Kate Crudgington – Page 3 – Get In Her Ears

INTERVIEW: ALT BLK ERA

Battling their demons and bringing the noise, ALT BLK ERA’s debut album Rave Immortal is a tenacious blend of jagged electronics and racing beats designed to dissolve the pain of their past. Released last week via Earache Records, the record cements the genre-defying sister duo’s status as ones to watch in the alternative music world.

The last time we caught up with Nyrobi (20) and Chaya (17), it was 2023 and they were on the cusp of releasing their debut EP, Freak Show. The five tracks that formed it displayed their vivid personalities and antagonistic spirit – with Nyrobi’s vocals possessing a fiery ‘SOLAR’ energy and Chaya’s voice veering into more mystical ‘LUNAR’ realms. With Rave Immortal, ALT BLK ERA retain their heavy and undefinable sound, but they veer directly into rave territory to exorcise feelings of fear and inadequacy – providing a potent statement of self autonomy in the process.

“I think the concept of it…going from really human emotions – our struggles and our pain and our worries – and being able to transcend that and have it become larger than life, I just think that’s something quite important,” offers Nyrobi, when asked what she’s most proud of about ALT BLK ERA’s debut LP. “It’s important to feel like you can escape reality and that’s what the album does.”

Rave Immortal is largely inspired by Nyrobi coming to terms with living in chronic pain due to a disabling illness that she was diagnosed with during her teens in 2020. It was cathartic for the pair to write the record and to recognise how much they relied on each other as sisters during this time. Nyrobi has only recently been vocal about her experiences of disability online, so what was it that made her feel like she was able to speak out about it this on the record?

“Originally, I chose not to speak about it because I was afraid that people would say ‘don’t book her for this show, she’s disabled, she’s in pain and tired all the time’, or that people would think that we only got the MOBO nomination because it was a sympathy thing,” the vocalist reveals. “So now that we’ve played Download, we’ve played Glastonbury and we’ve headlined a stage at Reading & Leeds, it feels like we’ve done enough to prove that I can do anything that I want to do.”

This defiant spirit is something that has resonated with ALT BLK ERA’s fans. It was important to Nyrobi to use her voice and her platform with the band to highlight the resilience of the disabled community. “My disability doesn’t restrain me in other ways that people might think,” she shares. “My disability, it just came out of nowhere. The doctors are saying that it’s likely to just disappear one day too. Before I announced it, I’d be out and about in town and I’d have my stick or something and people would come up to me and ask if something had happened to my leg, and I’m like ‘oh my goodness, I don’t want to lie’ so now I feel really refreshed that it’s out in the open and I can be myself.

So, I just thought I can be honest on our debut album. I wanted to write about it and I wanted to be a voice in that community. We have so many disabled fans. Before I told anyone about it online, we had someone in a wheelchair come to our show in Manchester. I don’t know what compelled me to tell them [about my disability] but I told them and I thanked them for coming out, because I know how hard it is as a disabled person to leave the house. I just wanted to say that I really appreciated them coming to the show and I shared that with them. They didn’t know how special that was for me, they were probably like ‘why is she talking to me?’”

Nyrobi laughs with the last sentence. The support from both Chaya and the band’s fanbase has motivated her to push past her chronic pain and pursue her dreams of being an artist. We’ve seen this dream materialise in front of us too. We were blown away by ALT BLK ERA’s tenacious spirit when they played live for us at our Get In Her Ears gig night at The Shacklewell Arms in July 2023, supporting Straight Girl. Their riotous energy and powerful stage presence has since led to bookings at some of the UK’s biggest festivals, as well as playing for Radio 1 DJ Alyx Holcombe’s own live music night, MANTRA. Both girls express gratitude for these opportunities and are humbled by the community aspect of both Get In Her Ears and MANTRA.

“Alyx has been one of the few industry people that have supported us,” Nyrobi enthuses. “We’ve experienced so many gatekeepers and people telling us that we’re too young and we’re not ready, but she played ‘Mosh Girl Summer’ on Radio 1 in 2022, when we were 16 and 18 years old. She was supporting us from the first year of our music career. So to play her MANTRA night, we really wanted to make sure it was as big as possible. It was also just really good fun. The crowd was so good and the energy was perfect. You know when good people just bring other good people around them? It was just proper warm and fun without any strings attached.”

