Just to get you excited for the marathon of fun that is coming we though we'd show you just how much we enjoyed the first day of last years Threshold Festival. Seriously, it was funky! It was also cool, inspiring, thrilling and any other positive adjective you could choose to use as well...
The festival experience is one that can vary immensely from person to person, site to site or venue to venue but whereas last years festival was the biggest indoor one in Europe - No mean feat - this years is seeking to be an experience like no other for quite a while. (At least until the next one!)
Indeed the unmarked but very identifiable Camp and Furnace served as the buzzing hub. From the decorated lamp posts outside draped with knit ware to the brilliantly hand scrawled ‘Threshold Launch this way’ sign by the easily missed but easily opened door it was a hive of activity that typifies the Threshold values of pushing yourself to the very edge of your abilities.
If you were looking for something it was probably there and very attainable. You wanted art? It was on the first floor with another thought provoking installation from Liverpool Art Prize nominee Robyn Woolston and HeadSpace’s visual art gallery. You wanted music? It was in every corner, down every corridor and probably in the food and drink too. And if you know the old saying about music food and love then let them play on I say!
There was much more on offer too with the much recommended Threshold beverage wetting many lips as they passed through crowds illuminated by strobe lights, dancing men on the walls, stilt walkers, some punning porta-loos, impromptu dancing and if you were feeling down for any reason at all you could always visit the cuddle corner for the gift that is said to be ‘like a boomerang’ because you get it back right away. Look out for a short interview with these Happy Hugger’s later as well as reports from the rest of the festival.
But getting down to the nitty gritty, here are my highlights of the evening. First up the atmosphere in both Camp and Furnace and Elevator Bar was captivating, with the same familiar buzz from last years event present and correct. Music wise there was much to sample from and in between diving down the A to Z corridor (as I have christened it) to meet people or check out the artists I was impressed by a lot of artists but the best were Rumjig, with their reggae and funk inspired acoustic pop and if you didn’t get a copy of the CD they offered during the set you really should kick yourself!
Another impressive prospect on the Under The Influence stage was Science of the Lamps with their almost chamber music sound drawing you under a magic vail of true class. With a new single out you need to check out the band immediately, but finish reading this first though as there’s more to come…
Moving up the stairs to the first floor we have Robyn Woolston’s impressive installation of plastic forks in a delicately balanced wave-like formation themed around wastage in the world and it is truly an epic installation with all components of the plastic forks packaging from the box to the plastic wrapping finding their way into the display. A truly wonderful piece of art and there will be more to come on all things Threshold very soon…
Sebastian Gahan, Editor.
Originally published at Seba Rashii Culture Zine and Threshold 2012 Blog.
