolan playfully draws attention to by introducing the band as the absentees they’ve replaced: “Hi, we’re Chalk”. This playful, somewhat whimsical, attitude remains apparent as the set goes on; as the swirling, shimmering cacophonies created by the other five band members interweave with the seething raw emotion of Nolan’s vocals, a subtle tongue-in-cheek air lingers throughout. Oozing a stark, poetic realism with a droll charm, each fuzzy soundscape immerses the ever-growing crowd, and – personally (no offence to Chalk) – I’m glad of the band’s later time slot; it’s meant I’ve been able to watch their full set, nicely lubricated by a half of Brass Castle Sunshine IPA, and discover a new favourite band.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about Picture Palour, and so am pretty excited to be able to catch them on the main stage whilst the sun continues to shine on this glorious Saturday afternoon. And they don’t disappoint. Oozing an alluring swagger as they take to the stage, the Manchester indie-rockers maintain this engaging confidence throughout the entirety of the set. Whilst front person Katherine Parlour’s vocals ripple with a smooth romanticism and crooner-level charm reminiscent of Tranquility Base era Alex Turner, with each offering they build with a soaring gritty splendour alongside fierce hooks from guitarist Ella Risi. One of the most charismatic stage presences I’ve witnessed for a long time, Parlour and co. deliver their epic, cinematic anthems to a captivated crowd, no doubt sparking adoration and inspiration in many young fans (and some old ones, like me).

I’m not sure why it’s taken me three years of coming to Deer Shed to visit to the Wilderwild stage, but I’m grateful to have discovered it in time to catch a gorgeous set from London-Cornwall songwriter Lily Lyons. With an endearing charm, each glistening offering flows with a lilting musicality as her soulful jazz-infued vocals resonate with an exquisite grace. With songs artfully inspired by Wendy Cope poems and Mark Rothko paintings, Lyons treats us to a blissfully uplifting thirty minutes.

After having a bit of a dance to the deep groove of Baba Ali as the duo emanate swathes of immense coolness, we stay under the cover of the In The Dock stage for Personal Trainer. Pretty much the opposite of the previous band, the seven members of the Dutch collective take to the stage in a flurry of frenzied energy. Complete with trumpet, saxophone and extra percussion, their quirky indie offerings combine twinkling harmonies with a gritty emo edge as front person Willem Smit writhes and bounces around the stage with a refreshing enthusiasm. With a vivacious spirit, the whole band ooze a swirling colourful chaos with each enlivening song, and I’m utterly transfixed by their jubilant charm.

BC Camplight offers a nice accompaniment to our vegan hot dogs before we head back into the In The Dock stage for London-based international band (and GIHE faves) Los Bitchos – one of the bands I’ve been most looking forward to seeing all weekend. Making their entrance to ‘Heaven Is A Place On Earth’, they go on to create a pretty heavenly atmosphere inside the jam-packed tent; emanating a swirling joyous charm and colourful charisma throughout. Propelled by racing melodies, funk-fuelled hooks and jangling rhythms, they treat us to “some oldies and some newbies”, their playful eccentricity and effervescent energy illuminating the intricately woven layers of sound. From epic drum offs to dancing together in sync, and from songs about Tequila to “penguins fluttering around on a beach”, Los Bitchos take us on a thrilling fun-filled journey; leading us to discover a rousing sonic euphoria we didn’t know we needed. 

All in all, a beautiful day of live music was had. Stay tuned for photos of, and words about, of Day 3 at Deer Shed, plus some special thoughts about the kids’ activities at the festival from next generation GIHE gal Orla….

Words: Mari Lane / @marimindles
Photos: Paul Dawes / @GRNDglass

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LIVE (Photos): Deer Shed Festival, 2024 (Day 1, 26.07.2024)

Having fallen in love with Deer Shed when I attended for the first time back in 2022, and then going on to have another dreamy weekend at the North Yorkshire festival last year, I was very glad I got to go again this year. Highlighting a real family focus, whilst hosting a range of exciting new artists, it oozes the warmest of vibes and – being smaller in size than most other festivals – creates a space that feels comfortingly intimate; an inclusive safe haven for artists and fans of all genres and ages. Whilst providing a child-friendly environment, this does not take away from the quality and array of performances on offer for everyone to enjoy. Although I’d say I’m in the minority of attendees who does not have children (or isn’t a child themselves!), I in no way feel this to be hindrance – there’s still plenty of adult fun to be had, just in perhaps a slightly less intense, and more safe, environment than most other festivals. Which is no bad thing, in my opinion! 

Amongst those performing, a fantastic number of female, non binary and queer performers are represented, and I was lucky enough to catch lots of these over the weekend – a good balance of artists I already knew and loved, and those who I had not had the chance to see before.

After our seven and a half hour journey, and settling into our pre-pitched tent (a revelation saving so much time and energy that I will be doing it at every festival going forwards!), we make it to the main stage just in time to catch Liz Lawrence. A GIHE favourite and one of the first ever guests on our radio show, she combines a twinkling emotion with deep funk-fuelled hooks as her distinctive syrupy vocals narrate each reflective offering. From songs such as 2019’s ‘USP’ and ‘None Of My Friends’ to recent single ‘Strut’ (at the request of “the lad that said ‘can you play Strut for my mum?’”), and everything in between, a gritty splendour flows throughout, as the sun shines upon our first taste of live music of the weekend.

Next up, we head to the In The Dock state to witness the fierce power of OneDa. Declaring that “pussy power is a way of life”, she launches into a set of immense hip-hop infused drum ‘n’ bass anthems, all delivered with a ferocious swirling energy and seething passion. 

Following some tasty vegan gyoza, we wander over to The Lodge stage to catch some of the colourful “digital voodoo” of Nana Benz Du Togo. Emanating a majestic grace, as their voices and unique instruments combine to create uplifting anthems like ‘Liberty’ and ‘To Be Free’, their message remains clear throughout: as lyrics like “I wanna make my own decisions” resonate with a stirring poignancy, a deep empowering spirit oozes from the stage. Declaring that “women should be free to be what they want to be”, and describing their aim as being to “recover the place that our mothers lost to the patriarchal society”, Nana Benz deliver a wonderfully invigorating set; uniting the buoyant crowd in a resolute drive for change with a glistening joyous energy. 

To end the night, I swap from my usual position of spectator to ‘artist’… If you can call DJing that. Either way, I was on the In The Dock stage, playing tunes to a tent that ended up being full of people for the Silent Disco. Lurking in the shadows without being noticed is generally more my vibe, so needless to say I was quite nervous about it. But, despite the cursor key on my laptop deciding to stop working at just the wrong time, causing a few clunky ‘mixes’(and with most of my set clashing with Liverpool legends The Coral on the main stage), it was really lovely to see so many people dancing and singing along to the music I was playing. Noticing the number of young people who seemed to be enjoying it – making up dances with their friends and getting excited by certain songs – was particularly heartwarming, and I’m really grateful to have had the opportunity to do it. So, massive thanks and love to Deer Shed for letting me unleash my danceable queer tunes onto the crowd (and hopefully my laptop cursor won’t break next time!).

Stay tuned for photos of, and words about, of Days 2 & 3 at Deer Shed – including some special thoughts about the kids’ activities from next generation GIHE gal Orla….

Words: Mari Lane / @marimindles
Photos: Paul Dawes / @GRNDglass

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