The story of one of Australia’s most distinctive and influential bands is heading to the big screen. Live It Up: The Mental As Anything Story will receive a nationwide theatrical release on 5 March 2026, arriving as Mental As Anything reform to mark their 50th anniversary and prepare for a national tour led by original members Reg Mombassa and Peter O’Doherty.
Mental As Anything occupy a rare place in Australian music history. With 22 Top 40 singles, including Live It Up, If You Leave Me Can I Come Too? and The Nips Are Getting Bigger, the band combined sharp pop instincts with a visual and conceptual identity that stood apart from their contemporaries. Their songs became fixtures of Australian radio, their videos reshaped expectations of what local bands could present on screen, and their artwork bled into broader popular culture through album covers, posters and fashion.
Live It Up: The Mental As Anything Story traces that journey from its beginnings in Sydney’s art school scene in 1976, when Martin Plaza and Reg Mombassa first began playing together at what is now the National Art School. Joined by Peter O’Doherty, David Twohill and Andrew “Greedy” Smith, the band evolved into a classic line-up that would remain intact for more than two decades. Over that period, Mental As Anything released nine studio albums, played more than 3,000 gigs and developed a catalogue that balanced humour, melody and a distinctly suburban Australian worldview.
The documentary draws on previously unseen archival footage and new interviews with key figures from across the band’s history, including Reg Mombassa, Martin Plaza, Peter O’Doherty and David Twohill, alongside members of the band’s inner circle. Rather than a detached retrospective, the film positions itself as a first-hand account, shaped by those who lived the chaos, creativity and intensity of the Australian music industry from the late 1970s through to the 1990s.
Written and directed by Matthew Walker, whose documentary I’m Wanita won Best Australian Documentary at the Sydney Film Festival in 2021, the film is guided by an experienced creative team deeply connected to Australian music storytelling. Paul Clarke, known for his work on Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line and John Farnham: Finding The Voice, serves as supervising writer and post producer. The production is a collaboration between Beyond Entertainment and People Productions, with support from Screen Australia and Screen NSW, and local distribution by Bonsai Films.
Beyond chart success, the film explores the deeper cultural impact of Mental As Anything. All early members were visual artists, and that art school background informed every aspect of the band’s output, from their album sleeves to their famously inventive video clips. Reg Mombassa’s artwork, in particular, became inseparable from the band’s identity and later found a second life through his association with Mambo and other cultural institutions. That blending of music, visual art and humour helped Mental As Anything define a uniquely Australian approach to pop.
Internationally, the band reached audiences far beyond local borders. Live It Up achieved major chart success in the United Kingdom and Europe after featuring in Crocodile Dundee, while earlier singles found traction in Canada and supported extensive touring. Despite those achievements, the band remained grounded in their origins, retaining a sensibility that reflected Australian everyday life rather than chasing global trends.
Mental As Anything were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2009, a recognition of both their commercial success and their long-term influence. The death of Andrew “Greedy” Smith in December 2019 effectively brought the band’s activities to a halt, closing a significant chapter in Australian music. The reformation of Mental As Anything in late 2025, led by Mombassa and O’Doherty, therefore carries particular weight, reconnecting the present with a legacy that has shaped generations of musicians and fans.
To mark the 50th anniversary, Live It Up: The Mental As Anything Story will have its world premiere on 24 February 2026 at the Cremorne Orpheum in Sydney, followed by a special Q&A with the band. From there, the film will roll out to cinemas nationwide ahead of the anniversary tour, which begins in April 2026 at Byron Bay Blues Festival.
Live It Up: The Mental As Anything Story
Australian theatrical release: 5 March 2026
World Premiere:
24 February 2026, Cremorne Orpheum, Sydney, followed by Q&A with the band
50th Anniversary Tour:
Commences April 2026 at Byron Bay Blues Festival
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