For Chaya, one of her favourite things about playing live is getting to perform Rave Immortal track ‘Catch Me If You Can’. “We’ve had that song unreleased for quite a while and I’m so happy we’re releasing it because it’s such a banger,” she enthuses. In terms of favourite tracks, Nyrobi notes that ‘I’m Normally Like This’ is still a big crowd-pleaser, but ‘My Drummer’s Girlfriend’ is a standout track for her because of the “opportunities” it’s given the band, which included a collaboration with American indie rock legends Wheatus.

Frontman Brendan B. Brown saw the girls play live at Download Festival back in 2024 and they connected via social media after they missed an opportunity to talk face-to-face backstage in the press tent. Back then, ALT BLK ERA hadn’t released ‘My Drummer’s Girlfriend’ as a single, but the girls sent it over to Brendan to see what he thought. Before they knew it, Wheatus were flying over from New York to work with the girls on a remix at Spotify Studios.

“Working with Wheatus has just been huge, we learned so much from them,” Nyrobi shares. “We were really honoured to have them travel so far to work with us on our song. They were so respectful. They were so caring and they gave us so much advice. They took it 10/10 seriously and they treated us with so much respect, it was almost surprising. We didn’t expect that. I feel like it’s quite rare to find people that are so genuine and full of love in the music industry, but they actually really cared. They weren’t gate-keeping or anything.”

This ethos of collaboration, equality and respect is something that translates both on and off stage for ALT BLK ERA. The lyrics to their songs center around celebrating your individuality both online and in real life, as they encourage their fans to express themselves in a safe space and speak up if they need support or help, particularly at gigs. ALT BLK ERA are currently on their own UK tour and they’ve set up a Discord channel to keep in contact with their fans. “People make friends in there,” Chaya shares. “We do ‘fit checks and everything, people show us what they’re going to be wearing to shows. We’ve got some ALT BLK ERA jacket patches happening as well!”

For Nyrobi, it’s incredibly important that ALT BLK ERA shows are safe spaces. “We just want to make it really clear that us and our whole team are on your side,” she shares. “We’re not standing for any foolishness. Even if I’m performing and someone looks uncomfortable and they’re trying to signal me, we’re gonna have to stop and find out what’s going on. Because one [bad] experience can really stop someone from going outside, going to gigs and being seen, you know?”

Fuelled by this determination, it looks like ALT BLK ERA are set to dominate more stages and gain even more momentum in 2025, and Nyrobi is keen to keep the ball rolling. “You’ll have to interview us before our second album and see where we are then!” she says – a statement we’ll happily hold both her and Chaya too.

Grab a physical copy of ALT BLK ERA’s debut album Rave Immortal here

ALT BLK ERA UK Tour Dates 2025
Jan 28: Oxford, Truck (In-Store)
Jan 29: Brighton, Resident (In-Store)
Jan 30: Kingston, PRYZM

15 Apr: Manchester, The Deaf Institute
16 Apr: Leeds, The Key Club
18 Apr: Sheffield, Corporation
20 Apr: Birmingham, The Flapper
21 Apr: Southampton, Heartbreakers
23 Apr: London, The Underworld

Follow ALT BLK ERA on bandcamp, Spotify, Tik Tok, X, Instagram & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
kate_getinherears

Photo Credit: Dean Chalkley

January 28, 2025

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

INTERVIEW: Softcult

It was 2021 the last time that we caught up with Softcult‘s guitarist and vocalist Mercedes Arn-Horn. A lot has happened for Canadian twin sibling shoegaze duo since then. Together, Mercedes and Phoenix have released four EPs – Year Of The Rat (2021), Year Of The Snake (2022), See You In The Dark (2023) and Heaven (2024) – supported the likes of Muse, Movemements and Incubus on tour and they’ve played headline shows across the USA, Canada and the UK. They’re currently back in the UK and preparing to play to a nearly sold out crowd at The Underworld in Camden tonight (12th November), with support from dream pop four piece Bleach Lab (ticket link here)

Dressed in her Softcult trademark ‘Gloomy Girl’ hoodie, when we spoke with Mercedes via Zoom a few weeks ago, she was excited to be returning to England and ready to bring the swirling, heavy sounds of their recent EP to the stage for fans to enjoy live. We discussed the evolution in Softcult’s sound, the band’s plans for a full length album, and we also touched upon the importance of being open about mental health issues and practicing self-care…

It’s been a few months now since Softcult released the Heaven EP. what are you most proud of about this record?

