Matt Hewson
Perennial punk rockers the Hard-Ons, arguably Australia’s most successful indie band ever, may have been pumping out the tunes for over 40 years but they’re showing no signs of slowing down.
The band are currently touring their latest album Ripper ‘23 on the east coast before heading to Europe for the 20th time.
Guitarist Peter Black said while he was proud of every album the band has made, there was something special about Ripper ‘23.
“I’ve got to admit, with this record in particular… I just really, really feel like we’ve made a super strong album where there’s not one weak moment,” Black said.
“We’ve always loved variety; we were brought up on albums like Let There Be Rock by AC/DC that, from start to finish, you memorised it, it was a journey.
“And that’s what we still try to do with our albums. We want someone to put that needle on, press play and just really feel good from beginning to end, feel that excitement that music does for us.
“To me, music is something that I was enthralled with as a little kid and if anything, as I get older and discover more that enthrallment just gets bigger.”
While current lead singer Tim Rogers recorded on the band’s previous album I’m Sorry Sir, That Riff’s Been Taken, Ripper ‘23 is the first album written and recorded with Rogers involved from the get-go.
“What really separates it from the last record is now Tim’s been in our band for a while and he’s very much now a part of it,” Black said.
“So it was a lot easier to write, knowing what his vocal capacity and abilities are. And they’re f***ing huge, he’s like a soul singer.
“Whereas last time (the lyrics and melody) were mostly written before he arrived, when we got together this time we already knew what we were doing and where we were at, so it was a lot more collaborative and awesome.”
The Hard-Ons will perform at Torquay Hotel on Friday, June 23.
