Following a massive year for both his bands the Hard-Ons and Nunchukka Superfly – and before another big year gets into gear with the Hard-Ons and their national co-headline tour with Redd Kross – Peter ‘Blackie’ Black, guitarist and songwriter extraordinaire, today releases two new solo albums – his first since he released two solo albums in November 2020 – and continues a solo tour he kicked off last night in Wollongong.
He has also launched the new single and video “Toss and Turn”, taken from the album The Boss is Gone Gone Gone, which follows the Rage-playlisted video for “Congo Line to the Rest Room”, from the album A Bowl of Spiders, which appeared last month.
Peter Black “Toss and Turn” (Official Video)
The Boss is Gone Gone Gone and A Bowl of Spiders were made simultaneously over a 9-month period, once again at Pet Food Factory with Jason Whalley and Jemima Perry-Ewing, then mixed at Parliament Studios by Lachlan Mitchell and mastered by John Ruberto.
Sez Blackie: “It’s two albums again ’cause I just had too many songs I wanted to record .. Boss is Gone is purely acoustic – again I wanted to see if i could pull off something so quiet – and Spiders is eclectic.. and like everything i do i always hope the new stuff is better than what I’ve done before :-).
“How I differentiate these songs (from Hard-Ons or Nunchukka songs) for the most part is very easy. Some are personal and I wanted to do them myself, some I wanted to experiment with and one I was told ‘save that for ya solo album Blackie” so i did hahaha’.
“I’m really really happy with both…”
Highlights across the albums are plentiful. On A Bowl of Spiders there’s the single “Conga Line to the Rest Room” (“I wanted to try synth pop…”) the stomping, uplifting “There is Love” (“I was getting into gospel..”), and the hooky power pop of “Clap Your Hands”. The variety of guitar tones is astounding. The Boss is Gone Gone Gone kicks off with “Pumas on the Sleeve”, a snippet of acapella pop a la Beach Boys, and “Push Push Push” reprises that vibe, with help from Screamfeeder’s Tim Steward’s backing vocals. ‘Acoustic’ doesn’t just mean guitars… “Toss and Turn”, a duet with the Neptune Power Federation’s Lauren Friedman is another vocal stunner, and “Long Long Drive Ahead of You” is almost country, and features yet another stunning vocal arrangement, with harmonic help from Blackie’s Hard-Ons bandmate Tim Rogers.
The Boss Is Gone Gone Gone is available on white 12″ vinyl (100 only), black 12″ vinyl and digitally – The Boss Is Gone Gone Gone | Peter Black | Peter Black Solo
A Bowl of Spiders is available on yellow 12″ vinyl (100 only), black 12″ vinyl and digitally – A Bowl of Spiders | Peter Black | Peter Black Solo
Blackie is on tour nationally in February, before the Hard-Ons hit the road with Redd Kross. See below for dates.
Peter Black “Conga Line to the Rest Room” (Official Video)
Peter Black solo tour Feb/March 2026
7th Feb – Velvet Fog Records – Katoomba – https://thevelvetfog.com.au/
13th Feb – The Cave Inn – Brisbane – tix
14th Feb – Vinnies Dive Bar – Gold Coast (Matinee Show) – tix
19th Feb – Medusa Bar – Geelong – linktr.ee/medusageelong
20th Feb – Town Hall Hotel – Melbourne (two sets) – https://townienorthmelb.com/
21st Feb – Table Records – Castlemaine – www.tablerecords.com.au
27th Feb – Hopsters Brewery – Sydney – https://hopsters.coop/events/
28th Feb – Flow Bar – Old Bar – http://www.flowbar.com.au/
1st March – Hiss and Crackle Records – Newcastle –https://linktr.ee/hisscrackle
Heavy-hitters praise Blackie’s last couple of solo records:
“These two fantastic albums are simply bursting with ideas and, both lyrically and musically, there are surprises at every turn… Fascinating, entertaining and bloody brilliant!” – Dave Faulkner (The Victims, Hoodoo Gurus)
“Both discs offer a melodic salve for our weary times… Blackie, thank you for making these records, we need them right now!” – Steve McDonald (Redd Kross / Melvins)
“It’s great how far reaching and ambitious Peter Black’s solo stuff is. Great vocal melodies… “ – Warren Ellis (Dirty Three / Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds)
“Beautifully produced pop.. and pop with a capital P too. … everything Blackie has done is quality… but the addition of acoustic and harmony has taken Blackie into classic rock territory.. and if that means joining the likes of Brian Wilson and The Byrds why ever not. ” – Captain Sensible (The Damned)
Follow Blackie on
https://www.facebook.com/peter.black.399
https://www.instagram.com/peterblackieback/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/723vhSob3R4dMB4R9dBKKc?si=j4YNCYPPQI6P_8_xBPhd6Q
