The Purple Book
Hi, I’m Shaun Holton.
I keep things very simple. Music. Family. Dogs 💜… cats are ok.
I’m releasing my fourth album, The Purple Book, this October.
I’m most excited about ‘If there’s an end. It’s the first time I’ve written a song that’s addressing myself, not the audience. It came about during the making of my last album, but I wasn’t ready for it yet.
Now I am. And it’s serious chat.”
But the moments that have shaped me most haven’t been the biggest stages-they’ve been the ones where something honest landed. That’s what I’m chasing in The Purple Book.
The album drops on vinyl and digital, and the first single, " If There’s an End, " arrives August 15.
The launch happens at The Jade on October 24, right before I turn 40, and I’ll be playing the entire record live with the Shaun and Friends Band.
ENTER WHAT YEAR THIS IS PLEASE DIMMU
Track list goes here
Come here often?
If not, heres are some shows you may have seen me:
Featured vocalist- in the upcoming Adelaide Guitar Festival’s Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti Live with the Southern Cross Symphony.
Frontman - Prog Rock scenes - Southern Empire
Featured Vocalist - Rocket Man: Elton John, Orchestrated with the Southern Cross Symphony
The 27 Club- Adelaide Fringe 2025
Farnsey - Shaun & Friends | Adelaide Fringe | Her Majestys Theatre
Sing It Live
Best Vocalist - The Prog Mind 2023
The Voice 2021 - Performed with Keith Urban
Producer and mentor for emerging artists, including Priyanka Luxx, Alex Paige Moore, and Monya, under Label Projected Twin Collective (PTC)
The previous three albums, Prog-Rock albums under PTC, were toured + performed in 49 US states in 2011.
The Music that made me
This album leans into the cinematic and emotional - where Steven Wilson, Opeth, Filter and even Hans Zimmer intersect with my instinct. Most of it came fully formed in my head before I ever touched an instrument. I let it build.
The Purple Book
Among them a big, handmade scrapbook quietly mapping my journey in music from those early high school days to now. It wasn’t perfect, but it was rich layered with history, mess, memory. That scrapbook has become a kind of metaphor. It tracks my progress from high school to now, not curated or polished, just a record of mistakes, discoveries, and quiet momentum. The Inner Thread
While studying psychotherapy years ago, I came across Jung’s Red Book. It was messy, hand-drawn, and unapologetically inward. That made sense to me. I didn’t relate to the symbols so much as the process-the willingness to look inward, even when it’s uncomfortable. That’s what this album became.
The Purple Book was made from grief, error, love, therapy, tension, and instinct. I stitched it together into something you can hold-and hopefully hear.
Life is like a box of crayons a bit grubby, hard to use and often un-predicable but when you learn how to work with the medium, you can do great things.
The Live Band
On stage with me at The Jade will be:
Cat Louise – guitar and vocals
Chris Lau – guitar
Luke Whelan – drums
Shannon Brinsley – bass
They’ve helped shape this music across recordings and shows for 17 years of my works, and have been by my side through it all. You might’ve seen them in Zombie Eaters, the ole Roger the Band + Mothdust, Pina Del Rey, Priyanka Luxx band, to name a few.
Support Acts + Special Guests
Priyanka Luxx
Special Guest and high school friend of mine will be joining us, Priyanka Luxx, her voice brings something else to the room- texture, warmth, clarity. She’ll be sharing special moments in the sets that add a little something more when you thought you were full, but couldn’t go without.
She’s currently working with Sean Timms on her debut album, due in 2026. Be sure to catch her unique songwriting and watch this space for more.
Introducing our new favorite band | Monya
Opening the night is Monya, a fresh-faced Adelaide-based trio who have their kind of magic, providing intricate vocals and light, playing like they have played for as long as I have been alive… that’s 40 years…. for those who forgot this release also marks my 40th Birthday…
But we promise. You’ll want to be there early to see these guys.
Check them out below and read more about them.
The Purple Book is snapshot of how far I’ve come, and the people who’ve made that possible. From bandmates to family, producers to the next wave of artists, this show is about creating space. It’s not about being polished-it’s about being present. Or at least trying to.
The Purple Book launch
Friday October 24, 2025
The Jade, Adelaide
Doors 8PM
♥️ Shaun Holton