Live Review: Midnight Oil

In the 41 years since their debut album a lot may have changed but we still have one of the best live bands in Australian music history playing shows in a small theatre in Thirroul. Midnight Oil, as they prepare to tour Europe, chose to play a couple of warm-up shows and to the lucky few that were fast enough and managed to avoid dodgy ticket sellers, it was to be a special occasion.

From that self-titled debut, the opening riffs of Run By Night started the set. The OG fans were visible straight away, belting the verses back to the ever-recognisable and unaged Peter Garrett. This was a show for the older fans, with songs like Knife’s Edge and Dust not having been performed in over 30 years according to setlist.fm.

In the ashes of a shock federal election result, an air of defiance crept throughout the show and it didn’t take long for Garrett to bring up politics, a career that he was waist-deep in not that long ago. “How good is Thirroul? How good are mines?” Garrett spat, mocking the newly elected Prime Minister, Scott Morrison.

The pointed opening to King Of The Mountain saw the crowd perk up and voices return after a few songs that even the diehards might have struggled to sing along with. Redneck Wonderland’s Concrete was an interesting, but exciting, choice to follow up with, highlighting the diversity of a band that have never been afraid to try new sounds especially with Jim Moginie ably working the keys. The ferocious ending to the track highlighted the ever-present power of the group when they’re in form. Rob Hirst hit the drums with enough grunt to rock the small venue.

Midnight Oil @ Anita's Theatre. Photo by Peter Dovgan.

When Garrett let out an epically long wail in Antarctica, dedicated to the recently passed Bob Hawke, it felt like a fitting tribute to a beloved leader. Well-placed and poignant messages from Garrett appeared throughout the night and the current climate of the country feels right for new Midnight Oil music. The performance of a new song, Tarkine, was a reward to the small crowd, the track was certainly a lot more mellow than their older numbers, but featured impressive harmonies from Bones Hillman, Moginie and Hirst.

The acoustic part of the night, which you could argue wasn’t really any quieter, offered up Short Memory, My Country and Dreamworld. Then it was back to a three-part finale, belting out the classics. The Dead Heart filled the room with energy, bringing up the hairs on the back of our necks. The visceral energy of Power And The Passion, complete with the requisite drum solo from Hirst, saw Garrett’s trademark dancing reach the next level, bristling with passion as he screamed out the melody.

Midnight Oil @ Anita's Theatre. Photo by Peter Dovgan.

Showcasing why they are renowned as one of the best live acts this country has ever seen, Only The Strong, was one of the highlights of the night. As Garrett screamed, “Back once more at the point of no return,” we were filled with that same anger and angst. 

The second encore of Beds Are Burning and Best Of Both Worlds rounded out a night to remember. 

“I’m still in shock,” mentioned the emotion-ridden frontman earlier in the night about the election result. “We’re scratching our head at the scale of the challenge.” It’s nice to know we still have Midnight Oil around to help us through it.