Review: Abbe May at Mojos

Abbe May at Mojos
w/ Last Quokka, Claudia Tripp
Saturday, March 4, 2023

On Saturday, one of Fremantle’s most loved music venues, Mojos, made space for the big sounds of Abbe May, with Last Quokka and Claudia Tripp as her superb support acts.

First on stage was Claudia Tripp, looking very ‘comic cowgirl’ with her long purple hair and glittery cowboy boots. Tripp crooned her country-pop songs as the crowd got settled in, strumming her guitar whilst singing popular tracks I Only Miss You When I’m Drunk and Don’t Call Me Angel. Her cover of country music queen Shania Twain’s banger Man, I Feel Like a Woman got the crowd boot scootin’!

Last Quokka then hit the stage, changing the atmosphere dynamically. Wasting no time confronting the crowd with Privilege, a song from the perspective of a macho white male. The searing lyrics have the effect of making listeners cringe whilst attempting to not spill their beer dancing around, as frontman Trent ironically spits “…you're all a bunch of soft cocks. The world is safe for me, so the world is safe for you." Trent hilariously rambles rabidly like aforementioned macho dude: “toughen up and get a real job, toughen up and get a real job, socialist pricks…"

Trent wore his love for Phoebe Bridgers on his sleeve, in the form of a black T-shirt, strutting into the crowd, yelling in our smiling faces politically tinged lyrics like “a salty paradise on stolen land," reflecting on one of Australia's beloved tourist destinations – Broome.

Whilst the boys gathered to the front of the stage, Trent on vocals, Ray on bass, Kirill and Justin on rhythm and lead guitar respectively, Carlotta smashed the drums with ceaseless vigour from the back of the hazy stage. All four men chimed in with vocals at some point throughout the show, whereas Carlotta emanated powerful punk energy through her drum sticks.

Last Quokka's music is a smorgasbord of social and political commentary, from their song Disconnect, about social media, to a love song about former Premier Geoff Gallop, Wake up Geoff. “We've got a bit of a Geoff fetish," said Justin. “Let's go Geoff, let's go Geoff Gallop. Where'd you go? Geoff Gallop back into my heart," the band chanted.

In between songs there was plenty of banter and when an LSD trip was mentioned, Trent insisted to a privy crowd “we don't do the drugs, we don't do illegal things." Then almost under his breath “I just spray paint buildings." A reference to his protest against Woodside's intention to release tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere resulting in the damage of ancient indigenous rock art.

Tunes like Colony have a more danceable rhythm than some of their heavier stuff, proving that punk can be groovy. As Justin threw his guitar around, sitting close to the amp to create feedback, Ray slapped the bass and slinked around in his socks when his legs weren't in a power stance. The band were having a blast on stage and that energy extended to the crowd. “We got a bit political and you're still here," Trent addressed the crowd gratefully. “In this break you can talk among yourselves. Maybe meet someone. Maybe start a romance. Settle down, have a couple of kids. Contribute to the economy," he sarcastically taunted.

He then invited Abbe May on stage to sing Gina/Rupert, a song about Gina Rinehart and Rupert Murdoch, whose lyrics consist of repeating the names as if they were a disgusting slur. Last Quokka ended their set with Punks in the Palace and Eat the Rich, their latest release from November last year.

Abbe May stepped on stage in her glittery boots, sporting a 'cosmic cowgirl cool' look like Claudia Tripp before her. Her first song Universes blended into the sensual Mammalian Locomotion in a seamless medley. Considering there are only three band members, the sound was intricate and bold, with Abbe layering vocals through her effects pedal. Abbe's romanticism bleeds into her songs, as with Taurus Chorus and Design Desire from her 2011 album of the same name.

Perth's indie-rock queen shredded on the guitar as Harry played bass with finesse. Abbe commended Claudia Tripp and Last Quokka in a shared sense of camaraderie between the musicians and Perth's music scene as an entity. Harry switched out the bass for synths and the show took an even sexier turn with T.R.O.U.B.L.E. Abbe kept the crowd favourites coming with Karmageddon, followed by her cover of 90s R'n'B artist Ginuwine's Pony, “Probably the best song I never wrote," she joked.

The crowd was well and truly moving by now and the dance floor filled up. Last Quokka's on stage banter may be a hard act to follow for some, but for Abbe, it seemed to come naturally “If someone was is rude to you just tell them – “I'm going to fuck your Dad and give him a child he actually loves." Abbe continues the sultry sounds with Are We Flirting? from her 2018 album Fruit. It was impressive to hear Abbe's vocal range, and the high notes she reaches, considering her relatively husky speaking voice.

Harry went back to the bass for Love Decline, a song about an entitled lover, which preceded Drunk Before Midday. Whilst a light-hearted country-pop feel accompanies the song, it is a cathartic open letter to her loved ones, with Abbe candidly detailing how she hopes to redeem herself from drinking. It would appear she's doing swimmingly, as Abbe informed us she is in her one hundred and twelfth day of sobriety.

People that have been listening to Abbe May's music for years and are close to the musician, suggest that her non-drinking has even contributed to a better quality sound in her voice and more integrity as a performer.

The band then launched into Doomsday Clock, with its strong gospel and disco flavour, it was a funky way to start wrapping up the fabulous show. Afterwards, the boys on bass and drums exited the stage, leaving Abbe and her guitar to shine in the dim red light.

Abbe delighted the audience with a comical, albeit damn good, line of Toni Braxton's Unbreak My Heart. She also offered some sage advice. I think. “Never run with scissors, and you'll never scissor with the runs." The singer left the audience with her upbeat song with a badass message – Fuck You. “Big Pussy Energy" indeed.

KYRA SHENNAN

Photos by Linda Dunjey