Live Review: Ecca Vandal, Smaal Cats

Goodgod hosted a bite-sized show that packed a mammoth punch on Friday for the debut live set of Melbourne upstart Ecca Vandal. On support was excellent young vintage rockers Smaal Cats, who nearly stole the show.

It’s a total joy when an unknown band flicks the switch on their set and blows you away. It’s a combination of surprise, delight and adrenalin that’s hard to beat, and Smaal Cats dished that out with casual aplomb. Their bright, detailed arrangements, their KISS-informed psych jams and the frantic yelping of magnetic lead Charlie Gradon all helped, but there was something really satisfying about their set that was hard to pin down. They sounded like they’d been performing for ages, a tonne of raw talent on display. Bluesy garage is hard to excel at (there are a lot of middling bands out there going nowhere with a sound that’s easy to learn but hard to master), but Smaal Cats did more than just deliver; they were electric.

With a total of zero shows under her belt (a label showcase performance doesn’t count), Ecca Vandal is staring down the barrel of a support slot for no less than The Prodigy. The cynic will head straight for the “shrewd/aggressive marketing” angle, but those who went to her show know better: she’s the Real Deal. You’ll read a lot of “No Doubt-cum-MIA” comparisons, and they’re dead on. She performed with all the angular punk vigour of the former, paired with all the savvy urban bravado boasted by the latter. Her free-form arrangements flowed easily over gritty textural flourishes courtesy an excellent band, and she has a unique punk flare that sets her well apart from just about anything around these days. It was a fiery performance that felt just right for the tight club space, but it would be easy to imagine that crossing over into something bigger.