Supersonic Festival - 10 years and counting!!

2012 marks the ten year anniversary of this dynamic, experimental, multi-disciplinary arts festival, which identifies the otherwise indescribable connections between contemporary music, art, performance and film. To commemorate this impressive and very special milestone this year, Capsule propose to work with Supersonic alumni and emerging artists to celebrate the achievements of the festival thus far whilst also focusing firmly on the contemporary. Because as well as giving a warm welcome to many influential, era-defining artists over the years, Supersonic always has an uncanny knack for highlighting new acts before everyone else is talking about them.

 As previously stated, Capsule's programme has a sense of spectacle at the very heart of it, always aiming to capture the imagination of the audience, and given that they are celebrating a decade of innovative festival curation, there is no wonder that Supersonic continues to thrive and draw in fans, performers and industry folks from across the globe.

In today's announcement, the festival programme dynamically evolves as we focus on the addition of more live performances, announce the first panel discussion and some of the films that will be shown, as well as some extra special events which should be the icing on the cake for anyone still debating over whether or not to buy a ticket!

Capsule are totally committed to inviting back festival alumni to perform at Supersonic and are devising unique performances that are far from typical and promise to be absolutely spectacular. One such performance we are proud to present is Oxbow Orchestra. Expect strings, woodwinds, brass, operatic backing vocals and classically contained renderings of the Oxbow song book, featuring Eugene S Robinson and Niko Wenner from Oxbow and an Orchestra who will deliver songs new and old in a format unaccustomed to the blood and sweat of a typical Oxbow outing. The textbook definition - ONCE IN A LIFETIME. This ties in very nicely with the first film announcement which will be Oxbow - The Luxury Of Empire, a very intimate portrait of a band at the peak of their artistic maturity, candid interviews and live footage reveals the trials and tribulations of this band, all told in directorMariexxme's dark compositional style.

From one large scale event to another (well it is their tenth birthday after all!) Capsule have also invited, Lash Frenzy who will perform ‘Vir Heroicus Sublimis’ as an improvised noise collective, featuring members of Anaal Nathrackh, Beestung Lips, Benediction, Sally and Einstellung.  As with all things improvised, nothing is certain, all we know for sure is that there’s more than one person involved and less than 1000. If you weren’t able to get in to the Lash Frenzy vs KK Null performance at Supersonic 2010, then make sure you don’t miss out twice! Speaking of collaborations, Capsule have gone and done it again, putting together another distinctive pairing especially for the anniversary festivities which includes the aforementioned KK Null and Birmingham's own ORE.  In many ways, KK NULL's collaboration with Lash Frenzy at Supersonic 2010 acted as a proof of concept for the amplified tuba sound of ORE, so it's entirely fitting for Capsule to bring the two entities together this year. Better still, KK NULL and ORE have gelled so well in the early stages of working on this collaboration that they have also decided to release a limited split CD-R single together, which will be available at the festival.They will be performing a specially-written twenty minute piece together, culminating in a vast cacophony of sound. Be afraid, be very afraid.

For the first panel discussion, Capsule have chosen a very interesting topic that is at the heart of their own personal ethos when it comes to festival curation - creating art in challenging times. The discussion is called 'You Can Be You' and will feature an array of maverick artists, who, like Capsule/Supersonic Festival, never compromise their integrity and ethos when creating art, or curating an event, or performing. These are; Penny Rimbaud, Jarboe andEugene Robinson. Offering an insight into some of the hows and whys of maintaining an independent spirit whilst on the very edge of the avant-garde, the panel will debate such topics as, how is the drive to make art sustained under sometimes-difficult circumstances? and after many years of writing and touring music, will the desire to create ever be satiated? Supersonic Festival,now in its 10^th year, began as a one-day event and has blossomed into an internationally renowned weekend of music, art and much much more. The panellists have hugely influenced the festival producers, as well as many other artists performing at Supersonic. ‘You Can Be You’ will offer a fascinating insight into the drive and motivation behind some of the most prolific experimental artists around.

