Abbe May @ Astor Theatre,Perth (13/8/11)

Sun 14th Aug, 2011 in Gig Reviews

At a time when most musicians are searching to reinvent themselves, champion a new musical trend or put a unique stamp on the future of music, Abbe May embraces the time-honoured raw pangs of blues rock. May’s seductive voice summoned the audience on an intense and sensual journey, as she launched her Design Desire tour at the Astor Theatre. She was supported by the brooding psych rockers The Silents, hip hop artist/social commentator Tom Mathieson, Perth’s all rounder Tomas Ford, and Rex Monsoon.

Abbe May took to the stage with an air of self-assurance and a powerfully sultry presence that instantly enamoured the crowd. Her feminine mystique gave her that disarming edge and made for a passionate show, proving she lives up to the lauded reviews of her live acts. Her songs were infused with a mixture of soulful blues and darker tones of visceral guitar strokes, all skilfully combined in her uninhibited live delivery.

From the opening song, Universes, it was clear that she meant business and her down-and-dirty mien suited her perfectly. Sporting a short black skirt, ankle boots and a sheer white blouse revealing a black bra underneath, she simultaneously played the nonchalant rocker and the confrontational coquettish vixen, enticing her fans deeper into her salacious world. She followed this with the moody Taurus Chorus, in which the blistering electric guitar riffs were brilliantly juxtaposed by May’s haunting vocals. The arrangement on Cast That Devil Out perfectly encapsulated the songwriter’s skill at modulating the feverish build-up her audience was expecting. The crowd lapped up the recognizable single Mammalian Locomotion, with its ebb and flow of gritty guitar surges and alluringly sung lyrics.

The bluster and anguish of You Could Be Mine is deliciously tantalizing and at the same time laced with menace. On the record’s outstanding single Design Desire, May’s technique was incisive and the luscious sounds of distorted dreamy guitars flooded though every nook of the venue. The ominous Carolina was executed with calculated languor and her guttural delivery made the words “where have you been?” resonate with pain and discomfort.

The show was brought to a close with a stripped down solo performance of Blood River where May’s strong vocal ability was the centrepiece. The last song of the set, was a memorable cover of the coveted blues masterwork I Just Wanna Make Love to You, which she carried off with flair and truly made it her own.