Abbe May: "I get bored easily."

If you like rock, blues and ladies then you’re bound to like Abbe May. Perth’s hard-rocking muso chick has been doing just that and is becoming something of a rock 'n' roll goddess. Her third album Design Desire was released earlier this year, collecting numerous  stars from local press and she’s getting noticed overseas too — in fact, MTV reckons “she is the fucking shit.” Ahem. Let's just say that when her track ‘Mammalian Locomotion’ appeared at the end of an Entrourage episode this year I actually Shazamed it!

I wanted to know more about the famously tight-knit WA music scene, Abbe herself confirmed that yes, it’s true, everyone does hang out together: “I guess because the scene is so small, it is hard to not be in each others lives socially… so, jamming and collaborating does happen pretty naturally and within a broad group of musicians.” And collaborate she has, with the likes of (her brother) KT Rumble, The Silents' Sam Ford, Cam Avery, Clint Oliver and Tame Impala’s Jay Watson. But does this happen as I'd imagined, in the backyards of Perth's outer suburbs over a shared plate of BBQd meat? “I mostly enjoy the collaborative process within a pretty structured environment… I like to write my own songs and then bring them to other musicians to create their own parts.” So that's a no, then.

Abbe’s style has evolved from hard rock and blues to incorporate some psychedelic and indie traits, although this hasn't been a conscious progression. "I get bored easily, like most people. So, I try to keep it interesting for myself by listening to lots of different music. That, in turn, inspires different songwriting and a pretty natural evolution." Perhaps she was bored with my interview, as when I asked her to share her favourite overseas gig (having just played across the US and Europe), she replied, “I really enjoyed playing Wave Rock Weekender Festival,” which was in Perth. Regardless of where, it's been reported that Abbe has been on the road since 2003, so I figured she must have a pretty good collection of mixtapes. Turns out I was right — and here, for your enjoyment, is Abbe May’s Ultimate Road-Trip Playlist: