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

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Rob Hirst, a founding member and drummer for the iconic Australian rock band Midnight Oil, has passed away at the age of 70.

The band confirmed Hirst’s death from pancreatic cancer in statements posted to social media.

The band announced that Rob, after a nearly three-year battle with illness, is now at peace and free from pain – a small comfort in a difficult time. He passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family and friends.

We’re heartbroken by the loss of our brother, Rob. It’s hard to find the right words right now, but his music will live on forever.

Born in Camden, New South Wales, Rob Hirst started the band Midnight Oil with friends from school. They independently released their first album in 1978 and gradually gained popularity in Australia, combining powerful rock music with direct and passionate political messages. Hirst was a distinctive and influential drummer, known for his unique style and for creating memorable music like the intro to the TV show “Beatbox” and a famous water-tank drum solo during live performances of “Power And The Passion.”

The band achieved success in 1983 with the song “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,” which reached number three in Australia. Their 1987 album, “Diesel and Dust,” focused on the struggles of Indigenous Australians and brought them international recognition. The album’s powerful lead single, “Beds Are Burning,” became a signature song, peaking at number 17 on the US Hot 100 in 1988. In 1990, they released “Blue Sky Mining” and staged a protest concert outside Exxon’s New York headquarters following an oil spill in Alaska. The band also had charting singles with “Blue Sky Mine” and “The Dead Heart,” with Hirst contributing as a co-writer to all these songs.

In 1988, Damien Hirst told United Press International that he and his peers consistently pursued things they were warned against. They tackled the challenges they believed in, experiencing both successes and failures along the way.

Midnight Oil originally split up in 2002 after singer Peter Garrett decided to enter politics with the Australian Labor Party. The band got back together in 2017 and released two new albums, “The Makarrata Project” in 2020 and “Resist” in 2022, before playing their last concert that same year.

Beyond his work with Midnight Oil, Hirst was involved in several other musical projects. He played in the bands Ghostwriters, who released four albums, and Backsliders, a very productive blues-rock group. As a solo artist, he released the album “Born Electric” in 2025 and the EP “A Hundred Years or More” with Jim Moginie (also from Midnight Oil) and Hamish Stuart. His daughters, Gabriella and Lex Hirst, contributed vocals to the EP. Last year, he also auctioned his drum kit to raise money for two Australian music charities: MusicNT and Support Act.

I’ve been really struck by his recent work. He’s been dealing with some health issues, and it’s definitely come through in his music. He actually talked about it in an interview, saying his new songs feel very focused on what it means to be alive, with titles like ‘Are We There Yet?’ and ‘A Hundred Years or More.’ He said he’s been thinking a lot about life, what we leave behind, and how quickly time passes. He put it beautifully – now that he’s started looking back on his life instead of forward, every single day feels even more valuable.

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2026-01-21 23:31