It’s the last EP we’ll put out for a while, because we’re working on a full length album. With this one we tried to get a little more conceptual with it as a whole body of work. I think sonically and musically we pushed ourselves to go into some different directions and really lean into the more obscure parts of our sound. There’s definitely still bops and stuff on the EP, but we really tried to lean heavily into the shoegaze element and also lean heavily into the Riot Grrrl, punk element. I think we were pushing ourselves sonically to try new things and I’m happy with how it turned out.

What has the reaction to it been like from your fans?

If you listen from this EP to the first one, you can definitely hear how things have grown. So I really appreciate it when we hear that from our fans and the people that like our music. It’s nice when they recognise and can see the work and the musicianship that we’ve put into our newer stuff. It never feels like a jarring change from EP to EP musically, but it’s still evolving.

There’s definitely a heavier shoegaze quality to the tracks on Heaven, even in the way that the songs transition into each other. Was this intentional when you were writing it?

A lot of what you’re describing has to do with the fact that the first and second EPs were released those during lockdown, so we weren’t able to tour. Now, fast forward to the Heaven EP, we’re 4 EPs deep and we’ve got a lot of touring under our belts, so I think that we were able to play around with interludes live, that we don’t do on the record with our earlier works. It’s really cool to see how audiences react when you’re jamming on stage. It gets really mesmerizing, it’s almost hypnotising sometimes. With the song ‘Haunt You Still’, for example, that’s one of my favourite ones on the EP because we took the time to do a whole instrumental section that really builds and there’s no vocals until the end. I think we learned some of those tricks from being on the road and playing live.

Speaking of playing live, you’re going to be back in the UK in November playing a headline tour with Bleach Lab. What are your anticipations for these shows?

We love the UK. I really feel like that’s where Softcult got our start, even though we’re Canadian, our first ever tour was in the UK and I felt so much support from the fanbase and the music scene there. I feel really lucky that we get to be a part of it in some way. It’s one of the best scenes globally, in my opinion. I love it. Especially coming over at this time of the year when things are really gloomy and gothy, it’s such a vibe.

I’ve been a fan of Bleach Lab for a really long time. They’re putting out new music too so it just feels like a good time for us to come together and share the stage. I am really excited to play these new songs live. This particular set that we’ve been working on, we’ve had the chance to play on other tours, it’s probably the last tour that we’re gonna do with this particular live set. I’m really happy with the way it flows, there’s a lot of live interludes and extended parts of songs. Songs that kind of flow one into the other in a really intentional way. I’m excited to bring it to the UK.

As well as your own EP this year, you released a collaborative track with Bristol-based heavy band Split Chain titled ‘(Re)-Extract’. Tell me more about that. It’s such a HUGE sound that you’ve both created together.

It just worked out so well. The song gives me Deftones and Nirvana vibes. We were honoured to be asked to do it. I love collaborating with people when I can hear that there’s something we could add to the track. We just tried to add really spooky vocals, I was definitely trying to live my Amy Lee fantasy on that one for sure. I’m glad that we got to be part of the visual too. Who knows, one day maybe we’ll be able to go on tour with them.

It has that Southern California nu-metal sound, but I will say though, as someone who isn’t from the UK, but who is obsessed with UK music, the UK just has something in the sound that is different from anywhere else. I hear it in Split Chain’s sound. There’s just this nuanced intelligence about the music in the UK. There’s something about it that’s really compelling.

As well as playing live, another way that you interact with your fans is through your zine called SCripture. In the most recent edition, you penned a really compelling personal essay about mental health and the impact of stress on the body. Can you tell us more about what inspired you to share this story with your fans?

The SCripture zine is definitely all about fostering a community around social issues, political issues, and now I think it’s a good time to talk about mental health too. That was the reason we started the zine. We like to tie topics of the zine together with songs that we’ve written and that’s what inspired me to write that particular zine issue. Some of our songs, ‘Spiralling Out’ for example, in retrospect, when I hear that song, I’m recognising more what it’s about now than I did at the time when I wrote it. Then when I was thinking about it, I was like “this is definitely something more people should be talking about” in general. Get more awareness of it and more educated on it too. I do think knowledge is power. You feel less afraid when you’re not ignorant to certain situations.

