Reg Mombassa still living it up at age 73

SOME know him as the Mambo artist, famed for the vibrant and irreverent cartoons he created for the iconic Australian surfwear brand. To others, he’s remembered as a founding member of the legendary band Mental As Anything.

At 73, Reg Mombassa — born Chris O’Doherty — continues to pursue both his passions: music and art.

This year, Mombassa was named a finalist in the Archibald Prize, Australia’s most prestigious award for portrait painting. At the same time, he remains an active performer with his band Dog Trumpet.

Mental As Anything formed in the 1970s, after Mombassa and Martin Plaza met as students at the National Art School, then known as East Sydney Technical College. The group went on to achieve international fame with hits such as Live It Up and If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?

In 1990, during a break from the Mentals, Mombassa and his brother Peter O’Doherty — also a member of the band — formed Dog Trumpet as an outlet for their own music. Since then, they’ve released multiple albums and have a new one on the way: Live Forever, due out in July. The title track offers a thoughtful meditation on mortality.

“It’s sort of about wanting to live forever and not wanting to live forever,” Mombassa said.

“It’s ambiguous in its meaning – things that we fear are both good and bad – and it’s kind of like a pop song.

“Another one of the songs on the album is about Marianne Faithfull which we originally recorded with the Mentals in the 1990s.”

Dog Trumpet is scheduled to perform twice in the Northern Rivers this year: at the Mullum Roots Festival on July 12 and 13, and at Nimbin Roots, which runs from October 24 to 26.

The band has previously played Nimbin Roots, and this year Mombassa also contributed to the festival in a visual way — by designing the official poster for the 2025 event.

“We were billeted with a local woman called Diane and her husband who were living in an old farmhouse on the outskirts of Nimbin and I did a couple of drawings while I was there and one of those was used for the poster,” he said.

For more information, visit mullumrootsfest.com and nimbinrootsfest.com