What’s My Scene: For Grace Vandals, music is about holding a memory
In our regular Q&A column What’s My Scene, InReview speaks to emerging and established local artists to get their take on the South Australian creative scene and their place within it. This week, singer songwriter Grace Vandals shares her early experience in Adelaide’s jazz scene, and the Jeff Buckley-inspired pivot of her current project.
Where was your first Adelaide gig, and how did it go?
My first public gigs were with local folk musician, Trav Collins, during my first year of university in 2020, studying Jazz voice at the Elder Conservatorium of Music. I met Trav through some friends of my sister, and at the time he was looking for a cellist and backing vocalist to join his project. I had been playing cello since childhood and all throughout my schooling years, and although it was on the back burner while I started my jazz studies, collaborating with Trav ended up being the perfect opportunity to keep cello within my artistic practice. Looking back, I’m really grateful Trav trusted me with his music, being as green in the scene as I was! Ironically, although it was completely separate from my jazz studies, I learned so much about improvisation through being part of his project.
What is your artist origin story?
My dad is, and has always been, a huge music nerd (in the best way). Growing up, my sister and I were gifted a really diverse musical education. He was always starting our car journeys with his newest musical discovery – a new band, or an old album obsession dug-up.
Looking back, I think it brought home the idea for me that music is something worth being excited and curious about. It’s a never-ending world of things to discover and re-discover, a vehicle for creating a feeling or holding a memory, or soundtracking a certain moment in your life. I think this is why I have never been shy to completely switch up my sound or dive into a new musical process or endeavour, because these have always been the most exciting and rewarding times of my life, and have helped me unlock a new depth in my relationship with myself and my creativity.
What was your impression of the Adelaide creative scene when you first started, and how has that changed?
My first introduction to the scene was centred around local jazz gigs. I was around 17 when I first started going to see local jazz musicians play at venues like the Wheatsheaf and the Grace Emily Hotel. I remember thinking (and still think) that these people were some of the coolest and most creatively inspiring people I had ever come across. When I started university, I immersed myself in the jazz community and met some of my closest friends to this day – the people that continue to inspire me with their artistic expression and passion for their craft.
In the years following my studies, I started branching out into different local scenes, going to gigs and meeting folks from Adelaide’s alternative rock and folk scenes. The music that was in my ears changed a lot, and I started getting really excited about sounds in the alternative and indie rock world. Adelaide’s creative scene has been a endless pool of discovery. Just when I think I’ve explored every corner, I meet someone new or discover a new local artist or band that shows me the door to another room.
How has your own work evolved since you first started?
During my university years, I started my first band Tell Mama. We played neo-soul/nu-jazz music across Adelaide and Melbourne, and in 2023, we released an album titled ‘Console Me’. At that time, my writing was heavily influenced by modern jazz and jazz-adjacent sounds, specifically artists such as Melbourne’s Hiatus Kaiyote and 30/70, and London’s Lianne La Havas.
After I left uni, I began branching out into new areas of the local scene, and my listening shifted with me. A big catalyst to this was an Adelaide Fringe show I put together with friends Lara Patzel, James Nisbet and Jack Willsmore in 2024, called Eternal Life. It was a deep dive into, and head-to-toe live performance, of Jeff Buckleys’ Grace’. In the lead-up to the show, I immersed myself into the world of this album and some of Buckley’s influences, and along with this, found some of the most influential voices for what would become my next project, Grace Vandals. These musical voices included Buckley himself, Patti Smith, Radiohead, PJ Harvey and Elliot Smith to name just a few. Paired with my increased interest in poetry and lyricism, and my desire to explore more personal themes and important questions within my music, the pivot into the alternative and rock realm has felt like the most intuitive and exciting direction for me.
What is it about your next release that you’re most excited or nervous to share with the world?
Since I’ve been creating music, I have battled against my perfectionist nature. It’s a funny thing to observe in myself, because if I’m asked to point out the elements that I connect with in some of my favourite albums, or the sounds that really appeal to me, it is always the part of the song that gives grit and texture, or infuses raw emotion into the music. However, I’ve found a certain kind of block when I try and allow myself to leave frayed edges or imperfections in my own music. It’s something that I’m consciously working on with each release, and I think I’m getting closer and closer to the type of sound that I want for this project. I’m both excited and nervous to share this with the world.
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Who are the artists around you that inspire or challenge you?
Ella Ion: Her music is such a true expression of the person she is. Gentle, honest and beautiful! She also works bloody hard on her craft and her dedication to continue growing and learning inspires me greatly.
Jazzy Williamson-Gray: Jazzy is not a musician but an amazing contemporary dancer and dear friend of mine. Although we don’t share the same form of creative expression, she has taught me a lot about what it means to find a point of balance for our art within our daily life. If you ever have the chance to see Jazzy perform, take it!!
Favourite Adelaide venue to play?
The Grace Emily Hotel. Most people who know me know that I love the Grace Em. I’ve been going there and gigging there since I was first entering the scene. It’s run by people who truly love and support the local live music scene, and you can feel it the moment you walk in!
Dream artist to perform alongside?
If I ever get the chance to meet and have a conversation with Patti Smith (let alone perform with her), it would make my entire life.
Favourite artist to collaborate with?
The artists in my band: Lewis Dimitropoulos, Jayden Dawson and Django Rowe. Without the artistry they bring to my music, I would not have been able to bring this project to life. They always seem to intuitively know what the songs need.
Where is your next Adelaide gig, and how do you hope it will go?
The next gig with my band is on August 15th, supporting Maajela at 10 Gallon Hat. 10 Gallon Hat is a great cocktail bar which opened up just a couple of years ago in port Adelaide. It’s run by some lovely people who also love live music, and if you haven’t been there yet, I highly recommend checking it out!
Maajela is a six-piece Desi-Psych Rock band from Tarntanya, proudly playing music inspired by South Asian sounds. They are making music like nothing I have ever heard on Kaurna Land and I am so stoked to finally be joining them for a gig!
Grace Vandals plays Gallon Hat on August 10. Follow her music on Instagram.
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