Tag: post punk

Event: Supersonic Festival

Where: Digbeth, Birmingham, UK

When: 1st – 3rd September 2023

Ticket Info:
Weekend ticket: £160.00 / Day tickets: £40.00

Full info about other ticket options available here

General Info:
To mark 20 years since its inception, Supersonic Festival have put together another exciting programme of alternative music and events for their 2023 line-up. Described as “championing experimental and adventurous music and creating an inclusive and joyful space where all are welcome,” the team have organised three days of art and events for festival-goers to immerse themselves in.

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 workshops, guest DJs and Do.om Yoga, as well as a roof-top takeover by Decolonise Fest (a DIY collective organised by and for punx of colour). BBC Radio 6 Music’s flagship experimental show Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone will be in attendance, with a pub quiz hosted by Stuart, plus there will be film screenings from labels including Ipecac, The Flenser, Thrill Jockey and Constellation Records.

There will also be ‘In Conversation’ events with Eugene S. Robinson of Oxbow on his book A Walk Across Dirty Water and Straight Into Murderer’s Row: A Memoir, and with John Robb on his book The Art Of Darkness: The History of Goth. Finally, Supersonic will be hosting exhibitions of artwork by Black Lodge Press in collaboration with Dog Section Press, and by skateboarder and artist Richard “French” Sayer celebrating the Home of Metal, and a special celebratory display in response to the festival’s archive by artist and designer David Hand and friends.

 

Who’s Playing: Check out the full line-up here

There are so many excellent bands playing Supersonic this year, it’s hard to pick favourites! At Get In Her Ears, we focus on female, non-binary and LGBTQ+ talent, so beneath the official line-up poster below, there are some in depth recommendations about artists who we think you should check out.

You can get to know them all better by listening to our accompanying Spotify Playlist at the end of this feature too.

 

DIVIDE AND DISSOLVE

The gargantuan-yet-graceful sounds of this heavy duo will definitely be a festival highlight on Saturday night. Their doom-ridden instrumentals are designed to erode the foundations of colonialism and liberate the land for indigenous communities. Saxophonist and guitarist Takiaya Reed and percussionist Sylvie Nehill have been honing their unique form of noise in order to help cauterize the wounds of colonialism since the release of their debut album BASIC, back in 2017. The patience and empathy that underscores their creativity inspires a deep sense of awe and respect. Read our interview with Takiaya here, and check out our review of the band’s latest album Systemic here.

BACKXWASH

Supersonic will be hosting genre-blending rapper & producer Ashanti Mutinta aka BACKXWASH’s first and only UK show this year – making this performance totally exclusive. The Zambian-Canadian, Polaris Music Prize-winning artist will unleash her hip-hop, horrorcore and industrial sounds on festival-goers on Saturday night. The poetic and cathartic qualities of her seething lyricism are enhanced by the visceral, corrosive soundscapes she has built around them. Her latest album, HIS HAPPINESS SHALL COME FIRST EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SUFFERING, is well worth your attention.

TOTAL LUCK

Birmingham-based post punk trio Total Luck will be performing on Friday night. Switching between spoken word and loud, punk vocals, the band create noisy, brooding cacophonies that are are sure to linger in your ears long after they’ve finished playing. Listen to more of their sounds via their bandcamp page here.

ELVIN BRANDHI

If festival-goers want to witness some truly chaotic, intense, experimental noise, then Elvin Brandhi’s set on Saturday is a must see. Described as “an improvising lyricist, producer and sound artist who builds aberrant beats from field recordings, tape, vinyl, instrument and voice,” the Welsh artist will provide her listeners with an unusual, visceral performance. Check out her latest album Drunken Love, here.

TAQBIR

Blending activism and abrasive music together to encourage and empower North African women to express themselves freely, Moroccan punks Taqbir will be a live force to be reckoned with when they play on Saturday night. The five-piece pay homage to the female pioneers of the UK punk scene such as X-Ray Spex, Bona Rays or The Slits, and use their own music as a vessel to unleash their anger and frustration at the systems that oppress them. Check out their bandcamp page here.

SILVERMOTH

On Sunday, Supersonic will be hosting the debut live performance of atmospheric noise-rock collective Silver Moth. Comprised of Stuart Braithwaite (Mogwai), Elisabeth Elektra, Steven Hill and members of Abrasive Trees, Burning House and Prosthetic Head, together they create genre-blending, evocative aural ruminations. Listen to their latest album Black Bay, here.

LANKUM

Admired for their captivating live performances, acclaimed Irish contemporary folk quartet Lankum will be playing Supersonic on Sunday night. They were first recommended to us by Dublin-based trio Bitch Falcon, and we’ve been assured that the atmosphere at their shows is completely magnetic. Listen to their latest record, False Lankum, here.

DEERHOOF

Festival-goers will be able to enjoy the idiosyncratic sounds of acclaimed alt-indie band Deerhoof on Friday night. Their melodic-yet-noisy infusions are not to be missed. Check out their latest record, Miracle-Level, here.

MORE TALENT

These artists are completely new to us, but we recommend you check them out too: un.procedure, BIG|BRAVE, Jessica Moss, MC Yallah & Debmaster, Ashenspire, Blue Ruth, Agathe Max, Matana Roberts, The Seer, Ondata Rossa, Ragana, Josephine Foster, Sirom

 

For more information visit Supersonic Festival’s official website

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