Wednesday, August 09, 2023

Birthday bash

I've sung the praises of Lisa Meyer only recently but make no apologies for doing so again - this time not as the instigator of Birmingham's Home Of Metal project but as the founder (with her Capsule crew) of Supersonic. With the festival set to mark its 20th birthday next month in the company of Lankum, Deerhoof, Big Brave, Divide & Dissolve, Silver Moth and many more, Kerrang!'s Nick Ruskell has spoken to her about the experience of organising a "unique, unconventional, ear-to-the-ground celebration of stuff you can't find anywhere else".

Meyer talks about naivety and steep learning curves, the festival's ethos ("I feel like now, I have a duty or mission to really try and champion female artists as well. We've always been a female-led organisation, and I feel like the line-ups need to be reflective of that, and how diverse modern Britain is") and taking inspiration from Godspeed You! Black Emperor's disappointment.

I've still only been to Supersonic once, in 2007, but it made an impression: Mogwai headlining, memorable first encounters with Wolf Eyes and Chrome Hoof, David Yow on the loose, Fuck Buttons' volume making a glass shop unit wall flex. With any luck, I'll make it back again soon - and definitely if she manages to pull off the dream of booking Mike Patton and Lionel Richie to duet on 'Easy'...

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