Monya to set the scene Shaun Holton’s Album Launch in Adelaide
After three decades of playing stages big and small, South Australian singer‑songwriter Shaun Holton is about to unveil his most personal work yet. The Purple Book launch will be intimate and bold, featuring many familiar faces you may have seen in Shaun and Friend shows before or online but On 24 October 2025, he will launch his self‑produced album but he can’t do it alone.
So let us introduce you to Monya.
We sat down with Monya in our PTC Studio recently and decided we needed to bring these guys into the light. The spotlight.
Artist to watch
Monya
Adelaide-based trio hail from rural South Australia to New York City, featuring (L-R);
Scarlett Donovan | Vocals & bass| instincual vocals that permeate your being; alternating between rhythmic bass lines and a whole vibe .
Grace Johnston | Vocals & piano | Soaring melodies and reaching the corners of the largest spaces; anchoring the harmonic core of their shows with her keys.
Hamish McCombe | Guitar | Textured, soft yet dynamic and direct allowing his guitar parts to highlight his instinctual dynamic and trust in his ability and band.
Do not miss this, its a whole thang.
We invited the band to our little PTC studios recently for a chat.
The trio originally met and developed a friendship studying pop at Adelaide Uni, describing themselves as,“…playful, textured [and] intense.” I would have to agree. Scarlett surprises me every time those sounds leave her, while Grace’s vocals compliment depth of Scarlett’s reaching tones that add sweetness you didn’t know was missing. Hamish while vibing to the beat of his own strings, keeps his flowing guitar parts vibrantebnough to sing along with his singing leads. He needs no voice for he has the guitar.
And while their influences echo that of Phoebe Bridgers, Black Country, New Road and the counter melodies of ABBA, shifting you into those genres without you even realising it. Expect the audible landscape to conjure images of gum leaf boats in rainy day kerbs, backlit clock faces and rough cliff edges. Their sound drifts somewhere between some type of progressive art‑folk and experimental pop while unknowingly throwing Willow Smith and Norway’s Meer a look-in here and there.
The result is a sound that makes you pause, consider your whole life as a mum, dad or other and makes you want to be a girl bass-playing singer and leave the world behind.
For me, it’s the vocals; I am all about the tones. All about the resonance left inside your body when you can feel someone tapping into a frequency that perhaps makes you consider
“god might be real after all”.
Scarlett and Grace’s rich harmonies weave through each other, like a flock of birds navigating the skies in perfect sync. McCombe’s guitar work ties up loose threads, while Donovan’s bass anchors their compositions, keeping them grounded and earthy. The band’s willingness to experiment means no two songs are the same; between quiet intimacy and surprising crescendos, Monya ask you to
“notice everything and imagine even more”.
Monya have been actively honing their art and building confidence at venues across Adelaide, featuring in Adelaide Festival 2024, and supporting friends and taking on as many shows big and small while catching the curious eyes of the Adelaide scene.
We are so excited to share this humble young up-and-coming artists with you all because we know those who know Monya know them well, because it seems that their followers just can’t get enough of Monya. Keep you eyes peeled for their EP coming out later in the year. Follow them on Instagram here!
Pairing Monya’s youthful energy with Shaun's established place in the Adelaide Scene creates a launch that enables music that spans across generations. Shaun Holton’s new material, a mix of soulful dark blues, prog‑rock twists and country‑tinged storytelling, will land differently after audiences have been drawn into Monya’s curious and mysterious world. The contrast underscores the richness of Adelaide’s music scene: one that makes Shaun (and me) so excited to be sharing a stage with newcomers who are gloriously and unapologetically finding (and re‑defining) their sound while reflecting everyone else’s while they’re at it.
Shaun’s album launch is a celebration of his 40th birthday, his 4th Album and South Australian music in all its diversity. Monya’s support slot offers a glimpse of where Adelaide’s artistry and experimental scenes are headed and what can happen when you bring forces and audiences together.
For myself and our audiences, this combination promises an evening that has you forgetting that you ever wondered “Why doI exist?”
Headliner: Shaun Holton
Support: Monya + special guest - Priyanka Luxx
Date & Time: Friday 24 Oct 2025 (doors 8:00 pm, show 8:30 pm)
Venue: The Jade, 160 Flinders St, Adelaide
Tickets: Available via Humanitix; capacity is limited to 200 only