When we are open about those things it takes away the taboo about talking about mental health and especially talking about women’s health in general. It was a real eye opener for me how stress manifests in so many different ways physically in the body. It’s kind of something I’m a little embarrassed to say I didn’t really know how much of an impact stress can have on you on a physical level until recently, and I think that’s because I was ignoring it for a very long time. So, I think the best thing that you can do is really own it and be transparent about it with people, and you’ll see how many other people have had similar experiences and gotten through it.

That’s the reason why I wanted to be very candid about it in that particular zine. Because when I started opening up to my female friends about what I was going through, I was shocked at how many other women had very similar experiences. It did make me feel less alone and less afraid in that situation. Also, I think a lot of the time when you acknowledge those things, it helps your mind process what’s going on and that helps your body too, so there’s a lot of reasons to talk about it.

Women’s health, our bodies and in our minds, it’s all so tied together. I think a lot of the time Women’s health can be something that’s swept under the rug. It’s very reductive and I am aware of that through not only my experience, but other women in my life who have had to deal with stuff. You end up having to do a lot of your own research and you’re lucky if a doctor is in tune with that and sensitive to those things. With my particular issues, I never thought it was stress, but it definitely was. So dealing with that helped me on the physical side of things too. But my mind was going in a completely different directions and that definitely doesn’t help.

Being a touring musician can also bring its own unique set of stresses and mental and physical health challenges. What advice would you give to other musicians who might be struggling?

For me, I know that my thing is I don’t know when to slow down. That feels like something really difficult to do on tour. But some good advice that I got was just do one thing for yourself everyday that has no other motive, other than it’s just something that you want to do. So on tour for me, that could be going for a walk, getting a coffee, taking a nice long shower at the end of the day. Those are things that seem very luxurious or frivolous, but if you deny yourself these things that centre you and ground you, after a while you’re gonna notice that the stress just keeps building up and the anxiety builds up and there’s no outlet for it. Luckily for me, being on stage and performing is an outlet for me. Being on tour, while certain parts of it can be stressful, the good news is at least once a day you do have that cathartic moment where you can let things out. Strangely I don’t feel that stressed on tour. I think I get more stressed out when I’m at home.

I think everyone’s different, and different things stress you out in different ways, but for me, I love having creative outlets like writing music, performing music, writing the zine – those are all really good outlets for me. So I’d say take time for yourself, even if it’s just a couple of minutes a day to ground yourself and do something that brings you peace and makes you feel calm. You’re doing it just for yourself. It sounds small, but it does have a very big impact.

It can be difficult to ask for that space can’t it? Sometimes it can be perceived in a negative way, like you’re being “difficult”…

Not so much now, because we’re evolving as a society and as a scene, but there have been so many times when you’re made to feel like you’re being a diva if you need to set a boundary as a female artist. People can be so ignorant about that. I often see my male counterparts setting very similar boundaries with people – even with fans for example – if you feel like someone is taking up a lot of your space and making you feel uncomfortable – I feel like the second you say that as a woman, it’s suddenly like “oh she’s a diva” and you just don’t see that same kind of energy with our male counterparts. My advice to female artists out there would be don’t listen to that noise. Just stand your ground, do what’s right for you. You don’t owe anyone anything, but you owe yourself everything.

This will be your last tour for a while, as you’re in the process of recording your debut album. What can you tell us about the record?

We’re in the middle of recording it right now and we’re about half way done. We’re going to finish it before the end of the year and then release it next year. It’s really exciting. We just got our concept figured out and we chose a title and a rough track-listing in the past two weeks. It’s cool because we’ve been releasing EPs for the entire life of this band, but now we finally get to do a full length album. In some ways I love just putting out singles and having a way shorter timeline between releases so that you can keep creating. But in other ways, I do really love the idea of this body of work that’s just a whole concept, a whole era of music that’s laid out and a story that’s being told, and an opportunity to really world-build with the band. That’s the mindset we’re going into with this. Taking our time and really doing it right, since it’s our first actual full length. We’re really trying to sink our teeth into the creative aspect of things. I’m really excited about it because it is coming together. It’s almost like a blurry photo coming into focus and I can finally see what the photo is.

Thanks to Mercedes for taking the time to speak with us!