  From maverick musicians to maverick film directors, another documentary that will be screened at the festival is 'The Bruce Lacey Experience' by Jeremy Deller and Nick Abrahams. For his new documentary the Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller and his sometime accomplice Nick Abrahams turn their attention to fellow film pioneer and iconic performance artist Bruce Lacey. Three years in the making the film examines Lacey’s remarkable legacy as a painter and sculptor (creating extraordinary mechanical devices in the 1960s), an avant-garde filmmaker (alongside Dick Lester and Bob Godfrey) and as an all-round cultural chameleon, working with The Goons, The Beatles and even folk-rock super-group Fairport Convention. An intimate portrait of a self confessed 'silly bugger' and true visionary artist who, at the age of 85, still lives the bohemian dream; creating art and magic in a farmhouse near Norwich.

 Now onto some exciting news about a workshop event that Capsule are arranging. Given the success ofImperfect Cinema last year, Capsule have invited the team back to host a free workshop exploring DIY modes of filming and cinema only this time, the footage people gather using Super 8 cameras will be edited and used as visuals for Drunk in Hell's performance. All in all, an exciting opportunity for festival goers to be part of the performance and for them to utilise the unique industrial backdrop in a highly creative way. Imperfect Cinema will also be screening the film 'Bullshit Detector' - their film about the Crass compilations, which ties in nicely with Penny Rimbaud's guest appearance.  More about that soon!

Finally, further proof that Supersonic Festival wish to unite everyone in their tenth birthday celebrations and to create a fun, memorable event, they have confirmed the presence of Vinyl Rally, a large-scale installation combining sound art, video art and kinetic sculpture into every kid and kidult’s dream-hybrid; an immersive participatory play-set playing off vinyl fetishism, video arcade mystique and the machismo of motor sports in a video game played within a real world setting! Classic first person video racing is simulated as remote control cars with styli attached, race across a track constructed from a mass of disused vinyl records. Transmitting sound (produced as the styli skim along the vinyl surface) and vision (from wireless spy cameras mounted to the front of each car) to re-engineered old school racing consoles with immersive 50inch flat screens. Here players navigate the course from the vehicles point of view, not only controlling the cars movements, but also the parameters of the resulting sounds they create via a series of unique audio effects mounted onto the dashboard giving each car its own distinct aural flavour. These sounds are emitted from speakers built into the seats causing them to vibrate in correspondence with the movements on screen, producing a personally immersive experience aurally, visually and physically that can only be truly appreciated seated at the controls. I don't know about you but I for one cannot wait to get behind this mean machine!

Believe it or not, there is still plenty more to announce as well as a breakdown of the day scheduling so stay tuned for more news very soon! And don't forget that the final Supersonic teaser show in London featuring King Midas Sound System, JK Flesh and Glatze commences on Thursday 9 August at Corsica Studios, so any last minute plugs you can give that would be much appreciated.

As a reminder, here is a list of the line up as it stands; Body/Head/Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore/The Bug/Carlton Melton/Clifford Torus/Dope Body/Drunk In Hell/ Dylan Carlson/Flower-Corsano/Goat/Hey Colossus/Hookworms/Hype Williams/Islaja/Jarboe/JK Flesh/Kevin Drumm/KK Null/KK Null Feat Ore/Lash Frenzy/Lau Lau/Lichens/Merzbow/My Disco/Nicholas Bullen/Oxbow Orchestra/PCM/Rangda/Richard Dawson/Ruins Alone/Sir Richard Bishop/Six Organs Of Admittance/Small But Hard showcase/Stian Westerhus/SWLLWS/Thomas Ankersmit/Tim Hecker/Tomoutonttu/Ufomammut/Warm Digits and Zeni Geva

“Supersonic is a place to be educated and surprised: new, experimental and intellectually nourishing.” – WIRE

 “Having been a journalist for 15 years I’ve had cause to work at approaching 100 festivals all over the world and in my opinion Supersonic has the consistently best quality line-ups and is the most engaging and stimulating to fans of underground music. Certainly no other festival introduces me to more new and exciting music than this one.” - THE QUIETUS

“Capsule’s Supersonic festival has evolved…to consistently provide one of UK’s most anticipated Festival line-ups. Fans of dubstep, krautrock, free-jazz and doom metal were all catered for on a bill which promised to both rupture the ears while stimulating the mind through its diverse selection of music, film and specialist talks.” – CLASH

Crafting extraordinary events for adventurous audiences

SUPERSONIC FESTIVAL

19-21 October

Birmingham UK

Weekend tickets available from www.theticketsellers.co.uk

Supersonic mixtape link: http://soundcloud.com/supersonic-festival/sets/supersonic-festival-2012

News - THE CHAPMAN FAMILY - NOVEMBER OFFENSIVE TOUR

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"Remember remember the fifth of November Gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder, treason should ever be forgot.

