The Hard-Ons are an Australian punk rock band, which formed in 1982 in Punchbowl, New South Wales. Its founding members were Keish de Silva on lead vocals and drums, Peter "Blackie" Black on guitar and backing vocals, and Ray Ahn on bass guitar. The band issued eight studio albums prior to their disbandment in 1994, and achieved 17 consecutive number-one hits on the Australian alternative charts during their first 12 years as a band. During that time, they became Australia's most commercially successful independent band, with over 250,000 total record sales.. The band reformed in 1997 to release further material, and have remained together ever since. In 2002, de Silva announced his departure from the band. He was replaced on drums by Front End Loader's Peter Kostic, while Black took over on lead vocals. Kostic was later replaced in turn by Conation drummer Murray Ruse in 2011. de Silva returned as a guest vocalist in 2014, and permanently rejoined the band in 2016. This version of the band would stay together for a further five years and one studio album, prior to de Silva's second departure in 2021. You Am I frontman Tim Rogers has since taken over as the band's lead vocalist. Australian music historian Ian McFarlane has described the band's music as "fused punk tempos, hardcore attitude, heavy metal riffs and surf-pop melodies into a seamless ball of energy". Although the band has largely had little commercial success, the Hard-Ons have had two singles, two EPs, two studio albums and one greatest hits compilation peak within the ARIA top 100. Biography 1981–1994: Early days to disbandment The Hard-Ons' origins are traced to Western Sydney's Punchbowl Boys High School, where three founding members were students. In 1981 the first version of the band, then-known as Dead Rats, included Peter "Blackie" Black on guitar, Brendan Creighton on drums and Shane Keish de Silva on guitar and vocals. In 1982 Creighton left to form Thrust and Raymond Dongwan Ahn joined on bass guitar with de Silva taking over on drums, the group began playing as The Plebs before being renamed as The Hard-Ons by the end of the year. Initially being too young to play in pubs, the band featured at birthday parties and school dances. On 20 June 1984, The Hard-Ons played their first official show at the Vulcan Hotel in Ultimo. Black later recalled "We wanted to be punk