Original members Martin Plaza (really Martin Murphy) and Reg Mombassa (really Chris O'Doherty) formed the Mentals in 1976 after meeting at the East Sydney Technical College art school.

According to one web site:

"The Mentals' music is characterised by poppy, accessible and well-crafted melodies and lyrics, and almost all their work showcases their ironic, satirical and self-deprecating sense of humour. They are arguably one of the most typically "Australian" of rock groups, with their music and their satirical, good-time image deeply rooted in the milieu of Australian suburbia, despite the fact that two key members (the O'Doherty brothers) were in fact immigrants from New Zealand.

The group's art school background and visual design skills also made them pioneers of the music video form in Australia in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and their videos rank as some of the funniest and most imaginative produced in Australia at that time."

In 1978, the Mentals produced their first record - a three track EP featuring The Nips Are Getting Bigger. 2JJ, Sydney's "alternative" radio station gave them plenty of airplay so that by the time their first album came out, all but one member of the band had adopted a pseudonym and the music world was ready for Mental As Anything.

Throughout the first half of the 80's, Mental As Anything were as busy as anything, producing albums and playing live gigs all over Australia.

The band has gone through a series of personnel changes since that time, with a couple of band members choosing art over music. Most famously, Reg has been producing art work for the Mambo range of clothing.

These days, the band still performs live and is working on a new album, due for release during 2009.