This November in homage to the legendary plot of 1605 we will be waging war with the leaders of this country and all the apathetic zombies who have allowed them to fuck us into the gutter. We are declaring a state of artistic emergency from within the "music industry" where creativity, relevance and integrity have been replaced by the banal, the pointless and the derivative. We are raising our colours and heading once more into the breach and seeking out those of you who like us can't relate to the man sitting at the head of the nations table making decisions that neither help nor represent us or to the artists who claim to be like us and speak for us. Fuck them. This is our opening salvo, our November Offensive. It is a statement of intent and it is just the beginning.

The riots this August proved that if enough people can be mobilised under an ideal then they cannot be stopped. Whether the reasons for the violence and rage felt in our capital and throughout this country were righteous or not is irrelevant, it's the motivational message that matters. It's a message that resonated deep within us and it's the message that has inspired us. We have always striven to be a band that stood for something, to be a band where the word dissonance wasn't just used as a description of our sound, to be a band that were never afraid to say what we really felt and to never compromise or sell out our integrity. Now more than ever we feel capable of living up to what we always hoped we could be. We're tighter, leaner and more focused than we have ever been. We have two new family members who share our anger at the present and our hopefulness and optimism for the future. We are reverting back to the DIY ideals that built this band and are taking control of our own destiny.

Just as the plot of 1605 has resonated forever through history so too will this tour resonate forever through our history. It will be remembered as the time we stood up and spoke out against the injustices that we live through in this country every day, against the prejudices of our government and the grinning, flaccid cunt in charge, against the cuts to our public sector which have forced unemployment up to its highest level in 15 years, against the bible bashers and crazed anti-abortionists who want to take away the right of choice from the women of this country, against the openly racist and xenophobic beliefs of organisations like the EDL and the BNP and against the dumbing down and commoditization of art. We have a voice and we intend to use it and we urge you to do the same. Once more into the breach dear friends." (TCF)

News - Turbonegro reunite and are set to play Supersonic 2011

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Big news came our way recently when the self-proclaimed "Third-biggest Formula Rock Band in the World" Turbonegro returned with news of a brand new front-man, Tony Sylvester. It has been a whirlwind few weeks ever since, having returned to the stage at the annual Turbojugend Fan Club Convention in Hamburg on Friday July 15, after a two year hiatus to the roaring approval of their denim-clad fans.

Now, Supersonic have ensnared the almighty Kings Of Deathpunk for a UK exclusive headline performance at the festival. Bringing all the glam, good tunes and great vibes (and hopefully hordes of denim-clad followers) we couldn’t be more excited!

The line up includes, Tony Sylvester aka The Duke Of Nothing (Vocals), Happy Tom (Bass), Euroboy (Guitar), Pål Pot Pamparius (Keys/Guitar), Tommy Manboy (Drums/Percussion) and Rune Rebellion (Guitar). Tony Sylvester comments on playing the festival:

" I was so chuffed that Lisa and Jenny asked Turbonegro to headline Supersonic and that the first show with the new line up in the UK will be there. Not only are they the best promoters in the UK, but I’ve been lucky enough to have been involved with the festival itself since its second year: announcing bomb threats, swimming in the fountains, playing Northern Soul, arguing on panels, you name it. This will be the first time I’ve actually played there however!"

For more information you can visit www.turbonegro.com, or https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Turbonegro/160527554015654 and follow them on twitter @TurbonegroHQ.

News - JOHNNY GET THE GUN - NEW SINGLE & TOUR

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UNSTOPPABLE BRIT-ROCK UPSTARTS CONTINUE THEIR ASCENT
WITH A UK TOUR, NEW SINGLE AND FORTHCOMING DEBUT ALBUM!

Fast-rising Essex crew 'Johnny Get The Gun' are undoubtedly on the rise. Packing tantalizing hooks and frenetic energy, the hard-working quartet are quickly gaining new fans throughout the UK for their highly engaging anthemic guitar rock and admirable work ethic. The power-rockers garnered critical acclaim from their recently released self-titled mini album and EP, where they racked up impressive wordage from the likes of Kerrang!, Rocksound, Big Cheese magazine and Powerplay, strong radio airplay from BBC Radio and XFM, and TV play from Kerrang! TV, Scuzz and Lava TV. The industrious Londoners continue their climb through the ranks with a brand new single 'Take It', produced by John Mitchell (Enter Shikari, You Me At Six, Funeral For A Friend) and a supporting UK Tour that kicks off in Manchester on 21st October; please see below for full details.

