Australian music fans, and indeed, the world over are mourning the tragic loss of Rob Hirst, the musician best known as the powerhouse drummer of iconic Australian rock band, Midnight Oil. He passed away on the 20th January, 2026 aged 70 following a 3 year battle with pancreatic cancer which was first diagnosed shortly after the band called it a day back in 2023.
To many from the Baby Boomer and Gen X generations, Rob Hirst is a national treasure. He was one of the major driving forces behind the mighty Midnight Oil – a band that transcended the halcyon days of 70’s pub rock, navigating its’ way through the punk and post-punk days of the 80’s, the grunge era of the 90’s and into the 2000’s, eventually calling it a day in 2023.
A large part of this success was due to Rob Hirst’s influence, both as a dynamic drummer and as a songwriter. His deliberately flashy style was a stunningly visual, yet viscerally important component of The Oils magnetism and popularity. Watching Rob Hirst play live was a sight to behold, and fortunately he arrived in the golden era of live music within Australia when nearly every corner pub and venue was hosting live music in a thriving scene. Even with all of this competition, Rob Hirst and Midnight Oil stood out above the pack.
Rob was known for his powerful, yet melodic, and often intricate playing style. He regularly sat atop a drum riser, raising him up above the rest of the band in front of him and bringing him into easier view of the band’s adoring audiences – and for very good reason.
Rob Hirst was a true showman, one of that rare breed of drummers who not only set the rhythms for the band but also took on important vocal duties as well as being possessed of a fiercely energetic and charismatic stagecraft. Not many who sit behind the kit can lay claim to having their drums nailed to the floor by the band’s road crew, such was the ferocity of his early performances. The signature pose of Rob Hirst with one stick raised straight above his head as he smashed out classic lines is one that will be forever etched into the minds of his many fans.
His presence behind the drums demanded your attention (despite Peter Garrett’s best efforts to distract everybody with his eccentric dancing and ominous presence up front). Not only did he play with a vigour rarely seen, but he always seemed to be enjoying every moment.
In times when Midnight Oil were in hiatus, Rob kept himself busy musically by collaborating with other artists and venturing into different sonic directions as he experimented with the genres he knew and loved.
The notable collaborations have been in bands, Ghostwriters, Angry Tradesmen, surf-rock supergroup, The Break and the enduring partnership with Dom Turner in the roots and blues based Backsliders.
Outside of the music venues he was synonymous with, Rob was involved in various social and charitable causes for indigenous, environmental, musical and children’s causes.
To that end, he auctioned off the drum kit he bought back in 1979. Head Injuries, was the first album that Hirst recorded using this kit, and it subsequently followed him to stages the world over up until Midnight Oil’s final tour in 2022. He decided to sell it due to his inability to play heavy rock & roll drums following on from treatment for the pancreatic cancer that he ultimately succumbed to. The kit was successfully bid on by Midnight Oil’s Powderworkers fan group who ultimately purchased it for $77,500, with the kit now being on public display at the Australian Music Vault in Melbourne.
All proceeds were, at Rob’s behest, donated to two causes close to his heart – MusicNT’s “Fix-Em-Up Truck Campaign” – (a charity set up to assist provide gear, repairs and support for musicians in remote areas of the Northern Territory – and Support Act, the lifeline for Australian music workers who have fallen on hard times.
Such was the impact he had on the many aspects of his life, he has been posthumously awarded a Member of the Order of Australia, which he had been made aware of prior to his passing. Vale Rob Hirst.
Rob Hirst Photo Gallery:
All photos: ©fullonphotography/Andrew Fuller
