When: 30 August – 1 September 2024
Where: Birmingham, England
Taking place over the course of three days and spread across two venues, once a year, Birmingham becomes the epicentre of sonic exploration, with each act at Supersonic Festival contributing to a tapestry of noise, connection, and raw emotion. From the ferocious to the fragile, the chaotic to the calm and the obscure to the well…slightly less obscure. It is Birmingham’s annual foray into the world of all things noise, metal, punk and weird.
That being said, this year’s tone is distinctly more folkloric. There appears to be a theme of pagan, Celtic exploration running throughout the weekend. At the very least it provides a unique opportunity to present a range of undervalued, talented British artistry rooted in traditional folk culture. It’s new but not unwelcome and demonstrates how the festival constantly pushes boundaries in terms of it’s artistic exploration.
Friday
Artists: The None, Melt-Banana, Dame Area
Friday night sets the tone with a whirlwind of intensity, starting with The None, whose punk-fuelled set is a raw, defiant declaration. With a no-frills approach, the band delivered a fast-paced, high-energy set that is as fierce as it is infectious, creating an unapologetically loud and aggressive sound that gets the crowd moving. Kaila Whyte’s stage presence is commanding and chaotic in the best possible way, with her charismatic and confrontational style keeping people on their toes.
Japanese noise-rock legends Melt-Banana follow and bring a set that’s nothing short of an auditory assault. Their rapid-fire delivery and chaotic blend of electronic noise, punk, and experimental rock soon whips the crowd in a state of ecstatic frenzy. Yasuko Onuki holding her now trademark, gameboy-like, drum machine, commands and orchestrates hyperbeats over Ichiro Agata’s chainsaw like guitar riffs.
Closing the night is Barcelona-based duo, Dame Area, whose industrial rhythms bring a stark, hypnotic communalism. Their music, a fusion of tribal percussion and synth-driven techno, creates a trance-like atmosphere that’s both enthralling and danceable, although XOYO is so jam- packed at this point it’s hard to move.
Saturday
Artists: Modified Youth, Flesh Creep, The Shits, Agriculture, The Body + Dis Fig, MC Yallah & Debmaster, Homobloc x FVCK PIGS
Saturday plunges deeper into the abyss of sound. Due to Atlanta-based punks Upchuck pulling out due to flight delays, the day is pushed back an hour but still begins with the post-punk stylings of Modified Youth. They’re the festival’s youth representation (both members of the duo are still in school). They bring a brooding punky, sometimes even bluesy energy that certainly shows sparks of talent. They end their set with a Kae Tempest kind of poetic tirade decrying the current political state of the UK.
Birmingham-based hardcore punks, Flesh Creep follow, their set a brutal onslaught of Cro-mags-like aggression. With guttural vocals and relentless riffs tearing through the venue like a wrecking ball, they spark the first “proper” mosh pit I see.
The Shits fill the slot previously taken by Upchuck and are a bit like Sleaford Mods crossed with Pissed Jeans. There’s a lot of loose, sloppy guitar riffs, awkward stares, punk growls and faux- venomous interactions with the audience. The singer steals someone’s baseball cap whilst swaggering around the stage with a can of beer. If spitting was still remotely acceptable, they’d be that kind of band.
The intensity only heightens with ecstatic black metal quartet, Agriculture. Looking as if they are in rapturous simultaneous orgasm throughout their performance, it’s a cathartic explosion of noise and fury. Blending extreme metal with an odd melodic beauty and a euphoria that is so rare – there’s a reddit thread that struggles to find anything similar. Trust me, no-one has seen a black metal band who make love to their music like this before.
Following the set I wander upstairs to take a look at the rooftop garden goings-on at XOYO; it’s host to various DJs and performance art pieces between music and there appears to be quite the scene proceeding to play out. It’s the Punch and Judy show in which Punch is being symbolically murdered. Meanwhile, an inflatable crocodile crowdsurfs to the bloops and bleeps of some acid-techno, a conga line makes its way around the venue and Punch (poor old Punch, what did he ever do? Oh wait…yes that) is beaten with drum sticks as his flat little puppet carcass becomes even flatter; It’s gloriously dark and chaotic.
But the true darkness of the day emerges with The Body + Dis Fig. Their collaborative set was a harrowing journey through noise and industrial doom, where crushing bass and unwavering vocals merge into a nightmarish but beautiful ambience. It’s a performance that’s as unsettling as it is mesmerizing, pulling the audience into a deep, emotional void.