JOHHNY GET THE GUN
UK TOUR - OCTOBER 2011

21st October, Manchester Roadhouse.
Office Tel: 0161 237 9789. 8 Newton Street, Piccadilly, Manchester, M12AN. Capacity 200.

22nd October, 02 Academy Birmingham 3.
Tel: 0121 622 8250. O2 Academy 3 Birmingham, 16-18 Horsefair, Bristol Street, B1 1DB. Capacity 250.

27th October, 02 Academy Oxford 2.
Tel: 01865 813 500. O2 Academy 2 Oxford, 190 Cowley Road, OX4 1UE. Capacity 436.

28th October, 02 Academy Islington 2.
Tel: 020 7288 4400. O2 Academy 2 Islington, N1 Centre, 16 Parkfield Street, Islington, London, N1 0PS. Capacity 250.

Never ones to rest on their laurels, JGTG also have a full length album in the works, which is set to be unleashed early 2012. Aided with a dramatic increase in fanbase served by extensive touring and widespread DIY promotion, Johnny Get The Gun are set to carve their place alongside fellow UK's Brit-rock rising powerhouses.

News - STUNNING NEW BRISTOL REGAEE COMP!

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The Bristol Reggae Explosion Vol 2 - The 80's
Released 17th October 2011

Following the critical and commercial success of "The Bristol Reggae Explosion 1978 - 1983" Bristol Archive Records have dug even deeper into the city’s reggae heritage for the follow-up, "Bristol Reggae Explosion Volume 2 - The 1980s". This time we continue our quest not only with a selection of rarities, but with several tracks that have never been previously released, by popular demand Volume 2 also comes with greater dub content.

Bristol’s top roots exponents Black Roots feature once more, "The Father" is a prime example of their early roots style. Whilst "Pin In The Ocean" shows the later more commercial sound they adopted in collaboration with the Mad Professor, both tracks can also be found on the label’s "Black Roots The Reggae Singles Anthology", a career spanning overview.

Bunny Marrett wrote Black Roots’ "Bristol Rock", the opening track on Volume 1 so it’s only appropriate and with great pleasure that we include his sole vinyl outing, the very scarce "Times Are Getting Harder", a great slice of UK roots. When it comes to scarcity there were reputedly just 200 copies pressed of "Robin Hoods Of The Ghetto" by Cool Runnings, we believe it deserves a much wider audience.

The Radicals, 3-D Production and Joshua Moses will be familiar to those who have Volume 1 and return with more of the same. The Joshua Moses track is previously unreleased and appears here thanks to the detective work of Mike Darby. Another unreleased track we’ve managed to uncover is Alfred McIntosh’s "Wicked Dub" a 7 minute workout that helps give this release a greater dub flavour.

The mid part of the decade is represented by Zapp Stereo’s appropriately titled "Way Out West" and Lord John Hutchinson’s "Little Eyes". Both tracks are previously unreleased. The albums closing track is Dan Ratchett’s "Raggamuffin Girl". Recorded in 1989 it perfectly sums up the way Reggae music started to change direction. Dan was an ever present part of the Bristol scene in the late eighties and nineties and hopefully this will be the first of many tracks we get to license for future releases.

Rather than discuss all the tracks in detail we’ve left a few surprises for the listener to discover for themselves, but you can be sure that this release builds on the strengths of Volume 1 and explores the Bristol scene in far more depth. Hopefully it shows how the live, band based scene at the start of the decade evolved to be more solo artist based a few years later. This sowed the seeds for the explosion in studio based production companies that were just around the corner, the two volumes compliment each other perfectly, roll on Volume 3!

News - FEUD - BONECRUSHING DEBUT ALBUM & UK TOUR!

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’...one of the best unsigned British modern rock bands around...’ - Fireworks Magazine

Hailing from the South of England, Feud spit out highly alluring tuneage that meshes the hard-hitting delivery of Nirvana (ala Bleach era) with the song-writing sensibilities of Weezer. Quite rightly, Feud have gained wide recognition for their energetic and noose-tight live performances. The engaging riff monsters are now set to push the envelope further in the shape of their stunning debut album 'Waterdog', out 19th September 2011.

