On The Scene // Threshold 2014 – Day 3
Threshold festival
kept #srcz in a cozy corner of Liverpool for a weekend at the end of March. The
final day was somewhat of a blur, getting from must see band to must see visual
art show and, wrapping up the coverage of the festival until next year we
present Helen Basil’s version of events of what was an excellent day in many
ways. There is more from the festival over at our Threshold centric page…
After two full days
spent in the Baltic Triangle, it was easy enough to forget that there’s an
outside world I would eventually need to return to. But it was no use crying
over the unspilled milk bottle just because I knew I was going to finish it so,
with a bit of a hurried start I plunged headfirst in the third day of
Threshold.
The first that drew
me in was the Baltic Bakehouse, a gorgeous, intimate venue where Homegrown
Bananas’ ‘#Fruiturism’ stage was promising a mellow afternoon of acoustic
goodness. (And it’s my firm belief that from now on it’s how every Sunday
should start.) Groundhog was in
charge of the crowd gathered as I meekly made my way in, my brain still on
autopilot. But some coffee and the sweet sounds coming from this duo snapped me
out of that pretty quickly: completely in their element, they warmed up the
crowd with their bluesy jams and provided an excellent start to the day.
The afternoon went
on as Creaky Bones followed up next.
Another musician with a fondness for
more instruments than he can carry, he kept the audience up and running throughout
his set. Drawing influence from a wide variety of genres, his trusty slide
seems to be the silent partner in crime as its presence is heard in every song.
Between this and his loop pedal he creates a wonderful range of sounds and
rhythms, merging them together into his own distinctive style. With a balanced
set toned down in all the right places, Creaky Bones closed off with a
crowd-pleasing blues classic that had everyone’s feet tapping. (Though I was a
bit disappointed at the overall lack of cowbell.)
Jim Pearson followed,
accompanied by Nick Silver on violin. Using a slick, simple style, his songs
wonderfully capture the more lackluster parts of life (‘Work Anxiety Syndrome’
is still stuck in my head). With topics ranging from whimsical idealism to
somber reproaches and more, he gave a well-rounded performance that kept the
audience interested from start to finish. His guitar was complemented by his
violinist, giving it a melodious tinge of folk that worked wonders on the
spirits.
Up next was another
artist which seemed to fit in perfectly in the afternoon’s schedule. Yorkshire-born
Jo Bywater (pictured) was someone I’d been on
the lookout to see live for a while, and the recommendations didn’t do her
justice. With her trusty guitars, she effortlessly combines folky fingerpicking
with slides, all while putting her own spin on it. Topping this off is a warm,
earthy voice which shows a seasoned musician as she was in charge of the room
with every song. Gentle and thought-provoking at the same time, her music envelops
the audience in her stories while capturing the nostalgia of old blues and folk.
I had the pleasure
to meet Rufus Hok outside the venue
earlier that afternoon and, somehow the topic of stage fright came up - which
he confessed he still has. And well, I’m sure he could’ve fooled the lot: he
comfortably took hold of the stage and kept the crowd’s attention from start to
finish. Drawing inspiration from rhythms more familiar to punk and topping it
off with a powerful voice, his original pieces entertain and evoke in all the
right places.
The closing act was
Coast (pictured), drawing the afternoon’s
shenanigans at the Bakehouse to an end. Filling the stage between the five of
them with too many strings to count, they lifted everyone’s spirits with pure
folk. Clear, on-point vocals resonated in the room as they quieted down the place
with a jazz classic. And the best part was, there’s a certain joyous feeling
they bring through their songs and I could just tell they were having a great
time themselves. For a moment there, Coast even made me forget that this was
Sunday and everything was drawing to a close.
Soon after, I
passed the doors to Unit 51 as Ed Poole
was underway with his set. Another solo singer-songwriter from the Liverpool
area, he’s one of those acts I’m disappointed in myself for not having caught
play before. With an impressive set of lungs and carefully crafted songs, Ed
Poole’s melodic performance was a delight to witness. His music influenced by a
variety of genres, his performance kept the audience quite still until the last
strum.
In my quest to
shake off the afternoon blues, I headed off to District where Doodah Farm had the stage. Their
folk-influenced sound was just a delight to the ears and feet. With a twang of country
thrown in here and there for good measure, these four took over the stage and
refused to let go until the last note was played. Their songs blend spot-on
vocals and clever songwriting, wrapped up by playful rhythms and topped off
with nothing less than an electric ukulele. The playful chase between the
vocalists’ performance and the rest of the band was entertaining to hear and
see, and they’ve definitely nicked a spot on my future gigs to look out for
list.
The Siren venue was
up next for me as Sam Cooper was getting
on the stage. His original pieces well-received by the afternoon crowd, his
songs were a delight to hear. With compositions ranging from thought-provoking protest
songs to pensive afternoon melancholies, Sam’s set was balanced very well.
However, what really blew me away in particular was his guitar skill: with a
twinge of folk and medieval styles woven in, his fingerpicking style is
something else to listen to. Intricate and always on point, he incorporates
that into his own particular sound.
The Big I AM
followed up, taking the stage with a cuatro and an ukulele. Their stripped down
style was fascinating to behold: emulating a decades-old style of folk with
harmonious vocals, the two took turns in showing off their mastery of the
instruments. Cleverly, each of their songs focused on one instead of trying to
do many things at once: a subtlety sometimes passed over by a world in which
the louder, the better.
By this point,
three days’ worth is not enough for habits to be formed but my feet had already
decided I’m heading back to District for the last few acts rounding the night
off. Thom Morecroft (pictured)was just
starting off, a local musician originally hailing from Shropshire. I was familiar
with his performances in quiet, intimate settings so far and he seemed
particularly in his element tonight. Bursting with energy, it felt like he
filled what otherwise is a huge stage for solo acts to be on. With a massive
cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Big Love’ thrown in for good measure alongside his
own, he drew his crowd in and performed his heart out.
Closing the night
for me were Run Tiger Run, an
emerging four-piece local band. Playing their own spin on indie rock tinged
with sounds ranging from alternative to pop, their songwriting makes room for
all of these. With soft guitar melodies punctuating silences and building up to
a foot-stomping crescendo, their playful back and forth make for a full, well
rounded sound – making it clear how much thought goes into their music. Bands
like these just go to prove the rich musical backdrop that Liverpool has to
offer – a variety perfectly showcased by smaller festivals like Threshold, a
platform rife with opportunities for local artists of all flavours to showcase
their work.
Words and images by Helen
Basil.
Note from #srcz: Thanks go to Threshold festival for being simply Threshold-tastic (you know who you are), the Threshold Media Team - Ash, Joseph, Helen, Andrea, Glyn, Roger, Adam and everybody else and the Iron Maidens for making the best Jacket Potato a person could wish for... and anybody else who helped us along the way whose name we haven't mentioned!
