Midnight Oil

Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil
	Midnight Oil at Vieilles Charrues Festival, 2022
Background information
Also known as	Farm (1972–1976)
Origin	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Genres	Alternative rock; post-punk; hard rock; new wave;
Years active	1972–2002, 2016–present; (reunions: 2005, 2009)
Labels	Powderworks; Columbia;
Members	Peter Garrett; Jim Moginie; Martin Rotsey;
Past member(s)	Rob Hirst; Andrew James; Peter Gifford; Bones Hillman;
Website	www.midnightoil.com

Midnight Oil (known informally as "The Oils") are an Australian rock band. It formed in Sydney in 1972. The members are Peter Garrett (vocals, harmonica), Jim Moginie (guitar, keyboard) and Martin Rotsey (guitar). The lineup also included Bones Hillman (bass) and Rob Hirst (drums and vocals) until their deaths in 2020 and 2026 respectively. Rob Hirst was a founding member of the band.

Midnight Oil issued their self-titled debut album in 1978. They gained a cult following in their homeland. Despite this, they lacked mainstream media acceptance. The band achieved greater popularity throughout Australasia with the release of 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (1982). It featured the singles "Power and the Passion" and "US Forces." The band began to attract an audience in the United States. They achieved their first Australian number one album in 1984. This was with Red Sails in the Sunset. They topped Australlia's singles chart for six weeks in 1985. This was with the EP Species Deceases.

The band found worldwide success in 1987. This was with Diesel and Dust. Its singles "The Dead Heart" and "Beds Are Burning" brought light to discrimination of Indigenous Australians. The latter charted at number one in multiple countries. Midnight Oil had continued global success with Blue Sky Mining (1990) and Earth and Sun and Moon (1993). Both had internet hit single in "Blue Sky Mine" and "Truganini", respectively. They retained an album chart presence in Australia. This was until their 2002 disbandment. The group had some reunions in the 2000s. They fully reformed in 2016. The band released their 15th and final studio album, Resist in 2022.^[2] They announced an accompanying tour.^[3]

The band's music is often political. They have lent support to multiple causes. The band won eleven ARIA Awards. They were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006. Midnight Oil's legacy has grown since the late 1970s. The group had been cited as an influence by many popular artists. Some of whom, also covered their songs. The band is also renowned for their live performances. They showcase the frenetic dancing of Garrett.

Band members

Current members

Peter Garrett – lead vocals, harmonica (1976–2002, 2005, 2009, 2016–present)
Jim Moginie – guitars, keyboards, backing vocals (1976–2002, 2005, 2009, 2016–present)
Martin Rotsey – guitars (1977–2002, 2005, 2009, 2016–present)

Former members

Rob Hirst – drums, backing and occasional lead vocals (1976–2002, 2005, 2009, 2016–2026; died 2026)
Andrew James – bass (1976–1980), backing vocals (1979–1980)
Peter Gifford – bass, backing vocals (1980–1987)
Bones Hillman – bass, backing vocals (1987–2002, 2005, 2009, 2016–2020; died 2020)

Former touring musicians^[4]

Charlie McMahon – didgeridoo (1984, 1986)
Glad Reed – trombone (1985–1990, 2009)
Chris Abrahams – keyboards (1993–1994, 2000)
Jack Howard – trumpet, flugelhorn, keyboards, percussion (2017)
Andy Bickers – saxophone (2019, 2021–2022)
Adam Ventoura – bass, backing vocals (2021–2022)
Leah Flanagan – backing vocals (2021–2022)
Liz Stringer – backing vocals, acoustic guitar (2021–2022)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Awards and nominations

APRA Awards


Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1989–90	"Beds Are Burning" (Peter Garrett, Robert Hirst, James Moginie)	Gold Award	Won
2001	"Beds Are Burning" (Garrett, Hirst, Moginie)	APRA Top 10 Australian songs	No. 3
2001	"Power and the Passion" (Hirst, Moginie, Garrett)	APRA Top 30 Australian songs	11–30
2018	Midnight Oil (Garrett, Hirst, Martin Rotsey, Moginie, Bones Hillman	Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music	Won
2021	"Gadigal Land" (Joel Davison, Rob Hirst, Bunna Lawrie)	Song of the Year^[5]	Won
2022	"First Nation"	Song of the Year^[6]	Nominated
2023	"Rising Seas"	Song of the Year^[7]	Shortlisted
2023	"Rising Seas"	Most Performed Rock Work^[8]	Nominated

