Live Review: Midnight Oil

Midnight Oil Resist Tour – 25 September 2022 at the RAC Arena Perth

Review by Sheldon Ang

Photography by Sheldon Ang Photography

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere – Martin Luther King Jnr…The beds are burning…No more stolen land…No more stolen lives…Human Rights…Climate Crisis…Elders for the kids…Wake up and smell the bushfires…Code red…Always was, always will…Resists…People have the power to redeem…Stay strong…We are bush fire survivors…We have the solutions…Fight better for a better tomorrow…No price in genocide…End racism…Blacks Lives Matter…

We Resist

Darkness turns into daylight. As the music takes control, he swings his arms as if shooing a horde of flies on a summer afternoon, while trotting across the stage and zig zagging erratically like a waltzing C3PO, greeting band members before settling in the middle under the spotlight. Unable to remain motionless, he flicks both wrists repeatedly, then progressing to bicep curls. As the rhythm section climaxes, the lanky singer sways both sides in a shivering disposition with arms to his sides, and added movement from the hip gyration of the sixty nine year old rocker. He then pulls an imaginary rope of hope, and through the art of wax on, wax off he wipes the greed of big corporations.

From a live observation, it seems that the whirling dervish choreography of Peter Garrett can be interpreted as a metaphorical take on chaos, catastrophe, and social infamy caused by the policy makers of our nation and corporations. Or perhaps…Peter just loves to dance.

It may also be a lugubrious spark to the night through a haunting rendition of We Resist, propped by documented montages and captions propagating the systemic issues of racism, climate change and the trickling effects of colonisation in Australia, but that’s the predicated channel given the thematically entrenched music of Midnight Oil, and the activism of the former lawyer and politician The Honourable Peter Garrett MP, AM. Their past macro activism includes wearing a black shirt tapered with “Sorry” during their performance at the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics, beaming to over a billion viewers. To many Australians, it was a “controversial” display and an act of “defiance”, but it wouldn’t be Midnight Oil without the explosive exhibition, sprinkled with discomfort viewing to some. Tonight, the fans embraced the cultural revolution of a band that has sold more than 20 million albums.

Woodside Genocide – There is so much accumulating evidence that is edging towards unliveability, seriously because we continue to produce greenhouse gas emission, and burn fossil fuels and pretend that there’s no tomorrow…now whether you want to hear this or not at the corporate boxes where you are making a lot of money, you still have a moral responsibility to the future generations, which is more important than your responsibility to your shareholders…

From the second song onwards in Borderline the stage chemistry between Garrett and drummer Rob Hirst is entwined, exchanging nods and smiles, underlining mutual respect that was established early in the setlist. For international readers, think of Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins, or Vince and Tommy Lee.

Hirst is a beast of a drummer, a master practitioner with a ferocity propagated to the upper reaches of the RAC Arena.  Hurst’s drumming style is key to playing a prominent role in the band’s messages, who seems to curate his art accordingly, not just displaying his personal repertoire. He fuses his drumming persona into the band while still emanated his individual brilliance, alongside guitarist and keyboardist Jim Moginie and guitarist Martin Rotsey and the touring bass player Adam Ventoura, forming an air tight outfit on a stage with minimal props, consisting only a water tank and a zinc sheet, thus void of any pompous pyrotechnics. The tribute flowed earlier for former bass player Bones Hilman who passed away in 2020.

The fans were relatively “young” (below 50) and is mainly attributed to the raw and aggression of the band, void of individual egos despite Garrett being the centrepiece, possessed by Hirst’s instrument. Hirst is dubbed by many as the country’s best drummer, yet the solo only went for under a minute, which highlighted Midnight Oil as a band with a mission, rather than portraying the repertoires of individuals.

Just like in the Sydney Olympics, Garrett also relayed their message with caption on several shirt changes, “I Stand with Ukraine” and “Woodside = Climate Wreckers”. Qantas was also on the receiving end, namely their CEO on behalf of the unions. Messages were beamed throughout the night on LCD screens with confronting images of issues concerning the planet.

Why is Woodside this company wanting to produce so much poisonous gas (Scarborough Gas Plant) which will built the temperature problems of the climate crisis …it is corporate and moral cultural crime they are committing.

In all, Midnight Oil transcends music and thrive into activism through the theoretic of alternative rock. The brilliance of the musicianship led by an eccentric leader before 12,000 fans is the perfect platform for any message propagation. The passion and the conviction were translated in the vocal delivery of Peter Garrett and he was on point throughout the night.

For the casual listeners who haven’t ventured beyond the commercial side Midnight Oil, the final 30 minutes was the highlight, with Power and the Passion, Blue Sky Mine, King of the Mountain, Beds are Burning, and Forgotten Years performed consecutively with the backup vocals chanted by the capacity crowd, echoing the household lyrics and the anthemic tracks of Australian music. Perhaps the tracks were listed accordingly for fans to focus on the sonic and visual presentation in the first ninety minutes, rather than sparking a premature delirium with unbridled chaos and revelry.

Regardless of the reason, those songs expelled a spirited chants, festering from anger, rage, anxiety from the early display and performances, culminating into hope and celebration, inspiring the climate change deniers and those who are stoic on racism and human rights into boarding the Midnight train. For those who are already on board, it was a serving reminder to fight harder for our future generation.

And for that, Midnight Oil have accomplished their mission – for tonight.

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SAM would like to thank legendary publicist Rosita, A Day on the Green, Roundhouse Entertainment and Midnight Oil for the Press Accreditation. 

About the Writer: Sheldon Ang is the founder, photographer and writer of SAM. Since its launch in May 2022, he has photographed and reviewed all of the arena and stadium concerts in Perth, including KISS, The Script, The Kid Laroi, Gang of Youths, Louis Tomlinson (One Direction), Guy Sebastian, Glass Animals and Amy Shark.  He was also the former Chief Photographer and Principal Writer for a magazine which has been removed from cyberspace by its owner.