Michelle burns the Midnight Oil

By Nicole Williams
MICHELLE Slater surrounds herself with music everyday, but her favourite band will always be Midnight Oil.
The music lover makes sure she attends at least one live gig every week and hosts a radio show, The Dotted Line, on 3MDR each Wednesday night, showcasing local independent Australian artists.
But she still always goes back to the Australian hard-rock band known for its intense live performances and political activism.
“Midnight Oil was a band which had a lot of substance for me,” Michelle said.
“It allowed me to channel my interests and rage at what was happening in Australia.”
She was already a big fan, but when she her older sister took her to her first live gig – a Midnight Oil concert as part of the Blue Sky Mining tour – her passion was set.
Michelle recalls the impact that concert had on her life and love for music.
“It’s the absolute power and the sincerity and the intensity of the live gigs – it absolutely blew my mind away,” she said.
“I didn’t think live music could be like that.”
Michelle has followed the band closely since then and has met the members a number of times.
One memorable occasion at a gig in 1991, Michelle was knocked out due to the impact of rough crowd and was taken to the St John ambulance.
“I was taken to the ambulance and Garrett came out to personally apologise for the crowd,” she said.
And while studying at uni, Michelle followed the band on a tour of the east coast and found the band become very protective.
“The band and the crew became quiet fatherly towards me as I was driving this clapped out old bomb around after them.”
The band offered to pay for her hotel rooms, the crew made sure she ate properly and ensured that was a ticket for her to each gig.
Michelle said that even though Midnight Oil was her first music love, it has fostered her love for music, and particularly Australian rock.
“My passion for Midnight Oil has inspired my love of music as an art,” she said.
“It absolutely changed my life.”