Radio Monash presents Back on the Waves VOL 3.
Photo from Radio Monash’s Eventbrite Page
On a cool Melbourne night, Radio Monash delivered Volume 3 of Back on the Waves; a night that rose and fell with rhythm, emotion and the undeniable pulse of live music. Hosted at Pockets Moorabin, the gig brought together three electrifying and incredible acts, Amalia, SC☆RLET and The Peppermints, each devouring the stage with their own unique energy, sound and story. What unfolded was far from just any gig, but a collective moment of artistry, community and pure connection.
Amalia
Opening the night was Amalia, stepping into uncharted territory with an entirely acoustic set, just her voice, keys and a guitar. It was her first time performing acoustically but the moment she began, it was like the world held its breath.
Her voice didn’t just fill the room, it wrapped around it, warm and golden, the kind that pulls you and leaves you dazed. The stripped-back sound makes her voice feel enormous, like it’s coming from somewhere older and deeper. Songs like Son of God, written about her late aunt, a woman called a ‘firecracker’ who lived boldly and unapologetically, carried a delicate ache that landed in the chest and stayed there.
“It’s nice stripping it back to what the songs were originally written in,” she said afterward, smiling. “It highlights the lyrics in a way that feels really poetic and raw”.
And raw it was. Her songs shimmered with honesty, love, loss, adrenaline, growing up in a world that feels both broken and beautiful. “You have to find the happiness in it,” she said, and somehow her whole set felt like that: heartbreak set to light.
It wasn’t just a performance; it was a spell. By the end, people weren’t clapping so much as exhaling. We were drunk on the sound, on her and we hope she knows it.
Then came Scarlet, and suddenly, the room changed temperature.
The lights hit. The band kicks in. And suddenly, it’s not a gig, it’s an eruption.
Scarlet commands the stage with a kind of raw confidence that’s impossible to fake. Her set is a collision of sound and attitude, balancing fiery originals with an electric cover of Gwen Stefani’s The Sweet Escape that gets the crowd roaring. The energy is infectious, it moves through the crowd like static, lighting everyone up.
Her band deserves its own spotlight, The drummer drives the pulse, each snare crack perfectly syncing with Scarlet’s sharp movements. The bassist lays down thick, molten grooves that wrap around her volcas, while the guitarist shreds with precision and swagger; all of them tuned into her rhythm like it’s instinct. Together, they create a sound that’s full-bodied and untamed, a perfect storm of coordination and chaos.
She says she feels “absolutely incredible’, and you can tell. The venue is pulsing with her energy; her voice rises above the bass, sharp and magnetic. Scarlet’s songs spill with defiance and wit, stories of power reclaimed, of transformation through chaos.
Under the gorgeous light, she shines like the embodiment of her sound, fierce, unbothered alive. The all-female lineup makes her performance feel even more charged: women taking space, filling the room, rewriting the tone.
Photo by: Angelina Michael
Photo by Angelina Michael
And then the glow enriches. The Peppermints take the stage. A duo, Monika and Eden, this time. Their presence is gentle but deliberate, their chemistry instantly tangible.
They open with a cover of Chali XCX’s Fall in Love, the track featured in the new Wuthering Heights trailer, and it’s like floating in slow motion. Their voices intertwine, smooth and ethereal, as if the air between them is singing too.
Backing them, their live band builds a shimmering atmosphere; subtle percussion, steady basslines, and glimmering synths that ripple beneath the vocals. Each element feels deliberate, never overpowering, but always there, expanding the sound like water filling a space. The band moves with them, following every soft turn and vocal life with precision, creating a sound that feels cinematic.
They don’t compete; they converse. Each harmony folds into the other like silk. It’s physically gorgeous to hear, soft but grounding, like watching light move through water. Their originals are equally spellbinding, built around echoes and loops that rise and fall like tides.
Afterward, they describe the night as ‘super electric’. “The audience brought this energy that made it impossible not to move,” they say. “We really wanted to step up, to push ourselves and experiment a bit, and it just clicked”.
It did more than click, it resonated. You could feel the trust between them, then shared joy of risk.
Photo by Angelina Michael
By the end, it’s hard to tell whether the night had ended or just shifted form. The crowd lingers, still buzzing. What made Back on the Waves special wasn’t just the talent, though there was plenty. It was the contrast, Amalia’s quiet ache, Scarlet’s wildfire, The Peppermint’s dreamlike glide. Three company different frequencies, all pulsing toward the same rhythm: honesty.
Back on the Waves wasn’t just a showcase, it was reminder of what happens which creativity and community collide. Each act brought their own universe, but together they formed something bigger: a current of shared spirit, courage, and connection that carried everyone in the room.