Birmingham’s Supersonic festival has revealed the first wave of acts playing its return edition in 2022.
Taking place for the first time since 2019, following the COVID-19 pandemic, and now at a new location on the outskirts of Digbeth in Birmingham, the festival will next year host headline performances from Richard Dawson & Circle and The Bug & Flowdan. There are also live sets confirmed from Föllakzoid, Thou, No Home, Bismuth, Bloody Head, Old Man Gloom and AA Williams, among others.
Jerusalem In My Heart and the organisers of London’s Decolonise Fest have been invited to guest curate part of the festival’s lineup for 2022, with full details of their picks for the bill – as well as more additions to the overall lineup – to be announced in the coming months.
Speaking in a statement about his involvement in next year’s festival, Jerusalem In My Heart’s Radwan Ghazi Moumneh said: "Supersonic has been a festival that I have followed closely for many years, and always have been very impressed by the amazing and challenging programming that the festival proposes to its audience. Performing at the festival in 2019 was such a beautiful experience, where I realised how truly special of a community the festival has managed to create around the event. I am so thrilled to be invited to curate a portion of the festival in 2022 and be an active part of Supersonic."
Decolonise Fest added: "Whether as attendees, performing artists, or workshop leaders, many of the Decolonise Fest collective have been involved with Supersonic previously. We are looking forward to bringing our ethos of inclusive, anti-racist, anti-capitalist, DIY punk organising to Supersonic."
tQ’s own John Doran also commented: "I’ve been going to Supersonic since its inaugural festival in 2003 and haven’t missed one since. So bar some discomfort caused by trying to make my memory stretch that far back (‘Did I really watch Coil in Digbeth?!’), I’m really pleased to hear that the mother of British underground festivals is going to be back once again in 2022. Supersonic blazed out of the traps nearly 20 years ago as an important part of the musical calendar if you were into progressive, extreme, underground and exciting music and culture, but as time has gone on, and most other events of its scale have stumbled and fallen, it’s simply become one of the most important fixtures in the world. Long may Supersonic thrive… and see you down the front."
Supersonic will take place from July 8 to 10, 2022. Find more information here.