Lash

Lash were an all female alternative and punk rock band from Perth, Western Australia, formed by four schoolmates who met at Santa Maria College and later released one studio album, The Beautiful and the Damned, in 2002.

Who was in the band

The lineup was Belinda-Lee Reid on vocals and guitar, Jaclyn Pearson on drums, Jessicca Bennett on lead guitar, and Micaela Slayford on vocals and bass.

Starting out as Exteria

In 1996, after playing together for just a few weeks under the name Exteria, the group entered the song “Aloha Mr Hand” in the Open Youth Category for under 18s at the West Australian Music Industry Awards Song of the Year. They won a $1,000 prize and then came to the attention of manager Andrew Klippel.

The switch to Lash and a record deal

In 2001, the band changed their name to Lash and signed with Festival Mushroom Records. Their debut single “Take Me Away” was released in March 2001 and reached number 33 on the ARIA Charts. “Beauty Queen” followed in August 2001 and reached number 31.

Awards and recognition

At the ARIA Music Awards of 2001, “Take Me Away” was nominated for Breakthrough Artist, Single. That same year, Lash won Best New Australian Artist on Commercial Radio at the Commercial Radio Australia Awards.

Touring, the debut album, and overseas performance

Throughout 2002, Lash toured with Eskimo Joe, The Living End, Motor Ace, and Ash. The single “Don’t Ever Make My Mind Up” came out in February 2002. Their debut album The Beautiful and the Damned was released in April 2002 and peaked at number 74 on the ARIA Charts. In 2002, Lash also represented Australia at the Golden Stag Festival in Romania.

Connection to Freaky Friday

“Beauty Queen” appeared in the 2003 film Freaky Friday and on its soundtrack. The soundtrack also included “Take Me Away” as a cover by Christina Vidal, performed in the film by Lindsay Lohan’s character’s band.

Disbanding

The group disbanded in 2003.

What happened after the split

After Lash ended, Belinda-Lee Reid pursued solo work and appeared in an episode of the documentary TV program The Hit Game, which aired on ABCTV on October 4, 2005. The episode showed her recording demos with Palmer, with Pearson and Bennett assisting. An EP titled The Road from Lillyfield was promoted for release in 2005 but did not come out. In 2006, Reid formed a new band called The Silver Scene and released a self titled EP as a free download on Triple J Unearthed. By 2014, she was working as a real estate agent.

Jessicca Bennett and Jaclyn Pearson played in The Preytells from 2004 to 2009 and won the National Campus Band Competition in 2005. Pearson became a microbiologist at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne. Since 2016, Bennett has run Love Shack Studios in Footscray, Victoria.

In 2025, Christina Vidal’s cover of “Take Me Away” from the Freaky Friday soundtrack was featured in the sequel film Freakier Friday. Bennett and Pearson attended the Los Angeles premiere in July 2025, and Reid and Bennett attended the Australian premiere in Sydney in August 2025.

Discography

• The Beautiful and the Damned (2002), studio album, peaked at number 74 on the ARIA Charts

Singles

• “Take Me Away” (2001), peaked at number 33 on the ARIA Charts
• “Beauty Queen” (2001), peaked at number 31 on the ARIA Charts
• “Don’t Ever Make My Mind Up” (2002), peaked at number 86 on the ARIA Charts

Past members

• Belinda-Lee Reid
• Jaclyn Pearson
• Jessicca Bennett
• Micaela Slayford