The PresetsMembers of the Australian music industry who attended last night’s APRA Awards (29 April) received a major treat: the one and only Peter Garrett joined The Presets on stage as the electronic pop duo paid tribute to the dearly departed Midnight Oil drummer, Rob Hirst.
With six drummers on stage, including The Presets’ Kim Moyes, every musician on stage paid tribute to the Oils with a stunning rendition of the band’s 1982 hit, Power And The Passion.
Singer Peter Garrett appeared on stage to sing the final lyrics, including “Flat chat, Pine Gap, in every home a Big Mac,” and the endlessly iconic line, “It’s better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.”
The Presets covered Power And The Passion for triple j’s Like A Version in 2018, and they brought that same spirit to the track again at the APRA Awards.
Keeping the energy high while remaining true to the original, it was a special moment, made even more so with Garrett rocking on stage once more and six drummers honouring the impact of Rob Hirst on Australian music.
The moment was captured by The Music, which you can watch here, and The Australian’s Andrew McMillen—check it out below.
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APRA AMCOS said of the performance, “Closing the 2026 APRA Music Awards …. We are joined by one of Australia’s preeminent and prolific electronic music icons, multi-award-winning, internationally revered duo @thepresets.
“Here to perform the @midnightoilband masterpiece ‘Power and the Passion’. With special guest, the man, the myth, the legend: @peterrgarrett.”
This year’s APRA Awards, held at the Hordern Pavilion, featured plenty of unforgettable moments. Another was punk powerhouse Ecca Vandal honouring INXS with a cover of Just Keep Walking, following Jenny Morris giving a speech as they’d won this year’s Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music.
Plus, a handful of artists put their own spin on the Song of the Year-nominated tracks.
BARKAA performed Amyl And The Sniffers’ Jerkin’, BOY SODA put the soul in Tame Impala’s Loser, Playlunch performed Paul Kelly’s Rita Wrote A Letter, and Way Dynamic reimagined Ninajirachi’s iPod Touch, while Sarah Blasko presented Keli Holiday’s Dancing2 in a new light.
Amyl And The Sniffers were the big winners of the evening, taking home three awards, including Peer-Voted APRA Song of the Year and Songwriter of the Year. Other major winners included Guy Sebastian, Sia, Sarah Aarons, Emily Wurramara, and more.
You can find the full list of winners here.