ARIA Music Awards


Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1987	"The Dead Heart"	Best Group	Nominated
1988	"Beds Are Burning"	Single of the Year	Won
	"Beds Are Burning" (Peter Garrett, Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie)	Song of the Year	Won
	Midnight Oil	Best Group	Nominated
	Diesel and Dust	Best Indigenous Release	Nominated
	Diesel and Dust – Ken Duncan, Creative Type Wart, Gary Morris, Midnight Oil	Best Cover Art	Won
1989	"Dreamworld"	Best Group	Nominated
	"Dreamworld"	Best Indigenous Release	Nominated
	"Dreamworld" – Guy Gray	Engineer of the Year	Nominated
	"Dreamworld" – Andrew de Groot	Best Video	Nominated
1991	Blue Sky Mining	Album of the Year	Won
	Blue Sky Mining	Best Group	Won
	Blue Sky Mining – Livingstone Clarke	Best Cover Art	Won
	"Blue Sky Mine"	Single of the Year	Nominated
	"Blue Sky Mine" (Hirst, Moginie, Garrett, Martin Rotsey, Bones Hillman)	Song of the Year	Nominated
	"Blue Sky Mine" – Claudia Castle	Best Video	Won
	Midnight Oil – David Nicholas	Engineer of the Year	Won
	Midnight Oil	Outstanding Achievement	Won
1993	Scream in Blue – Midnight Oil, Neo One Design	Best Cover Art	Nominated
1994	Earth and Sun and Moon	Best Group	Nominated
	Earth and Sun and Moon – Kevin Wilkins, Midnight Oil	Best Cover Art	Nominated
	"Outbreak of Love" – Paul Elliott	Best Video	Nominated
1998	20,000 Watt R.S.L.	Highest Selling Album	Nominated
	20,000 Watt R.S.L. – Kevin Wilkins	Best Cover Art	Nominated
	"White Skin / Black Heart" – Magoo	Engineer of the Year	Won
1999	Redneck Wonderland – Magoo	Engineer of the Year	Nominated
2004	Best of Both Worlds	Best Music DVD	Won
2006	Midnight Oil	Hall of Fame	Inducted
2017	The Overflow Tank – Mitchell Storck	Best Cover Art	Nominated
2019	Armistice Day	Best Rock Album	Nominated
2019	Midnight Oil	Best Australian Live Act	Nominated
2021^[9]	The Makarrata Project	Album of the Year	Nominated
		Best Rock Album	Nominated
		Best Group	Nominated
	Robert Hambling for Midnight Oil – "First Nation"	Best Video	Nominated
	Makarrata Live	Best Australian Live Act	Nominated
2022^[10]	Resist	Best Group	Nominated
2022^[10]	Resist. The Final Tour 2022	Best Australian Live Act	Nominated

Countdown Australian Music Awards


Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1981	Themselves	Most Consistent Live Act	Nominated
1982	10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1	Best Australian Album	Nominated
1983	"Power and the Passion"	Best Australian Single	Won
1983	"Power and the Passion"	Best Promotional Video	Nominated
1984	Red Sails in the Sunset	Best Australian Album	Nominated
	"Read About It"	Best Group Performance in a Video	Nominated
	"Short Memory" – Peter Garrett (Midnight Oil)	Best Male Performance in a Video	Nominated
	Themselves	Most Popular Australian Group	Nominated
1986	"The Dead Heart"	Best Australian Single	Nominated

Environmental Music Prize


Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result	Ref.
2023	"Rising Seas"	Environmental Music Prize	Nominated	^[11]^[12]

Helpmann Awards


Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result	Ref.
2005	Midnight Oil - WaveAid - the Tsunami Relief Concert	Best Performance in an Australian Contemporary Concert	Nominated	^[13]
2018	Midnight Oil - The Great Circle World Tour 2017	Best Australian Contemporary Concert	Nominated	^[14]

