Report and pics by Greg Phillips
Abbe May is currently out and about promoting her fabulous new album Fruit, which is now available on vinyl. Last night in her second ever Parlour gig, Abbe played an intimate show at The Cat Lounge at Neko HQ in Preston. In what Abbe described as one of the most bizarre and enjoyable gigs she’s ever played, her audience consisted of a small but attentive group of cat lovers and a bunch of ambivalent cats.The lounge and merchandise store at Neko HQ helps to finance the Maneki Neko Cat Rescue mission, which is an all breed cat rescue organisation run entirely by volunteers, with the aim of rehoming cats.
Abbe is one the of the most open and honest performers you’ll ever come across and not afraid to relate her deepest and sometimes darkest thoughts to an audience. It was difficult at times for Abbe to keep a straight face, as mid song, cats would often fight, leap suddenly or cough up fur balls. Competing with the feline sideshow was futile and Abbe embraced the situation accordingly, creating an all inclusive enjoyable evening of songs, stories and cat observations. Concentrating on songs from the new album Fruit, Abbe’s set included Love Decline, Doomsday Clock and Seventeen from the disc. May is as engaging between songs as she is in performance, with her entertaining tales of family, over indulgence and sexuality. She also presented a heartfelt version of the blues standard Spoonful, a stunning version of KD Lang’s Constant Craving and of course the track made famous by TripleJ’s Like a Version, Ginuwine’s Pony. Abbe May has proved often that she’s a powerful force with her electric band, however stripped back at a gig like this, it becomes obvious that Abbe is just as capable of melting hearts with an acoustic guitar and the pure emotion of her voice.
The Cat Lounge at Neko HQ is a wonderful space to relax and enjoy the company of cats. Neko HQ is the first of its kind in Victoria where you can spend time getting your cat fix. All cats in the Cat Lounge are available for adoption and there are no permanent residents, so every time you visit you will be meeting different cats. If you adopt one of their cats, they will discount the price of admission off the adoption fee, and all funds raised at Neko HQ benefit the work of Maneki Neko Cat Rescue. https://neko.org.au/
The Parlour concept is great too and Abbe is available for these intimate gig bookings via her website http://www.community.parlourgigs.com/abbemay
