I S P R N G F E S T I V A L S
P H O T O :
W A R R E N O R C H A R D
Counterfl ows curators Alasdair Campbell and Fielding Hope tell Arusa Qureshi all about the past, present and future of their inclusive, experimental and web-like music festival
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D edicated to unearthing the avant-garde, eclectic, vibrant Counterl ows has been a highlight of Glasgow’s music festival calendar since 2012. For this year’s event, they’ll be taking over venues ranging from the Queens Park Bowling Club to Glasgow School of Art for four days of experimental, international and underground music.
2018’s packed programme of innovative works and multidisciplinary acts include a new collaboration between Chicago’s Footwork founder RP Boo and the UK’s avant jazz radicals Seymour Wright and Paul Abbott; ‘Transversal Time’, Rhodri Davies’ ensemble commission; and a series of interventions by Edinburgh outi t Usurper.
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From the i rst iteration of the festival, curators Alasdair Campbell and Fielding Hope have had a clear mission statement: to create an inclusive and collaborative space within Glasgow’s art and music scene, where audiences can enjoy a diverse programme while celebrating radical approaches to creativity. ‘In setting up Counterl ows in 2012, the main premise behind it was to develop a platform for music that looked at the social aspects of performance and art that over many years has sort of become secondary to what happens on stage,’ Campbell
explains. ‘Also, we wanted to bring back some fun and humanity to the proceedings, making “experimental” or “marginal” music feel less like a sterile, snobby boys’ club. So it was important to develop a festival that engaged properly with the audience, the city and the surroundings as much as the artists themselves.’
‘One of the areas that we wanted to challenge was inequality,’ Hope continues. ‘Better gender and racial representation was a big part of what we want to achieve. Things haven’t really changed in our mission over the last six years, but our focus on what we do has intensii ed.’ The sheer variety of music and art on offer throughout the four days is just one example of what sets Counterl ows apart from the many festivals that pop up in Scotland during the spring and summer months. ‘There are no other festivals in Scotland putting on the breadth of music that Counterl ows represents,’ says Hope. ‘There are lots of shows throughout the year but there is no other concentrated showcase of this music represented at any other festival. It also is a festival that represents the bringing together of international, Scottish and UK artists and collaborations. One of the key aims of Counterl ows is to increase the potential for artists, not just helping them reach audiences but also to encourage nourishing experimentation
going with going with 20 THE LIST 1 Apr–31 May 2018