Midnight Oil has confirmed it will return to the recording studio later this year, with the band’s drummer Rob Hirst saying their live reunion “was such a positive experience that it made us even hungrier to get back to making new music together.”
In an email to fans, the Oils announced two final stops on their 2019 tour — meaning no U.S. shows are planned this year — and said the band will enter the studio after coming off the road in July. There’s no promise of a full album, just that the band hopes “to track some new music for possible release in 2020.”
Any new release from Midnight Oil would be the first new music from the band since 2003 benefit single “No Man’s Land.” The Oils’ last album, Capricornia, was released in 2002.
The full statement from the band:
The Oils have also confirmed rumours that they hope to track some new music for possible release in 2020. If all goes to plan these would be their first recordings since 2001. At this stage it is not known whether a new song or two will be previewed at some point during their tour, but the band currently plans to head straight into the studio when they come off the road.
Oils drummer Rob Hirst said, “We’ve been talking about recording again for years but The Great Circle Tour in 2017 was such a positive experience that it made us even hungrier to get back to making new music together. It’s a bit early to know what might come out of it yet – we’re just looking forward to getting back into that creative mode.”
The band also announced two theater shows in Australia in late May that will kick off the 14-date run of shows this summer. They’re being billed as the “final 2019 gigs” to be announced.
See full dates below.
Midnight Oil tour dates
AUSTRALIA
May 23: Anita’s Theatre, Wollongong, New South Wales
May 27: Royal Theatre, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
July 18: Big Red Bash, Birdsville, Queensland
UK & EUROPE
June 9: O2 Apollo, Manchester, England
June 11: Olympia, Dublin, Ireland
June 13: O2 Brixton Academy, London, England
June 17: Stadtpark, Hamburg, Germany
June 19: Porta Nigra, Trier, Germany
June 21: Zeltfestival, Mannheim, Germany
June 27: Grand Rex, Paris, France
July 1: Tollwood Festival, Munich, Germany
July 3: Killesberg, Stuttgart, Germany
July 6: Zitadelle, Mainz, Germany
July 13: Amphitheatre, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS:
- Midnight Oil live set from 1997’s ‘Breathe’ tour to receive vinyl Record Store Day release
- Midnight Oil continues reunion, announces 2019 concerts in U.K., Europe and Australia
- ‘Midnight Oil 1984’ documentary to screen in U.S. theaters next month — see full trailer
- Watch: Patti Smith preaches eco-justice with cover of Midnight Oil’s ‘Beds Are Burning’
- Midnight Oil details huge new 12-disc box set: Demos, rarities, B-sides, hours of live video
- Midnight Oil announces massive 2017 reunion tour, 3 huge box sets with unreleased music
Excellent. Lots going on in this world for them to writer and sing about again.
Love their music, but I do get tired of all their bitching and moaning about politics.
But that’s such a big part of their music.
So don’t listen to them, the vast majority of their songs are politically motivated. Obviously you don’t agree with some of their views by way of your bitching and moaning. The’ve been doing the same thing for 40+ years FFS.
I saw them in California when they did their reunion tour and when Garrett said something anti-Trump, this couple in front of me looked at each other, shook their heads, got up and left. I thought to myself, “Have they been paying attention to this band ever?” I think they were just hipsters that liked the beat of “Beds Are Burning” or something.
It is astonishing. So much of their music is deeply political. How can people possibly miss that?