Midnight Oil drummer Rob Hirst has died at the age of 70. In a post on Midnight Oil’s social media accounts, the band confirmed Hirst had died peacefully “surrounded by loved ones”.
Hirst was diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer in 2023, about six months after the last-ever Oils gig on 3 October, 2022 at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.
Kooyong Tennis Stadium. December 15, 1985
Perfectly timed to celebrate the end of the school year, the ‘Thank God it’s over’ vibes are high at this epic Midnight Oil gig. As the houselights dim, roadies are still visible making final tweaks and adjustments in the shadows. “Dun-dun-dun”. What the hell? Could’ve sworn we just heard the three distinctive drumbeats that open “When The Generals Talk”, but Rob Hirst’s not even on stage! That’s definitely his drumming, though. We look around – frantic, now – until a spotlight appears way up in the stadium’s top tier. It’s him! Hirst’s whacking a small drumkit in the nosebleed section. “Up there, up there, up there on the platform…” – the crowd belts this song’s opening lyrics, drowning out Hirst’s vocals while simultaneously describing the drummer’s geolocation. We collectively lose our minds.
Hirst often hit the skins so hard it would make you flinch. To play with such power, sleeveless shirts were essential. Hirst found sleeves restrictive. You could see how ripped and tanned his arms were from the moon.
“I can’t really thrash the drums anymore,” Hirst bemoaned during a recent interview with The Age journalist Michael Dwyer. Chemotherapy, major surgery and radiotherapy reduced his “breath power”, which meant Hirst was no longer able to play big rock’n’roll drum kits at the level of intensity he was accustomed to. So Hirst had traded his drum sticks for brushes on a snare and select percussion in recent years, particularly during Backsliders shows. But he remained upbeat and grateful to still be able to write songs and strum his old Gibson guitar to the end.
In October 2025, Hirst auctioned off the first drum kit he bought back in 1979. Ringo from The Beatles played a Ludwig kit, so that was the one he purchased from a Turramurra music store. Head Injuries, Midnight Oil’s platinum-certified second album, was the first that Hirst recorded on this kit, which was transported and set up on stages the world over right through to the band’s final tour in 2022. It wasn’t unusual to nail this kit to the stage, keeping those drums in place for Hirst to unleash upon.
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Hirst specified all proceeds would be donated to two causes close to his heart: MusicNT’s “Fix-Em-Up Truck Campaign” – providing gear, repairs and support for remote musicians in the Northern Territory – and Support Act, the lifeline for Australian music workers who have fallen on hard times.
Then, Midnight Oil’s Powderworkers fan group intervened, rallying to keep the kit in public hands and ultimately purchasing it at auction for $77,500. This instrument of historic importance is now available for everyone to admire at the Australian Music Vault in Melbourne.
Midnight Oil’s dedication to social, environmental and political activism educated music fans – both young and old – while they rocked out.
In 1988, Hirst told United Press International, “We take on, headlong, all the things that you’re supposed to avoid. We fight the battles that we jointly feel we have to fight and we win some and we lose some.”
The band’s hard-hitting lyrical messages needed hammering home and Hirst supplied a thunderous rhythmic backbone. Like Ringo, his ultimate drum hero, Hirst’s aim was to serve each song while capturing the correct sound and feel.
One of the world’s finest rock drummers, Hirst also inspired many teens to pick up sticks in the early ‘80s when he provided the drum intro for Beatbox, the ABC’s weekly youth program. Wide-eyed young viewers marvelled at his showy technique and visual flair. Not interested in trying to make it all look effortless, Hirst would regularly extend one arm straight up overhead, pointing a stick to the sky.
Hirst’s celebrated “Power And The Passion” water-tank drum solo was a showstopping moment of controlled chaos during Midnight Oil’s live shows. The very sight of the tank next to Hirst’s kit was enough to give fans goosebumps of anticipation. Crowds would typically stand motionless with gaping jaws for this solo’s duration. Experimenting with dynamics and tempo changes, Hirst clearly got a kick out of basking in the light. Running sticks up and down the tank, accelerating the beat until his drum sticks blurred, then sending them flying high above his head – Hirst was the ultimate showman.
An additional statement from Midnight Oil reads: “We are shattered and grieving the loss of our brother Rob. For now there are no words but there will always be songs.”
Hirst’s Midnight Oil songwriting credits include “Beds Are Burning”, “Blue Sky Mine”, “The Dead Heart”, “Short Memory” and “King Of The Mountain”. He was also a member of Ghostwriters, Backsliders, The Angry Tradesmen and The Break.
Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie, Hamish Stuart’s A Hundred Years Or More EP was released just two months back. During a recent interview promoting this latest release, Hirst said, “Essentially, I believe in the goodness of people and their hearts and their motivations, and it’s written in the [Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie, Hamish Stuart] song “First Do No Harm”.”
His daughters, Gabriella and Lex Hirst, contributed vocals on this four-track EP, which was created during windows of time when Hirst felt well enough to sing and strum. In the EP’s tender title track, Gabriella sings, “May you live to be a hundred years or more.”
Now that Hirst has joined bassist Bones Hillman, Midnight Oil’s rhythm section has reunited for The Great Gig In The Sky. We choose to imagine this pair of legends locking into a groove, harmonising and trading anecdotes.
Hirst’s family asks that anyone wanting to honour Rob donate to Pankind, Pancreatic Cancer Australia or Support Act.
