GIHE Highlights: Supersonic Festival 2026

Get In Her Ears happily returned to Digbeth in Birmingham and immersed ourselves in the idiosyncratic delights of Supersonic Festival again this year! We were thrilled to be invited back to experience this special Limited Edition event, after having such a great time when we first attended the festival in 2024.

Despite being smaller in scale (spanning two days instead of the usual three), Supersonic 2026 still resolutely championed a plethora of experimental and genre-defying sounds from a multitude of new and established artists. It’s hardwired into the event’s DNA to provide festival-goers with the opportunity to experience an eclectic array of performances, which were delivered by OXN, Prostitute, Milkweed, Thorn Wych, Bong II, Lucifer Sky, Traidora, Feeo, Guttersnipe, Greet, Peiriant, Hang Linton, Amretat, as well as special debut presentations from collectives MMM and Microplastics and a DJ set from GIHE faves, Decolonise Fest!

Alongside the musical programming, as usual, Supersonic offered a host of complimentary workshops and activities, which included keyring making with crafting collective Shelanu, a block-printing protest banner workshop with artist Natasha Taheem, a sound bath session, the return of the infamously difficult Freak Zone Quiz and an opportunity to join and perform with the pop-up Supersonic Choir. The festival also accommodated the curiosities of both attendees and the general public with it’s own unique Marketplace, which we took full advantage of this time around.

We could wax lyrical about the power of Supersonic all day long, but we’ve compressed our thoughts and feelings about the festival into six highlights, which you can read below…

 

The Marketplace is a hub for like-minded creatives

Whether you want to buy a pendant necklace with a real preserved spider-web from The Voodoo Doctor, spend time perusing multiple vinyl collections or indulge in some gothic-inspired cakes and sweet treats, the Supersonic Marketplace was the perfect place to get involved in artistic chats and endeavours. Hosted in the Zellig building, the space also included a special Supersonic flash session at resident tattoo shop House Of Thieves, which also sits next to the excellently named The Goth’s Playground, which was full of wonderfully unusual paraphernalia.

Within the Marketplace, we particularly enjoyed the wares on the Boulderdash stall. Described as purveyors of “stones, drones and noise”, Boulderdash are an independent zine and collective based in Cornwall. They were selling copies of their latest issue, cassette tapes and prints from musicians & artists they’ve worked with, plus, a unique limited edition Boulderdash guitar pedal. We exchanged stickers and stories and recommend that everyone checks them out!

(Photo Credit: Robert Barrett) 

(Photo Credit: Joe Singh)

Traidora are a force to be reckoned with

Joking that they were more accustomed to playing their punk anthems about “being gay” in sweaty pub basements, compared to being on Supersonic’s much larger stage, London-based trans anti-fascist band Traidora brought their riotous rhetoric to this year’s festival. The trio, fronted by Venezuelan-born artist Eva Leblanc and with the marvellous Maeve Westall on drums (itoldyouiwouldeatyou, YAKKIE, Gordian Stimm), Traidora ripped through a setlist that was loaded with righteous anger against ongoing genocide, transphobia and social inequality.

Performing in front of a backdrop of photographs of queer and female pioneers and activists – including LGBTQ trailblazer Marsha P Johnson – Traidora’s set felt like a hardcore homage to the queer and indigenous communities that they have been inspired by and are part of. Eva also took the time to thank everyone at Supersonic for their diligence and the care she and her bandmates had experienced on every level, which reminded her that “human kindness” is alive and well in the alternative music scene.

(Traidora – Photo Credit: Robert Barrett) 

(Traidora – Photo Credit: Joe Singh)

MMM & Milkweed brought the ancient past firmly into the future

With a sound as immense as the stones that they were inspired by, collaborative audio-visual project MMM opened Supersonic with a transcendental performance. Together, multi-instrumentalists Gayle Brogan, Nick Jonah Davis and Elizabeth Still created a unique work with filmmaker Ian Nesbitt, based on their travels to the Isle Of Lewis in Scotland during the rare Lunar Standstill at the ancient Calanais Stones, which occurs every 18.6 years. They documented their response to this natural phenomenon through a cell-tingling mix of thunderous guitars, intense drones, heavy harmonium and intermittent high pitched screams paired with diaphanous vocals. Grounded in ritual, resonance and reverb, MMM pulled back the veil of the past and captivated their audience in the process.

