The iconic Aus Rock dandy has joined his favourite Australian punk band from his teenage years!
Headlines do not come much more unexpected than this one! The Hard-Ons, who have been cranking out their own brand of punk rock for nearly 40 years now (yes, they started young!), have announced the addition of a new member, one Tim Rogers.
The ageless Sydney punk-rock heroes, The Hard-Ons, have solved their lead singer problem by handing the mic to long-time fan-boy, Tim! Hold Tight, the band’s first single with the new lineup will drop on 13th August, followed by a new album entitled I’m Sorry Sir, That Riff’s Been Taken on 8th October.
Rogers recently celebrated his best chart debut in 20 years when You Am I’s new album The Lives of Others landed at #2 in the Aussie charts. The You Am I frontman is not only a long-time friend of the band, but a long-time fan, having caught them numerous times in his teenage years and bought their records from the start.
Never happy with less than a full plate, Rogers will, of course, remain with You Am I. He will no doubt keep doing all the other things he does, but as of now, he is also the Hard-Ons’ lead singer.
The Hard-Ons’ Ray Ahn has said, “I’m thrilled to have Tim on board and am loving his contribution!” Bandmate Blackie concurs, “How fucking good is this!!” Tim himself has said, “I was already the luckiest goof in rock’n’roll, and I get asked to make a racket with my hero’s? Strewth. Wake me up sometime, will ya?”
One of Australia’s most loved and influential bands from the mid-’80s to now, the Hard-Ons came out of the multicultural South-West Sydney suburb Punchbowl. They quickly attracted a large following nationally with their irreverent attitude and catchy, noisy high energy sound.
Appearing on the Radio Birdman-influenced Sydney scene of the early ‘80s and preceding the punk-pop boom of the ‘90s, the Hard-Ons were a musical bridge and became a punk and alternative music sensation.
Hard-Ons blew open doors by incorporating disparate elements – like a range of metal styles, from glam to thrash, previously unheard in Australian punk. The band were forced to push through barriers that appeared due to their mixed ethnicity and their wilful transgressive and irreverent nature. All of which was typified by their name and by Ray’s outrageous artwork.
The Hard-Ons have shared bills with the likes of the Ramones and Nirvana, appearing at numerous Big Days Out; they have a never-bettered 17 string of consecutive number 1s on the Australian independent charts and in 1989 were the only Australian band still based in Australia to hit the top 5 in the NME charts.
Despite break-ups and side projects, they undertook their 19th European tour in 2018, playing Hellfest alongside Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Joan Jett. Soon to celebrate 40 years together, their new album with new kid Tim will be their 13th LP.
Hard-Ons are trailblazers!” Jello Biafra (ex-Dead Kennedys)
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Over the years, the Hard-Ons have won the vocal support of artists like Dave Grohl, Henry Rollins, and Jello Biafra. They’ve influenced subsequent generations of punk bands – from the Meanies to Frenzal Rhomb to Private Function, as well as a wide-ranging groundswell of Australian alternative artists – from You, Am I to Spiderbait, Silverchair, Regurgitator, Magic Dirt, Powderfinger, the Dirty Three and the Chats – each of whom have been inspired by the Hard-Ons’ energy, free spirit and uncompromising dedication.
Pre-order/pre-save single Hold Tight – out Friday, August 13.
Pre-order/pre-save I’m Sorry Sir, That Riff’s Been Taken – out October 8.
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