Biography
One of Australia's longest-running independent acts, the Hard-Ons built their reputation on speedy, raucous punk that never sacrificed catchy melodies despite a steady diet of juvenile jokes centered on sex and bodily functions. The trio once summed up their hybrid style by declaring it amounted to "Motörhead playing the Beach Boys." Whether because of or in spite of that gleefully crude streak, the band racked up seventeen straight number-one singles on the Australian independent charts, an achievement matched by few other local punk outfits. Their raw early recordings, 1986's Smell My Finger and 1987's Hot for Your Love Baby, document the original unpolished attack, and although later work grew tighter and heavier, they avoided the pitfalls of growing up; the 2009 anthology Suck and Swallow: 25 Years offers the most complete survey of their catalog.
Three schoolmates at Punchbowl Boys High School in Western Sydney—guitarist Peter "Blackie" Black, drummer Brendan Creighton, and guitarist Keish de Silva—discovered punk and quickly decided to start a group. First known as Dead Rats, the lineup shifted when Creighton exited after twelve months; de Silva switched to drums and Ray Ahn was recruited on bass. A handful of early performances took place under the name the Plebs before the musicians settled on the Hard-Ons by late 1982. Too young for licensed venues, they began at parties and school events, including a raucous year-end show that was halted for excessive volume; their first club appearance occurred in June 1984. Once they entered Sydney's club circuit, their performances built a devoted following, leading to the August 1985 release of their debut EP, Surfin' on My Face, on the local punk imprint Vi-Nil Records. Strong sales placed the record on the Australian indie/alternative charts and launched the band's recording career.
Their first 12-inch effort, the eight-track EP Smell My Finger, appeared in 1986 during a brief association with RCA that also included the single "The Girl in the Sweater" backed with "I Heard Her Call My Name." By the close of 1987 the group had stockpiled enough singles and compilation cuts to issue Hot for Your Love Baby, a collection of eleven previously scattered tracks. Bigtime Records' American division compiled another set of songs that same year under the title Hard-Ons, marking the band's initial U.S. release. The second studio album proper, Dick Cheese, surfaced in 1988 via the independent Waterfront label and performed strongly on home charts, while 1989's Love Is a Battlefield of Wounded Hearts broadened their overseas audience, peaking inside the Spanish Top Ten and the Greek and U.K. Top Five. Between 1990 and 1995 the Hard-Ons maintained a rapid output pace, issuing the studio albums Yummy! and Too Far Gone, the EP Dateless Dudes Club, the live set Your Choice Live Series, and joint recordings with the Stupids and Henry Rollins, alongside frequent touring that encompassed the inaugural Big Day Out Festival. The live album coincided with the group's initial breakup, prompted by waning enthusiasm for repeating older material.
The separation proved short-lived. In late 1997 the band resurfaced with the EP Yesterday & Today, pairing two unreleased early recordings with two fresh songs produced by Ed Kuepper of the Saints and the Laughing Clowns. Further live dates followed, culminating in the 2000 studio album This Terrible Place. By the arrival of 2003's Very Exciting!, the lineup had changed for the first time when drummer and vocalist Keish de Silva departed and Pete Kostic assumed the drum chair. Twenty-one years after their debut club show, the Hard-Ons marked the milestone in 2005 with an extensive tour that featured de Silva as guest vocalist alongside Black, Ahn, and Kostic. The group reverted to a trio for 2006's Most People Are a Waste of Time; a related release, Most People Are Nicer Than Us, followed in 2007, though de Silva participated in both sessions.
In 2009 the Hard-Ons collaborated with "America's Funnyman" Neil Hamburger on the EP American Exports, highlighted by a distinctive reading of Black Flag's "Six Pack." That same year, after issuing Alfalfa Males Once Summer Is Done Conform or Die, the band embarked on an Australian anniversary tour, selling a limited-edition collection of demos, rarities, and live cuts titled Eat Shit Listen to Horrible Music exclusively at the shows; a vinyl pressing appeared in 2011. Also in 2011, Pete Kostic exited and Murray Ruse took over on drums. In May 2012 Black sustained a skull fracture after being struck by a skateboard, prompting several benefit concerts that reunited Keish de Silva on vocals and guitar to offset medical costs. Once Black recovered, the musicians maintained contact with de Silva, who contributed to Peel Me Like an Egg before joining full-time as lead vocalist with Black, Ahn, and Ruse for 2019's So I Could Have Them Destroyed.
