By Casey Neill
Greedy Smith is looking forward to bringing Mental as Anything back to Belgrave.
He said the band had played at Sooki Lounge about three times previously and he was keen to get back on the stage on Friday 13 July.
“It’s got a nice ambiance,” he said.
“It’s got a certain cosiness to it.
“It’s great to be not in town all the time, to get out…”
The band is based in Sydney but “we tend to be getting on a plane most Thursdays”.
Today’s line-up features Greedy on keyboards and vocals, Jacob Cook on drums and vocals, Peter Gray on bass and vocals, Martin Cilia on guitar, ad Craig Gordon on guitar and vocals.
Greedy is the only founding member still on the road, more than 40 years after Mental as Anything debuted at the Cellblock Theatre at East Sydney Tech.
Martin Plaza still joins with Greedy to write and produce new tracks.
“I think I enjoy it more now because I’m just really grateful that people recognise our songs and can remember them,” he said.
The band listens back to those original recordings to make sure their sound today is true to what fans remember.
“Pulling the elements together, you get that special feeling again,” Greedy said.
The set list is about 25 songs and only “four or five people don’t know”.
The band will be playing tracks from an EP it released about a year ago, Greedy said, plus a track that’s only a couple of weeks old.
“Once they’re in the door I think they’ll be surprised at how many of the songs that they know,” he said.
Greedy is looking forward to celebrating 40 years since Mental as Anything released its first recording, Mental As Anything – Plays At Your Party, later in the year.
It featured “the one that started it all off, The Nips are Getting Bigger”.
“We’re bring out a replica of the original vinyl EP. That’ll be coming,” Greedy said.
Visit sookilounge.com.au for tickets, priced at $34.70.
