Anne McCue

Anne McCue is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, multi-Instrumentalist, music-recording producer, engineer, and video director. Anne's genre of music is Rock/Indie Pop/Psychedelic. Pop, Alternative Folk.

Anne's bands are as follows:

  • In 1988, answering an ad in the local press, she joined all-female rock band Girl Monstar as lead guitarist (1988 - 1993).  Girl Monstar were an all female Australian rock band which formed 1988 with the line-up of Damian Child on bass guitar; Anne McCue on lead guitar and vocals; Sherry Valier (aka Sherry Rich) on vocals and rhythm guitar (ex-Cactus Fever); and Sue World on drums and vocals (ex-The Wet Ones). Both of their singles, "Surfing on a Wave of Love" / "He's Hell" (1989) and "Joe Cool" (1990), topped the Australian Independent charts. The band issued one album, Monstereo Delicio, in July 1992 on Timberyard Records. Child was replaced by Janene Abbott but the group disbanded in 1993. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described their sound as "trash pop style mixed tough guitar riffs with strong harmonies". The band eventually received an ARIA nomination for best independent act. They opened for international acts like The Ramones, Divinyls, Skyhooks, Hoodoo Gurus, the Buzzcocks, DAD and Skid Row. The group disbanded in early 1993 after playing the first ‘Big Day Out’ in Melbourne, sharing the stage with Iggy Pop.

  • Following her stint with Girl Monstar, Anne played acoustically around Melbourne, later performing in Vietnam for a year before returning to Melbourne to record her Laughing EP (1996). She then joined Australian female trio Eden A.K.A., who signed to Columbia Records in the USA. Eden A.K.A. released the album Eden in 1998 and performed in Canada and the USA at the Lilith Fair in 1998 and 1999

  • After signing with L.A. based manager, Mike Gormley, McCue's first solo albumAmazing Ordinary Things, was released in 1999 in Canada and Japan, and she toured with a number of well-known musicians, including a US tour with Lucinda Williams, who would often introduce McCue as "my new favorite artist... and an amazing guitarist".

Anne has played gigs at St Kilda music venues including: The Espy, Prince of Wales Hotel and The Palace.  After Girl Monstar, Anne played in a couple of duos (Tramps Like Us) and bands (Juniper) every Sunday at Tolarno’s on Fitzroy Street. She also played with her own band, Anne McCue, at the Espy and The Prince of Wales Hotel. 

"I have been playing guitar non-stop since I was 14 years old. My guitar has been the one constant in my life. I have been lucky to have played all over the world. I have played in St.Kilda over the years but it seems the venues shift, change and disappear. I would love to play there more often. I love St. Kilda.

Getting to play the Palace to a full house was always exciting - the same with the Prince of Wales. And the Espy was just a classic Melbourne venue."

Anne McCue & The Cubists

Anne McCue, Girl Monstar, Prince of Wales Hotel, c.1992 - Source: Anne McCue

"Other female musicians that inspired me are Fiona Lee Maynard from H.A.N.D on bass and vocals; we were friends. Rebecca Barnard - I used to go see her and Shane a lot when I lived in St Kilda. My own band opened for Rebecca’s Empire at The Prince of Wales which was a fantastic opportunity. She was always generous, very musical, beautiful voice, down-to-earth. She is a Melbourne treasure. Sherry Rich - She was already a music veteran when I met Sherry we were all about 21 years old then and she and Sue World had been in real bands already for years. Sherry was a confident singer and song writer and encouraged me to do both."

Anne McCue, c. 2000 - Source: Alchetron