Canberra ex-pats Happy Axe and Aphir are joining forces for ‘The Halo Is Shapeless’ – an immersive night of improvised ambient music, housed within the sculptural stage designs of George Goodnow.

With two full-length albums under her belt, Emma Kelly aka Happy Axe is known for incorporating the acoustic elements of violin and musical saw into electronic production beds, combining gentle sensibilities with dark soundscapes. By contrast, Aphir’s work centres on the voice – in 2021 she completed a marathon vocal improvisation/livestreaming project during the pandemic lockdown, culminating in a 12 hour live-streamed vocal performance. In conjunction, Aphir and Happy Axe draw the listener into a soothing and textural sonic world.

George Goodnow is a long-time collaborator with both artists, having worked with each on stage design in the past as well as creating a series of cardboard sculptural stop-motion videos for Aphir’s 2020 LP, Republic of Paradise. In the context of The Halo Is Shapeless, George turns their vision to the idea of sacred geometry and what shapes angels might take if they were visible to the human eye.

The full set will reflect flavours of Aphir’s latest ambient choral LP and Happy Axe’s yet-to-be released 2023 EP. The whole experience will feel like listening in to a futuristic and wordless early church choir.