Words by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
The sold-out Brightside was bursting with excitement to see Ecca Vandal kick off her Looking For People To Unfollow headline tour of Australia here in Brisbane. Hot off two years of international touring (over 111 shows) and supporting Deftones, it was great to see Ecca Vandal and her band: drummer Dan Maio and primary musical co-writer, producer and life partner Richie (Richard) Buxton bring their tight-knit musical vision to life at The Brightside.
The crowd at The Brightside was a diverse mix and I think a group of people open to new musical experiences. And, Ecca Vandal orchestrated that and fulfilled it as well. Her choice of support act, 1300, was brilliant and a complete breath of fresh sonic air.
The evening commenced with 1300 or “ILLSAMGONGGONG” in the Korean language. The band is a five-piece collective of Korean-Australian alternative hip-hop and rap musicians based in Sydney with ties to Seoul. 1300 comprises Rako (Jihun Kong – vocals, rap), Dali Hart (Andy Lim – vocals, dance, choreography), Goyo (Tae Kim – rap, vocals), Nerdie (Angus Jin – production, vocals) and Pokari.sweat (Jason Vuong – production).
Well, 1300 owned the stage as they delivered a rapid-fire succession of songs in Korean. It was instantly captivating as the band swung from rap to K-pop melodic clean vocals. The crowd at first were like okay and the groove was great but as the band pointed out, “You don’t speak Korean, do you?”. “No”. But we could be taught as the cultural exchange began. We all became proficient in learning the band’s Korean name and swear words, the key to any culture.
Also, the other key was the fabulous high-octane music that had us bouncing. 1300’s songs like: ‘Oldboy’, ‘Bangalang’ and the super fun ‘Ape Shit’. The band really got the crowd engaged with ‘Superbad’, ‘Woah Damn’ and the high energy kick of ‘Cardio’ where the crowd practised doing just that. 1300 really got the party started!
What was so unique about 1300’s music was their multi-dimensional sonic approach. The band blends in English and Korean perspectives into a musical whole. The K-pop melody, K-rap with electronic dance music and the strikingly unfamiliar elements in their production were so fascinating but they never lost sight of delivering their infectious beat. Go and listen to ‘Where’s My Money’ and ‘Whistle’. This band are a must-see.
After a short break, and it was short, The Brightside was full and waiting for Ecca Vandal. The anticipation was ‘frissoning’.
Ecca Vandal is an Australian musician born in South Africa to Sri Lankan Tamil parents who fled the civil war in Sri Lanka. Her rich cultural heritage heavily informs her fierce independence and genre-defying musicality with her partner Richie Buxton. The best way to describe her signature sound is fluid. She can take, or leave, punk rock, alternative hip-hop, rap, pop, ambient and industrial electronic dance music, metalcore and hardcore vocal dynamics. The fusion is fabulous!
Taking the stage just after 9:30pm, Dan Maio and Richie Buxton took up their places. Then, out of the centre stage door, Ecca Vandal came out all guns blazing with her opening track ‘Eyes Shut’, instantly setting a frantic tone for the night. The band’s energy was huge and they released it within the intimate, confined geometry of The Brightside’s outdoor stage and it created an immediate pressure-cooker effect that was primed for the mosh to go off and for circle pits to open. And, that happened!
The momentum surged higher when ‘Ghosts’ and ‘Closing Ceremony’ were performed. Then, the huge ‘Came Here For The Loot’ followed and it hit with an incredible kinetic impact that felt like it physically squeezed the air out of the lungs as the bassline and drums energy pushed out of the speakers and through the crowd. The vibration was massive and felt like a punch in the chest!
Then, Ecca Vandal delivered ‘Do It Anyway’ that had everyone in the venue bouncing. During ‘Bleed But Never Die’, the performance transformed into a powerful community moment as Ecca Vandal addressed the women in the crowd. “Are there any girls out there?” Ecca Vandal asked. “I wanna have a dance with you” as she turned the song into a joyous dance-fest.
Ecca Vandal, and the crowd, danced as she sang, as she moved between rapping, her snarling punk rasp and operatic interludes being highlighted in ‘Cassettes, Lies And Videotapes’, ‘Then There’s One’ and ‘Bleach’. Her wide-ranging vocal delivery moved deftly between these extremes, sometimes within the same song, especially in ‘Did A Little More To Forget’ and ‘Molly’.
The brilliant song ‘Vertical Worlds’ was an absolute highlight. Her ability to make quieter, ethereal sonic soundscapes was a striking contrast to the more aggressive hardcore moments of her performance.
Then, the end of the set was on. The hugely popular songs and fan favourites were delivered with blistering energy as the crowd sang back every word to ‘Dance In Debt’ and the massive ‘Cruising To Self Soothe’. The circle pit opened and the big singalongs were on!
She paused for a few minutes to thank the crowd for their support and helping her and the band for being able to find their community of people and their musical world. She reflected on the tour and the unlikely journey that had brought them to these last four shows in Australia. She recalled the last two years writing music in a bedroom with partner Richie Buxton, entirely DIY, without a label and then touring without any expectations of where it might lead. Her new album Looking For People To Unfollow was just awarded the Australian Music Prize as the country's best album of 2026.
Ecca Vandal then explained that there would be no encore as the set was closed out with ‘Sorry! Crash!’. She had delivered a great 15-song set and she wrapped up everything precisely after an hour. The sheer intensity of the performance and the musicianship on display was so impressive. Ecca Vandal and her band gave it their all on stage. And it meant there was one very happy crowd.
The amount of joy, excitement and liveliness in the venue throughout the night was so incredible. Both bands: 1300 and Ecca Vandal served up fun, high-octane chaotic energy and it was exhilarating.
What was even more impressive was the diversity of the crowd listening to this young musician’s beautiful blended musical vision: it was a mix of people ranging in age who were there for the music as they jumped, bounced and danced to the songs played that night. It was real pun-rock!
