Mental as Anything
Flinders University Tavern
Reviewed by Murray Bramwell
The Mentals have turned twenty-one and a right old pub crawl of passage it has been. From their nippy beginnings playing on top of a pool table in the Unicorn hotel in Paddington to their current chic in the art scene they have, you might say, done things their way. Even though they were part of an amazing profusion of local bands which included The Sports, Jo Jo Zep, the Oils, Cold Chisel and INXS, they were nothing like any of them. Untouched by the bombast of big guitars or the ferocity of punk, they just steered their own little coracle of fun and made songs that are as fresh now as they were when Regular records first pressed them.
Not that the Mentals came from nowhere. Their exuberant pop has links with sixties bands like Bonzo Dog, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky et al, even the Kinks. There are Ringo echoes, and affinities with later bands like Madness and the Stranglers. But the Mental as Anything mix of tuneful top 40, rockabilly and, what is now called lounge music, remains highly individual.
Always full of beans on Countdown, and notable pioneers of the video clip, the Mentals actually belong to that golden age of pub rock when touring was hectic and highly lucrative. Tonight the crowd at Flinders Uni is small, but devoted- and the band is ready to hit the hits. Too Many Times sings Greedy Smith with his huge, sunny grin and David Twohill (the former Wayne Delisle) and Peter O’Doherty remind us what a great drum and bass sound the Mentals have.
And this is a line-up that has truly endured. All five originals celebrating their twenty one years. They are a band with nicknames which have become household words- Martin Plaza, Reg Mombasa, Greedy Smith- and their onstage signatures rival the Monkees or the Fab Four. There’s Martin, with his rocker pompadour and a jacket made from his mother’s curtains, Wayne- now Dave- looking like a chartered accountant, Greedy, all smiles in a blaze of hedonistic colour and Reg in the official band t-shirt, reminding us that, along with Mr Plaza, he is a founder member of Mambo, Bondi’s answer to William Morris and Laura Ashley.
If You Leave Me (Can I Come Too). Greedy is again on lead with close harmonies from Martin and the O’Doherty siblings. Classic Mentals – heartbreak pop with an absurd premise. Who could forget the clip of the whole band traipsing behind Greedy and his exasperated video girlfriend. Next it’s Money from the excellent new album, Garage (Festival) . “Money won’t make you happy” -that old Parlophone platitude is back again. But, sings a deadpan Plaza, “it sure won’t make you sad.” Reg has a turn with Nigel, a song as weird as the black-edged, Hieronymous Bosch suburbia in his paintings. And Martin Plaza sings his cover of the old Unit Four Plus Two hit, Concrete and Clay. His vibrato soars while Greedy enthusiastically jabs at the keyboard for that cheesy farfisa sound.
The new track Just My Luck is sounding good, especially alongside a couple of greatests- Live it Up and the bouncy calypso of Spirit Got Lost . Then, Mr Natural , a live favourite with strong funk bass lines and let-it-rip Reg guitar, and for a Marc Hunter tribute-I’m Still in Love With You with Martin on lead. Berserk Warriors, Peter O’Doherty’s homage to Abba and all things Viking, gets a whirl and if you squint a bit you can almost see Reg in alfoil re-enacting the infamous clip from Countdown’s past.
The setlist keeps rolling on. Romeo and Juliet – Greedy is in exultant form, Try Not to Break Me and, to close, the Mentals front bar classic, The Nips Are Getting Bigger. Martin Plaza’s Buddy Holly nasal delivery is undiminished by two decades of repetition. But there is no way it stops here. The crowd is bouncing, swooning, singing in full voice. So the Mentals get lateral with the repertoire. Greedy picks away at the Kurtzweil for the shape of Bent Fabric’s Alley Cat. Reg and the rhythm section dissolve intoWipe Out, Plaza pours it on forWhole Lotta Shakin’ and Rock’n’Roll Music and the night ends with a touch of Wreckless Eric andWide Wide World..
Sometimes artists are so much part of the landscape that we forget how original they are. Mental as Anything have produced several dozen first rate songs. They all write, they all sing. They have created inventive, witty video clips and some of the best cover art seen in this country. They anticipated the lounge craze and, through Mambo, have captured the united colours of the Australian bizarre. Playing live they are still more fun than fun. There is no better time to celebrate them.
The Adelaide Review, October, 1998.