As Blackie, Peter Black has been wielding his Gibson SG in Sydney’s pioneering multicultural pop-punk phenomenon the Hard-Ons since the early-‘80s. Since he was 13 in fact. With the Hard-ons, Peter Black has had a hand in classic alternative hits like “Girl I the Sweater”, “Where Did She Come From”, “Just Being with You” and “Don’t Wanna See You Cry”, released over a dozen albums and over twenty singles and EPs, played the inaugural Big Day Out, toured Australia, Europe and the US countless times, built a legion of fans and influenced generation after generation of subsequent musicians. You can ask everyone from Spiderbait and Regurgitator, You Am I and Magic Dirt, through to Frenzal Rhomb and current chart breakers Private Function, and they’ll confirm that last point.

Peter Black is set to release his 6th and 7th solo albums, IF THIS IS THE HAND THAT I’M DEALT and I’M GONNA CHEAT AS MUCH AS I CAN on November 27. They’re a perfect pair; one acoustic based, one electric. Both full of great tunes. Both were again recorded with Jay Whalley of the Frenzals and Neptune Power Federation, who also contributes some keyboards and vocals to both albums. Jay’s partner in Neptune Power Federation, Lauren Friedman, contributes some vocals to both as well, and other musical pals like Heather Shannon from the Jezebels, fellow Hard-On Ray Ahn and former Nunchukka Superfly drummer Joel Ellis (Peter’s regular drummer) also help out. The acoustic one utilises strings and really highlights some outrageous vocal arrangements and harmonies - Blackie perhaps thinks he’s all three Wilson brothers and their cousin all in one - and the electric one, while a bit louder, is similarly textured and just as pretty.