(MMM – Photo Credit: Robert Barrett) 

(MMM – Photo Credit: Joe Singh)

Milkweed also transported Supersonic fans to a bygone era with their acute, alluring storytelling. Reviving ancient folklore narratives and oral histories by weaving them into their experimental “slacker-trad” sounds, the four players sat opposite each other across a table littered with cassette players and wires; sonic vessels which enhanced the intensity of the songs lifted from their 2025 album, Remscéla. Inspired by The Táin saga, which is an aged collection of epic Irish “pre-tales” translated by Thomas Kinsella, the record dives deep into the lore of multiple legendary characters, which Milkweed brought vividly to life throughout their theatrical set. Working together in perfect harmony, they mixed string instrumentation with spoken word, stunningly clear vocals and brittle tape distortion to resurrect the past. It was a performance of mythical proportions, which clearly resonated with the resolutely attentive crowd.

(Milkweed – Photo Credit: Joe Singh)

(Milkweed – Photo Credit: Robert Barrett) 

The Supersonic samosas are legendary (as is the Tea Bar)

Whilst the music line-up for Supersonic Festival is always impressive, the line-up of snacks and drinks at the resident Tea Bar is just as noteworthy. In between pints of Supersonic IPA supplied by Attic Brewery, we indulged in some sustaining cups of tea and finally sampled a Supersonic staple which totally lived up to the hype: the iconic samosas! We were also tempted by the muffins which were as big as our heads and the delightful addition of Bloody Marys on the second day of the festival. Hats off to all the chefs who created these divine treats, they really were a highlight of the weekend.

(Photo Credit: Robert Barrett)

Thorn Wych’s set was a fascinating, noisy spectacle 

With a name that perfectly encapsulates her sound, Lancashire-based musician Thorn Wych performed a truly strange and striking set with her bespoke handmade instruments and pedal board on the first day of Supersonic. Despite experiencing a few sound difficulties, she embraced the chaos and stayed rooted to her cause; sat on the stage with her long hair obscuring her face, switching between an assortment of string instruments, drums and flutes whilst singing in tongues and channelling distortion by twisting the nodules on her pedals with her bare toes. Her performance was primal and instinctive and evoked a powerful sense of pagan folklore ritual. We’ll be thinking about it for many weeks to come.

(Thorn Wych – Photo Credit: Joe Singh)

(Thorn Wych – Photo Credit: Robert Barrett)

On all levels, Supersonic truly commits to the craft…

Whatever that craft may be, one thing is for sure: artists at Supersonic commit themselves 100% to their performances. We strongly believe that even if they were alone in an empty room, they would still be performing with the same tenacity. From the absolutely unhinged riffs and manic beats of mutant-noise-rock duo Guttersnipe, through to the beautiful understated soundscapes of experimental artist Feeo, we witnessed an abundance of wonderful and endearingly weird forms of self-expression across the weekend.

We mentioned this in our 2024 review, so at the risk of sounding like a broken record, we just want to reiterate how much we appreciate the effort, care and dedication that goes into planning a unique event like Supersonic, right down to the amazing festival-inspired nail art that one of the bar staff had! Get In Her Ears are a small DIY community based in London and we value connection and resistance through music, coming together to experience these things in a room with other like-minded people; something that Supersonic achieves on a scale that is deeply inspiring to us. We can’t wait to return to the festival again next year to have our minds blown by another immense array of experimental music (and to eat more samosas…)

(Feeo – Photo Credit: Joe Singh)

(Guttersnipe – Photo Credit: Joe Singh)

(Decolonise DJ set – Photo Credit: Robert Barrett)

(Supersonic IPA & nail art! Photo Credit: Sam Frank Wood)

 

Follow Supersonic Festival via Instagram & their official website

Words: Kate Crudgington

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Five Favourites – Blackwater Holylight

Having recently released their fourth album, Not Here Not Gone, LA based Blackwater Holylight combine dreamy psych-tinged soundscapes with a fierce power to create a sound that is entirely their own. As the glistening, woozy allure of Allison Faris’ delicate vocals ripples throughout, dirge-like hooks and propulsive beats reveal the band’s eclectic influences, showcasing their ability to interweave immense, doom-laden soundscapes with an immersive transcendental majesty.

We think one of the best ways to get to know a band is by asking what music inspired them to write in the first place. We caught up with drummer Eliese Dorsay to ask about her “Five Favourites” and she’s picked five albums that have influenced her distinctive drumming style over the years. Check out her choices below, scroll down to listen to Blackwater Holylight’s latest single ‘Bodies‘, and make sure you check out the entire exquisite album too…

Uffomamut – Idolum
Uffomammut is a stoner doom band from Italy. I was fifteen, making art in my basement bedroom when this album popped on as a YouTube suggestion. As soon as I heard the first couple notes, I immediately perked up. I was listening to heavy metal at the time, but nothing quite like this. I noticed the drumming and thought “Oh man, I want to do THAT!”. This is the album that lead to me finding Sleep and Electric Wizard. Doom metal quickly invaded my life in the best way. When I finally started playing drums at seventeen, the first song on this album was the first beat I learned. From there I played along to the rest of the Uffomammut discography. Without them I would not play the way I do. 

