Phenomenal drummer and percussionist was an equally accomplished songwriter who embodied the band’s bloody-minded spirit * Rob Hirst, Midnight Oil drummer and founding member, dies aged 70 Ask Midnight Oil fans what drummer Rob Hirst will be remembered for, and the most likely answer will be his drum solo on Power and the Passion, one of the band’s big early hits. It’s an explosive minute of almost literal madness – Hirst was on the verge of a breakdown when the track was recorded in 1982, for their breakthrough album 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Drum solos had, by that time, become a symbol of rock excess. But this wasn’t just another vulgar display of virtuosity. It was more musical than most guitar solos, enhancing a song already full of moving parts. Live, much of it was played on a corrugated iron water tank Hirst retrieved from the desert on the Oils’ Blackfella/Whitefella tour in 1986. Continue reading...

Musician who drove much of the band’s ferocious sound and co-wrote many of its biggest hits was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2023 Rob Hirst, the drummer and founding member of Australian rock band Midnight Oil, has died aged 70. Hirst was diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer in 2023. In 2025 he spoke about his support for voluntary assisted dying, which he was eligible for in New South Wales. Continue reading...

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