HARD ONS

Ray (bass); Keish (vocals, drums); Blackie (guitar)

Never a metal band in any sense of the word, the Hard Ons style was nevertheless nudging towards a garage metal sound near the end of their illustrious career and were revered and venerated as much by the metal crowd as by punks and indie kids, particularly in Sydney where they often gigged with the likes of Mortal Sin and Massive Appendage in their formative period. It would even be fair to say that many of the bands littering indepedent record stores throughout the world would never have existed if it hadn't been for the Hard Ons. The band formed in Sydney's west in 1982 and it took three years of thrashing, raw punk rock noise before the "Surfing on my Face" EP surfaced and a legend was born. Between 1985 and 1994, when the band originally split, the Hard Ons toured the world several times, recorded with the likes of the Stupids and Henry Rollins and sold in excess of 250,000 records worldwide. Their inimitable style--loose, ballistic and chaotic punk rock with metal guitar parts and simple, dumb lyrics about girls, cars, booze and other important teenage subjects--laid the basis for future garage punk wannabes along with establishing them as one of the most legendary bands this country has ever produced. Throughout their career, the Hard Ons were controversial, employing cartoon artwork and imagery and a straight, honest lyrical approach to topics like racism, sexism and drug use which set them at odds with the establishment. Even their refusal to follow fashion and musical trends often meant they copped flak from their own scene, but the Hard Ons were never a band to follow trends. Just when their style of chaotic noise was beginning to gain mainstream attention throughout the world, the Hard Ons split up shortly after the release of Too Far Gone. Ray and Blackie formed Nunchukka Superfly and Keish went on to several other projects for a few years.
The Hard Ons reformed in late 1997, playing several festival shows and touring nationally. In early-mid 1999 the band returned to Europe where they had always been most popular, a new best of compilation was released and a new album followed in late 2000. In the dying months of 2000, the Hard Ons released This Terrible Place and did more European touring in 2001. Keish left the Hard Ons in December 2001 and was replaced by Pete Kostic (Regurgitator, Nazxul, Front End Loader) and the band toured Europe again in early 2002. In 2003, the Hard Ons played at the Big Day Out and toured with the Foo Fighters ahead of issuing their ninth album, Very Exciting

Discography:

Very Exciting! (Chatterbox) 2003

Blackie (vocals, guitar)
Ray (bass)
Pete (drums)
  1. Sunny
  2. Punk Police
  3. Scared of it All
  4. Killing Me
  5. Baka
  6. Olympic Diver
  7. Radio
  8. Cat's Got Your Tongue
  9. Pimple Boy
  10. Taxi
  11. Race Track
  12. Caravan Man
  13. (Every Time I Hear) Techno (I Pray For Death)
  14. Breakfast Caramel
  15. Perservation of a Wild Cat

This Terrible Place (Chatterbox) 2001

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)
  1. Fallen Star
  2. Strangers
  3. Ice Cream
  4. First Cut is the Weakest
  5. Time Won't Let Me
  6. Trouble, Trouble
  7. Shark's Head
  8. Oyster Sauce
  9. Charger
  10. I'm Bringing You Death
  11. Nosebleed
  12. Sadly Ever After
  13. Birthday
  14. I Hate Clubbers

Yesterday and Today (EP) (Citadel) 1999

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)

Best of the Hard Ons (Citadel) 1999

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)
  1. Small Talk
  2. Raining
  3. She's A Dish
  4. Something About You
  5. Think About You Everyday
  6. Do It With You
  7. Sorry
  8. Where Did She Come From
  9. Suck N Swallow
  10. Missing You Missing Me
  11. Get Away
  12. It's Up To Me
  13. Girl in the Sweater
  14. Busted
  15. There Was a Time
  16. On and On
  17. Wishing Well
  18. All Set to Go
  19. Lost
  20. Lose It
  21. Wog Food
  22. Don't Wanna See You Cry
  1. I Do I Do I Do
  2. Just Being With You
  3. Get Wet
  4. Sorry
  5. Been Had Before
  6. Suck N Swallow
  7. Simple Love
  8. Rejected
  9. Hate So Hard
  10. Just Being With You
  11. Test
  12. Sit Beside You
  13. Kill Your Mum
  14. She's a Dish
  15. Raining
  16. Wait Around
  17. Little Miss Evil
  18. Spew
  19. Feast on Flesh
  20. Where Did She Come From
  21. All Washed Up
  22. Me or You
  23. What am I 'Spose to Do?
  24. Something About You
  25. Feast on Flesh
  26. Dull

