Peter Black, widely known as Blackie from Hard-Ons, unveils a new video for Whispering Conductor as part of his twin solo album cycle A Bowl Of Spiders and The Boss Is Gone Gone Gone released last month.
by Paul Cashmere
Peter Black, the guitarist and songwriter best known as Blackie from Hard-Ons, has premiered a new video for Whispering Conductor, a track drawn from his recently released solo album A Bowl Of Spiders. The clip arrives only weeks after Black issued two full-length solo records simultaneously, A Bowl Of Spiders and The Boss Is Gone Gone Gone, marking his first solo album releases since November 2020.
The new video continues a productive period for Black, who has been balancing activity across his solo work alongside commitments to both Hard-Ons and Nunchukka Superfly. The musician has already begun 2026 with a solo tour and is preparing for an extensive national run where the Hard-Ons will co-headline with Redd Kross and perform alongside UK punk figure TV Smith of The Adverts.
The twin album release reflects a working pattern Black has adopted before. His previous solo cycle in 2020 also arrived as two records issued together, a method he says stems from the sheer volume of material he writes. By separating songs into different sonic frameworks, Black has created two albums with distinct personalities while recording them during the same sessions.
“It’s two albums again because I just had too many songs I wanted to record,” Black said of the process. “Boss Is Gone is purely acoustic, again I wanted to see if I could pull off something so quiet, and Spiders is eclectic. Like everything I do I always hope the new stuff is better than what I’ve done before.”
Both albums were recorded simultaneously over a nine month period at Pet Food Factory with producers Jason Whalley and Jemima Perry-Ewing. The recordings were later mixed by Lachlan Mitchell at Parliament Studios and mastered by John Ruberto.
While The Boss Is Gone Gone Gone centres on acoustic arrangements and intimate performances, A Bowl Of Spiders moves through a broader stylistic range. That variety is reflected across the album’s singles, including Conga Line To The Rest Room, which leans into synth driven textures and rhythm heavy structures that diverge from the guitar dominated approach often associated with Black’s band work.
Other tracks explore equally varied terrain. There Is Love carries an uplifting gospel influence, while Clap Your Hands leans toward power pop structures driven by melodic hooks. The variety of guitar tones across the album underscores Black’s reputation as a player who has consistently experimented with tone and style throughout his career.
The companion album The Boss Is Gone Gone Gone takes a contrasting direction. The record opens with Pumas On The Sleeve, a brief vocal arrangement that references harmony pop traditions associated with artists like The Beach Boys. That vocal emphasis continues on Push Push Push, which features backing vocals from Tim Steward of Screamfeeder.
The acoustic framework also allows space for collaborations. Toss And Turn features a duet with Lauren Friedman from The Neptune Power Federation, while Long Long Drive Ahead Of You moves toward a country influenced arrangement supported by harmonies from Black’s Hard-Ons bandmate Tim Rogers.
Black’s solo catalogue has developed alongside the long running history of the Hard-Ons, one of Australia’s most influential independent bands since forming in Sydney in the early 1980s. Across more than four decades the group has built a reputation for blending punk energy with melodic pop sensibilities, influencing generations of Australian alternative musicians.
The solo material functions as a separate creative outlet where Black can explore ideas that might not fit within a band structure. As he explained, deciding where a song belongs is often instinctive.
“How I differentiate these songs from Hard-Ons or Nunchukka songs is very easy,” he said. “Some are personal and I wanted to do them myself, some I wanted to experiment with and one I was told ‘save that for your solo album Blackie’, so I did.”
The dual albums therefore sit as a distinct chapter within his broader songwriting timeline. They also arrive during a period when veteran artists across the independent sector are increasingly returning to solo releases alongside band work, using smaller recording setups and collaborative studios to maintain steady output.
With the video for Whispering Conductor now released, Black’s immediate schedule continues to move between solo performances and band commitments. The Hard-Ons’ national run with Redd Kross will follow his recent solo tour dates, while the band also prepares to perform alongside TV Smith.
The two albums remain available across multiple formats, including limited vinyl pressings designed for collectors as well as digital editions. For Black, the simultaneous release of A Bowl Of Spiders and The Boss Is Gone Gone Gone reflects the same principle that has guided much of his career, keep writing, keep recording and keep moving forward.
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first—Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube
Follow Noise11.com on social media:
Bluesky
Facebook – Comment on the news of the day
