Sonically out-there: Supersonic Festival ‘26 preview
Traidora
The last time I was in Birmingham, it was with our Dick Slaughter to pay tribute to Ozzy Osbourne. In a way, I’ll be doing that again in a couple of weeks. Because Supersonic Festival, arguably the most forward-thinking and left-field of the UK festival calendar – unafraid, like Ozzy, to explore the heaviest of musical territories – is back. And so am I.
This year is branded as a “limited edition” – compared to recent years, including my 3-day summer visit two years ago, it’s a smaller affair than usual, reduced to 2 days at the end of April with lower capacity. As a result, only a handful of “solidarity tickets” are still available. But for those adventurers of the sonically out-there lucky enough to have acquired a hen’s-tooth-esque ticket, there is still plenty to explore.
One of the unexpected highlights for me in 2024 was Irish supergroup ØXN, channeling folk music and murder ballads through a thick, Lynchian smoke of drones and percussion, so it’s no surprise they find themselves atop the billing this time around, and I will certainly be keen to see what they’ve developed over the last 2 years when they headline on Saturday. But in the realms of experimental folk, 2 other acts are very high on my tip list this time.
One of my favorite albums of 2025 was ‘Remscéla’, the sophomore long-player by semi-anonymous English “slacker-trad” duo Milkweed. Imagine, if you will, traditional folk song, backed up by lo-fi beats that you definitely cannot relax or study to, played on AM radio, and you’re approaching their particular musical palette. But that doesn’t quite get across how unique and special their sound is. I look forward to seeing how it translates to the stage. I’m also very excited to see Thorn Wych and her collection of hand-built musical instruments. Starting as mere tree branches, she transforms their form and processes their sound to create an earthy, psychedelic collage of sound that, like all the best music, sounds quite unlike anything else being made today.
Prostitute
Elsewhere, Michigan’s much hyped Arab noise-rock upstarts Prostitute take to the stage on Sunday, as part of their first European tour, to promote the re-release of their debut album ‘Martyr’’ Given they have already acknowledged the influence of the unfolding horrors that have occurred in the Middle East on the recording of their follow-up, it’s easy to imagine their set going to some very intense places and to understand why. I suspect Traidora, a London-based, Spanish-language, all-queer feminist hardcore punk four-piece with close ties to Crass (frontwoman Eva Leblanc shared a stage with Eve Libertine at Rebellion '25), might also indulge in a little politics during their set too.
Other musical curiosities I look forward to reporting back on include Bong II, a drone metal comeback from Newcastle’s Dawn Terry and associates; MMM, a British trio creating a haunting audiovisual, psychogeographical experience alongside filmmaker Ian Nesbitt; extreme throat-singing from Coventry noise musician Indira Lakshmi, aka Lucifer Sky; a deliciously tempting blend of “microscopic life-drawing” and disco with Hipkiss & Graney; and representing their hometown, Brum’s Monoxide Brothers, whose “manic pixie dream pop” blends electropop with uncompromising social commentary.
Away from the 2 main stages, the usual array of extracurricular activities awaits. Craft, choral, and activist workshops mingle alongside a vast selection of market stalls and tattoo artists (follow me on Bluesky to find out which flash I book on a whim), while pioneering electronic musical inventor Lia Mice will host an immersive workshop building instruments out of fabrics. Furthermore, having missed out 2 years ago, I will be embarrassing myself greatly in front of people I respect as I participate in the Freak Zone Pub Quiz, hosted by broadcaster and host of the titular BBC 6Music radio show, Stuart Maconie. As a 2-time loser of the teatime quiz show Pointless, I should probably start brushing up on my Scandinavian jazz…
Take a look at the full lineup below or on the Supersonic Festival website and tell me – have I missed anything essential here? Let me know in the comments. Look out for my full write-up in the coming weeks.
Poster and all photos provided by Supersonic Festival
