Robert Hambling is an Australian film director/editor, currently based in Sydney.
Having left school Hambling worked at the editing house, Roger Cherrills in Soho London. After a couple of years and gaining his union card he moved into music with stints at DJM music, Island Records and The Rolling stones Mobile.
He worked for Electric Wood/Wal Bass guitar before returning to film.
Hambling worked as an assistant editor on numerous feature films including Pink Floyd's The Wall (1982), Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), King David (1985), Steaming (1985), Link (1986) and Aliens (1986).
More recently Hambling has worked in the popular music business. He has helped create music videos, concert films and documentaries for Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil, Jimmy Barnes, Divinyls, Silverchair, Missy Higgins, Don Walker, Superjesus, Jim Moginie, She Shinku, Rob Hirst, Ian Moss, Tex Don and Charlie, Margot Smith, Ghostwriters, Merrill Bainbridge, Paul Mac, Tambalane, Spy v Spy, Dragon, Shanley Del, Chicks Who Love Guns, Universe, Mood Six, The Happening Thang, and many more.
Hambling directed several pieces for SBS television on Henry Rollins, Dig, Deborah Conway, Primus
He has directed two short films: 'Elvis' for Channel 4 television in the UK and 'Truth' with the AFC
He is particularly noted for his work with Silverchair and Cold Chisel
Silverchair 'Across the Night - The Creation of Diorama'
"Across the night" documented the making of Diorama, from the first rehearsal to the first performance, from Sydney to Los Angeles. The highs, the lows, and the eccentric Van Dyke Parks. It was released on DVD both here and in the USA
Silverchair 'Inside The Neon Ballroom'
"The making of "Neon Ballroom" and the surprising combination of Daniel Johns and David Helfgott. The one-hour special aired on television and was then released on DVD.
Silverchair "Out Takes & Mistakes'
Young, on tour, in the studio, and goofing off. Released on VHS and now a fan club based release
Cold Chisel's 'Ringside' DVD (2003) Live Concert filmed at the Hordern Pavilion in 'the round'
Cold Chisel's 'The Live Tapes Vol. 1- Live At The Hordern Pavilion' DVD (2013)
Cold Chisel's 'The Live Tapes Vol. 3 - Live at The Sydney Entertainment Centre DVD (2015) released 2017
Midnight Oil 'Only The Strong - the Making of 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1. A documentary about the recording of the album. Nick Launay and Jim Moginie, Rob Hirst, Peter Garrett
'The absolute first thing to watch, however, is the documentary Only the Strong: the making of 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. If you're a fan of the Oils – and, as asserted earlier,
you won't have this thing if you're not – watching the double-act of Moginie and producer Nick Launay scamper through the multitracks of the album that made the band's
career is both fascinating and inspiring (so that's how they got the "sproing!" sound at the beginning of "US Forces"!), and the interviews with Peter Garrett and Rob Hirst are equally illuminating.' [1]
His photography has appeared in numerous albums and articles.
Hambling during the early 1970s developed an imaginary soft cheese that tasted not dissimilar to Moose Cheese
Silverchair credits Hambling for helping the band in its early days by selecting their song Tomorrow in a demo competition where Hambling was a judge.
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Robert Hambling for Midnight Oil's "First Nation" | Best Video | Nominated | [2] |
Midnight Oil are an Australian rock band composed of Peter Garrett, Rob Hirst (drums), Jim Moginie and Martin Rotsey (guitar). The group was formed in Sydney in 1972 by Hirst, Moginie and original bassist Andrew James as Farm: they enlisted Garrett the following year, changed their name in 1976, and hired Rotsey a year later. Peter Gifford served as bass player from 1980 to 1987, with Bones Hillman then assuming the role until his death in 2020. Midnight Oil have sold over 20 million albums worldwide as of 2021.
Midnight Oil is the debut album by Australian rock band Midnight Oil which was recorded in 1977 and released in November 1978 on the band's independent Powderworks label. It reached the top 50 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart. The album was later distributed by CBS Records and issued as a CD. The LP has a blue cover, however, the CD has a black cover. Because of the blue cover, the former version is often referred to, by fans, as the "blue album" or "the Blue Meanie". The lead single, "Run by Night", became the band's first minor hit in Australia and appeared on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart Top 100. It also had a video clip.
Head Injuries is the second studio album by Australian rock band Midnight Oil, released in October 1979 on their own Powderworks label and distributed by Columbia Records. The album was produced by Leszek J. Karski, recorded at 'Trafalgar Studios' in Sydney. It was the last Midnight Oil album to feature founding bass guitarist Andrew James, who quit the band due to illness. It peaked at No. 36 on the Australian Kent Music Report and by mid-1980 had achieved gold status in Australia.
