I was first introduced to Australian singer-songwriter May-a as a teenager in 2021. Early singles “Apricots” and “Time I Love to Waste” soundtracked many crushes and heartbreaks of my adolescent years. While I hadn’t kept tabs on her career afterwards, the discovery of her recently released debut album Goodbye (If You Call That Gone) had soundtracked my Easter break road trip, and had been stuck in my head for weeks. 

Upon entering Northcote Theatre for May-a’s Goodbye (If You Call That Gone) tour, I was struck by the amount of dyed hair, septum piercings and jorts I saw in the audience. In an interview with The Guardian, May-a says that she doesn’t want to be put in a box, and just wants to write what she wants to write. But looking at the audience it was clear that, like me, other queer women had also resonated with her music.

The audience always makes or breaks a show for me, but from the first song on the setlist, “(I’m here for the) GIRLS”, I knew I was in for a good night. In an era when it’s not uncommon to watch a concert through everyone else’s phone screens, seeing the audience jumping and dancing in sync with the band was a nice change. I suddenly found myself doing something I would never do at a concert—taking out my earplugs to fully embrace the night.

The show was a welcome trip down memory lane—during “Central Station” my mouth moved faster than my brain and I found myself singing along before I could register what the song was. Her older songs “Apricots” and “LOLA” made me feel like I was a teenager in the back seat of my mum’s car again. Goodbye (If You Call That Gone) seamlessly blends genres of pop, rock, and indie music, but is ultimately much heavier and rock-inspired than Maya-a’s earlier indie-pop ballads, and this seeped into the arrangements of all the evening’s songs, which were centered around a full band. 

May-a was a true star on the stage, jumping and dancing around in her barely-there outfit and huge platform boots. She’s no stranger to the stage, having opened for artists such as 5 Seconds of Summer and Wallows, but I was struck by the professionalism and ease with which she moved, as well as her audience engagement. May-a had this knack for audience connection, reminiscent of other pop artists with cult followings, where she would lock eyes with one audience member at a time and focus in on them. The band, comprised of guitarist Chloe Dadd, bassist Jess and drummer G, were mesmerising in the way they all moved in sync, I felt as though I was watching a band that had been performing together for 20 years.

“Ifyoulikeitlikethat” and “Am I There”, the heaviest numbers on the setlist, were also highlights for me—their fast pace and full band backing allowed everyone to show off their incredible stage presence, with moments such as Dadd knee sliding on the floor with her guitar, May-a singing while bent backwards over Dadd, and Dadd and bassist Jess headbanging in sync, backlit by red strobe lights, all which left me with my jaw on the floor. It was clear that the audience loved Dadd and the way she moved onstage, wielding the guitar as an extension of herself. In introducing the band, Dadd got just as many, if not more cheers than May-a herself. 

If the heavier songs showcased May-a’s stage presence, the slower songs really emphasised her vocals. “Last Man on Earth” and “Tide” saw May-a’s vocals glide over pared back instrumentals, forming the emotional climax of the night with lyrics such as “I wouldn’t forgive you if you were the last man on earth,”. “Edge of Seventeen”, fresh out of the Triple J Like a Version studio, got one of the biggest rounds of applause of the night. The show came to a close on a slower note, with May-a’s first song ever released, “Green”. I thought it was interesting that she wouldn’t choose to finish on the high that was “[Redacted]” and “Say Nothing”, with their rock arrangements that had everyone jumping.

Leaving the theatre, I couldn’t get out of my head both how fun the audience was, and how much fun May-a and her band seemed to be having onstage. I thought back to the “(I’m here for the) GIRLS” outro: “I-I, wanna make you dance, dance,  wanna make you sweat, sweat, wanna make you feel something.” To me, this seemed like the perfect way to describe May-a and her music, and to sum up the ethos for the show. For now, I’ll be relistening to Goodbye (If You Call That Gone) and crossing my fingers that May-a returns to Melbourne on her next tour.