Beyond The Redshift: breaking down barriers?
Ahead of tomorrow's three-venue London festival, Cult Of Luna's Johannes Persson talks to The Old Wind's Robin Staps about working with the distance between fans and stage

Beyond The Redshift takes place across three venues in London tomorrow, curated by Cult Of Luna before they go on hiatus, and sponsored by Prog.
Ahead of the big day, Cult Of Luna’s Johannes Persson has launched a podcast in which he talks to The Old Wind’s Robin Staps about the barriers between artists and audiences, and how each band deals with them.
Staps says: “As soon as you’re performing for an audience you step away from the person you are in private. You’re taking on an identity – and that’s the thrill of it. There is a distance between the performer and the audience made visible by a stage and barriers, and I think it’s necessary to keep that, to keep the myth working and to give them something mystical.
“At the same time, we’re coming from a scene where it’s important to step over those barriers. It’s interesting to see what different stances artists take.”
Persson admits: “I had one glass of wine too much when I did the interview –but Robin made it worthwhile.”
Organisers say: “There have been lots of factors to consider when putting these times together. Getting people around the venues; avoiding genre clashes; and creating a decent flow of music throughout the day. We hope we’ve achieved all of this – or we’ve at least got as close as we’re going to get.”
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Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.