It's Party Time, The Hard-OnsCelebrate Being Twenty One!

Wed 15th Jun, 2005 in Features

An Australian punk rock institution turns twenty-one. Blackie, guitarist and vocalist for The Hard-Ons talks to FasterLouder.com.au.  

Everyone from Henry Rollins to Mike Patton to Dave Grohl to Rancid’s Tim Armstrong to the Beastie Boys and even Australian pop singer Kate Ceberano love the Hard-Ons. Over their twenty-one year career the Sydney trio have played with bands the likes of, The Ramones and Turbonegro. The group has had 17 consecutive number ones in the Australian Alternative Music Chart and toured the world many times over – not too bad for ‘three ugly kids from Punchbowl’.

Blackie recalls how he and fellow band mate bassist, Ray started down the punk rock road together at age fifteen. “I met Ray. I knew he was this weird Asian kid at school that liked punk rock. I went up to him and was like ‘I heard you like punk?’ and he was like ‘I heard you like punk too?’ and then we just started trading tapes. He liked the more arty stuff like The Jam whereas I like the more full on shit like The Damned and the Pistols. It was just a natural progression to start a band.”

Talking of how his original idea of being in a band compares to the real thing Blackie offers, “In real life it’s probably better than you picture it. When you picture it, you don’t actually get to experience the feeling that you get when you create music.” Which is something that he admits “took me by surprise, how much of a high you really experience when you actually get together in a room and pull some shit out of thin air.”

Looking back to the old days at the bands aspirations in the beginning he admits, “You know what? I could never really see into the future. I was just so gung-ho about it that it was just this insane drive. I never really pictured anything beyond that, the drive just didn’t allow any room in the mind for ‘what if this doesn’t happen’ or ‘what if this doesn’t work?’ or ‘what if we can’t get shows?’ For me the drive and the urge to do it was that strong that I didn’t really have time to have fantasies about playing the Sydney Entertainment Centre!”

As the conversation drifts from one memorable moment and experience to another, Blackie speaks of an instance that really ‘stuck out’ for him. “Going overseas – that was nothing short of mind blowing! It was like ‘fucking hell, how did that happen?’ It seemed to happen so fast that we didn’t really have time to think about it. At the time it felt really normal but looking back on it it’s like ‘Oh my god, fucking hell! That was awesome!’”

The humble guitarist/vocalist comments further, “I never really set out to achieve anything except to make as much music as possible. That’s still my goal. I’m nowhere near finished. I love it more now than I did back then.”

The band is currently working on a double-album with hopes to release it next February. “We’ve got shit loads of new songs,” he informs. “We’ll be playing some of them at the shows before Keish (ex-Hard-Ons drummer/vocalist) comes on. So you can hear some old and new.”

You can help the band celebrate their twenty one years here: (not forgetting to bring the bubbles and birthday cake!)

Thursday June 16, Coolangatta, Coolangatta Hotel with special guests Gazoonga Attack
Friday June 17, Byron Bay, Hotel Great Northern with special guests Gazoonga Attack
Saturday June 18, Brisbane, The Rev with special guests Gazoonga Attack
Friday June 24, Sylvania, Crest Hotel with special guests The Stockholm Syndrome
Saturday June 25, Mona Vale, Mona Vale Hotel with special guests The Stockholm Syndrome
Wednesday June 29, Lewisham Hotel, Tasmania
Thursday June 30, St Kilda, Espy Front Bar with special guests Gazoonga Attack
Friday July 1, Melbourne, Green Room with special guests Gazoonga Attack
Saturday July 2, Adelaide, Enigma Bar with special guests Gazoonga Attack
Sunday July 3, Loxton, Loxton Hotel
Thursday July 7, Mandurah, Players Tavern
Friday July 8, Perth, Amplifier Bar
Saturday July 9, Dunsborough, Dunsborough Tavern
Sunday July 10, Scarborough, White Sands
Friday July 15, Annandale Hotel with special guests The Stockholm Syndrome & Gazoonga Attack
Saturday July 16, Newcastle, Cambridge Hotel with special guests Gazoonga Attack