Mental as Anything's Greedy Smith is driving into the ABC studios in Ultimo, Sydney, when he dials in on the hands-free for his interview with Fly. "It's very nice to be paid attention to," he says. Playing outdoors at the National Museum of Australia together with '80s starlets The Chantoozies, the Enlighten Festival is a gig worth getting mental about. "I think it's a great name," Smith says. "It's got so many levels as a name for a festival, speaking in terms of it being a bit edifying, as well as lightening something. It's got quite a happy feeling about it."
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For the creators of such hum-worthy numbers as If You Leave Me Can I Come Too, The Nips Are Getting Bigger, Too Many Times and Live It Up, playing at the NMA is "definitely a first," Smith says. The longest break the band has had from touring during their more than 35-year career has been six weeks. "You'd think that we would have played everywhere.''
Such a stellar innings is proof there is still plenty of appetite for live music. "Despite what they say about the industry being dead," Smith says, "there are still people willing to give it a go."
It helps to have a cache of tracks that people instantly identify with, still holding up to regular radio air play. "When you get that recognition of something you have done yourself, it's such a buzz, why would you want to do anything else?
''It's so gratifying [hearing Mental on the radio]. The novelty of it never wears off."
And it creates a platform where the band is "afforded the luxury" of going to play places where almost automatically people know their tracks. "You have a feeling of connection with people," Smith says. "That's a great honour. We're at a level where you feel like you live a fairly anonymous life. But when you put your work pants on and you go out there, you feel like a superstar. It is the best of both worlds."
The only down side, if you can even call it a down side, is that the band has come to be very firmly associated with the '80s. Smith said the band initially tried to avoid that association, but now they make it work for them and ''it's just the best thing, the best thing you can do. It's very fitting that we'll be playing at the Australian Museum."
MENTAL AS ANYTHING
With: The Chantoozies
When: 7 pm, Saturday March 1
Where: National Museum of Australia
Tickets: Ticketek. Adult $30, family $65, concession $25, child <16 $10.
