40 years after they first formed, a new documentary is on track to be released about Sydney punk outfit the Hard-Ons, with the first official trailer being released today.
Directed by Jonathan Sequeira and produced by Wade Jackson and Nalini Sequeira, Hard-Ons: The Most Australian Band Ever! has been in the works for a few years now, and aims to shine a light on how “three migrant schoolboys from Sydney’s under-privileged western suburbs” managed to form a band that has gained a global cult following.
Described as a “story about following your vision and the rewards and challenges of living by your truth”, the documentary features interviews with founding members Keish de Silva, Peter Black, and Ray Ahn, in addition to Murray Ruse, Pete Kostic, the Hoodoo Gurus’ Dave Faulkner, and Poison Idea members Jerry A. and the late Steve ‘Thee Slayer Hippy’ Hanford.
The documentary is currently slated to be released next year, with a crowdfunding campaign having been launched via Documentary Australia in order to reach a goal of $65,000.
Late last year, Ray Ahn spoke to Rolling Stone as part of the special edition 50 Greatest Australian Artists of All Time issue. Discussing the impact and legacy of Radio Birdman (who were the focus of Sequeira’s 2018 documentary Descent Into the Maelstrom), Ahn explained how the group inspired him in his own musical journey.”
“Radio Birdman encapsulated to me the seductive and secret world of the outsider: whereupon legendary tales of mainstream hostility did not hinder but fostered and encouraged further musical and ideological growth,” he explained.
“Quite frankly, Radio Birdman at the time of the release of Radios Appear was unstoppable, the only blockage ahead in their future is their own incendiary quality, whereupon volatility begets volatility until the unit is kaput.”
Though exact details about the documentary’s release are yet to be revealed, the trailer shows that Ahn and his influential bandmates are now set to be on the receiving end of similar praise.
