Midnight Oil

Midnight Oil is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in the mid-1970s, evolving out of an earlier group called Farm that included Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie, and Martin Rotsey. Charismatic frontman Peter Garrett joined shortly after, and the band's classic lineup was rounded out by bassist Bones Hillman. Known for Garrett's towering, shaven-headed stage presence and the band's driving, guitar-heavy sound, Midnight Oil became one of Australia's most important rock exports of the 1980s.

The band distinguished itself with fiercely political songwriting, tackling Indigenous rights, environmental destruction, and nuclear policy at a time when few rock acts engaged so directly with such themes. Their 1987 album Diesel and Dust, featuring «Beds Are Burning» and «The Dead Heart», brought international attention to Aboriginal land rights and remains their best-known work, while earlier hits like «Power and the Passion» and later songs such as «Blue Sky Mine» and «Forgotten Years» cemented their reputation for muscular, socially conscious rock.

Midnight Oil disbanded in 2002 when Garrett left to enter Australian politics, eventually serving as a federal government minister, including for the environment. The band reunited in 2016 and undertook major touring in the years that followed, reaffirming their status as elder statesmen of politically engaged rock music.