Rob Hirst, Midnight's Oil's ferocious drummer, dead at 70

Rob Hirst, the drummer and co-founder of the Australian stone set Midnight Oil, has died. He was 70.

The set confirmed Hirst’s decease from pancreatic crab successful statements posted to societal media.

“After warring heroically for astir 3 years, Rob is present escaped of symptom — ‘a glimmer of tiny airy successful the wilderness,’” the set said. “He died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.”

“We are shattered and grieving the nonaccomplishment of our member Rob,” they added. “For present determination are nary words but determination volition ever beryllium songs.”

Hirst, calved successful Camden, New South Wales, founded the set that became Midnight Oil with schoolmates, and it released its debut medium connected its ain autarkic statement successful 1978. The set steadily climbed the charts successful its autochthonal Australia, pairing its brawny stone with sincere and outspoken governmental activism. Hirst was known for his stylish flair down the kit, inspiring young Aussie drummers with his intro euphony for the TV amusement “Beatbox,” and the thrashing water-tank solo connected “Power And The Passion” that brought down the location astatine unrecorded gigs.

1983’s “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1” deed fig 3 connected the Australian charts, and 1987’s medium “Diesel and Dust” — a suite of songs astir the troubles facing Indigenous Australians — launched the set to planetary fame. Its anthemic but urgent azygous “Beds Are Burning” became 1 of the group’s best-known hits, topping retired astatine fig 17 connected the Hot 100 successful 1988. They released 1990’s “Blue Sky Mining” with a performance extracurricular Exxon’s office successful New York to protestation its handling of an lipid spill successful Alaska. The radical besides charted with singles “Blue Sky Mine” and “The Dead Heart,” each of which had co-songwriting credits from Hirst.

“We instrumentality on, headlong, each the things that you’re expected to avoid. We combat the battles that we jointly consciousness we person to combat and we triumph immoderate and we suffer some,” Hirst told United Press International successful 1988.

Australian stone legends Midnight Oil — Bones Hillman, from left, Peter Garrett, Martin Rotsey, Jim Moginie and Rob Hirst — get for the 2006 Australia euphony manufacture awards the Arias, wherever they were to beryllium inducted into the hallway of fame.

(Rick Rycroft / Associated Press)

Midnight Oil broke up successful 2002 erstwhile vocalist Peter Garrett near to prosecute a governmental vocation successful Australia’s Labor Party. They reunited successful 2017 and released 2 much LPs, 2020’s “The Makarrata Project” and 2022’s “Resist,” and played their last amusement successful 2022.

Hirst had respective broadside projects, including the set Ghostwriters, which released 4 albums, and the prolific blues-rock radical Backsliders. He self-released an album, “Born Electric,” successful 2025, and an EP, “A Hundred Years oregon More,” with Midnight Oil bandmate Jim Moginie and Hamish Stuart. Hirst’s daughters, Gabriella and Lex Hirst, besides sang connected the EP. He besides auctioned disconnected his drum kit past twelvemonth to payment 2 Australian musicians’ charities, MusicNT and Support Act.

He reflected connected decease successful his aboriginal music, speaking astir his unwellness successful a caller interrogation with The Age. “I realise it’s rather an existentialist clump of songs, with titles similar ‘Are We There Yet?’ and ‘A Hundred Years oregon More,’” helium said. “I accidental I’ve been reasoning astir lifespan and longevity — legacy, even. And, of course, that comes retired successful the songs... Now that I’ve started counting backmost successful beingness alternatively than counting forward, the days are adjacent much precious.”