The night continues with MC Yallah & Debmaster, whose high-energy Ugandan rap injects a jolt of adrenaline into the evening. Homobloc x FVCK PIGS follow, they are essentially an LGBTQ+ dance troupe, so of course it’s only fitting that their set opens with the pumping bassline of Peaches‘ seminal track “F**k the pain away“. The group thrust and grind their way around the stage, often with shared looks of mock outrage blurring the lines between punk, electronic, and performance art. Their anarchic energy and confrontational style gets everyone dancing, closing the night with another blast of chaotic brilliance.
Sunday
Artists: Mary Lattimore, Jacken Elswyth, John Francis Flynn, ØXN, One Leg One Eye, Bonnie Prince Billy, Mohammad Syfkhan
After the intensity of Saturday, Sunday offers a welcome balm. Hangovers are soothed by the ethereal sounds of Mary Lattimore. Her harp-driven compositions create a serene, meditative space, offering a moment of reflection and calm, projections displaying various botanical elements flicker across the stage. She plays a song she wrote for Scott Kelly, a retired astronaut known for his impressive photography skills, detailing how she felt inspired by his images and how she sent the song to NASA. She relates that they did, indeed, pass the song on and he likes it. How could he not, really?
Satanically styled Morris Dancing in the form of BossMorris is happening on the rooftop now…after this brief interlude a banjo player surreptitiously seats themselves at the corner of the stage and proceeds to set up a foot pedal.
Their name is Jacken Elswyth and they’re part of Shovel Dance Collective who performed last year. This time solo, Elswyth’s banjo playing weaves classic Americana blues with drone from a homemade foot pedal creating a soothing, familiar yet unique sound. Playing amidst a backdrop of neolithic styled cardboard rocks, she comments how she feels like she’s on Star Trek. And, such a scene would not be out of place in any kind of revival. I’d certainly watch it,.
The sense of soothing rejuvenation continues with John Francis Flynn, whose hauntingly beautiful songs, steeped in Irish folk tradition, captivate the audience with their emotional depth and lyrical storytelling. Flynn espouses the importance of connecting to heritage through music in between songs, reveals how understanding the past can make sense of the present and most importantly provide a sense of belonging. He presents this sense of Irishness in a truly authentic fashion that goes far beyond the cliches. There is such presence about him, it is as though he carries these ghosts of the past with him at all times.
Keeping the theme of Irish artistry running ØXN and One Leg One Eye both follow. Despite a singular volume issue where a keyboard is turned up way too loud causing nearly everyone to basically s**t themselves, the alt-folk group play a pristine set that perfectly balances light and dark, as also seemingly represented by the adjacent facing vocalists – one dressed in all white, one dressed in all black. The group’s perfect synchronicity and multi-instrumentalism (accordions, keyboards, guitars, samples, loops, synths – all handled whilst singing in varying ranges) is really something to behold; there’s not a flat note throughout. If there’s any act this weekend that cements and re-affirms the festival’s importance as a host to professional-level awesomeness that sits firmly under the radar, it’s ØXN.
After this are Dublin-based drone act, One Leg One Eye, they permeate the room with soundscapes that conjure barrenness and desperation. Sounds of horns, distortion and droning strings crystalize into a wall of sound that conjures an image of lost cities, cultures and people.
The festival’s emotional peak this year is Bonnie “Prince” Billy, (aka: Will Oldham) whose intimate, heartfelt performance is a masterclass in songwriting and storytelling. He is joined by Thomas Deacon who provides delightful harmonies and plays the whistle. Highlights of the set are a beautifully harmonized rendition of “New Partner” and a joyfully silly version of “Bananas“. The delicate, sometimes funny songs provide a poignant counterpoint to the weekend’s intensity, reminding everyone of the profound connection between artist and audience.
Closing the festival is Mohammad Syfkhan, an Irish-based Kurdish/Syrian singer and bouzouki player whose blend of traditional Middle Eastern sounds with contemporary electronic elements is a fitting finale. There’s a certain wedding party vibe about it, and suitably for the end of the weekend it’s unifying, fun and well…a little bit weird.
As we pile out onto the streets of Digbeth we’re confronted by newly-built clubs, bars and restaurants that have, in some part, led to the festival’s struggle to retain its location. I’m reminded of a security guard at the O2 who calls out how she’s going to “miss us lot” when we’re gone, and sincerely hope it’s not a permanent fixture.
Photographs by Thomas Mannay.
