Supersonic Festival’s ltd edition April event includes worldwide premiere of Microplastics (aya) + more

SUPERSONIC FESTIVAL 2026 INCLUDES WORLDWIDE PREMIERE OF MICROPLASTICS (AYA WITH 96 BACK AND JENNIFER WALTON),
PLUS PROSTITUTE, ØXN AND MORE

THIS SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION EVENT
TAKES PLACE IN DIGBETH, BIRMINGHAM 25TH & 26TH APRIL

TICKETS NOW ONSALE

2026 will see Supersonic Festival return for a joyful limited edition event taking place in Digbeth, Birmingham on the 25th and 26th of April. Tickets are now onsale.

This year’s smaller edition of Supersonic Festival reflects the changing nature of Birmingham. “When we first began, Digbeth was our wild frontier, a place where anything felt possible. We built stages in old warehouses, turned empty shops into art spaces, made installations under viaducts, and filled the streets with the energy and creativity of our amazing community. But times have changed. In recent years, we’ve fought hard to keep Supersonic rooted in the place where it all began, battling against rapid gentrification and the steady rise of faceless apartment blocks replacing the vibrant, independent spaces that once defined Digbeth.” says Lisa Meyer, Artistic Director and co-founder of Supersonic Festival.

She continues, “The earlier dates will also give us the breathing space to imagine what comes next for Supersonic, and to plan for 2027 and beyond. We don’t know yet whether that might mean building new partnerships with venues that share our values, finding a new home elsewhere and/or reinventing what Supersonic can be for the future. But we’re excited to be able to have the time to explore possibilities. But before we look to what’s next, I’m beyond excited to reveal the first acts for this year’s edition. Though smaller in scale, it will be rich with extraordinary artists and offer a vital chance for our community to come together and bask in the power of the art and music on offer. In dark times, there’s nothing more important that creating space for collective, joyous catharsis.”

Amongst the first names, Supersonic is delighted to present a worldwide exclusive of Microplastics, a new live band featuring 96 back, aya and Jennifer Walton. Microplastics began as an idea during a Sunday afternoon conversation at Bangface, starting with a name and evolving from there. The project has taken several forms over time, moving from a rowdy DJ collective to a behind-the-scenes production unit, and now fully into life as a rock band.

Supersonic is also thrilled to welcome Detroit’s Prostitute, who fuse experimental post-punk with Arab rock, delivering volatile live performances. Their debut album Attempted Martyr charts the unravelling of a zealot amid global turmoil, pairing political intensity with a fierce, high-energy sonic assault.

ØXN photo by Megan Doherty

The festival is equally delighted to welcome back ØXN, a band featuring members of Lankum, Percolator, and Katie Kim, who create experimental doom-folk infused with motorik rhythms and a Lynchian atmosphere. Rooted in storytelling, their music conjures tales of love, loss, revenge, and ritual through richly textured, otherworldly sound worlds.

Milkweed trace a line between British folk traditions and Appalachian song while drawing on global influences and deep-time imaginings. Their work blends folk, hauntology and multimedia “plunderphonics,” creating eerie, fractured soundscapes that expose the cracks in history and memory.

Born from the cosmic remnants of Bong, Bong II reunites Mike Smith and Dawn Terry with Smote’s Daniel Foggin. They retain the ritualistic heaviness and repetition of their origins while pushing their drone-driven sound into stranger, newly charged territory.

DJ Haram is a rap and electronic producer and DJ from New Jersey, now based in Brooklyn, NY, known for her versatile practice spanning bass and club music, analog sound design, electronic-folk Middle Eastern production, and abrasive rap collaborations. She is one half of 700 Bliss with Moor Mother, whose critically acclaimed Nothing to Declare was released on Hyperdub in 2022.

DJ Haram photo by Wendy Timana

Ameretat are an Iranian diaspora group who blend traditional Iranian musical and literary influences with crust, hardcore and drone. Using both ancient and modern instruments, they explore themes of war, power, love and humanity in multiple languages including Persian, Kurdish and English.

GREET crafts dark, cinematic folk inspired by the wild landscapes of Yorkshire. Blurring the boundaries between traditional folk and drone, his music evokes a world suspended between reality and myth.

MMM is a collaboration between Gayle Brogan, Nick Jonah Davis and Elizabeth Still – immersing themselves in the archaeology, astronomy and lore of the extraordinary 5000-year-old Calanais Stones on the Isle of Lewis. MMM have created a sonic response to a unique moment at these exceptional megaliths.

Led by Venezuelan-born trans artist Eva Leblanc, Traidora channels lived experience of

discrimination and resilience into raw, uncompromising music. Now a full four-piece of queer musicians, the band gives a powerful voice to struggles of identity and survival.

Further artists will be announced in the coming weeks, alongside a full programme of workshops, talks, and guest DJ sets.

PRAISE FOR SUPERSONIC FESTIVAL:

★★★★★ THE GUARDIAN

★★★★★ THE ARTS DESK

“The festival still manages to not just survive, but thrive. It could even be argued that the tougher things get in the city around them, Supersonic’s power increases in reaction. This vitality, you sense, is thanks to two things – firstly, the unbroken sense of community among the crowd, who are as friendly and inclusive as it comes, buying entirely into the festival’s wider DIY ethos. Secondly, the programming itself, which is faultless.” THE QUIETUS

“Diversity has always been a key pillar of Supersonic. Not just in terms of demographics – the festival’s assortment of experimental acts guarantees each year the boundaries of heaviness are pushed in exciting new directions.” METAL HAMMER

Supersonic Festival gratefully acknowledges support from their media partners