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The first week of European shows wrapped up on Saturday night at Hinwil’s “Rock The Ring” after starting the previous weekend with another festival performance at Festi’neuch in Neuchatel. These sorts of sets usually need to be shorter than a headlining show due to the time constraints of multi-band lineups. This means there’s typically less scope for obscure song choices but there was still plenty of room for surprises. One highlight of the two events was punk rock icon Patti Smith performing “Beds Are Burning” on the same festival stage that the Oils would soon grace. Smith has performed the song a lot over recent years (eg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uVqbGeCS1Y) but people were still buzzing about her epic version when the band arrived on site.

The German shows that were bookended between these two festivals allowed Midnight Oil to stretch their legs a lot more. 37 different songs were performed across these three gigs including new tune “Tarkine” and the first airing since 2002 of “Time To Heal” from the band’s often overlooked mid-90’s album, Breathe. Germany is actually one of the main reasons for deciding to return to Europe this summer. That country was a huge supporter of the band back in the day but only two cities were included on 2017’s Great Circle Tour so there were lots of places that missed out. Thankfully passionate crowds embraced Midnight Oil’s delayed return and a series of contrasting venues made each of these nights feel unique.

Hamburg’s gig took place in local parklands with the pre-sunset kickoff giving proceedings almost a picnic vibe for the early part of the day although of course things heated up as the sun went down. By contrast, Trier’s show was staged in the city square in front of ancient Roman Gates which date back to the year 170 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porta_Nigra) so pulses were elevated from the outset. It’s not every day that a concert takes place at a UNESCO’s World Heritage Listed site! Then for a sweatier rock show, it was on to Mannheim for a performance under a huge circus tent. Special guest for these shows was local singer/songwriter and agitator Wolf Maahn (https://www.wolfmaahn.de/blog/) who interrupted recording of a new album to join the German dates. His strong commitment to sustainability and social justice make him a good fit for Midnight Oil and their audience.

The band will now take a few days off as they make their way to Paris for a big show at The Rex on Thursday night. On the evening prior to that performance, the venue will host a rare European screening of the acclaimed Midnight Oil documentary “1984” and Rob Hirst will take part in a question and answer session. Tickets are selling fast via https://www.legrandrex.com/cinema/2558

Speaking of tickets, travel packages for The Big Red Bash will be closing soon so if you want to see the Oils perform in front of a gigantic sand dune at the World’s Most Remote Music Festival you’ll need to get moving. All the info is here – http://www.bigredbash.com.au/bigredbash/big-red-bash-travel-packages.

Photo: Francois Melillo

Festi’neuch Neuchâtel Openair Festival, Neuchâtel, Switzerland 15/6

 

Photo: Christabel Blackman

Festi’neuch Neuchâtel Openair Festival, Neuchâtel, Switzerland 15/6

 

Photo: Christabel Blackman

Festi’neuch Neuchâtel Openair Festival, Neuchâtel, Switzerland 15/6

 

Photo: Christabel Blackman

Festi’neuch Neuchâtel Openair Festival, Neuchâtel, Switzerland 15/6

 

Hamburg, Germany 17/6

 

Stadtpark, Hamburg, Germany 17/6

 

Porta Nigra, Trier, Germany 19/6

 

Porta Nigra, Trier, Germany 19/6

 

Photo: Christabel Blackman

Porta Nigra, Trier, Germany 19/6

 

Photo: Christabel Blackman

Porta Nigra, Trier, Germany 19/6

 

Porta Nigra, Trier, Germany 19/6

 

Photo: Alex Grant

Mannheim, Germany 21/6

 

Photo: Christabel Blackman

Zeltfestival, Mannheim, Germany 21/6

 

Photo: Christabel Blackman

Zeltfestival, Mannheim, Germany 21/6

 

Photo: Alex Grant

Zeltfestival, Mannheim, Germany 21/6

 

Photo: Alex Grant

Rock The Ring, Hinwil, Switzerland 22/6

 

Photo: Christabel Blackman

Rock The Ring, Hinwil, Switzerland 22/6

It’s been a quarter of a century since the Oils played Manchester in England’s north, so it was an apt first stop for a European tour that will mainly visit cities which missed out on shows during 2017’s Great Circle. As Pete remarked from stage, Mancunians have a proud local musical heritage – from Factory Records and the Hacienda through to Oasis – but accents in the crowd tonight also included many folks from further afield. Australian expats and visitors were joined by American, Canadian and Scandinavian fans who had flown in specially for the first three tour dates. There was even a particularly keen fan from PNG.

