Warm Mids Afternoon

Autumn is a very special time in Naarm/Melbourne. The city is bathed in golden light and as the heat of summer fades, everything settles into a more mellow pace.

Come and spend the afternoon beneath the stained glass windows of the magnificent Oratory at this mini festival celebrating beautiful, dreamy music.

Now in its third year, Warm Mids Afternoon is a chance to experience music in a non traditional way.

This isn’t your standard gig. No stiff backed seats, the artists want you to experience this beautiful music in as comfortable a manner as possible. So bring cushions, mats and create a little cocoon to snuggle up in, so you can let go and bliss out completely.

About

Introducing – the artists behind the soundtrack to your golden hazed afternoon:

Nat Bartsch

Nat Bartsch is a twice ARIA-nominated pianist, composer, producer and neurodiversity advocate. Nat’s work is uniquely intergenerational, community minded, and enjoyed widely. She creates inimitably ethereal and meditative music at the intersection of classical, jazz and ambient genres – often played to support people during illness, childbirth, grief and death.

Nat has released nine albums, and composed commissions for many leading Australian ensembles; performed everywhere from Royal Albert Hall, to jazz clubs in Japan, to the Australian bush. In 2023 she founded Amica Records, a label for kind music and artist mentorship. She is embarking on a PhD at Melbourne Conservatorium.

IKSRE

IKSRE (I Keep Seeing Rainbows Everywhere) is the solo moniker of vocalist, multi instrumentalist, producer and sound healer, Phoebe Dubar. A mainstay in the ambient music realm, her music exists at the intersection of the natural and human worlds. She combines ethereal vocals with lush strings, bass-forward synths and ambient guitar with field recordings and sound healing instruments, to create her unique style of “ambient bangers”.

IKSRE has released seven solo albums to date: with Constellation Tatsu (Oakland), Hush Hush Records (Seattle) and Lo Recordings (London) – her latest 2-part album “expansion a (south) and expansion b (north)” written and produced in her solar powered caravan on a four month trip to outback WA and NT. Her music has achieved widespread acclaim around the world and she has performed at venues huge and small around Australia.

MATT WICKING

Matt Wicking is a powerful singer and award-winning lyricist based in Boon Wurrung Country – and lead singer of The General Assembly. Audiences have described performances as “achingly beautiful”,“divine”, “so powerful and gorgeous!”, “truly incredible” and “an emotional experience”. Performing here with long-time collaborator Paul Raine (multi-instrumentalist composer and sound designer), their set will combine an unforgettable voice with lush, layered soundscapes.

What to bring

Limited seats will be provided for those who would like to sit in a more traditional way; otherwise, bring anything you would like to make yourself as comfortable as possible so you can experience the music how you would like to — yoga mat, beanbag, cushions, etc.

Be as creative as you like!