Film review: ‘MIDNIGHT OIL: THE HARDEST LINE’, by Nick Gardener from ‘Built For Speed’

Midnight Oil were always an intriguing mix of contradictions.  They were almost as much an activist entity as a band.  Their sound was an unusual mix of disparate genres such as hard rock, punk, surf music and prog and was sufficiently diverse that just about anyone would like at least some of their repertoire even if they recoiled at other tracks.  Despite being rock stars, most of them (Peter Garrett aside) resembled clean cut tradies and bank clerks. They drew a fan base that consisted equally of bearded, politically conscious lefties and beery bogan yobs whose attitudes seemed at odds with the band’s progressive agenda but got off on their fierce sound, anti-establishment attitude and Peter Garret’s unique crazy man performance style and contorted dance moves.  They were unlike just about any band before or since.

The documentary Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line recounts their gritty, at times punishing but often exhilarating journey from surf club rockers to major music stars and cultural icons.  The film follows a fairly standard rock doc template with a chronological tour of their career from about 1972 when guitarist Jim Moginie, drummer Rob Hirst and original bassist Andrew James came together, through their battles with a disdainful mainstream music industry, their commercial breakthrough with the ‘10 to 1’ album, their life changing experience playing with Warumpi Band in outback Aboriginal communities, Peter Garret’s political career and their apparently final comeback tour a few years ago.

While a decent helping of live footage – including the phenomenal rain-soaked 1982 Wanda Beach gig – captures their explosive energy, the defining aspect of this documentary is the introspective commentary from each of the surviving band members.  Their recollections palpably convey the stress of being in a struggling rock band that didn’t fit the mainstream mould, the grind of touring but also the thrill of musical inspiration and knowing they had put their message across to fans.  We learn a few personal details about the band  including the early tragedy that befell Peter Garrett but this is by no means a comprehensive bio-doc of each band member.

The film shows how their sound and their consciousness were largely shaped by and were a reaction against Australian politics and culture of the 1970’s and 80’s but also how the individual personalities in the band contributed to the unique beast that is Midnight Oil.

A major bugbear of mine is rock docs failing to do give audiences a clear sense of a band’s discography.  This film does a reasonable job of this but barely mentions the self-titled 1978 debut and 1979’s ‘Head Injuries’.

Hardcore fans would no doubt want this film to be an hour longer with a more comprehensive plundering of the band’s back catalogue and more footage of legendary live performances but Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line does a decent job of recounting the story of this unique band.

Nick’s rating: ***1/2

Genre: Music documentary.

Classification: M.

Director(s): Paul Clarke.

Release date: 27th May 2024.

Running time: 110 mins.

Reviewer: Nick Gardener can be heard on “Built For Speed” every Friday night from 8-10pm on 88.3 Southern FM.

 

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