Hard-Ons

Formed in 1982 in Punchbowl, western Sydney, Hard-Ons originally came together as a trio around Peter Black, Ray Ahn and Keish de Silva, before several lineup changes later brought in drummer Murray Ruse and vocalist Tim Rogers. From the outset Hard-Ons developed a blend of punk rock, hardcore punk and power pop, threaded with metal-adjacent riffs, very direct pop melodies and surf and psychedelic touches. Active on the Australian underground scene in the 1980s, the band operated largely independently, self-releasing part of their output and also circulating through European punk scenes. The early albums Smell My Finger (1986), Dickcheese (1988), Love Is a Battlefield of Wounded Hearts (1989), Yummy! (1990) and Too Far Gone (1993) codified this fast, abrasive and melodic approach. After splitting in 1994, Hard-Ons reformed in 1997 and resumed their discography with This Terrible Place... (2000), Very Exciting! (2003), Most People Are a Waste of Time (2006) and Most People Are Nicer Than Us (2007). Hard-Ons have also shared releases with The Stupids, Celibate Rifles and Boom Boom Kid, and recorded with Henry Rollins. Recent years include So I Could Have Them Destroyed (2019), I’m Sorry Sir, That Riff’s Been Taken (2021), Ripper ’23 (2023) and I Like You a Lot Getting Older (2024).