2013 Round-up: Chris Carney (Threshold Festival)

2013 is rapidly coming to an end. So far we’ve had the likes of Mistajam, H.O.S.H and wAFF running down how the year has been so far, and the next voice to let us know how the 12 months has been for them is Threshold Festival director Chris Carney.

The Liverpool based soiree was one of the success stories of 2103, a celebration of the city’s bustling Baltic region with a host of local and national talent spread across a variety of venues. It returns across the weekend of Friday 28th and Saturday 29th March in 2014, with earlybird tickets coming off sale as soon as 2014 swings by. Here’s what Chris felt about the year:

How has 2013 been for you then overall?

Awesome. We smashed it in March, we’ve done it three times now and there was a definite moment of thinking; ‘Yeah, we did alright there.’ But we’ll be even bigger and better next year. 

What highlights have you had?

Watching it go off in Camp & Furnace to The Fire Beneath the Sea and Esco Williams at Threshold 2013. That was a huge highlight, it was three years of very hard work for the team, finally starting to pay off. 

You’ve done a Spotify playlist for us, thanks! Explain the songs you’ve chosen and why?

The five choices from previous and present Threshold Festival bookings are first. It’s really good to look back at some of the acts we’ve had. So much talent in Liverpool right now.

Then we’ve done five from each director; myself, Kaya and Andy that have made our 2013. They’re a combination of influences, some we saw at our various festival adventures this year such as Glastonbury, Oya Festivalen (Oslo) & Sound City.

There’s also some from outstanding Liverpool gigs at the Kazimier and elsewhere and lastly some that we just straight up love. 

Hope you enjoy:

Five Tunes from Threshold Festival

1. Broken Men - Oversold

2. Natalie McCool - Night Call/Real Hero

3. We The Undersigned - Cosmic Warrior

4. Stealing Sheep - Genevieve (Baarsden Remix)

5. Esco Williams - New Challenger

Chris: Five That Made My 2013

6. Savages - Husbands 

7. Arcade Fire - Reflektor 

8. The National - Sea of Love

9. Pulp - After You

10. Efterklang - Apples

Kaya: Five That Made My 2013

11. Beach House - Wishes

12. Blur - Tender

13. Pearl Jam - Infallible

14. Daft Punk - Get Lucky

15. Haim - The Wire

Andy: Five That Made My 2013

16. The Oh Sees - I Come From the Mountain

17. Bridie Jackson & the Arbour - We Talked Again 

18. CHVRCHES - Science/Visions

19. Mutiny on the Bounty - North Korea

20. The Knife - Without You My Life Would Be Boring

What other music have you been into this year?

The choices in the playlist are a good indicator, all three of us have tastes which cross over into each others and sometimes don’t, that kind of keeps us dynamic as a team really. Andy is the ‘heads up’ man on new alternative stuff, he goes to the most gigs out of all of us, and it’s not unusual to see him on a Saturday night with a 3 gig itinerary. 

At the moment, I can’t stop listening to The National and I’m still in mourning from LCD splitting up. I’ve just discovered Olafur Arnalds which is helping sooth the pain somewhat. Kaya likes loads of new stuff and is buzzing off bands she is working with like Snowapple, but she’s a 90’s girl at heart. 

What have you got planned for the New Year?

Threshold Team is having a well deserved couple of weeks off before the lead-in to the 2014 festival. Loads of us will be at Speakeasy at the Kazimier on NY, can’t wait, it’s sold out like so if you haven’t got a ticket you can’t come. Soz.

And finally; any plans you can let slip for 2014?

Very happy to have the brilliant Natalie McCool on the line-up, she’s had a mega year! We also have some new kids called Etches that I’m excited about. Some big reveals coming in January. We’re about to run out of £10 Early Bird Tickets. Seriously, buy them, you’ll have the last laugh we promise. 

You can grab some of the last earlybird tickets for 2014's festival here.

Tickets are no longer available for this event