The band marks its earliest origins in the country of South Africa, where brothers Greg & Guy Combrinck began work on songs that would eventually make their way across continents to land in the UK and become the framework for Feud. Setting about to put a band together, the Combrinck brothers hunted for members with a kindred passion and intent. After a relentless search, Ian Harper (Guitars/Vocals) and Tom Syrett (Bass) were brought into the fold, and quickly proved their worth, impressing their own footprint into the band's already accomplished sound.

During the past four years, Feud have cut their teeth playing a host of shows throughout the UK, sharing stages with everyone from Bad Manners, Cancer Bats, Young Guns, Jettblack and Days In December. Along the way, the band picked up critical praise and rave reviews for their debut release, the four-track EP "Out From The Inside." The record was sculpted at Outhouse Studios (Funeral for a Friend, Enter Shikari) and racked up solid worldwide sales. Praise for the EP release, along with Feud's captivating live performances, earned the band a place on the 2007 Reading Festival bill, as well as an appearance on the BBC Three Channel.

Taking their influence from a variety of artists ranging from U2 to Nirvana, but most notably Stone Sour and Foo Fighters, Feud distil and break their music down into something that's both honest and all-encompassing on impact. The dynamic four-piece have now pooled their sound to tape and set loose their greatly anticipated debut full length album 'Waterdog' this September. The record instantly marks its arrival, packing a hefty blow to the senses. Rammed with blistering guitar riffs, crushing rhythms and contagious rock anthems, 'Waterdog' is a truly honest and potent modern rock record. Everything is now in place for the rising riff-slingers to fight for their place as one of the truly exciting bands of 2011!

News - EWLB - RISING UK CREW RELEASE EXPLOSIVE DEBUT ALBUM!

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EVERYTHING WE LEFT BEHIND

â?oWarped Tour disciples have a new name to check for. 3/5â? Kerrang!

â?oThe punk sound of Florida can certainly be heard in EWLB. 7/10â? RockSound

Bristol punk-rockers â?~Everything We Left Behindâ?T are back and primed for ascension with their killer debut album â?~Our Ears Are Bleedingâ?T, out Monday 3rd October through all digital outlets. Rampant sweat-box touring will also follow suitâ?¦â?¦â?¦

You would think that after 6 years of various line-up changes, back-stabbing friends, and copious amounts of money problems, it would be enough for any band to throw in the towel; Everything We Left Behind have done just the opposite. Instead of cracking under the pressure, the industrious quartet have galvanised the gusto to push through, managing to create a brotherhood-like bond within the ranks. Sparking glowing comparisons to Captain Everything and US punk legends NOFX, Everything We Left Behind pack together a crafty tunesmith approach with a sincere and energetic delivery.

Since the turn of the year EWLB have been locked in the recording studio hammering down cuts for their debut full length, entitled â?~Our Ears Are Bleedingâ?T. True to punk rock form, the energetic upstarts recorded the album with real sincerity; it is raw, honest, and sculpted with minimal takes. Just as punk should be. The band have emerged with a stunning debut album that is even faster and even more emotive than their highly-acclaimed debut EP â?~Pull Back and Goâ?T, which racked up impressive national press from Kerrang! and Big Cheese through to RockSound and Black Velvet magazine.

â?~Our Ears Are Bleedingâ?T kicks off with an explosive opener in the shape of â?oGenericaâ?, which springs wildly from the traps beating anyone in earshot into submission. The cut is a potent slab of captivating high velocity punk rock that suitably kicks off proceedings. Next up is the exhilaratingly pacey â?oGuillotineâ? which barrels over you like a ferocious bullet train, threatening to fly off the tracks. From top to tail, EWLB have nailed down a genuinely breath catching record that is fast and furious and will easily draw fans through its euphorically hypnotic pull.

Everything We Left Behind do not create music for their parents or for the radio. They do not churn out money-fueled, over-produced â?obubble-gum rockâ?. They spit out engaging punk-rock that is real and gritty. They may lose the marketing or advertising fight, but they will go down fighting all the wayâ?¦..

www.facebook.com/everythingweleftbehind www.youtube.com/ewlbband