Midnight Oil

**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. They announced an accompanying tour.

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 <small>(1976–2002, 2005, 2009, 2016–present)</small>
- Jim Moginie – guitars, keyboards, backing vocals <small>(1976–2002, 2005, 2009, 2016–present)</small>
- Martin Rotsey – guitars <small>(1977–2002, 2005, 2009, 2016–present)</small>

**Former members**
- Rob Hirst – drums, backing and occasional lead vocals <small>(1976–2002, 2005, 2009, 2016–2026; died 2026)</small>
- Andrew James – bass <small>(1976–1980),</small> backing vocals <small>(1979–1980)</small>
- Peter Gifford – bass, backing vocals <small>(1980–1987)</small>
- Bones Hillman – bass, backing vocals <small>(1987–2002, 2005, 2009, 2016–2020; died 2020)</small>

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

## Discography

**Studio albums**

- _Midnight Oil_ (1978)
- _Head Injuries_ (1979)
- _Place without a Postcard_ (1981)
- _10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1_ (1982)
- _Red Sails in the Sunset_ (1984)
- _Diesel and Dust_ (1987)
- _Blue Sky Mining_ (1990)
- _Earth and Sun and Moon_ (1993)
- _Breathe_ (1996)
- _Redneck Wonderland_ (1998)
- _Capricornia_ (2001)
- _The Makarrata Project_ (2020)
- _Resist_ (2022)

### APRA Awards

|-
| 1989–90 || "Beds Are Burning" (Peter Garrett, Robert Hirst, James Moginie) || Gold Award ||
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2001 || "Beds Are Burning" (Garrett, Hirst, Moginie) || APRA Top 10 Australian songs ||
|-
| "Power and the Passion" (Hirst, Moginie, Garrett) || APRA Top 30 Australian songs ||
|-
| 2018 || Midnight Oil (Garrett, Hirst, Martin Rotsey, Moginie, Bones Hillman || Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music ||
|-
| 2021 || "Gadigal Land" (Joel Davison, Rob Hirst, Bunna Lawrie) || Song of the Year ||
|-
| 2022 || "First Nation" || Song of the Year ||
|-
|rowspan="2" | 2023
|rowspan="2" | "Rising Seas"
| Song of the Year
|
|-
| Most Performed Rock Work
|
|-

### ARIA Music Awards

|-
| 1987
| "The Dead Heart"
| Best Group
|
|-
|rowspan="5"| 1988
| "Beds Are Burning"
| Single of the Year
|
|-
| "Beds Are Burning" (Peter Garrett, Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie)
| Song of the Year
|
|-
| Midnight Oil
| Best Group
|
|-
| _Diesel and Dust_
| Best Indigenous Release
|
|-
| _Diesel and Dust_ – Ken Duncan, Creative Type Wart, Gary Morris, Midnight Oil
| Best Cover Art
|
|-
|rowspan="4"| 1989
|rowspan="2" | "Dreamworld"
| Best Group
|
|-
| Best Indigenous Release
|
|-
| "Dreamworld" – Guy Gray
| Engineer of the Year
|
|-
| "Dreamworld" – Andrew de Groot
| Best Video
|
|-
|rowspan="8"| 1991
| rowspan="2"|_Blue Sky Mining_
| Album of the Year
|
|-
| Best Group
|
|-
| _Blue Sky Mining_ – Livingstone Clarke
| Best Cover Art
|
|-
| "Blue Sky Mine"
| Single of the Year
|
|-
| "Blue Sky Mine" (Hirst, Moginie, Garrett, Martin Rotsey, Bones Hillman)
| Song of the Year
|
|-
| "Blue Sky Mine" – Claudia Castle
| Best Video
|
|-
| Midnight Oil – David Nicholas
| Engineer of the Year
|
|-
| Midnight Oil
| Outstanding Achievement
|
|-
| 1993
| _Scream in Blue_ – Midnight Oil, Neo One Design
| Best Cover Art
|
|-
| rowspan="3"|1994 || _Earth and Sun and Moon_
| Best Group
|
|-
| _Earth and Sun and Moon_ – Kevin Wilkins, Midnight Oil
| Best Cover Art
|
|-
| "Outbreak of Love" – Paul Elliott
| Best Video
|
|-
| rowspan="3"|1998
| _20,000 Watt R.S.L._
| Highest Selling Album
|
|-
|_20,000 Watt R.S.L._ – Kevin Wilkins
| Best Cover Art
|
|-
| "White Skin / Black Heart" – Magoo
| Engineer of the Year
|
|-
|1999
| _Redneck Wonderland_ – Magoo
| Engineer of the Year
|
|-
|2004
| _Best of Both Worlds_
| Best Music DVD
|
|-
|2006
| Midnight Oil
| Hall of Fame
|
|-
|2017
| _The Overflow Tank_ – Mitchell Storck
| Best Cover Art
|
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2019
| _Armistice Day_
| Best Rock Album
|
|-
| Midnight Oil
| Best Australian Live Act
|
|-
|rowspan="5"| 2021
| rowspan="3"| _The Makarrata Project_
| Album of the Year
|
|-
| Best Rock Album
|
|-
| Best Group
|
|-
| Robert Hambling for Midnight Oil – "First Nation"
| Best Video
|
|-
| Makarrata Live
| Best Australian Live Act
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2022
| _Resist_
| Best Group
|
|-
| _Resist. The Final Tour 2022_
| Best Australian Live Act
|
|-

### Countdown Australian Music Awards

|-
|1981
| Themselves
| Most Consistent Live Act
|
|-
|1982
| _10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1_
| Best Australian Album
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1983
| rowspan="2" | "Power and the Passion"
| Best Australian Single
|
|-
| Best Promotional Video
|
|-
| rowspan="4" |1984
| _Red Sails in the Sunset_
| Best Australian Album
|
|-
|"Read About It"
|Best Group Performance in a Video
|
|-
|"Short Memory" – Peter Garrett (Midnight Oil)
|Best Male Performance in a Video
|
|-
| Themselves
| Most Popular Australian Group
|
|-
| 1986
| "The Dead Heart"
| Best Australian Single
|
|-

### Environmental Music Prize

!
|-
| 2023
| "Rising Seas"
| Environmental Music Prize
|
|
|-

### Helpmann Awards

!
|-
| 2005
| Midnight Oil - _WaveAid - the Tsunami Relief Concert _
| Best Performance in an Australian Contemporary Concert
|
|
|-
| 2018
| Midnight Oil - _The Great Circle World Tour 2017_
| Best Australian Contemporary Concert
|
|
|-

### J Awards

!
|-
| 2022
| Midnight Oil
| Double J Artist of the Year
|
|

### Mo Awards

(wins only)
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1990
| Midnight Oil
| Rock Group of the Year
|
|-
| Midnight Oil
| Rock Performer of the Year
|
|-

## Other websites

- [ Midnight Oil] at AllMusic
- The Deadheart – fan website

## Infobox (musical artist)

- **name**: Midnight Oil
- **image**: Festival des Vieilles Charrues 2022 - Midnight Oil - 093.jpg
- **caption**: Midnight Oil at Vieilles Charrues Festival, 2022
- **alias**: Farm (1972–1976)
- **origin**: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- **years active**: 1972–2002, 2016–present
(reunions: 2005, 2009)
- **current members**: * Peter Garrett
* Jim Moginie
* Martin Rotsey
- **past members**: * Rob Hirst
* Andrew James
* Peter Gifford
* Bones Hillman