Australian rock icons Midnight Oil have announced their re-formation and Great Circle 2017 world tour will kick off at one of their original homes, the Coogee Bay Hotel.
Famous around the world throughout the 80s and 90s for their hard-hitting political activist music, Midnight Oil report they are rehearsing an amazing “170-odd” songs from their 25-year back-catalogue.
It has now been revealed that the re-formed band will begin the much-anticipated tour where it “cut its teeth” – Selina’s, in Chris Cheung’s Coogee Bay Hotel.
Speaking to PubTIC, Cheung says there are so many sentimental and emotional ties between his pub and the Oils.
“This is fantastic – they’ve gone back to their roots with an intimate pub gig. An iconic band playing an iconic venue. What a fantastic way to launch a reunion.”
Always the social wardens, the band is issuing just 1100 tickets for the Selina’s gig, and these will only be available through a registration and ballot process to prevent scalpers profiting.
“I’ve fielded so many calls today from old staff wanting to come back for the night and work for free,” reports Cheung. “One said ‘we’re getting the band back together!’
“I’m really excited about it. I’ll certainly be there on the night.”
The announcement of the tour came last month, and frontman – former Labor Minister Peter Garrett AM – says he’s excited to be performing their songs again with his “brothers in music” at such a turbulent time in global politics.
“Never felt better … fresher … nastier … sweeter … more energetic,” said Garrett.
“There’s so much fuel in the engine, and there’s so much substance in the songs that have already been recorded.”
Midnight Oil will launch the Great Circle 2017 tour at Selina’s on Thursday, 13 April.
They will then go on to Brazil, the USA, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, England, France, Switzerland, Czech Republic and New Zealand, before finishing back in Sydney with two – already sold-out – shows in the Domain.