For almost five decades, Tokyo’s Merzbow has been the undisputed father of noise music, catapulting listeners into a compelling cosmos of sound. His concerts are the stuff of legend: near-transcendental experiences, full-spectrum eruptions, pyroclastic clouds of unknown pleasures. It’s sound at its deepest, densest, and most profound.

Merzbow is joined by fellow vibrationalist and lightning-strike survivor Lawrence English. Known for work that tests the edges of harmonic ambience and low-energy sound pressure, his live performances evoke unerring speculative atmospheres, a dense and physically affecting sonic fog.

Mono is the IMA’s experimental sound program curated by Room40. Since 2006, it has brought sonic experimentation and boundary-pushing performance to Brisbane/Meanjin. Mono turns twenty in 2026.