This is late, but it's still worth noting Supersonic festival in Birmingham the other weekend. Should any of you be tiring at the more predictable line-ups clogging up the summer calendar, and coming over more like extended brand marketing opportunities than anything resembling a counter-cultural celebration, Supersonic offered a refreshingly independent blast of black-clad minimal metal, drone rock, and avant-electronica. And was far more fun than that sounds.

As a festival, Supersonic sits somewhere between Sonar by Day and a reviews page of Wire magazine brought to life. Friday's highlights include Kling Klang, preposterous noise outfit Wolf Eyes, and gabba-rave stalwart Kid606. Saturday gets down to Modified Toy Orchestra's Fisher-Price Kraftwerk, 'doom funk' via Chrome Hoof, and 'folktronica' outfit Tunng, who seem to be praying to be somewhere else. Mogwai's soaring post-rock fits the bill far better… that is, until Sunn O))) rumble to life in the next room, and the faithful shuffle out into the green mist. The highlight of the weekend however was definitely the Oxbow Duo, featuring Eugene, a hulk of a man howling out gutteral, minimal blues, and relaying darkly hilarious tales of repaying his previous hosts in Birmingham by masturbating on their carpet. Later, Stephen o'Malley from Sunn O))) pitched up on stage with them for an awesome psyche-blues trip, coming over like Bo Diddley jamming with My Bloody Valentine.

Totemic presence of the weekend is Julian Cope, who shambles about in mirrored shades and peaked leather cap, informing anyone that cares to listen that he is "really too high", but seems to be having a perfectly great time nonetheless. Indeed, amid the seas of plaid, obscure band t-shirts, and dandruff-dusted male locks, there are great things afoot at Supersonic. Just ask the giggly 18-year-old in the fluoro top who breathlessly told us she was having the time of her life, but couldn't wait "to see 'Sunn oh bracket bracket bracket'."

Supersonic webiste: http://www.capsule.org.uk/Supersonic/