General News
1 December, 2022
Local reflects on tours with Midnight Oil recording release
Just about everyone knows of iconic Aussie band Midnight Oil, but very few could imagine touring with them — which is exactly what local sound engineer Mark Woods did in the 1980s. For two weeks in early 1982, Mr Woods travelled through Victori...
Just about everyone knows of iconic Aussie band Midnight Oil, but very few could imagine touring with them — which is exactly what local sound engineer Mark Woods did in the 1980s.
For two weeks in early 1982, Mr Woods travelled through Victoria and South Australia on tour with the Oils, with the live show at the Old Lion Adelaide, recorded by Mr Woods, released today in support of roadies.
An initiative by the Australian Road Crew Association (ARCA), the live performance forms part of the not-for-profit organisation’s Desk Tape Series, which raises money to provide financial, health, counselling and wellbeing services to roadies and crews in crisis.
A sound engineer since 1978, Mr Woods said he came to work with Midnight Oil, a band he admits he idolised at the time, by complete chance.
“It was a fill in tour really, I was working for Men at Work at the time who had just done a huge tour around Australia,” he said.
“The band were touring in the United States in two weeks and Midnight Oil’s manager called me and asked if I’d be interested in working with them for a two-week tour they were about to do — a friend must have recommended me or something because it really came out of the blue.
“I loved the band and the timing just worked, Midnight Oil’s tour filled that gap between Men at Work’s so I agreed.”
Mr Woods described it as the speed and dust tour — it was hot and moved at a frantic pace, recalling travelling through the South Australian desert in a rented yellow truck.
He said the band’s performance at the Old Lion Adelaide was both powerful and passionate, which is captured in the released recording.
“The tour went by in a bit of a blur, it was just so fast moving but I remember it was a classic hot, sweaty Adelaide night and I can picture the room clearly, it was a big wide space with a classic old-school PA and speakers — it was all big, heavy, tough gear,” he said.
“There were all these blokes standing at the back of the room on tables with their shirts off, it was a really boisterous and blokey show.
“That was the band, Midnight Oil was a hard, tough surf band and Peter (Garrett) was totally manic on
stage — they were such a hard-hitting musical act.”
Mr Woods said the band attracted packed crowds at each of their shows across the two-week tour and was almost in disbelief at getting to work with them.
“I wanted to work for Midnight Oil, I thought they were the best band at the time,” he said.
“Musically I really liked them, I loved that sort of thing and the music they were producing.
“I was in awe of the band, not so much the size of the shows they put on or crowds they attracted, Midnight Oil just had such a reputation.”
It was a turning point of sorts for Mr Woods, who had been mixing sound for live performances for just four years at that point.
“I mixed my first band in May of 1978, myself and Men at Work’s bass player, John Rees had a little home studio in the mid-70s and bands would come in and record,” he said.
“One of the bands came in and asked if I’d record a live show at the Royal Oak Hotel in Richmond and I didn’t really have much of an idea, but gave it a go and it just stuck — I’ve lived off it from that very first show.
“At that time people only used to see bands for entertainment all the time and every pub had a band playing, there were quite literally shows from Monday through to Sunday so I got a lot in.”
Mr Woods said the release of the recording, which includes some of Midnight Oil’s best known hits like No Time for Games, Back on the Borderline, Standing in Line and Armistice Day was important.
“The Road Crew Association is filled with hardcore crew members who supported heaps of different bands on their tours,” he said.
“The association literally nurse people on their deathbeds and really physically look after the roadies who are in a pretty bad way.
“Roadies had it pretty tough, it was a real hit or miss day-to-day type of work and on average, they haven’t aged well so it’s good the music roadies helped make can support them.”
The live recording is now available through all popular streaming services and can also be bought through ARCA.
