Rob Hirst knows he’s dying, but he doesn’t let it get in the way of kicking back. Hirst – for five decades the co-founder, drummer and driving force of Midnight Oil – is enjoying a sunny afternoon in Sydney, relaxing on an old-school banana lounge, soaking in Vitamin D. But even when he’s putting his […]
Rob Hirst: Feeling good, for 100 years or more Read More »
In his memoir Big Blue Sky, Peter Garrett cites an iron law of rock (and Regurgitator): fans will always tell you that they like your old stuff better than your new stuff. That’s because, for any band that has a long career, songs are associated with the memories that we attach to them when we were
Midnight Oil: sorted Read More »
When Midnight Oil announced their final tour last November – a once-more-with-feeling run of dates around the country to support their 13th studio album, Resist – founding guitarist Jim Moginie was typically met with three responses. The first was a scoff of disbelief, usually with a reference to John Farnham’s never-ending farewell shows. The second, more
Midnight Oil’s Resist: “We mean it, man!” Read More »
On 1 April 2019, singer and songwriter Troy Cassar-Daley was finishing up a song with Cold Chisel guitarist Ian Moss when he took a phone call. His father, who had been depressed and in poor health following a stroke, had taken his own life. The song’s chorus – “watching it all go south” – took
Troy Cassar-Daley’s reckoning Read More »
The first time I saw Wayne Stevens – better known by his stage name Bones Hillman – was at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on 26 September 1987, making his debut as Midnight Oil’s new bass player. Tall and upright, he was standing to the left of the band’s even taller singer, Peter Garrett, who introduced him
Bones Hillman 1958-2020 Read More »
In the spring of 2017, immediately after the release of the Australian band Cloud Control’s third album, Zone, the band’s keyboard player, Heidi Lenffer, was contemplating what the their upcoming tour would cost. But this time she wasn’t just thinking about the money; she was thinking about emissions. Independent bands are used to running on a
Australian musicians band together to invest in solar Read More »