TRAGIC END for this legend. With heavy hearts, we announce the passing…… Read full story in comment

Rob Hirst’s passing at the age of 70 brings a solemn close to a remarkable chapter of music history—one that began decades ago in sweaty, cramped Australian rehearsal rooms before exploding onto the biggest global stages. As the founding drummer of Midnight Oil, Hirst did far more than simply keep time behind the kit. He drove the band’s legendary sound forward with unyielding ferocity, turning energetic rock songs into urgent political rallying cries and transforming ordinary concerts into intense, collective awakenings. His relentless energy, razor-sharp precision, and instinctual musical feel gave formidable weight to lyrics focused on environmental justice, Indigenous rights, and fundamental humanity, ensuring that the band’s bold message was impossible for the world to ignore.