So, February is almost upon us and this year sees the return of Threshold Festival in Liverpool for its second year. Last year’s event was a big hit with critics, acts and audiences alike, not bad for a first effort. So, where to go from there? I’m speaking with organisers Chris and Kaya Carney about what to expect for Threshold 2012….
First off – congratulations are in order after an amazing debut festival in February 2011 and of course on getting married last year! How have things been going in the run up to Threshold 2012?
Thank you very much! Well…There was a point in the beginning of November as we started finalizing the programming where we thought, we are actually almost ready to go. You know when you think you must have forgotten something.. And then the CUC closed and we had to think outside a completely different box! Needless to say, the last few weeks have been, shall we say interesting?
After hosting Threshold 2011 and a whole host of other great events, it was disheartening to hear that the Liverpool CUC (Contemporary Urban Centre) is closing at the start of this year. As you had originally planned this year’s festival there, what challenges have you faced in making sure the show still goes on?
We love our new venues; Camp & Furnace is a fantastic warehouse space & really is THE ‘up & coming’ venue in Liverpool, The Blade Factory’s got nooks and crannies that create a fantastic maze of events, The Picket has been one of our favourite venues for years, Elevator is the creative hub for musicians in the city and putting on an event within the Nordic Church makes perfect sense with all the Scandos who have been part of the festival’s inception. The Lantern Theatre is the newcomer, and also an exciting fringe space. But this is the phoenix from the ashes.
It has been hard – we’ve lost our biggest sponsor and all the infrastructure/logistical work. It’s now all on us, and it’s all made on love and community spirit – we’ve renamed the Baltic Triangle the Baltic Love Triangle, but you can’t pay for things with goodwill, so we have had to work around the clock to try and make things work.
The festival runs from 10th – 12th February, often a quiet month for gigs and events, yet last year the event was packed out for almost all of the time. What have you got on offer that will bring in the crowds this year?
More than anything it is the sum of the events, the best grassroots art in the city, not just music but visual and performance art too alongside established acts and the up-and-coming… the quirky with the more commercial. As long as it is good, we try and find a space! We’re not following a scene, we accommodate for what’s going on.e plans we had made were redundant. I would not wish that on any festival.
Liverpool’s music scene is a hot-bed of new acts across a wide range of music and you again have an impressive number of bands and solo artists showcasing their wares this year. Who stood out last year and what acts should we be looking out for at Threshold 2012?
Every time I start talking about being excited about one thing, I remember another thing. Friday’s line up is pretty much Kaya’s dream gig with Louis Barabbas & The Bedlam Six headlining and lots of the most exciting alternative steampunk, folk, pop, blues, singer/songwriters on the line up + a whole room of Antipop – with their rock solid line-up (literally) in addition to Newpath, a post rock visual experience which has Chris all giddy and lots of acoustic wonderfulness accumulating with after parties from ‘Are you Louche?’ with The Elementals, who closed last years party so gorgeously and some VERY special guests tba.
And we haven’t even started talking about Sunday which a LOT of people are talking about. We have invited Diplomat of Sound to do a Chai Wallahs stage with Yes Sir Boss, Coda, Joe Driscoll and We the Undersigned. Most people who’ve been to Glastonbury, Bestival, Green Man Festival or Secret Garden Party have wandered into this tent – a funktastic experience no-one should miss.
That could be big enough, but we have a dribble worthy line up at Elevator for the full festival and a smoking hot bill for Sunday at The Picket with Sandi Thom, The Hummingbirds, ambitious and epic The Fifth Movement (formerly KCO), Natalie McCool and a few other handpicked ones from Sandi’s label Guardian Angels Records. 
Basically – we try and put on the festival we want to see. And then hope we get to see some of it!
But it’s not just about the muso’s, right…?
No very true! We have quite a few theatre and dance groups doing stunt performances and pop up pieces plus Impropriety and other programmed theatre groups.
So, something for everyone by the sound of it! How much are tickets?
In advance they’re a bargain £25 for the weekend or £10 for the day, it will be more on the door, so get your tickets early!
Fantastic! Well, I guess you both have a lot to do in preparation for Threshold but where can people find out more about the event?
Visit www.thresholdfestival.com plus they have piggybacked onto the app of media partners Liverpool Live & you can download it from the website www.liverpool-live.info
