The Stow Project will bring thousands of pages of archival material to life through music, film and previously unseen recordings.
On 14 October 2026 the Birmingham-based band Stow, in partnership with the University of Northern England, will premiere the song ‘Supernova’ alongside a short film and music video at the Birmingham bar Spoilers, followed by a full release on Youtube and all streaming platforms on 30 October 2026. This will be the first piece of The Stow Project, a new cultural engagement initiative exploring Britain’s long and overlooked history with the occult through music and other media.
The band Stow have been working alongside Professors Abbadelli and McAllister to interpret material from the archive and set elements of the collection to music. They have drawn on an archive of more than 5,000 documents, audio recordings, photographs and other records, made available to the University in recent years. Much of the material relates to a series of unexplained events in the north-east of England during the 1980s, including the deaths known collectively as the Barghest murders and the disappearance of Frances Alison Barnes.
Rather than presenting the archive solely through traditional academic research, The Stow Project will explore the material through music, film and other forms.
“The archive contains an extraordinary range of material,” said Professor Abbadelli. “Some of it is familiar from the historical record. Some of it is much harder to explain. Our intention is not simply to tell people what to think about these records, but to give them an opportunity to encounter the material for themselves.”
The story of Frances Alison Barnes lies at the heart of much of the archive. A young woman from the North-east of England who disappeared in the late 1990s after playing a major role in the investigation of the Barghest murders. The case has attracted considerable attention from researchers, historians and occult enthusiasts.
The Stow Project will provide a new way of engaging audiences with this material whilst encouraging further discussion about the ways in which unusual or unexplained events become part of Britain’s cultural history.
‘Supernova’, out on all streaming platforms and YouTube on 30 October 2026, is the first in a series of musical releases planned as part of the project.
Further material from the Stow archive will be released in the coming months.
Listen
‘Supernova’; released Friday 30 October 2026
The Stow Project: thestowproject.com EPK access password ‘Supernova’
Instagram: @thestowproject
YouTube: The Stow Project
The single will be available on all major streaming platforms on 30 October 2026.
Event
In-person premiere Wednesday 14th October 2026
Spoilers, 81 Digbeth, Birmingham B5 6DY
Sign up here to reserve your free place.
About The Stow Project
The Stow Project is a cultural engagement initiative by the University of Northern England exploring Britain’s history with the occult through music, film and archival material.
Disclaimer: The band “Stow” and “The Stow Project” takes place within a fictional storyline. Any resemblance to people, companies or organisations are completely coincidental.