WESTERN FRONT – Concert by Phew and Piu

Phew is seen through a soft, translucent filter that partially obscures the image. Her short black hair frames her face, and she gazes calmly into the camera with a neutral expression. The background is plain and light-coloured, and the overall effect of the photo is dreamy and ethereal, with gentle light reflections adding to the atmosphere.

Western Front is pleased to present a performance by Phew as part of her Canadian tour. Phew’s distinctive voice and spoken-word-like singing style have resounded in international underground music scenes over the last four decades. Starting from fronting the legendary punk band Aunt Sally in Osaka, she steadily released a series of solo albums with prominent collaborators such as Ryuichi Sakamoto, the former Can members Holger Czukay and Jaki Liebezeit. After the 2011 earthquake and nuclear disaster in Japan, she opened a new chapter by channeling the power of analogue synthesized sounds and the human voice. This solo performance showcases her recent compositions and improvisations.

To open the evening, Vancouver Island-based Piu will present her expansive soundscapes with hard-hitting synth riffs, raga-inspired vocals, and global rhythms. A lifelong student of Indian classical music, Piu draws from the emotive forces of minimalism and the frontiers of modern electronic sounds. Her work blends genres, cultures, and identities—a reflection of how she moves in the world.

Phew’s Canadian tour also includes the following dates and venues:
Oct 9 , 2024 Arts in the Margins/Flux Festival, Montréal
Oct 13, 2024 Debaser, Ottawa
Oct 15, 2024 The Music Gallery, Toronto
Oct 15, 2024 strangewaves festival, Hamilton
Oct 18, 2024 send + receive festival, Winnipeg

Curated by Aki Onda.

About the Artists

Phew stands in front of a cream-coloured ventilation grill installed in a wall featuring a pattern of green triangle and diamond tiles. She wears all black and looks over her left shoulder.

Phew, otherwise known as Hiromi Mortani, is a musician based in Kanagawa, Japan. While fronting Aunt Sally, one of Osaka’s earliest punk groups, Phew played a critical role in developing Japan’s underground music scene. Phew’s oeuvre spans a vast array of experimental sounds: from no-wavey synth-hymns; to poppy, shoegazing, industrial undertones; to eerie incandescent drones. Since the 1970s, Phew’s dynamic, compelling voice and her commitment to unfettered experimentation has been critical in shaping the sound of avant-garde music both in Japan and internationally.

Piu sings into a microphone while playing an Intellijel synthesizer. The image has a double-exposure effect, creating a ghostly overlay of Piu in different positions. She wears a patterned shirt and has long dark hair. The background features a wooden fence and a large, abstract red figure, adding a surreal and vibrant atmosphere to the scene.

Piu is a vocalist, composer, and producer based out of Vancouver Island, Canada. Adorning expansive soundscapes with hard hitting synth riffs, raga-inspired vocals, and global rhythms, Piu’s work involves a fusion of organic and synthetic sounds that invites deep emotional engagement. With seven singles released since 2021 and a debut album on the horizon, Piu is an active participant in the musical and experimental sound communities across British Columbia and has collaborations with musicians worldwide.

About the Curator

Aki Onda is an artist, composer, performer, and curator based in Mito, Japan, and is currently Curator-at-Large at Western Front, Vancouver. Their works are often catalyzed by and structured around memories—personal, collective, and historical. Crossing genres and disciplines, they have been active internationally in art, film, music and performance.

Accessibility

The Grand Luxe Hall is located on the second floor of Western Front, which is accessed by a flight of 26 stairs. While plans for a full building upgrade to facilitate access for wheelchair users are still underway, events in the Grand Luxe Hall are made available virtually via high-quality livestream (see link above). Further details about accessibility at Western Front can be found here.

Acknowledgements

Presented in partnership with Arts in the Margins, Montréal; Debaser, Ottawa; send + receive festival, Winnipeg; Strangewaves, Hamilton; The Music Gallery, Toronto; and Western Front, Vancouver, with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Government of Canada, and SOCAN Foundation.

Portrait of Phew. Photo by Katja Ruge.

Portrait of Phew. Photo by Katja Ruge.
Portrait of Phew. Photo by Masayuki Shioda.

Portrait of Phew. Photo by Masayuki Shioda.
Portrait of Piu. Photo by Dayna Szyndrowski.

Portrait of Piu. Photo by Dayna Szyndrowski.

Western Front is a non-profit artist-run centre in Vancouver.

We acknowledge the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations as traditional owners of the land upon which Western Front stands.