Birmingham's Supersonic Festival adds The Bug, Warrior Queen, and more to 2025 lineup

The addition of The Bug, who will be performing along with frequent collaborator Warrior Queen, is particularly sweet as the pair were among the artists who played at Supersonic's inaugural edition in 2003. "It’s always a pleasure to come back to Birmingham for the mighty Supersonic festival," says The Bug (aka Kevin Martin). "Without doubt one of my favourite festivals, full stop. It has never compromised, and always stayed fiercely 101% independent, which I guess you could say I also aspire to myself."

Also newly announced for the festival are Irish-Iranian composer Zahra Haji Fath Ali Tehrani, Leeds-based avant dance-punk act Hang Linton, and a stacked collaboration with NeoAncients and Weird Walk that explores themes of sonic ritual, folklore, and radical history with performances from Jennifer Reid, Dawn Terry, Calliope, and Elspeth Anne. For further adventures in psych-folk and folk-horror, there's also Voice of the Seven Woods and Fliss Kitson of The Nightingales as guest DJs, plus the annual Freak Zone Pub Quiz hosted by 6Music's experimental music champion Stuart Maconie.

Previously announced acts include Aya, Moin, Rich(ard) Dawson, Big Special, Divide and Dissolve, Penelope Trappes, Lankum/Landless offshoot Poor Creature, and many more.

In addition to the music programme, this year's Supersonic Festival also includes a range of talks and activities, including Do.omyoga and a Black Lodge Press political poster making workshop. See the festival website for more details.