Bunbury songstress comes home

One of WA’s most famous rock chicks, Abbe May, will return home to Bunbury on July 11 to help launch Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre’s grand opening festival.

She returns an accomplished, respected and internationally recognised force in music — generally.

That is, she is not confined to the genre of rock, a feat she felt she had to address in her latest album Kiss My Apocalypse.

“I’ve mostly been called a rock chick, I don’t hear people say that about guys, ” she said.

Kiss My Apocalypse was a statement right through from the album’s bold title, through to May’s styling and music clips.

Reviews and articles have described her latest work in terms very far outside the rock genre, sometimes being classified as a pop, electronic artist.

“I didn’t feel like playing guitar. I had established a pretty sharp career for myself, ” she said.

“I wanted to make a statement of authenticity and intent — a kind of declaration of independence from people’s expectations of me.

“I want to keep evolving rather than stay and be this dancing rock and roll and monkey.”

May will perform at the BREC ‘Out of the Box and into the Cube’ launch party on July 11.

She said Bunbury had always been an arts hub, but it was good to see it growing and evolving.

“Growing up in the South West, a career in music can seem very unreachable, ” she said.

“But you have to continue to strive for more and more creative expression and experience.

“It’s not like you just get a career.”

“I’ve mostly been called a rock chick, I don’t hear people say that about guys”