21/01/2026
Arts Centre Melbourne and The Australian Music Vault is saddened to hear of the passing of legendary drummer, singer and songwriter Rob Hirst.
Hirst was best known as drummer and founding member of legendary Australian band Midnight Oil. Straddling the rock/surf/punk divide, Midnight Oil rode the pub rock wave of the 1970s and 1980s with a strong social conscience, raising audience awareness of the dangers posed by environmental destruction, nuclear armament and our continuing failure to reconcile with our Indigenous and First Nations peoples. As well as a powerhouse drummer, percussionist and backing vocalist, Hirst was a key songwriter for the band and wrote or co-wrote many of the Oils greatest hits, including ‘Beds are Burning,’ ‘Dead Heart,’ Blue Sky Mine’ and ‘The Power and the Passion.’
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Hirst also worked on a number of musical side projects, inclusing Ghostwriters which he formed with Hoodoo Gurus’ bassist Rick Grossman in 1990. Many of these projects included other members of the Oils and allowed the group to explore different musical styles including blues (Backsliders, The Angry Tradesmen) and surf rock (The Breaks).
Recently, Hirst auctioned off his iconic Ludwig drum kit to raise money for two charities, Support Act and Music NT’s Fix 'Em Up Truck campaign. A remarkable fundraising effort was mounted by the Midnight Oil fan group, The Powderworkers, who raised tens of thousands of dollars to purchase it. They have offered the kit to the Australian Performing Arts Collection to ensure it is preserved and remains available to the public for generations to come.
In 2015 Hirst was at Arts Centre Melbourne to launch The Making of Midnight Oil, an exhibition celebrating the band's history, impact and legacy.
Our thoughts are with Hirst's friends and family.
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