Bright Phantoms is the debut album from Naarm-based experimental duo Lillian Albazi and Oscar Neyland, bringing voice and double bass together in a restless, richly textured sound world. Drawing on post-punk, folk, modern classical, noise, free improvisation and rock, the album explores memory, impermanence, loss and friendship through layered harmonies, dissonance, extended techniques and found sound.

The project began in 2021 with an experimental recording of Rowland S. Howard’s Autoluminescent, originally released as the closing track of Albazi’s debut album After-Image. Six years of recording, experimentation and reflection followed, with the project evolving beyond its original duo format into a broader sonic landscape.

The album features contributions from renowned Australian musicians James Sherlock (guitar), Niran Dasika (trumpet), Elliot Lamb (trombone) and Natasha Fearnside (bass clarinet), alongside poetry, analogue manipulation, found percussion and extended instrumental techniques. Recorded with Pat Telfer at the helm, Bright Phantoms brings together a diverse body of work shaped by a shared love of the sea, the loss of friends and the shifting landscapes of life.

First presented live as a duo at Melbourne Recital Centre in 2022, Bright Phantoms has continued to evolve through performances and studio experimentation. The result is a slow-burning, meditative and powerful debut - a record born from patience, friendship and the enduring possibility of making something together.

Opening for Bright Phantoms as a special guest is acclaimed Australian jazz guitarist and composer James Sherlock. With a career spanning more than three decades, Sherlock has performed and recorded extensively across Australia and internationally, collaborating with artists including Sheila Jordan, Kurt Elling, Megan Washington, Kate Ceberano and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Bright Phantoms is co-presented by the 2026 Brisbane International Jazz Festival

GIG DETAILS:

Saturday 24th October 2026

10 Exhibition Street, Bowen Hills

$40 Entry (+GST & BF)

Doors open from 7:30pm

Music starts at 8pm

ALL AGES (people under 18 need to be accompanied by a guardian)

LICENSED BAR

Contact the host of Bright Phantoms