Founded: 1976
Location: Australia
Midnight Oil (known informally as "The Oils") are an Australian rock band composed of Peter Garrett (vocals, harmonica), Rob Hirst (drums), Jim Moginie (guitar, keyboard) and Martin Rotsey (guitar). The group was formed in Sydney in 1972 by Hirst, Moginie and original bassist Andrew James as Farm: they enlisted Garrett the following year, changed their name in 1976, and hired Rotsey a year later. Peter Gifford served as bass player from 1980 to 1987, with Bones Hillman then assuming the role until his death in 2020. Midnight Oil have sold over 20 million albums worldwide as of 2021.
MusicBrainz content provided under the terms of the Data License
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the
Creative Commons BY-SA license
Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter
'The Hardest Line' premiered at the Sydney Film Festival back in June and had its cinema debut a month later.
Whether it’s Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue going goth or Josh Pyke and Gordi teaming up for a folk ditty, here are some of our all-time favourite Aussie collabs.
“The time has come for the story of Midnight Oil”.
The four iconic artists will deliver contemporary takes on the acoustic piano.
We all know about Blur V Oasis, Liam V Noel, and Roger Waters V David Gilmour, but what are the best feuds in Australian music? The Music investigates.
"After following them for seven years, we thank ‘The Oils’, and we feel we have an important film to share."
We might not be on the same level as America or Britain in terms of doco output, but there is no doubt the Aussie music scene has plenty of tales to tell.
Peter Garrett had one condition for performing at the AFL Grand Final, which was never met.
To celebrate the release of his new memoir, 'The Silver River', Jim Moginie has offered 'The Music' an exclusive extract that takes a look at the early days of Midnight Oil. Jim will be touring from March, full details at Harper Collins.
"I'm not price gouging like Taylor, to be blunt..."