SUPERSONIC FESTIVAL Furious death metal, shuddering dubstep, industrial electronica and psychedelic folk - it’s fair to say Birmingham’s Supersonic Festival is one of the most adventurously eclectic events on the musical calendar. But eclectic doesn’t have to mean inaccessible and the three-day spectacle offers something for all genres of music, film and art lovers alike. From pioneers to new talents, here’s out guide to some of the acts to catch this year. Words by Ben Thomas. Factory Floor Factory Floor are the latest talent to come out of east London. They play vintage analogue equipment and tape loops to create abrasive electronic music, layered in feedback, with insistent Krautrock bass lines and obligatory Ian Curtis post-punk vocals. Not many bands manage to combine noise guitar and dance beats, but Factory Floor make XTRMTRera Primal Scream sound like Shed 7. They’re all the best bits of Sonic Youth and Throbbing Gristle, with Giorgio Moroder disco electronics and Kraftwerk beats, an inspired combination. Good if you like: Fuck Buttons, Joy Division & looking solemn
swans Along with Sonic Youth and The Contortions, Swans were part of the big bang of experimental music coming from New York’s No Wave scene at the beginning of the 1980s. But Swans tapped into an indust trial, stark brutality tha was completely their own. Making deafens reverb, t ‘goth’) noise: cavernou ing waves of gothic (no als. At voc & s multilayered guitar enormous drums and asive, inv h suc at y pla they would their early live shows uld pass wo mbers of the audience immersive volumes me . some good music out. That’s the sign of le and rock, Throbbing Grist ise No e: Good if you lik sheer volume KING MIDAS SOUND Kevin Martin (otherwise known as The Bug), poet Roger Robinson and singer Kiki Hitomi make up King Midas Sound. Their debut LP Waiting For You, released on Kode9’s dubstep label-du-jour Hyperdub, manages to blend Tricky, Mezzanine-era Massive Attack and the more desolate corners of Burial, creating music with a grounding in dub and dancehall, with lyrics steeped in the grit and danger of city living. They’re awesome live; Roger Robinson looks like a 1920s travelling blues artist, Hitomi jumps around all over the stage and Kevin Martin creates sheer walls of noise and bass. Everything is turned up to 11; the distortion will shatter the expectations of those expecting polite down tempo trip-hop. Good if you like: Burial, Joker and dancing in a filthy manner
HALLOGALLO: Michael Rother & Friends Present The Music Of NEU!
Michael Rother played in an early incarnation of Kraftwerk and was a founding member of the bands NEU! and Harmonia, where he played alongside Brian Eno. NEU! are one Krautrock’s most prominent acts and their influence has spanned several generations with everyone from Bowie to Devo to Stereolab citing their influence. Despite releasing their last record in 1975 they still sound familiar (think The Horrors & LCD Soundsystem) and relevant today. Following Hallogallo’s ATP show earlier this year, Pitchfork exclaimed, “the band tapped into that thing NEU! could do so well, sounding both heavy and expansive, like a large mass gliding over the earth while a few inches off the ground,” which basically means they were awesome. Good if you like: Kraftwerk, LCD Soundsystem & Faust
DEVIL MAN Since dubstep died in 2007 when Burial released Untrue everyone has been wondering what would happen next and this sounds like its been plucked right out of the future. A collaboration between DJ Scotch Egg and Gorgonn, this is dub from outer space. Scotch Egg plays his bass with the same manic ferocity as he does his Gameboy, so don’t go expecting a moody, hoods-up show, turn that frown upside down and embrace the new. Good if you like: Gaslamp Killer, Aphex Twin and tons of bass GODFLESH Godflesh are regarded as the pioneers of industrial metal, combining heavy guitars with drum loops and effects. There’s a range of influences, from Black Sabbath and early Swans to Killing Joke and Throbbing Gristle. Much has been made of the influence Birmingham itself has had on their sound, with their on their metal on metal piston-like rhythms, overworked electronics and growled soundbite lyrics. Supersonic will not only be their hometown show, it’s also their first in the UK for over 10 years. Good if you like: Birmingham metal, drum machines and historic gigs napalm death In 1987 Birmingham’s Napalm Death released Scum, pushing the envelope of metal to such extremes they created an entirely new sub-genre, ‘Grindcore.’ Initially inspired by the early wave of punk bands, Crass, D.R.I. and Discharge, they play a mutation of metal and UK hardcore/punk. Simply, it’s super fast, loud music, No track lasts longer than two minutes and they’re in the Guinness Book of Records for the shortest recorded song ever; You Suffer clocks in at precisely 1.316 seconds. Good if you like: Grindcore and moshpits
cloaks Cloaks emerge from the darker more industrial-edged corner of the UK dubstep scene, drawing influence from the sounds of industrial bands like Suicide as much as modern bass music. Cloaks appearances are rare but Steve Cloaks is coming along to do an exclusive DJ set just for Supersonic. Steve also runs the label 3by3, making Supersonic a kind of 3by3 AGM as Cloaks, Dead Fader and Devil Man will all be in full force over the weekend. Good if you like: Suicide, Distance and the noisier side of dubstep
VOICE OF THE SEVEN THUNDERS Voice of the Seven Woods have become Voice of the Seven Thunders, which suggests a heavier direction in sound; thunderous you might even say. This brand of folk is as full and immersive as you get. Now under their new guise, that psychedelic folk sound is leaning more towards all out psychedelic rock, exploring new ways to take you far out. Good if you like: White Hills, Alexander Tucker and 70s psych fukpig Uh-oh, is that Satan doing vocals? This is pure sonic sadism, like the lord of Hades has risen up and is flying all over the city deciding which souls to steal while simultaneously crushing gigantic buildings, like it’s no big deal. Influenced by the likes of Extreme Noise Terror, Gorgoroth, Disgust and Mayhem, it’s a sound worth getting excited about and, yes, it is unholy. Fukpig are also another Birmingham band and if you’ve been paying attention you’ll have noticed the emerging pattern – Birmingham is the home of metal. Good if you like: Napalm Death, black metal and getting well pumped up JAMES BLACKSHAW Supersonic isn’t just about 30Hz bass frequencies and shredding guitar, for example, there’s James Blackshaw. It’s not fitting to describe him as a mere guitarist; he’s more a one man symphony, combining piano, violin, drums and 12 string guitar. Think of him as a composer who plays all his own instruments. To steal a quote, Michael Gira out of Swans: “He lays out patterns and shapes that subtly shift over time and lead you to a deeply satisfying mental state. Recently, driving around with the car stereo blasting his music I found myself inexplicably weeping.” An intriguing endorsement. Good if you like: Peter Broderick, Max Richters and Devendra Banhart Supersonic Festival takes place at the Custard Factory, Digbeth, from October 22-24. www.supersonicfestival.com