A Decade of Rock (Waterfront) 1994

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)

Henry Rollins (vocals)

Test (EP) (Waterfront) 1993

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)

Too Far Gone (Waterfront) 1993

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)
  1. Crazy Crazy Eyes
  2. Notice Me
  3. If it Makes You Happy
  4. Car Phone
  5. Test
  6. I Do I Do I Do
  7. Lost
  8. Blade
  9. No One Can Stop You
  10. Cat Scan
  11. If Only She Knew
  12. It's Up to Me
  13. Stressed Out
  14. Sleepy

Crazy Crazy Eyes (single) (Waterfront) 1993

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)
  1. Crazy Crazy Eyes

She's A Dish (single) (Waterfront) 1992

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)
  1. She's A Dish

Where the Wild Things Are (split EP with Celibate Rifles) (Waterfront) 1992

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)
  1. Sorry
  2. Lose It

Dateless Dudes Club (Waterfront) 1992

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)

Let There Be Rock (Waterfront) 1991

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (drums)
Henry Rollins (vocals)
  1. Let There Be Rock
  2. Carry Me Down

Yummy! (Waterfront) 1991

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)
  1. Where Did She Come From?
  2. Raining
  3. Dull
  4. Cool Hand Luke
  5. Something I Don't Want to Do
  6. Sit Beside You
  7. Jaye's Song
  8. On and On
  9. Ain't Gonna Let You Go
  10. Me or You
  11. Spew
  12. Fade Away
  13. Little Miss Evil
  14. Wait Around
  15. Feast on Flesh
  16. Stairway to Heaven

Dull (single) (Waterfront) 1991

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)
  1. Dull
  2. Sri Lanka

Where Did She Come From? (single) (Waterfront) 1990

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)
  1. Where Did She Come From?
  2. Get Out Of My House

Love is a Battlefield of Wounded Hearts (Waterfront) 1989

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)
  1. Don't Wanna See You Cry
  2. Rejected
  3. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
  4. Been Had Before
  5. You're a Tease
  6. Who Do You Wanna Fool
  7. Get Wet
  8. Rich Scrag
  9. Do It With You
  10. Missing You, Missing Me
  11. Throw It In
  12. Kill Your Mum
  13. Coffs Harbour Blues

No Cheese (split EP with The Stupids) (Waterfront) 1989

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)

Dick Cheese (Waterfront) 1988

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)
  1. Made to Love You
  2. What Am I S'pose to Do?
  3. Oozing for Pleasure
  4. Everytime I Do a Fart
  5. Get Away
  6. Pretty Face
  7. There Was a Time
  8. Mickey Juice
  9. Figaro
  10. Fuck Society
  11. Yuppies Suck
  12. Something About You
  13. All Washed Up
  14. Ache to Touch You
  15. Why Don't You Shut Up
  16. Nerds
  17. Got a Baby
  18. Stairway to Punchbowl
  19. Keish's New Song
  20. Fifteen
  21. Rock N Roll All Nite

Just Being With You (single) (Waterfront) 1988

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)
  1. Just Being With You
  2. Growin' Old

Suck N Swallow (single) (Waterfront) 1987

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)
  1. Suck N Swallow
  2. Busted

Hot For Your Love Baby (Waterfront) 1987

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)

All Set to Go (single) (Waterfront) 1987

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)
  1. All Set To Go
  2. Ferdi's Song

Smell My Finger (Waterfront) 1986

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)

Girl in the Sweater (single) (Waterfront) 1986

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)
  1. The Girl in the Sweater
  2. I Heard Her Call My Name

Surfin' on My Face (EP) (Waterfront) 1985

Blackie (guitar)
Ray (bass)
Keish (vocals, drums)

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Related entries: Nazxul, Nunchukka Superfly

This page is part of The Australian Metal Guide

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