Formed in Brisbane around high school friends Bek Moore (vocals), Rachael Cooke (guitar) and Alison Bolger (bass) in the very early 90s, demented mostly girl group Clag seemed cute and innocent at first. Their disarming exterior, however, was merely a front, disguising examinations of the human psyche that grew darker and more twisted as the band progressed.
Live, the band would face away from the audience and play with masks taped to the backs of their heads, or dress in hospital gowns and bedeck the stage with fluffy Mr Men toys. Musically they were equally confusing, staking out a bizarre middle ground between the Shaggs, Bikini Kill and the Banana Splits, In short, Clag were one of the most head-scratchingly strange bands in the world, and those who came across them either recoiled immediately or developed a lifelong obsession. Other members of the band included: Nicole Thibault (trombone), Bre O'Neil (keyboards), Mick Adams (keyboards), Greg Brady (drums), Jason Cassidy, Greg Wadley (drums), Meaghan Block, Laura MacFarlane (drums) and Chris Gorman.
The band released three vinyl singles and were beginning to make an international mark, with releases on US and Canadian labels, before they disintegrated in the mid 90s. Clag members went on to play in bands such as Beaches, Panel Of Judges and Minimum Chips, but in the intervening years a considerable legend has grown up around their first musical venture. Copies of their original singles are now treasured artefacts. They reformed for a few shows in the 2010’s after the release of the retrospective CD, 'Pasted Youth'. Bek Moore died in 2016.
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