Since their formation over 30 years ago in 1981, Sydney punk band The Hard-Ons have become one of the most influential and successful independent groups to emerge from Australian soil.

From their auspicious 1986 debut Smell My Finger to the outrageously tongue-in-cheek Dickcheese and Dateless Dudes Club, their dynamic mix of heavy punk, metal stylings, pop sensibilities, and freewheeling fun has served them well, resulting in a massive fan base all over the world.

At the centre of this whole shebang is guitarist and vocalist, Peter “Blackie” Black. Working with fellow founding member, bassist Ray Ahn, The Hard-Ons have been busy at work re-issuing their earlier releases and gearing up for a summer tour.

On the phone, Black is happy to discuss the reissues, the music industry, re-visiting old memories, and – yes – his brutal attack at the hands of two teenagers whilst driving a taxi early this year.

Black is driving from Ahn’s house, where they’ve been working on the artwork for the upcoming reissue of Love Is A Battlefield Of Wounded Hearts [1989] – and he couldn’t be happier. He’s really keen on getting these re-releases out; they mean the world to him, and he’s really happy with how they’re coming together.

First, is there any chance they’ll head back into the studio for a new album? Short answer: yes.

Black informs that it’ll be “hopefully as soon as the next reissue comes out, which will be the Too Far Gone [1993] one – we’re basically reissuing the first period of the band.”“We’re always working on what’s happening next, and the only time I’ll ever listen to old stuff is A) when we play it, or B) when I have to learn it because we might have to play it.”

‘The Keish period’ as Black calls it, in reference to the band’s original drummer Keish de Silva, “because none of those albums are available anymore!” exclaims Blackie.

“You can find them on eBay and shit, but I consider them to be too expensive. We have fans saying, ‘Oh man, I want to hear your old stuff, and it’s just not available’!” says the frontman.

“Me and Ray are absolute music geeks,” he continues, “and I know that when I buy a re-issue of a band, I know what I want: bonus tracks, live stuff, history, liner notes, and whatnot!”

Certainly, there had to have been a lot of surprises when he combed through the work of his past, all kinds of little treasures and moments that may have been forgotten about.

Moments where he says: “Holy shit, we did that!?” Black laughs and agrees. “Well, I never listen to our records!” he guffaws. “Like, never ever. It’s [all] in my collection, gathering dust. We’re always working on what’s happening next, and the only time I’ll ever listen to old stuff is A) when we play it, or B) when I have to learn it because we might have to play it.”

Black pauses for a moment, and his voice takes on a pleased, dreamy tone. “I’ve got to dig through this stuff and put it on – and it’s an odd experience,” he admits.

“But [it’s] really fun at the same time, it makes me smile. Even the very first one we did, Smell My Finger, just hearing that, 15-16-year-old kids playing at a party, on a cassette tape – it just made me smile, thinking, ‘Wow, this is so fucking cool’!”

There’s an interesting side effect to being in a band that’s existed in some form or other for over three decades – namely, being able to witness firsthand how the music industry has evolved over the years.

Scenes change, as do public taste, and methods of releasing music. What does he consider to be positive changes? What’s gotten worse?

Black thinks on this for a moment, and decides that one advantage would have to be the immediacy of music and the discovery of new bands and tunes. “But that’s also one of the downsides,” he admits.

“Because I know you’ve got a lot of people who don’t really let records grow on them. Some bands still require that – like experimental bands. Not so much The Hard-Ons, I think that style of music – well, to me anyways – one of its highlights is its immediacy. It’s basic rock n roll and our fairly pop-oriented hooks!” Black laughs loudly at his own description.“I think it’s shitty that people think music comes from thin air and it should be free. It really shouldn’t; it’s a hell of a lot of work!”

“But let’s say I’m reading an issue of Mojo, and then I read about something I haven’t heard before. I can just go to my computer and go to YouTube and pretty much hear everything that I’m reading about, to see if I like it or not,” he explains.

“The immediacy and convenience can be pretty cool,” he says. But that immediacy, he admits, is also a downside. The payments, for instance, have pretty much dried up for most working musicians in this cynically immediate digital age.

“If you’re going to be in a band, on our level anyway, it’s at cost,” he says. “Everything we do now is a hobby, because we don’t make a cent… no one buys records anymore; and there’s a lot of illegal downloading, which – coming from an artist’s perspective – I think is pretty shit.”

Blackie bemoans that many people, but “especially kids,” don’t appreciate the art of the album format, “for them, a download is enough; and the downside of it all is, for bands like us, we struggle like you wouldn’t believe just financially, even making the money to go and record the next record.”

Making it especially difficult to raise enough finances to sustain the funds for subsequent Hard-Ons recording. Something that “frankly… really sucks,” exclaims Black.

It was while working his other job, driving a taxi, that Black suffered an act of such barbaric cruelty that it beggars belief.

It was a May evening where Black picked up a couple of teenagers who then brutally beat him, sending him to hospital with a fractured skull and a swollen brain. It was touch and go for a while, and The Hard-Ons’ future was in question.

The music community and fans of the band rose up to offer their support, and the level they reached was incredible.

Black is currently preparing to confront one of his assailants in court, and he’s understandably nervous.“I’d get up in the morning and go to the toilet and it felt like I was on a ship, out to sea! It was like, ‘Man, I’m fucked up! I’m really damaged! These kids really fucked me up’.”

“The kids have been in court a couple of times pleading ‘not guilty’, which fucking sickens me like you wouldn’t believe, but I guess that’s normal,” he says softly. “But I’m actually looking forward to [confronting him], because I want closure for this and I want the law to deal with this scumbag, as hard as it can.”

“At the same time, it makes me wonder how I’m going to feel when I see this piece of shit. You know, it’s going to be very difficult…”

How’s the recuperation coming along? “Really good, I feel,” he says. “I was really screwed up for a long time: dizziness and vertigo and depth perception were out of whack, I actually drove in a taxi this week for the first time since [the attack] happened.”

Black states that it took five months before he was legally allowed to work again, “boy, it was severe,” he says.

“I’m still feeling it, I still have dizziness – but nowhere near how it was six to seven weeks ago, where I’d get up in the morning and go to the toilet and it felt like I was on a ship, out to sea! It was like, ‘Man, I’m fucked up! I’m really damaged! These kids really fucked me up’.”

“But I don’t want to dwell too much on the negative aspect, because – like you said – the music community – man, I’m shocked at the level of support!” enthuses the Hards-On singer.

“I was shocked and so heartened that I actually can’t still believe it. When I think about it, I’m still really flabbergasted and I couldn’t be more thankful and grateful if I tried!”

“It’s funny; you know what I got yesterday?” he ponders aloud. “As a little ‘thank-you’, I put together – I was thinking, ‘How can you say thank-you to everyone?’ – I put together a little live solo show that I did, a nine-track mini solo thing, and I’m giving them away.”

Designed as a personal token of gratitude, “so whoever wants one, can have one!” says the grateful Black, “a ‘thank-you’ from me to everyone’s massive outpouring of support!”

Black’s solo album, No Dangerous Gods In Tunnel is out now through Citadel Records. For the Hard Ons reissues and more tour dates, keep an eye on hard-ons.net

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