Follow Softcult on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Facebook & X

Photo Credit: Kaylene Widdoes

Kate Crudgington
@kate_crudge

November 12, 2024November 12, 2024

Kate Crudgington1 Comment

LIVE: Slowdive, Deary & Whitelands – Earth Theatre, Hackney (04.10.24)

Described as “the label that celebrates itself” independent record label Sonic Cathedral marked their 20th anniversary in style with a sold out show at Hackney’s Earth Theatre – featuring a lineup of established and emerging shoegaze icons. Headliners Slowdive were joined by London-based newcomers deary and Whitelands, whose waves of intoxicating reverb-heavy riffs ricocheted around the packed space.

Initially formed from DIY grassroots music initiative First Timers Fest, watching opening act Whitelands – aka guitarist and vocalist Etienne, drummer Jagun, bassist Vanessa and lead guitarist Michael – perform at the label’s anniversary celebrations felt truly special. Between songs, Jagun and Etienne shared that Sonic Cathedral founder Nathaniel Cramp was the only person who responded to Whitelands’ initial email about releasing an album two years ago, which made listening to tracks from their debut full-length record, Night-bound Eyes Are Blind To The Day, feel like an impressive full circle moment.

Having already caught the band supporting Slowdive earlier this year at Hammersmith Apollo, we knew Whitelands would deliver a set full of shimmering shoegaze sounds, tethered together by front man Etienne’s hazy vocals and meaningful lyrics. These shone through brightest on tracks ‘Born In Understanding’, ‘Cheer’, ‘Now Here’s The Weather’ and ‘Fluoxetine’.

Up next, deary took to the stage to deliver their charming brand of dream-pop. Fronted by singer and guitarist Dottie, her diaphanous vocals and the band’s lush, fluctuating melodies were accompanied by a set of equally dreamy visuals. deary’s gothic-inspired woodland video for single ‘The Moth’, lifted from their upcoming EP Aurelia (due on 1st November) played out across the screen behind them, building on the ethereal atmosphere they’d established earlier on in their set. Like Whitelands, deary also expressed their sincere gratitude to Sonic Cathedral’s founder Nathaniel, an endearing thread that linked all of the band’s performances.

Despite joking that after 30 years of playing together, they still hadn’t mastered the art of small talk between songs – Slowdive‘s headline set wasn’t lacking in any way. The musical alchemy between Rachel Goswell, Neil Halstead, Christian Savill, Nick Chaplin and Simon Scott is undeniable, which made watching them coordinate their blissful cacophonies of sound look totally effortless. Opening with ‘Shanty’ from their most recent record, Everything Is Alive, the band delivered a 14 song setlist that spanned all of their back catalogue, with tracks from their second record Souvlaki (1993) featuring heavily in the mix.

Whether you’re a newcomer to Slowdive, or a dedicated long term fan, the transcendent nature of their live set is something that all gig-goers can appreciate. The volume of their rich, swirling riffs and heady electronics is totally immersive, and this was all intensified by their hypnotic light show; a true spectacle of strobes and colour that exquisitely enhanced the heavy romantic quality of their music. This was especially true for tracks ‘Catch The Breeze’, ‘Kisses’ and ‘Sugar For The Pill’ – all were standouts at the band’s Hammersmith Apollo show earlier in the year, and they remained so at this more intimate venue. Closing their set with the anthemic ‘When The Sun Hits’, Slowdive left the stage to rapturous applause, before returning for an encore of ‘Machine Gun’, ‘Chained To A Cloud’ and ’40 Days’.

Having sold out within minutes when it was initially announced, Sonic Catherdral’s 20th anniversary celebration was a wonderful testament to the label’s commitment to supporting new bands thrive in a potent musical subculture, and nurturing a community of fans who willingly indulge their natural curiosities and passion for new alternative guitar music.

Header Photo Credit: Johnny Green
Photos included in Review: Geoff Shaw

Kate Crudgington
@kate_crudge

October 7, 2024October 7, 2024

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

GIHE Highlights: Supersonic Festival 2024

In her welcome note to Supersonic Festival goers in the official printed guide for this year, Artistic Director Lisa Meyer expressed her aspirations for the three day event: “I hope that Supersonic will be a space for people to find comfort in one another, catharsis in music and a celebration of an amazing community and extraordinary art.”

