Metal comes home: celebrating the Midlands’ music heritage

Ace Supersonic Festival curators Capsule are putting together an archive celebrating the much-maligned but massively influential genre of heavy metal, kicking off with a series of events in its birthplace of the West Midlands.

Home of Metal is a brand new project aimed at creating the first digital archive of metal music, memorabilia and fans stories, to tell the story of this unique moment of Midlands’ musical heritage. Launching at Wolverhampton Art Gallery on Saturday 25 October, 10am - 4.30pm. The launch event at the city centre Art Gallery encourages fans of Judas Priest, Napalm Death (pictured), Godflesh, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin to come along and share their experiences of their favourite band. Fans are encouraged to bring memorabilia along with their personal stories to the gallery to be digitally recorded - all of which will go towards the new digital archive, which aims to tell the true story of the birthplace of metal - think antiques roadshow for Metal fans!

Saturday 25th October : Wolverhampton Art Gallery 10am - 4.30pm
Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Lichfield Street
Wolverhampton, WV1
01902 552 055

Followed by:
Thursday 6th November : The New Art Gallery Walsall 6pm - 9pm
New Art Gallery
The New Art Gallery
Gallery Sq, Walsall, WS2 8LG
01922 654400

Saturday 7th February : Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery 10am - 4.30pm
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Chamberlain Sq
Birmingham, B3 3DH
0121 303 2834

Each open day will be hosted by Kerrang! Radio DJ - the legendary Johnny Doom, a stalwart of the Midlands Metal scene, accompanied by special guests from industry including Jim Simpson (Black Sabbath’s first label/manager) and Digby Pearson (Earache Records founder), with more TBA.

A selection of memorabilia will be on display as well as screenings of film documentation and interviews from the bands.

Screenings include such gems as the first airing since 1992 of the documentary MOTOR CITY MUSIC YEARS. Part two of the documentary charts the shift from The Move into orchestral based pop music (ELO, Wizard etc) at the start of that decade, and then concentrates on heavy metal with great interviews, and music clips, with Black Sabbath, Ozzy in LA, Judas Priest, Magnum, and then Slade (filmed in the pub at the Black Country Museum). Produced by Roger Shannon + Johnie Turpie.

Free event - all welcome.

* For the Walsall date on Thursday 6th of November there’s a specially commissioned performance by local band Einstellung who will pay tribute to Black Sabbath, performing a special Sabbath inspired piece.
Einstellung Myspace

This project is led by Capsule in collaboration with Black Country Arts Partnership, the New Art Gallery Walsall, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

Capsule Website

Tags: archive, Birmingham, Black Sabbath, Capsule, Einstellung, Godflesh, metal, Napalm Death, Walsall, Wolverhampton