Aussie French Open tennis winner Ash Barty got a shoutout from the stage while show standouts included ‘Jimmy Sharman’s Boxers’ and ‘Hercules’.

Second stop was Dublin for a show at the legendary Olympia Theatre. This was another piece of ‘unfinished business’ from 2017 when the band made several fruitless attempts to somehow squeeze Ireland into The Great Circle Tour. Fortunately tonight’s overdue gig made it a worthwhile wait for local Oils fans.

Jim Moginie makes Ireland his second home these days, so that made this – kinda, sorta – a hometown gig. The special guest was talented local mate Declan O’Rourke who was joined for the closing song of his set by Jim and fellow local ‘transplant’ Nick Seymour from Crowded House.

The Oils opened their show with ‘The Dead Heart’, tore straight into a searing cover of The Saints’ ‘Know Your Product’ and then gave fan favourite ‘Say Your Prayers’ an all too rare airing. Clearly they meant business and what unfolded from there won’t be forgotten any time soon by those lucky enough to have experienced it. This venue has seen some epic shows over the years – it would be easier to list music icons who HAVEN’T played there than those who have – and the walls plastered with famous photos all added to the sense of occasion. After promising to reverse the country’s immigration story for one night, rare song inclusions included a reworked ‘Spirit Of The Age’ and a celebratory ‘Written In The Heart’. Apart from one full and frank description of prospective UK PM Boris Johnson, the focus was totally on music and spirit and the special sense of community it can conjure in a place like this. Midnight Oil’s all too brief visit to Ireland closed with an uplifting song that now took on new meanings for many … ‘One Country’.

The final show before hitting continental Europe was staged at the cavernous Brixton Academy two nights later. Young Adelaide band Bad//Dreems put a rocket under the crowd to start proceedings before the Oils delivered a show that included extra songs from the two albums they recorded in England back in the day, including ‘I Don’t Wanna Be The One’ and multiples from ’10-1′. Politics returned to center stage as Tory leadership turmoil dominated both the local news and Pete’s stage banter. What do King Canute and Ricky Gervais have in common? You had to be there to find out.  So with a loud “let it burn!!” still ringing in everyone’s ears, the Oils now cross the channel for the next chapter.

 

O2 Apollo, Manchester 9/6

 

O2 Apollo, Manchester 9/6

 

 

O2 Apollo, Manchester 9/6

 

O2 Apollo, Manchester 9/6

 

Dublin, Ireland 11/6

 

Photo: Christabel

Nick Seymour, Jim Moginie and Declan O’Rourke – Dublin, Ireland 11/6

 

Dublin, Ireland 11/6

 

Olympia, Dublin 11/6

 

Dublin, Ireland 11/6

Olympia, Dublin 11/6

 

Olympia, Dublin 11/6

 

Photo: Adriano Elisei

Olympia, Dublin 11/6

 

Olympia, Dublin 11/6

 

Photo: Adriano Elisei

Olympia, Dublin 11/6

 

Photo: Adriano Elisei

Olympia, Dublin 11/6

 

Photo: Adriano Elisei

Olympia, Dublin 11/6

 

Photo: Adriano Elisei

Olympia, Dublin 11/6

 

Olympia, Dublin 11/6

 

O2 Brixton Academy, London 13/6

 

O2 Brixton Academy, London 13/6

 

O2 Brixton Academy, London 13/6

 

O2 Brixton Academy, London 13/6

PARIS: Come see the first European cinema screening of ‘Midnight Oil: 1984’ at Le Grand Rex on June 26 – the day before the band’s Parisian show. Following the screening there will be an interactive Q&A with Rob Hirst. Tickets essential, head to https://www.legrandrex.com/cinema/2558 for more info.