Russian Circles – Geneva
This album is important to me because I learned a lot about dynamics by listening to it. Russian Circles’ songs are really cinematic and have a lot of movement. It’s what taught me how to build; starting with a minimal beat and slowly adding parts, moving around the kit to build intensity. This band in general definitely opened up my creativity on the drums – they know how to complement each other instrumentally, and take turns being the star.

Def Leppard – High ‘n’ Dry
Some of my favourite drumming ever is just simple straight forward Big Heavy Hitting. I found this album when I was twenty one and realised that’s the same age that drummer Rick Allen was when he lost his arm. By this point drums were becoming more than just a hobby for me; I was realising that I want to do this for the rest of my life. The thought of not being to play anymore for any reason is terrifying. Rick Allen’s story of determination and love for the drums is beyond inspiring. 

Inter Arma – Paradise Gallows
Although I can’t currently play in this style, it’s massively inspiring. The blast beat speeds are legendary, and they’re one of my favourite bands to watch live. They have a unique way of combining all the sub-genres of metal into one project. Not just the drummer, but the band as whole is incredibly talented and versatile. They’ve taught me that you don’t need to limit yourself to one style or genre. 

Bison B.C. – Quiet Earth
This is another album that I love for their unique style of combining different metal genres. They’re thrashier than just standard doom metal. I used to listen to this album on repeat getting ready for school in the morning. When I started playing drums I thought I could play along to it because I knew it all by heart, but it was much more difficult than I thought!! This album continues to push me – I’m still trying to learn little parts of it all the time. The only song I can mostly nail is ‘These Are my Dress Clothes’. Maybe someday I’ll be able to play the album all the way through. 

Huge thanks to Eliese for sharing her choices with us! Listen to Blackwater Holylight’s latest single ‘Bodies’ below, and make sure you check out their exquisite album, Not Here Not Gone, in its entirety too!

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Introducing Interview: Calva Louise

Having been big fans of London based international band Calva Louise‘s colossal soaring metal inspired sounds for a number of years, we’ve been loving the recent run of cinematic sci-fi inspired singles. Set in the alternative universe laid out in previous singles ‘La Corriente‘ and ‘Under The Skin‘, latest single ‘WTF‘ showcases front woman Jess Allanic’s fierce vocal with an immense power, showcasing the band’s innovative creativity; an evocative fusion of fantastical fiction with a searing sense of urgency.

We caught up with Jess to find out more about the recent singles, the band’s inspirations and their recent tour with Indian metal band Bloodywood. Have read, and watch the video for ‘WTF’, below!

Hi Jess, hope you’re well! Thanks so much for speaking to Get In Her Ears. We’ve been huge fans of Calva Louise here at Get In Her Ears since first hearing your debut album, Rhinoceros, back in 2019! But for those who don’t know, are you able to tell us a little bit about Calva Louise and how you all got together to start creating awesome music? 
Each of us grew up in three different continents and landed in London at the same time looking for the same musical experience. I came from Venezuela to France and met Alizon when I was 16, then met Ben in London and together we formed Calva Louise in 2016, looking to build a solid musical project. When we were struggling to understand more about the music industry, we felt as if we were living a kind of absurdity, like the characters in Ionesco’s play La Cantante Calva -in Spanish – which combined with Louise – the name of the main character of the Lore – resulted in Calva Louise.

And are there any particular musicians or artists who inspire your writing?
The sound influences for us evolves continuously, but started from bands like Muse, SOAD, QOTSA, Molotov, Calle 13, Cafe Tacvba, Carpenter Brut, Ghost and currently Spiritbox.

We love the immense, ferocious power of your latest single ‘W.T.F’ – can you tell us a bit about the track, and what inspired it?
It turns basically around the concept of the human duality represented by the existence of two sides in the human life experience. Following the characters from the Lore of the story that I started to write when I was 10 years old, the both sides are identical in appearance and are called ‘The Travellers’ and their counterparts ‘The Doubles’.

