Aussie rock legends Goanna join Midnight Oil for a rare reunion gig at Geelong’s A Day on the Green 
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31.01.2022

Aussie rock legends Goanna join Midnight Oil for a rare reunion gig at Geelong’s A Day on the Green 

Midnight Oil have announced a slew of guests for their final tour from February to April this year.

Midnight Oil are set to hit the road one final time next month, closing their five-year reunion chapter with their final tour of Australia in support of new and 15th record, Resist, due out in 2022.

Midnight Oil’s tour will kick off in Newcastle in February with 14 big outdoor and arena shows on the initial schedule which sees The Oils playing their final farewell concert in their Sydney hometown on April 21. As part of the farewell tour, the band will perform two Victorian a day on the green shows, one at Mt Duneed Estate, Geelong on March 5 and at All Saints Estate, Rutherglen on March 12. They’ll also perform at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne between the two outdoor shows on March 9.

One of the most ‘Australian’ rock bands this country has ever produced, the iconic rockers have today unveiled the full lineup for each show of their imminent mainland tour.

The dates will feature a broad palate of Australian sounds, from buzzing pub punks Amyl & The Sniffers through the young surf rock of Darwin’s King Stingray to the mighty Hoodoo Gurus just as they launch their new album. Acclaimed singer-songwriters Jack River, William Crighton, Emily Wurramara, Stephen Pigram and Busby Marou will also appear as will Best Blues & Roots ARIA winners, All Our Exes Live In Texas.

The most exciting addition though is the tour will feature a handful of rare reunion appearances by fellow 1980s trailblazers Goanna.

The key takeaways 

  • Midnight Oil has unveiled the full lineup for each show of their imminent mainland tour.
  • The Oils will return to Mt Duneed Estate, Geelong on March 5 as part of the tour with 1980s trailblazers Goanna and Best Blues & Roots ARIA winners All Our Exes Live In Texas
  • Tickets are on sale now.

Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

Appearing at a day on the green Mt Duneed Estate, Geelong (Saturday 5 March), a day on the green Nikola Estate, Perth (Saturday 26 March) and Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast (Saturday 9 April), Goanna is an exciting addition for Midnight Oil’s farewell lap.

Formed in 1977 in Geelong as The Goanna Band with mainstay Shane Howard as singer-songwriter and guitarist. The group integrated social protest with popular music and reached No. 1 on the Australian Singles Charts with “Solid Rock” (1982) and top 20 with “Let the Franklin Flow” (released under the name Gordon Franklin & the Wilderness Ensemble in 1983).

In the 1980s, Goanna’s debut album, Spirit of Place, helped forge a new Australian identity. The iconic Solid Rock stoked a fire for Indigenous rights that hasn’t gone out, while the anthemic Let The Franklin Flow was a call to arms for Australia’s emerging environmental movement.

Goanna released three studio albums: 1982’s Spirit of Place, 1985’s Oceania and 1998’s Spirit Returns. Soulful, lyrical, political, humane and brimming with musicality, originality and creative volatility, Australia has never produced a group like Goanna, before or since.

Forty years after their debut album, Shane Howard, Rose Bygrave, Marcia Howard and Graham Davidge, with special guests, are reliving those treasures, as they embark on a year of paying homage to the Goanna spirit again.

Alongside Goanna, ARIA Award-winning indie-folk band All Our Exes Live In Texas will also join Midnight Oil at a day on the green in Geelong and Rutherglen this March.

Dubbed a fantasy draft of Australia’s finest singer-songwriters, the Exes are a powerhouse of musical prowess, known as much for their side-splitting banter and feminist politics as their devastatingly beautiful harmonies.

With a Top 10 critically acclaimed debut album, When We Fall, and a reputation as festival favourites, they’ve had multiple sell-out tours around Australia and are carving up the USA and UK. They’ve been called “the most badass girl folk group ever” and their captivating live show has earned them support slots for the Backstreet Boys, Passenger, Nathaniel Rateliff, Midnight Oil and more. Experience intricate musicality, heartbreaking honesty and melodies that soar from four voices that both captivate on their own and come together like magic.

Tickets from adayonthegreen.com.au/midnightoil