J Awards


Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result	Ref.
2022	Midnight Oil	Double J Artist of the Year	Won	^[15]^[16]

Mo Awards


Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result (wins only)
1990	Midnight Oil	Rock Group of the Year	Won
1990	Midnight Oil	Rock Performer of the Year	Won

References

↑ Merline, Michael (1 May 2013)."Midnight Oil: Essential Oils". Archived from the original on 13 July 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Spectrum Culture.
↑ "Marbecks >> Resist – Midnight Oil". marbecks.co.nz. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
↑ "Midnight Oil Confirm Final Tour and New Album". Ultimate Classic Rock. 27 November 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
↑ Rockman, Lisa (4 February 2021). "First Nations artists join Midnight Oil on Makarrata Live tour at Hunter Valley's Hope Estate". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
↑ "Nominees announced for the 2021 APRA Music Awards". APRA AMCOS. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
↑ "Nominees Revealed for 2022 APRA Music Awards". The Industry Observer. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
↑ "These 20 songs are up for 2023 APRA Song Of The Year". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
↑ "Nominees revealed for the 2023 APRA Music Awards". APRA Awards. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
↑ Kelly, Vivienne (20 October 2021). "ARIA Awards nominees revealed: Amy Shark & Genesis Owusu lead the charge". The Music Network. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
↑ Lars Brandle (12 October 2022). "Rüfüs Du Sol Leads 2022 ARIA Awards Nominees (Full List)". The Music Network. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
↑ "Environmental Music Prize 2023 Finalists". Music Feeds. 26 April 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
↑ "Xavier Rudd Wins 2023's Environmental Music Prize". Music Feeds. 13 June 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
↑ "2005 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 8 October 2022.
↑ "Laneway, CMC Rocks, Sheeran, Gang of Youths, up for Helpmann nominations". The Music Network. June 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
↑ "Here's all the J Awards 2022 nominees!". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
↑ "Gang Of Youths lead our 2022 J Award winners!". triple j. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.

Other websites

Find more about Midnight Oil at Wikipedia's sister projects
	Media from Commons
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Data from Wikidata

The Deadheart – fan website

[1] Merline, Michael (1 May 2013)."Midnight Oil: Essential Oils". Archived from the original on 13 July 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Spectrum Culture.

[2] "Marbecks >> Resist – Midnight Oil". marbecks.co.nz. Retrieved 8 March 2022.

[3] "Midnight Oil Confirm Final Tour and New Album". Ultimate Classic Rock. 27 November 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2022.

[4] Rockman, Lisa (4 February 2021). "First Nations artists join Midnight Oil on Makarrata Live tour at Hunter Valley's Hope Estate". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 24 February 2021.

[APRA_Noms_2021-5] "Nominees announced for the 2021 APRA Music Awards". APRA AMCOS. Retrieved 31 March 2021.

[APRA2022Noms-6] "Nominees Revealed for 2022 APRA Music Awards". The Industry Observer. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.

[SotYshortlist-7] "These 20 songs are up for 2023 APRA Song Of The Year". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.

[APRAnoms2023-8] "Nominees revealed for the 2023 APRA Music Awards". APRA Awards. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.

[9] Kelly, Vivienne (20 October 2021). "ARIA Awards nominees revealed: Amy Shark & Genesis Owusu lead the charge". The Music Network. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.

[2022ARIAnoms-10] Lars Brandle (12 October 2022). "Rüfüs Du Sol Leads 2022 ARIA Awards Nominees (Full List)". The Music Network. Retrieved 12 October 2022.

[EMP_2023_noms-11] "Environmental Music Prize 2023 Finalists". Music Feeds. 26 April 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.

[12] "Xavier Rudd Wins 2023's Environmental Music Prize". Music Feeds. 13 June 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.

[13] "2005 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 8 October 2022.

[14] "Laneway, CMC Rocks, Sheeran, Gang of Youths, up for Helpmann nominations". The Music Network. June 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2022.

[2022nomsJ-15] "Here's all the J Awards 2022 nominees!". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.

[16] "Gang Of Youths lead our 2022 J Award winners!". triple j. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.

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