Phew is a legendary figure in Japan’s underground music scene and was a founding member of the pioneering punk band Aunt Sally. Following the group’s breakup in 1979, she embarked on a solo career, releasing a collaborative single with Ryuichi Sakamoto in 1980, and her debut solo album Phew in 1981—recorded with Conny Plank, Holger Czukay, and Jaki Liebezeit of CAN.

In 1992, she released her third album Our Likeness on Mute (recently reissued), once again recorded at Conny’s studio and featuring Jaki Liebezeit, Alexander Hacke of Einstürzende Neubauten, and Chrislo Haas of DAF. Since the early 2010s, Phew has explored the intersection of voice and electronic music, earning international acclaim as a visionary electronic artist. Her collaborative projects include works with Ana da Silva (The Raincoats), Yoshimi (Boredoms, OOIOO), and others.

Her expansive release Vertical Jamming was issued on vinyl for the first time by Disciples last year, while Mute recently released the critically lauded New Decade—a stark, haunted album, populated by voices that intone empty pleasantries in English and Japanese, against a backdrop of fractured, dubbed-out electronics.

Freddie Murphy is a sound artist and curator based in Torino, Italy. His sonic practice has evolved from cathartic performances exploring Catholic guilt to more introspective investigations of grief, loss, and acceptance. His compositional approach is rooted in visual imagery and ritualistic concepts, often working with the duality of the natural and synthetic—transforming acoustic recordings into synthetic textures, or mimicking organic sounds through analog means.

Event Information:

• ICA Membership discounts do not apply for this event.
• This event is 18+, general admission, standing.
• This event may contain the use of haze, fog and flashing lights.
• We have a small raised platform to accommodate wheelchair users or others who require a chair. To request, please purchase a ticket, then contact 020 7930 3647 or access@ica.art
• Full access information available here
• There will be a paid cloakroom available for this event. Tickets are £2.50 per item and are available to purchase at the box office.