Hard-Ons

Hard-Ons
Origin Sydney, Australia
Genres Punk Rock, Power Pop, Hardcore Punk, Thrash
Years active 1981–1993
1998–present
Labels Chatterbox Records,
Bad Taste Record,
Waterfront Records,
Associated acts Feed The Horse
Blackie
WOG
Nunchukka Superfly
Front End Loader
Regurgitator
Nazxul
Website www.hard-ons.net
Members
Peter "Blackie" Black
Ray Ahn
Murry Ruse
Past members
Keish De Silva
Peter Kostic

The Hard-Ons are a punk rock band from Sydney, Australia that originally formed in 1981. They have been called Australia's most commercially successful independent band, with over 250,000 total record sales. [1]

Contents

Biography

1980s: Early days

The Hard-Ons' origins can be traced to Western Sydney's Punchbowl Boys High School, where all band members were students. The first version of the band featured Keish de Silva on guitar and vocals, Peter Black on guitar and Brendan Creighton on drums. In 1982 Creighton left and was replaced by Ray Ahn on bass guitar with de Silva taking over the drumming. Being too young to play in pubs, the band featured at birthday parties and school dances. On 20 June 1984, the Hard Ons played their first official show at the Vulcan Hotel in Ultimo. [2] Quickly gaining a considerable following, the band released its debut EP Surfin' On My Face the following year. This was the beginning of a series of releases for the band that netted them remarkable run of 17 consecutive #1 listings on the Australian independent music charts.

Subsequent recordings like Smell My Finger, Dickcheese, Love Is A Battlefield Of Wounded Hearts and Yummy! set the blueprint for the 'Hard-Ons sound': messy pop-punk with metal and psychedelia elements. The band also showed their independent punk spirit, with the members deliberately controlling their own careers: recording, booking and promoting themselves, creating their own artwork (mostly done by Ahn), choosing support bands and even managing the merchandise desk whilst on tour.

While maintaining a solid if underground following in Australia, the Hard Ons were particularly popular in Europe, scoring a Top 10 hit in Spain and a Top 5 slot in Greece with their 1989 album Love is a Battlefield of Wounded Hearts. That album also made the Top 5 in the NME chart. At the time, this made the Hard Ons only the third Australian band after Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and the Go Betweens to have achieved this. In 1989 the group also recorded a split EP with British band The Stupids. Two years later they teamed up with Henry Rollins and released a version of "Let There Be Rock" that was released in a limited edition on 10" vinyl.

1990s: Split and reformation

Following the release of 1993's Too Far Gone and after recording a live-album for Your Choice Records, the band members announced that they were breaking up, with an interest in pursuing projects outside the Hard-Ons' style of music. This break was interrupted by a 'reunion' gig in October 1997, which was followed by the release of a new EP ("Yesterday And Today") and a "Best Of" Compilation album in 1998. Following This Terrible Place... in 2000, the band's first line-up change occurred, with Keish De Silva deciding to leave the band. To accommodate this, Peter Black took up full-time vocals with the group and Front End Loader/Regurgitator drummer Pete Kostic was brought into the line-up. This new trio released Very Exciting! in 2003, their first album for Chatterbox Records. 2003 Split-hard-ons & boom boom kid. In 2005, the 21st anniversary of the band's first pub gig was celebrated by Australian and European tours as a four-piece, with Kostic drumming and De Silva on vocals. Although technically still a three-piece band, it is clear that Keish De Silva still shares a close relationship with his old band. Recordings were made in 2006 with contributions from all four band members (though primarily Black, Ahn and Kostic) with the intention of releasing a double album of material. This project was eventually released as two separate albums: the 'poppier' Most People Are a Waste of Time (2006) and the 'heavier' Most People Are Nicer Than Us (2007), with subsequent tours around Australia. The band reportedly recorded U.S. comedian Neil Hamburger on guest lead vocals in January, 2008.

In April 2011, the band announced via their website that Pete was leaving the band with the following statement:

'Pete is leaving us... shitty news indeed... hes been bashing his drums and his head against the wall with us for ten odd years.. and now with two gorgeous and demanding kids its ... sniff sniff ... time to say "see ya".. he ain't going without a bang so as well as the next European tour we have just recorded a five track tour "souvenir".. this is a scorching session and i hope ya guys dig it!! more on that soon. me and ray spent a good 28 seconds before deciding that we will keep the hard ons going.. we have too much more music in the wings to pull the plug yet. it ain't gonna be easy as we demand a lot from a drummer but rest assured that it,ll happen and we,ll be back in no time at all! of course we wish Pete all the best and cant thank him enough for being with us for the last ten years... many people bemoan the fact that keish left.. but me personally .. hell i never look back! A its boring and B why would we when we are kicking it like fuck with this dynamo behind the kit!! some of the best gigs i,ve ever played were with Pete and i loved this line up!!! raise ya glass and say "good on ya mate'

Murry Ruse from the bands Conation and Captain Cleanoff played his first show as the new Hard-Ons drummer on the 5th of August, 2011. He's the first member who is of Australian descent.