Get In Her Ears have been long-time admirers of Supersonic – which has been running for 21 years – so we were thrilled to finally be able to attend the Birmingham-based festival in person for the first time this year. We are also delighted to confirm that Lisa’s introductory words transcended from the page into a real life experience for us.

Described as “championing experimental and adventurous music,” we found Supersonic to be an immersive and fascinating encounter and not just because of the eclectic performances from artists on the line-up, which included Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Dame Area, Senyawa, The Body & Dis Fig, Melt Banana, F*Choir, Matana Roberts, GROVE x Taliable x Toya Delazy, OXN and Daisy Rickman.

The complimentary events and workshops running alongside the festival’s live music programme – Do.om Yoga‘s guided meditation, Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone Quiz, zine-making with Decolonise Fest – provided attendees with the opportunity to indulge their curious nature in a vibrant but low pressure environment, which is something we value highly at Get In Her Ears. We could wax lyrical about the power of Supersonic infinitely, but we’ve tried to condense our experience of the festival into eight highlights, which you can read below…

THE NONE are our new favourite band

With Kaila Whyte on vocals (Blue Ruth, Youth Man), Gordon Moakes on bass (Bloc Party, Young Legionnaire), Jim Beck on guitar (Cassels) and Chris Francombe on drums (Frauds), THE NONE are an experimental super-group in our eyes.

Formed at the start of 2023, the band bonded over hours spent in their rehearsal room making noise and discussing shared obsessions together. The elusive nature of their name reflects their creative approach; ego-less experimentation and open collaboration. This passion comes screaming through in their live performances. Their set at Birmingham’s O2 Institute was a riot of abrasive punk cacophonies that completely pulverized the senses.

The lung capacity on Kaila – who admitted she was nervous between songs whilst sipping on a can of Liquid Death – was deeply impressive. She ripped through each track, grasping her double mics, thrashing around as she unleashed her voice into them. THE NONE have recently shared their debut EP, MATTER, on bandcamp – but you NEED to hear their music in the flesh to fully appreciate its raw, tenacious spirit.

(Photo Credit: Robert Barratt)

Gazelle Twin is in a league of her own

Having already witnessed her shape-shifting Black Dog performance live at Bush Hall in London last year, we were expecting great things from Elizabeth Bernholz aka Gazelle Twin as she brought her shadowy spectacle to Supersonic. We were not disappointed. Falling somewhere between a dark lullaby and intense sleep paralysis, her varied and visceral electronic textures came with bass drops that made speakers and shoulders shudder.

With her face on full display – a first for the artist who usually veils her features – the crowd were entranced by Bernholz as she sat in her vintage armchair, her dynamic vocals untethering the atmosphere like the paranormal forces that originally inspired the inception of Black Dog. Her theatrical performance of her fourth record was an exquisitely raw, haunting exhibition of the power of intangible fear and we were completely gripped by it.

(Photo Credit: Catherine Dineley)

Maxine Peake has a great interviewing technique

Despite insisting she would “never be doing it again”, listening to actress Maxine Peake in conversation with Elizabeth Bernholz (Gazelle Twin) was a real festival highlight. A last minute change to the programming – Peake was originally supposed to be speaking with Throbbing Gristle’s Cosey Fanni Tutti, who withdrew due to a family emergency – her improvisational interviewing style and fun anecdotes gave the event its relaxed and informal atmosphere.

Peake and Bernholz have collaborated on projects together before – a stage adaptation of 1970s TV play Robin Red Breast and an installation titled We Wax We Shall Not Wane at The Horror Show exhibition at Somerset House – which meant they had a natural rapport when sharing stories about these works. What shone throughout their conversation was Peake and Bernholz’s joint commitment to authentic self-expression through art, and their desire to make the stages and institutions they work on into more inclusive and equal spaces. To simplify our thoughts: a pair of total legends.

(Photo Credit: Robert Barrett)

(Photo Credit: John Convery)

Decolonise Fest are a force for change

Get In Her Ears have been following the vital work of Decolonise Fest – a DIY collective of organisers, activists and musicians who advocate for punx of colour – for some time now, so we were thrilled to see that they were partnered with the festival, as well as hosting a workshop on the rooftop of Supersonic’s hub venue XOYO.

