Spirit Lights

Celebrating their debut release on 4000 Records, Spirit Lights will perform the Spirit Lights LP live in full with Benjamin Shannon on June 27th. In the cosy ambiance of South Brisbane’s It’s Still A Secret, this evening will also see fellow label-mates Ghostwoods (In Quartet formation) and fhae perform. Spirit Lights Finding inspiration in modular synthesis and analogue sound collage, Spirit Lights is the electronic project of Joshua MacGregor. Featuring swirling arpeggios and dream-like pads, Spirit Lights owes as much to the work of modern acts Jon Hopkins and James Holden as to soundtrack legends Tangerine Dream. Spirit Lights’ self-titled debut album features gorgeous synthesiser sequences accompanied by cosmic-jazz drumming from Benjamin Shannon. The accompanying ambient rework album In Balance is a spellbinding listening experience written for deep reflection and stillness. Ghostwoods (Quartet) Led by musician, composer and producer James Lees, the dreamlike, atmospheric, mostly instrumental music of Ghostwoods has been described as languorous, darkly cinematic, minimalist and spacious. Their spectral, jazz-inflected sound has been explored across several singles and debut album My Neon which was nominated for the 2023 Australian Music Prize. In late 2023, the Stars EP featured a collaboration with guest vocalist Mia Goodwin and tracks recorded live at iconic Brisbane venue The Zoo. Most recently, Ghostwoods collaborated with some of Brisbane/Meanjin's most innovative electronic artists for the Neon Remixed project, released in January 2025. fhae Ellena Ramsay’s (she/he/they) Meanjin based experimental-ambient-folk project combines ethereal haunting vocals with organic instrumentation and raw production. For their first release of 2025, fhae reflects on their recent experiences with stepping into the dating world, finding themselves unprepared for the emotional turbulence that awaited. The endless cycle of fleeting connections, unspoken expectations, and the eerie comfort of detachment became a haunting rhythm—one that ultimately shaped ‘old lonely oak tree’. Through hypnotic storytelling and eerie, poetic lyricism, fhae explores the tension between desire and self-preservation. Using acoustic guitar, bowed electric guitar, and eerie reverbed vocals that are layered and harmonized, ‘old lonely oak tree’ evokes a sense of unease and discomfort, mirroring the themes of the song.