Musical style

A 1987 BEAT Magazine article described the Hard-Ons' sound as "Motörhead meets the Beach Boys" [3]; a quote that goes some way towards describing the band's take on the punk rock genre. Though originally inspired by punk bands such as Sex Pistols, The Buzzcocks, The Damned, Ramones and The Saints [4], the band also blended pop, psychedelia and metal elements; "death-pop" as once described by Ray Ahn. [5] The band were also noteworthy not only within punk but also within rock music for having their lead vocals handled by de Silva, the group's drummer. The physical challenge of drumming to the band's fast punk rock songs as well as singing (as opposed to shouting) made for charismatic live performances. Guitarist Black provided another original touch to the band with his distinctive guitar sound that is both melodic and messy, often making use of feedback.

Major recurring lyrical themes range from girls, love and relationships (e.g.: "I Do I Do I Do", "Just Being With You", "Girl in the Sweater") to toilet humour ("I Farted", "Oozin' for Pleasure") as well as other variations, particularly in the post-Keish line-up of the band.

Fan reaction

Although not as widely known as some classic punk and independent bands, the Hard-Ons have carved a niche in the world of punk rock and have assembled a cult following of fans worldwide. They are Australia's most successful independent band, with over 250,000 records sold worldwide and 17 consecutive #1 hits on the Australian alternative charts. Their popularity far outreaches Australia, with large cult followings in Spain and Greece. At one time there was a Hard Ons cover band in the UK known as Suck n Swallow. [6]

Band members

Timeline


Discography

Albums

Title Date
Smell My Finger 1986
Hard-Ons 1987
Hot For Your Love Baby 1987
Worst Of... 1987
Dickcheese 1988
Love Is A Battlefield Of Wounded Hearts 1989
Yummy! 1991
Dateless Dudes Club 1992
Too Far Gone 1993
Your Choice Live Series 1995
This Terrible Place... 2000
Very Exciting! 2003
Most People Are A Waste Of Time 2006
Most People Are Nicer Than Us 2007
Alfalfa Males Once Summer Is Done Conform Or Die 2010

EPs

Title Date
Surfin' On My Face 1985
Surfin' On My Face - (reissue) 1988
No Cheese (Split 10" with The Stupids) 1988
Dull 1991
Where The Wild Things Are (split with Celibate Rifles) 1992
Love Is A Battlefield Of Wounded Hearts 1989
Test 1994
Yesterday & Today 1999
Hard-Ons/Boom Boom Kid Split! 2002
American Exports (with Neil Hamburger) 2009

Singles

Title Date
Girl In The Sweater 1986
By My Side"/"I'll Come Again - (Livin' End Flexidisc) 1986
All Set To Go 1984
Busted" b/w "Suck 'n' Swallow 1987
Just Being With You 1988
Sick Of Being Sick (free giveaway) 1989
Been Had Before (Demo) (Vinyl Solution Giveaway) 1989
Where Did She Come From? 1990
Dull 1991
Let There be Rock (with Henry Rollins) 1991
Love Hurts (Munster Magazing Giveaway) 1992
She's A Dish 1992
Crazy Crazy Eyes 1993
you Disappointed Me (Germany) 1999
Shark's Head (Spain) 1999
Sunny"/"Scared Of It All (Europe Promo) 2003
There Goes One Of The Creeps That Hassled My Girlfriend 2005

Compilations

Title Date
Why March When You Can Riot?! 1985
On The Waterfront - Volume Three 1986
Vicious Vinyl 1987
Fuck Or Fuck Off 1987
The Not So Lucky Country 1988
I Could'a Been A Contender 1988
Hard To Beat: 21 Stooges Killers 1989
Hard to Believe: Kiss Covers Compilation 1990
Let's Make The Wiener Kid Sing His Song 1993
A Decade of Rock 1994
Singles 1994
She's A Dish 1994
Rarities 1994
The Best of 1999
Suck 'n' Swallow: 25 Years, 25 Songs 2009

DVDs

Title Date
The Hard-Ons vs. Europe 2007 2008

References

External links