Issue 53 / March 2015

14
Bido Lito! March 2015
VFor Threshold
SECRET SOUNDS
feat. Natalie McCool / D R O H N E / Silent Cities
Words: Josh Potts / @joshpjpotts
Hark, what beast comes to drag our neighbours through the gates of
spring into joyous pastures? Why it’s only the fifth annual THRESHOLD
FESTIVAL, an event that’s becoming something of a trendsetter in
Liverpool, a three-day celebration of our smartest grassroots creatives
and an excuse to legitimately knock back enough craft beer to
permanently curl a moustache. Last year’s sci-fi theme had its moments,
but this time the organisers are letting the line-up speak for itself,
broadening the reach of their enviable tendrils to ensure our dynamic
locality is more present than ever. This home-cooked confection of
music, art and performance, spread across half a dozen venues in the
Baltic Triangle, announces the festival season before anyone’s had the
chance to shake off those winter blues. So start shaking! Here are a few
of the highlights you can look forward to . . .
MUSIC
With a mightily impressive roster of local artists packed in to the
bill, headline status at Threshold V falls to a few pesky out-of-towners.
AKALA (pictured) is sure to be a major draw for the casual urbanite and
anyone else with a penchant for smart, tongue-boggling hip hop. Having
long ago trashed the label of Ms Dynamite’s brother with his emotional
intelligence and amazing freestyle skills, the London-born rapper is
now a pillar of the UK scene. His 2013 album The Thieves Banquet was a
cogent attack on the evils of dictatorship and political hypocrisy without
sacrificing his famed lyricism, while his follow-up, a graphic novel/
performance hybrid, was nothing less than a trawl through entire aeons
of societal corruption.
Another big name making their mark will be NUBIYAN TWIST, a
twelve-piece mash-up of musicians and DJs walking a thin stylistic
tightrope through jazz, Latino and Caribbean-inflected funk. Fronted by
the timelessly effervescent Nubiya Brandon, their raison d’être borrows
from so many corners of world music that you’d be forgiven for checking
your passport stamps before turning up. Luckily, Nubiyan Twist are just
too damn to be ignored, since they’re practically unable to turn in a show
that doesn’t leave people grinning like loons. Of course, if you’re a true
regional patriot, LIMF Academy Ones To Watch SUB BLUE and SOPHIA BEN
YOUSEF will be knocking out their neo-soul arsenal as they’re fixed ever
closer by the bright eyes of stardom, just as ETCHES and MUTANT VINYL
hope to further their rise to the top of the city’s musical chain. Elsewhere,
VYNCE, BLUE SAINT and the uncategorisable PADDY STEER offer depth and
assurance to a busy programme.
Words: Josh Potts / @joshpjpotts
VISUAL ARTS
Because bashed livers and eardrums are not everything in this world,
Threshold V is giving our peepers a bit of a treat, too. The new Liverpool
Craft Beer space will be hosting work from some of our finest local
artists, including ROBERT FLYNN’s ongoing Metamorphosis series. Having
dabbled in a number of solo and group shows in the past, Flynn’s current
muse resides in our modern anxiety with body image and the thankless
quest for perfection. His photographs tap into the surreal quality of
transcending one’s physical form as the demons of insecurity nip at our
backs. Meanwhile, RADAR COMMUNICATION, or Mark Chapman to the
alias adverse, will be returning to exhibit his latest digital collages. As
Flynn interprets hidden desires of the mind, Chapman turns his attention
outward, finding accidental beauty in what many would consider prosaic.
Inspired by creative renovation in warehouses and bygone industrial
spaces – a perfect match, then, for Threshold’s pop-up mentality – his art
is swamped with texture, symmetry, and abstraction, filtering materials
through the eyes of someone in love with urbanity. For the Threshold
crowd, that might just be a lens we already share. Heartily recommended.
FILM
As if Threshold’s chest-beating wasn’t loud enough, it’s roped in
someone else to do it for them. Brett Gregory’s third documentary in
his Beyond… collection, Liverpool – Beyond The Beatles, aims to hold a
spotlight to Liverpool’s music scene as it stands today, combining talkinghead
interviews, lush panning shots of that distinctive waterfront, and
discussions about whether bands are still trying to live up to You Know
Who. Rest assured that the soundtrack, video footage and interviewees
will all be top notch (look out for Bido Lito!’s very own Craig G Pennington
in full pontification mode). After its well-received premiere, those who
missed out can expect a portrait of the familiar from the inside, spliced
with the same affection Serious Feather Productions imparted on
Manchester and Iceland in other cinematic scrapbooks.
Threshold Festival takes place between 27th and 29th March across a
variety of venues in The Baltic Triangle. Full line-up and ticketing details
can be found at thresholdfestival.co.uk.
What do you get when you combine an acclaimed solo artist,
a pair of ambient electro-heads, and one of the most purely
gorgeous songwriters to come out of Liverpool in a decade? Fuck
knows. But this collaboration, taking place in an undisclosed
venue, has got us seriously excited. Since our hands would be
hacked off and fed to monkeys if we said any more, we asked
NATALIE MCCOOL if she could spill the proverbial beans.
Bido Lito!: Obviously there’s an element of secrecy
surrounding exactly what’ll go down at this gig, but can you
give us any clues? Will it be improvised or rehearsed diligently
beforehand?
Natalie McCool: An element of both, I think. We'll be having
a few rehearsals to lay the groundwork for sure, but it's always
good to keep things fresh
BL!: When did you first come up with the idea of
collaborating?
NMcC: It was Sally Nulty who initially approached me to
collaborate with D R O H N E and I thought that would be a
really great experience. Then [festival organisers] Chris and
Kaya approached myself and Simon [Madison, Silent Cities] –
they heard about our collaboration on the Daydream track and
really wanted us on board for Threshold, too.
BL!: I’m interested to know what can be gained from
combining all of your different styles – D R O H N E, for example,
are quite separate from yourself on the musical spectrum.
NMcC: I think collaboration is really important – I actually
think we are all very different from each other and I think that
will really work. It's good to experiment as much as possible
outside of the sphere of your own project, and to be versatile in
that way. I believe it opens more doors of possibility.
BL!: Would you agree that Threshold’s laid-back, communal
atmosphere is something special for performers to witness?
NMcC: Threshold is a fantastic event – it's unique because
it combines arts with music, which attracts quite a wide
audience. Last year's show was brilliant – I played solo, which is
something I really enjoy because it enables me to connect with
the audience in a different way. There was a great atmosphere,
which goes across all the Threshold events I've attended.
BL!: In the spirit of the piece, tell us a secret…
NMcC: I used to speak about myself in the third person when
I was a baby, calling myself “the baby”. When I woke up in my
cot I would stand up and shout down the stairs: "COME AND
GET THE BABY!"