The single is linked to your previous releases ‘La Corriente’ and ‘Under The Skin’, all set within a science fiction alternative reality – are you able to explain a bit more about this and the story behind the tracks? 
As the music videos form part of a larger science fiction project to provide an immersive experience for the audience, all Calva Louise’s songs are linked as prequels or sequels of the first of their Lore’s video production – ‘Camino’, which was released in 2020. The video graphic sequences are constantly evolving with each new song, following the new effects skills that I’m learning continuously, and also dependent on the budget that the band can afford for each new video production, which is currently practically 0… Linked to this part of the story, the conflict arose when the Travellers met their Doubles before the arrival of the hybrid predators coming from other worlds. The sequels continue showing how some Doubles were corrupted with addictive substances injected by the hybrids under their skins, to steal the life energy from them and in consequence from their avatars that are the Travellers, who are the organic human beings like us. The Doubles are their inorganic source of energy, and the hybrids are half organic and half machines, who steal life energy as food to their survival in the hidden worlds.

And how has the songwriting process been for these recent singles, has it been quite different from your previous recordings? 
Since the beginning, I had a plan for the releases based on three different perspectives, where the lyrics represent our experience as we the humans live in this world. The symbolism represents portals to new perceptions of reality through our dreams, and the music and videos represent the unification of both sides in an unknown dimension where all perceptions are intertwined, including foreign energy predation coming from other worlds.

You’re originally from Venezuala, with your band mates Alizon from France and Ben from New Zealand – a truly international band! How have you found the music scene compares in those places to here in the UK? And how do you find all being from different places affects your experience as a band? 
British and American rock music are the common basis for all of us since we were kids, but the Latin rock music is the most particular and individual influence on me as songwriter.

I’ve been lucky enough to catch you live a couple of times (over here at a John Kennedy event at Omeara, and in New York supporting Slothrust in 2022), and both times have been completely blown away by your incredible energy and fiercely immersive musicality! Has there been a particular show over the years that stands out as a highlight for you?    
This current tour supporting Indian metal band, Bloodywood. It’s been the best experience ever!

Generally, when you’re out on tour, are there any particular essentials that you like to take with you to keep you going?
My computer in a custom case that Alizon built for me so I can finish the new videos between the soundchecks and the shows and on the days off.

As we’re an organisation with a focus on supporting new and marginalised artists, I just wondered how you feel the industry is for them at the moment? And do you feel much has changed over the years in its treatment of female and queer artists? 
It still needs a lot of work, it’s a fact that artists are always at the bottom of the industry. Things are slowly changing, but more needs to be done! 

And are there any other exciting bands or artists that you’d recommend we check out at the moment?
Bobby Wolfgang! 

Is there anything else you’d like to add about upcoming plans or particular thoughts you’d like to mention?
We’d love to tour the US again!

Huge thanks to Jess for answering our questions! Watch the cinematic new video for ‘WTF’ here:

Calva Louise are currently on tour with Indian metal band Bloodywood, catch them live at Kentish Town Forum on Thursday 27th March – tickets here.

Photo Credit: Henry Calvert

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NEW TRACK: Dermabrasion – ‘Halberdier’

An ominous cacophony of industrial-tinged post punk, Toronto-based duo Dermabrasion have shared their latest single ‘Halberdier’. Taken from their upcoming debut album, Pain Behaviour, which is set for release on 26th January 2024 via Hand Drawn Dracula, the track is a heavy, brooding gothic anthem that rumbles with discontent.

Formed of Adam Bernhardt and Kat McGouran, Dermabrasion bonded over a shared fascination with punk music, the occult and the corporeal form. They released their debut EP, Luminate, back in 2021, but now the pair are gearing up to share their first full length record. Inspired by Roman Catholicism, LaVeyan Satanism, genre fiction and how these elements affect their outlook on their sense of power, shame and duty; Dermabrasion’s Pain Behaviour is a formidable concoction of post-punk, industrial and metal influences, culminating in a sound they’ve coined as “death rock and roll.”

Produced by Josh Korody (Fucked Up, Nailbiter, Breeze, Beliefs, Vallens), Pain Behaviour looks set to be a compelling listen, with first single ‘Halberdier’ offering a potent introduction to the record. Borrowing its title from a guard who wielded an ancient form of weaponry (the halberd), through their heavy hooks and gloomy vocals, Dermabrasion command the authoritative energy of a Halberdier, immersing their listeners in a shadowy, abrasive ether of noise.

The track is accompanied by a video, formed of a series of clips captured by members of the crowd at a Dermabrasion show in Toronto’s east end during the summer. It captures the gritty, grimy energy of the underground scene the band have cut their teeth playing live on over the years.

Listen to ‘Halberdier’ below.

Pre-order Dermabrasion’s debut album Pain Behaviour here

Follow Dermabrasion on bandcamp, Spotify & Instagram

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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