A glimpse of the festival's consistently impressive lineup...
Supersonic has been steadily (or at times, quite loudly) establishing itself as one of the UK's most fascinating festivals, dedicated to discovering and presenting the finest underground and avant-garde artists from around the world in Birmingham's lively Digbeth area.
As we look forward to its 2025 edition, here are five acts from various musical genres to watch for at the festival.
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Backxwash
Zambian-Canadian rapper and producer Backxwash is delving into her African heritage, trans identity, darkness, and spirituality through a series of experimental and critically lauded albums. Her 2020 release, God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It, won the 2020 Polaris Music Prize. Based in Montreal, she navigates the realms of hip-hop, noise, punk, and metal, presenting a vital, intense, and defiant interpretation of social and stylistic conventions.
Mermaid Chunky
The audio-visual duo Mermaid Chunky, consisting of artists Freye Tate and Moina Moin, delivers a brilliantly joyous and euphoric sensory experience, blending music, performance, and dance in a playful and eccentric manner. Signed to James Murphy’s DFA Records, this Gloucestershire pair brings gleeful chaos to their performances, featuring an eclectic mix from tribal drumming, live saxophone, and new-age chanting to trance-inspired sounds.
Poor Creature
Something seems to be stirring in Ireland, whether it be the water or the whiskey. Artists such as Lankum, John Francis Flynn, Lisa O’Neill, and Ye Vagabonds have been creating haunting and ethereal interpretations of folk music, and Poor Creature is the latest to contribute a modern perspective to the Irish traditional songbook. With members from Lankum and Landless among their ranks, Poor Creature creates shimmering ballads, dynamic power, and a sense of brooding darkness on their remarkable debut, All Smiles Tonight, with live performances that are equally immersive.
Divide & Dissolve
The instrumental doom band Divide and Dissolve from Melbourne channels the overwhelming raw intensity of drone innovators Sunn O))), but with saxophonist and guitarist Takiyah Reed leading, they offer a project that is deeply personal and political. Across five albums, their music conveys messages of anti-colonialism and Indigenous sovereignty—creating multi-layered, cacophonous soundscapes that challenge the power structures they critique.
Moin
The London-based trio Moin functions more as a deliberate project than a typical band, focusing on the deconstruction of musical influences instead of merging them. Their minimalist post-punk disassembles and reconstructs styles from noise rock to trip-hop, intertwining samples and post-hardcore guitars with the remarkable rhythms of extraordinary percussionist Valentina Magaletti. However, despite this clinical description, Moin's inquisitive energy fosters a truly human and visceral transcendence.
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Supersonic will take place from August 30th to September 1st.
Words: David Weaver
Photo Credits: Robert Barrett, Cat Dineley
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Supersonic has quietly (or at times quite loudly) established itself as one of the most noteworthy and captivating festivals in the UK, its