Skip to content 
Midnight Oil’s Legacy Will Always Carry His Signature
It would be difficult to imagine Midnight Oil without Rob Hirst.
The band’s identity was built collectively, but his rhythm formed one of its essential foundations.
His playing helped give songs their movement.
His songwriting helped give them language.
And his stage presence helped turn concerts into experiences audiences remembered long after leaving the venue.
A Final Goodbye to the Man Behind the Kit
Rob Hirst died at 70 after spending nearly three years facing pancreatic cancer.
He left behind five decades of music, generations of listeners, and a body of work tied closely to the cultural history of Australian rock.
For Midnight Oil fans, there will be no replacing the distinctive force behind the drums.
But there will still be the songs.
And whenever those recordings play, the rhythm that Rob Hirst helped create will continue moving forward.