Early recordings by The Hard-Ons such as
Smell My Finger,
Dickcheese,
Love Is a Battlefield of Wounded Hearts, and
Yummy! set the blueprint for the group's sound: messy pop-punk with
metal and
psychedelia elements. Australian
music historian Ian McFarlane described their music as "cheap and potent, their appeal selective. Yet never has so much been owed by so many to so few chords ... fused punk tempos, hardcore attitude, heavy metal riffs and surf-pop melodies into a seamless ball of energy". A 1987
Beat Magazine article described their sound as "
Motörhead meets the
Beach Boys";
AllMusic's Jody McGregor describes it as a "mix of punk, pop, and metal" with "dashes of power pop, psychedelic rock, thrashy metal, and a healthy dose of humor". Though originally inspired by punk bands such as
Sex Pistols,
The Buzzcocks,
The Damned,
Ramones and
The Saints, the band also blended pop, psychedelia and metal elements; "death-pop" as described by Ahn. The band had a very similar sound to Hüsker Dü, especially their Candy Apple Grey era. They were also noteworthy not only within punk but also within rock music for having their lead vocals handled by de Silva, the group's drummer. The physical challenge of drumming to the band's fast punk rock songs as well as singing (as opposed to shouting) made for charismatic live performances. Guitarist Black provided another original touch to the band with his distinctive guitar sound that is both melodic and messy, often making use of
feedback. Major recurring lyrical themes range from girls, love and relationships (as in: "I Do I Do I Do", "Just Being With You", "Girl in the Sweater") to
toilet humour ("I Farted", "Oozin' for Pleasure") as well as other variations, particularly in the post-Keish line-up of the band. ==Band members==