38 Bido Lito! <strong>May</strong> <strong>2015</strong> Reviews Akala (James Tweedle / @jamestweedale) his music: understated, very cool and evocative. As he jumps into the crowd and walks towards the bar, he almost says, “I am not a rock star, I am one of you lot.” Bravo. Pad Hughes THRESHOLD FESTIVAL V It’s Friday night, the first night of THRESHOLD FESTIVAL V, and the air of anticipation is palpable. The Baltic Quarter’s Unit 51 is packed from front to back as the inaugural speeches take place. Before long the pomp and ceremony gives way to the start of the weekend’s festivities. First off it’s over to the Liverpool Craft Beer Space to catch CHEMISTRY LANE in their relatively early set. After an awkward, fumbling start they march into the show, laying waste to any doubts that remain in the crowd. Their single Tearing Wings Off A Butterfly provides a highlight of the set. This band clearly understand the craft of songwriting and, judging by this performance, are poised for something big. Over at District, JAZZHANDS are exploding in their usual style: cacophonous drums with sprinkles of chaos layered on by the keyboard, saxophone and bass guitar; all played with virtuosic skill. This troupe is a powerful sight to behold. It would be a crime for musician or music fan alike to miss the live spectacle of Jazzhands as, even if the music isn’t to your specific taste, the sheer energy and raw power of the show will leave you emotionally scarred but, somehow, hungry for more. Friday night’s headliner at The Observatory is the multi-limbed beast NUBIYAN TWIST. This show comes just days before the release of their debut album. They shake the stage with fervour, paying musical homage to artists as diverse as Fela Kuti and J Dilla. In the Nubiyan melting pot there are heavy doses of hip hop, neo-soul, jazz, afrobeat and dub. This is a strong, progressive gang that can groove like you’ve never heard before. Even though it is still the first night, we appear to have witnessed the pick of the festival. As day two arrives there is a deep well of music still to explore. With that in mind, it’s an early afternoon start with BLUE SAINT. The crowd gathered at The Observatory may carry some initial uncertainty around the rapper’s voice and ethereal and conscious brand of hip hop but, by the set’s end, they are unified as one body. Booking a MOBO award winner was a demonstrable coup for Threshold Festival. Hip hop poet AKALA has re-established himself as the sapient voice of social consciousness in recent years. Having pruned his grime roots, he now channels hyped and lyrical vexations into critically concise analysis of race, class and the establishment. Beyond his righteous platitudes, Akala still enjoys a live performance and tracks Absolute Power and Malcolm Said It show that he knows how to stimulate the crowd with liberal use of call-and-response participation. Akala is most lyrically impressive over faster beats, a trait shared by big sister Miss Dynamite, and career albatross Shakespeare indisputably showcases this talent for rapid-fire spitting. MONO SIDEBOARDS craft a compelling form of alternative rock in front of a rapt audience back at Unit 51. They weave in and out of innocent pop balladry and heavier, darker material. The band are a fairly new act to the scene and, with songs as strong as For Laura, For The Morning, it’s an exciting prospect to imagine what the future holds for them. Closing night two are psychedelic outfit THE FLOORMEN, who enter us into the space age with their lateral musical wanderings. It’s a mesmerising affair comprising wild song structures and charismatic musicianship. They make short work of impressing their audience and proving themselves as worthy headliners. The final day of the festival is laced with promise and SEATTLE YACHT CLUB make certain it will not disappoint when they start their set at The Observatory. The duo draw attention from even the most passive listeners as their sunshine-laden electronica warms the room. Theirs is not the most complex or even ambitious style of music, but the simple innocence of a well-written pop song such as I Hate Goodbyes is enough to brighten anyone’s day. XAM VOLO’s influence can be traced to seminal, late-90s music collective The Soulquarians; a dream team assortment of Grammy-scooping, neo-soul aficionados that boasted D’Angelo and Erykah Badu amongst its roster. Bilal would be the appropriate comparison of this era, as Volo delivers a kindred raw emotion, evident on Lemme Not Waste My Breath. More contemporary RnB influences, such as John Legend and Outkast are crystallised in new track Breathe Slowly. The recently assembled backing band are a surprising juxtaposition to the anticipated, soulful jazz fusion. A proto-punk approach is fostered; complete with band introductions and Blockheads-style saxophone. Xam Volo remains one to watch. OPERATION LIGHTFOOT epitomise the spirit of Threshold Festival. Both are cooperative projects, focussed on developing emerging grassroots potential. Driven by omnipresent composer and arranger Luke Moore, Operation Lightfoot’s material is a collaborative effort between its musical director and featured guest performers, some of whom included Sophia Ben-Yousef, Vanessa Murray and festival director Kaya Herstad Carney. This performance takes place in a clamorous and bustling Lantern Theatre, which is soothed across the weekend by an eclectic variety show of lovingly-orchestrated feature performances. The festival ends where it started, at Unit 51, with BLACK MOUNTAIN LIGHTS. The alternative bidolito.co.uk
Ceremony Concerts Present Hue & Cry O2 Academy, Liverpool Sunday 19 th April <strong>2015</strong> Ren Harvieu + Ragz + Jay Taylor Leaf, Liverpool Sunday 10 th <strong>May</strong> <strong>2015</strong> Lau + Jez Wing The Epstein Theatre, Liverpool Saturday 16 th <strong>May</strong> <strong>2015</strong> www.AboveTheBeatenTrack.co.uk Peggy Seeger + Neill MacColl & Calum MacColl The Epstein Theatre, Liverpool Saturday 13 th June <strong>2015</strong> TicketQuarter / See Tickets / WeGotTickets / Gigantic
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