In days of old...

I used to love the Oils back in the days when their Music came first and their politics came second or not at all.

I used to see them at a local 300 heads (max) nightclub in Newcastle NSW, around 1980-82. You could see 'em for $3-$4 then, and they were fast, HEAVY, intricate and kicked arse.

At the closing of the Stage Door Tavern (Sydney) Peter Rabbit had a pneumatic drill run in through the window, and started taking the concrete stage apart towards the end of the show. He wuz a baaad boy then...a credit to Knox Grammar School...

As a band of surfers they used to play regular beach concerts around the country up until around the time 10,9,8,7,6... came out. Once they played Redhead Beach (about 15 km from me now) with a gigantic ice sculpture of a hand on stage, slowly melting under the lights as it grew dark. Pete wore a hat "In honour of being at the beach", and played the rhythm guitar line for Wedding Cake Island at the opening of their second set.

When the Oils headlined at the opening of Selina's Nightclub in Sydney, 1980, they found that the management had imposed dress rules "Shirts with collars only" at the last minute. A lot of Oils fans were known to be on their way. They were then, as I say, a surfer's band. "Our fans didn't own shirts with collars.." said Martin. Solution? Out of their own pockets, they did a deal for 300 cheap short sleeved cotton shirts in wild colours with a local business, had MIDNIGHT OIL stenciled onto them by a friendly silk screen shop owner, and had them given away FREE at the door to anyone who needed.
Great guys, huh?

My most vivid memory of Pete in those early days was his attitude to the club owners. At five different venues, he came out with variations of:
"SO! What's this place like then? Shit hole, is it? Rip yerz off on the drink prices, do they?" to thunderous agreement and applause.
He's much too nice to do that any more...

I'm afraid that while every artist is allowed to "grow", I see little connection between the current group singing songs about rain forests, mines, nuclear power stations and cultural terrorism to twangy twelve strings, and the group of north shore surf bums who used to play wild, heavy, twin-ELECTRIC guitar music back then. I've held onto Midnight Oil, Head Injuries, Bird Noises and Place Without a Postcard. I sold my copy of 10..9..8..> after about a year of not listening to it much, sold Red Sails within a month, and didn't buy any more of their records.

But all power to them anyhoo!

Dave Garner (thanks for the articles Dave!)
Just another ex roadie (but not for the Oils -mk)