Live review and photo gallery: Supersonic Festival

Founded in 2003, Supersonic Festival is a beautifully curated event that celebrates the amazing artists who are making their mark in the experimental and alternative music scene. Based around several venues around Digbeth, Birmingham, this year’s line-up was just as unique and genre-defying as ever.

The festivities start on Friday evening, with a mix of performers and DJ’s going on until 2am. While I was unable to party until quite those hours, I did manage to stop by the O2 Institute to catch Mermaid Chunky.

It feels inauthentic to describe Mermaid Chunky as “a band”, as they’re so much more than that. As the layered sounds combined with the kaleidoscopic visuals (including a lot of hedgehogs!) being projected behind them, it felt like we were being transported into whatever weird and wonderful world the duo inhabit. At various points, costumed dancers would weave in and out of the crowd, dancing, before eventually joining the duo on stage as backing dancers.

Bizarrely captivating, Mermaid Chunky took us on a true audiovisual journey. Dripping in absurdist surrealism, you owe it to yourself to see them at least once in your life.

I stopped by Norton’s before calling it a night, where Leed’s based artist Hang Linton delivered a raw, genre-bending dance-punk sound to a small, but packed, room. Armed with just a microphone, a synth, and a sampler, they held the attention of everyone with their magnetic energy.

Watching Hang Linton perform felt like witnessing an outburst of creativity and political urgency in real time. Both they and Mermaid Chunky had me feeling even more excited for what Saturday had to bring.

For me, Saturday started with conversation and q&a session with Backxwash, hosted by Stephanie Phillips (Big Joanie, Decolonise Fest). It was an interesting and informative discussion, with Backxwash revealing just how inspired they are by 2000’s pop and r&b, as well as the making of her new album, and her experiences of growing up in Zambia.

One topic that came up was ‘History of Violence’, from her album, Only Dust Remains, that touches on the current genocide taking place in Gaza. Backxwash talked about how it was important to her not to make the lyrics about herself in this case, and warned against the temptation to resort to slogans and buzzwords, without meaning what you’re saying.

There was time for a Q&A sessions afterwards, which led to Backxwash sharing stories of her upbringing in Zambia; the first album she owned was a pirated cassette tape of Craig David’s debut album, with ‘Fill Me In’ and ‘Re-Wind’ being on frequent rotation. Her introduction to “heavy” music, meanwhile, was through hearing Linkin Park – she would later go on to hear bands like Black Sabbath and Nine Inch Nails, who felt “dark and dangerous” at the time.

Before things came to a close, Backxwash also shared that her one of her dream collaborations would be with Little Simz, calling her “the best rapper in the world.”

I hurried over to XOYO next, to catch Penelope Trappes. Accompanied by a live celloist, she delivered a haunting, ethereal set, draped her in trademark reverb-heavy ambience. There was a minimalist feel to Penelope’s set-up, the starkness of which added to the immersive feeling she created.

Her setlist was based heavily around her recent album A Requiem; the songs translated beautifully to a live setting. There was a visceral calmness to Penelope’s performance that’s difficult to describe, and impossible to look away from.

Next up were Birmingham doom-punks Meatdripper, who were invited to play the festival after Supersonic (alongside Home of Metal) co-hosted their debut live performance. As soon as the first sludgy riff kicked in, it was obvious why they’d been asked back.

Their drummer Kai had to sit this out, due to being ill, so I can only imagine how amazing they must sound as a full band. There was something raw, almost ritualistic, about their primal, fuzzy sound. They were a perfect primer for Witch Club Satan later as, while their sounds were different, they both had a primal, witchy, almost hypnotic energy.

Norwegian feminist black-metal band Witch Club Satan have been getting a lot of attention over the past few months, and there was a lot of hype built up for tonight’s performance – not only the band’s debut at Supersonic Festival, but also the bands first performance in the UK. There was a real buzz of anticipation in the air, as the O2 Institute started to fill up, which only grew as the trio took to the stage, holding sticks of burning sage, which they handed out to members of the audience. Dressed in white robes that left their breasts exposed, and goat-like head-pieces, they picked up their instruments and went right into ‘Birth’.

Straight away, it was clear that WCS have a strong theatrical side to their performance, with their set being split into three distinct acts. After playing their third song, they ditched their outfits during a spoken word interlude of ‘Water Girl’, and went fully nude, with floor-length black wigs. Bassist Victoria Roising, who recently announced her pregnancy (she’s having twins), announced “tonight there are five witches on stage,” before the band went into the aptly named ‘Mother’.

In what was the final act of their show, the band changed into sparkly, denim outfits, combined with some fantastically creepy masks, while a visceral spoken word interlude filled the room, while a graphic surgery video played against the backdrop.

After an impassioned speech in support of Palestine, ending with a scream of “Silence is a crime, no mercy for genocide, no fucking mercy for Benjamin Netanyahu”, the band played their most recent single, ‘You Wildflower.’

The band ended their set with ‘Solace Sisters’, which saw guitarist Nikoline Spjelkavik fling herself into the audience. As they left the stage, and we started to filter out the venue, there was a feeling that we’d all just witnessed something special. It’s incredibly hard to do this set justice – Witch Club Satan are a band we need right now.

Still at the O2 Institute, we had the return of Backxwash to Supersonic Festival. This was also her only UK appearance this year, and saw her perform a set of songs exclusively from her newest album, Only Dust Remains.

With her sparse-but-bold visuals, and with just her backing tapes for company, Backxwash blended elements of industrial, nu metal, and hip hop in a way that created a sense of dread, almost fear. The warmth that resonates from Backxwash herself though, makes the darkness lean more towards a more cathartic experience than a negative one.

‘History of Violence’ was a particularly poignant moment – as she mentioned earlier in the day, this song talks about the genocide happening in Gaza right now, and she made sure the meaning of the song wasn’t lost on anyone. With lyrics projected onscreen behind her, this was a powerful moment of unflinching confrontation, a scathing attack on anyone who can look the other way while such atrocities are committed.

Despite the heavy nature of her lyrics, Backwash made sure to end her set with a moment of pure joy, as she jumped into the crowd during ‘Devil In A Moshpit’.

It’s hard to believe this was only Backxwash’s second show in the UK – her first show was also at Supersonic Festival, two years ago. She’s a fantastic performer, I hope we get to see more of her in the UK next year.

A change of pace next, as HIRS Collective delivered an exhilaratingly unpredictable set. Punctuated by pulsing white strobe lights, the duo throw in political statements throughout the chaos, like “ACAB for-fucking-ever!”. It was a short, breakneck set, but, wow, what an impact.

Saturday at Supersonic Festival was an unforgettable experience – this is a genuinely unique festival, and I’m so glad I got to experience it this year. The dedication to showcasing such diverse artistry, and remaining fiercely independent against the ever-growing threat of gentrification, could be felt throughout. If you’ve been on the fence about going in the past, then you need to go. You won’t be disappointed.