Titled “Decolonising Publishing Through Zine Making” the informal event was run by an inviting team who helped attendees create their own mini zines. Between the cutting, sticking, folding and drawing, Decolonise members explained that the process of zine-making has historically been vital for DIY artists of colour. It has helped them to express themselves authentically and provided an alternative means of connection and promotion in media spaces that are often biased or whitewashed.

Decolonise are hosting their own festival in London at Signature Brew Haggerston this weekend (13th-15th Sept). Spider, Cuurls, Dogviolet, Grunt, Lilith Ai, Maya Lakhani plus loads of other acts will be playing across the 3 day event. Tickets are available here.

(Photo Credit: Ewan Williamson)

Brìghde Chaimbeul’s experimental Celtic sounds were beguiling

Offering something completely unique to the festival’s line-up was Isle Of Sky native Brìghde Chaimbeul. Her performance at the O2 Institute was a captivating blend of immersive drone sounds, courtesy of her traditional Scottish smallpipes and her hypnotic Gaelic vocals. Her visual accompaniments – monochrome footage of a dancer in casual clothes performing a traditional Scottish dance in the empty highlands – beautifully complimented Chaimbeul’s music, which breathes new life into ancient sounds that have been in danger of being forgotten. Her music held deep resonance with the crowd, who gave her their full attention throughout the set.

(Photo Credit: Robert Barrett)

We want to form a coven with Tristwch y Fenywod

We only managed to catch three of their songs, but we were spellbound by Welsh-language gothic rockers Tristwch y Fenywod (which translates as “The Sadness Of Women”). With Banshee screams worthy of their namesake, we were deeply impressed by the delightfully discordant sounds that Gwretsien Ferch Lisbeth (Guttersnipe, Petronn Sphene), Leila Lygad (Hawthonn) and Sidni Sarffwraig (Slaylor Moon, The Courtneys) created together – led by Gwretsien’s innovative multi-stringed dual-zither.

The band released their self-titled debut album at the end of August via Night School Records and we’re looking forward to giving it the deep listening experience it fully deserves.

(Photo Credit: John Convery)

Emma Ruth Rundle enchanted us

American songwriter and visual artist Emma Ruth Rundle celebrated the 10th anniversary of her first official album, Some Heavy Ocean, with festival-goers at the O2 Institute. She performed the tracks from her impassioned debut with unwavering focus, her emotive vocals drifting through the busy venue. This is the first time we’ve seen Rundle live and we were moved by her rich acoustic guitar sounds and majestic-yet-melancholic voice.

(Photo Credit: Robert Barrett)

From the artists, to the fans, to the people behind the scenes – people really commit to the Supersonic experience

Circling back to the community sentiment that Artistic Director Lisa Meyer expressed in her welcome note that we cited at the beginning of this feature – it was endearing to witness an unwavering level of commitment manifest itself in so many different ways across the weekend at Supersonic Festival.

As first-time attendees, we were struck by the friendliness of everyone. This ranged from quizzing with total strangers at the Freak Zone Quiz and ultimately making friends from it, to a casual chat we had with a woman who attended the zine-making workshop, the willingness of other individuals and organisations to interact with us at networking events, through to the security guard who spotted the Nine Inch Nails logo on our t-shirt and promptly struck up a fun conversation about the band after proudly displaying his “NIN” tattoo in solidarity. Maxine Peake even mentioned how much she liked our tattoos while we were waiting for the loo. By the end of the weekend, we didn’t feel like newcomers anymore.

International acts on the bill such as MC Yallah x Debmaster (who were unable to perform last year due to visa issues), Tokyo grindcore legends MELT BANANA and experimental harpist Mary Lattimore were granted incredibly warm welcomes by their full crowds. The fluctuations in genre and volume between these eclectic acts did not deter festival-goers from giving their full attention to the stages, reiterating that Supersonic truly is a place that nurtures fan-bases that love adventurous music.

Ahead of the event, we interviewed Elizabeth Bernholz (Gazelle Twin) about her Black Dog performance and her anticipations for her return to Supersonic, where she wholeheartedly cited it as her “favourite festival in the UK” and now, we feel a similar way.

Like many arts communities, despite its passion and commitment, Supersonic is unfortunately not immune to struggle. Lisa Meyer also noted in her intro that we are living through “heavy times”, plagued by uncertainty on global and local scales. It would be awful to see the community spirit of Supersonic Festival crushed because of accelerated gentrification in Digbeth – so please consider supporting and attending the festival next year if you can.