Three schoolmates at Punchbowl Boys High School in Western Sydney—guitarist Peter "Blackie" Black, drummer Brendan Creighton, and guitarist Keish de Silva—discovered punk and quickly decided to start a group. First known as Dead Rats, the lineup shifted when Creighton exited after twelve months; de Silva switched to drums and Ray Ahn was recruited on bass. A handful of early performances took place under the name the Plebs before the musicians settled on the Hard-Ons by late 1982. Too young for licensed venues, they began at parties and school events, including a raucous year-end show that was halted for excessive volume; their first club appearance occurred in June 1984. Once they entered Sydney's club circuit, their performances built a devoted following, leading to the August 1985 release of their debut EP, Surfin' on My Face, on the local punk imprint Vi-Nil Records. Strong sales placed the record on the Australian indie/alternative charts and launched the band's recording career.
Their first 12-inch effort, the eight-track EP Smell My Finger, appeared in 1986 during a brief association with RCA that also included the single "The Girl in the Sweater" backed with "I Heard Her Call My Name." By the close of 1987 the group had stockpiled enough singles and compilation cuts to issue Hot for Your Love Baby, a collection of eleven previously scattered tracks. Bigtime Records' American division compiled another set of songs that same year under the title Hard-Ons, marking the band's initial U.S. release. The second studio album proper, Dick Cheese, surfaced in 1988 via the independent Waterfront label and performed strongly on home charts, while 1989's Love Is a Battlefield of Wounded Hearts broadened their overseas audience, peaking inside the Spanish Top Ten and the Greek and U.K. Top Five. Between 1990 and 1995 the Hard-Ons maintained a rapid output pace, issuing the studio albums Yummy! and Too Far Gone, the EP Dateless Dudes Club, the live set Your Choice Live Series, and joint recordings with the Stupids and Henry Rollins, alongside frequent touring that encompassed the inaugural Big Day Out Festival. The live album coincided with the group's initial breakup, prompted by waning enthusiasm for repeating older material.
The separation proved short-lived. In late 1997 the band resurfaced with the EP Yesterday & Today, pairing two unreleased early recordings with two fresh songs produced by Ed Kuepper of the Saints and the Laughing Clowns. Further live dates followed, culminating in the 2000 studio album This Terrible Place. By the arrival of 2003's Very Exciting!, the lineup had changed for the first time when drummer and vocalist Keish de Silva departed and Pete Kostic assumed the drum chair. Twenty-one years after their debut club show, the Hard-Ons marked the milestone in 2005 with an extensive tour that featured de Silva as guest vocalist alongside Black, Ahn, and Kostic. The group reverted to a trio for 2006's Most People Are a Waste of Time; a related release, Most People Are Nicer Than Us, followed in 2007, though de Silva participated in both sessions.
In 2009 the Hard-Ons collaborated with "America's Funnyman" Neil Hamburger on the EP American Exports, highlighted by a distinctive reading of Black Flag's "Six Pack." That same year, after issuing Alfalfa Males Once Summer Is Done Conform or Die, the band embarked on an Australian anniversary tour, selling a limited-edition collection of demos, rarities, and live cuts titled Eat Shit Listen to Horrible Music exclusively at the shows; a vinyl pressing appeared in 2011. Also in 2011, Pete Kostic exited and Murray Ruse took over on drums. In May 2012 Black sustained a skull fracture after being struck by a skateboard, prompting several benefit concerts that reunited Keish de Silva on vocals and guitar to offset medical costs. Once Black recovered, the musicians maintained contact with de Silva, who contributed to Peel Me Like an Egg before joining full-time as lead vocalist with Black, Ahn, and Ruse for 2019's So I Could Have Them Destroyed.
Albums
In Falls Everything / Sling Shot
2023
Ripper '23
2023
American Exports
2008
Most People Are a Waste of Time
2006
Very Exciting!
2003
Singles