Red Sails in the Sunset is the fifth studio album by Australian group Midnight Oil which was released in October 1984 under the Columbia Records label. It was recorded and produced in Tokyo, Japan and is significant for becoming their first No. 1 album in Australia – it also entered the United States Billboard 200. The cover image, by Japanese artist Tsunehisa Kimura, depicts Sydney Harbour after a hypothetical nuclear strike. Some of its tracks were performed live in January 1985 at a Sydney Harbour Goat Island concert to celebrate radio station Triple J's 10th birthday, which was simulcast on ABC Television and subsequently re-broadcast on their then-Tuesday night music program Rock Arena. In 2004 the film footage later became part of a DVD album, Best of Both Worlds. Red Sails in the Sunset contains the only Midnight Oil tracks with lead vocals provided by their drummer Rob Hirst, "When the Generals Talk" and "Kosciusko". The album spawned two singles, "When the Generals Talk" and "Best of Both Worlds" but neither appeared on the Australian singles chart.
Scream in Blue is a live album by Midnight Oil that was released in May 1992 under the Columbia Records label. It contains songs carefully culled from 5 live concerts recorded over a 9-year period. The audiences sound quite large, but also included is material from a 1990 protest concert held on the street in front of Exxon headquarters in New York City. The album is mixed so as to sound like one continuous concert.
Earth and Sun and Moon is the eighth studio album by Australian rock group, Midnight Oil, that was released in April 1993 under the Columbia Records label. It peaked at No.2 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
Breathe is the ninth studio album by Australian rock band, Midnight Oil, which was released on 15 October 1996 under the Columbia Records label. It peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart and appeared in the top 40 on the New Zealand and Swiss Albums Charts. The album was produced by Malcolm Burn and according to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, it had a loose, raw style with almost a low-key sound.
Silverchair are an Australian rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Newcastle, New South Wales, with Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars, Ben Gillies on drums, and Chris Joannou on bass guitar. The group got their big break in mid-1994 when they won a national demo competition conducted by SBS TV show Nomad and ABC radio station Triple J. The band was signed by Murmur and were successful in Australia and internationally. Silverchair has sold over 10 million albums worldwide.
Neon Ballroom is the third studio album by Australian alternative rock band Silverchair, released in 1999 by record labels Murmur and Epic. The songs "Anthem for the Year 2000", "Ana's Song " and "Miss You Love" were released as singles and a short film was released for the song "Emotion Sickness". Neon Ballroom debuted at No. 1 on the Australian albums chart and peaked at No. 50 on the US Billboard 200 chart. It was also their most successful album on the UK Albums Chart, where it peaked at No. 29. The album was nominated for 10 ARIA Awards and was certified Triple Platinum by the ARIA for selling over 210,000 copies in Australia. The album has been described as "heavy rock with orchestral flourishes and synthetic touches with powerfully emotional lyrics" that reflects the personal demons of frontman Daniel Johns, due to the band's rapid international success.
Diorama is the fourth studio album by Australian alternative rock band Silverchair, released on 31 March 2002 by Atlantic/Eleven. It won the 2002 ARIA Music Award for Best Group and Best Rock Album. The album was co-produced by Daniel Johns and David Bottrill. While Bottrill had worked on albums for a variety of other bands, Diorama marked the first production credit for lead singer Johns.
Robert George Hirst is an Australian musician from Camden, New South Wales. He is a founding member of rock band Midnight Oil on drums, percussion and backing vocals from the 1970s until the band took a hiatus in 2002. The band resumed activity as a group in 2017. Hirst also wrote a book, Willie's Bar & Grill, recounting the experiences on the tour Midnight Oil embarked on shortly after the 11 September terrorist attacks in 2001.
James 'Jim' Moginie is an Australian musician. He is best known for his work with Midnight Oil, of which he is a founding member, guitarist, keyboardist and leading songwriter.
Ghostwriters are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1990, principally involving Midnight Oil drummer Rob Hirst and Hoodoo Gurus bassist Richard Grossman. Their highest-charting single was "Someone's Singing New York New York" (1991) written by Hirst. It reached No. 29 on the ARIA Australian Singles Chart.
20,000 Watt R.S.L. is a compilation album by Australian rock band Midnight Oil released on 13 October 1997 on their own label Sprint Music. The word "Collection" appears on the front of the CD along the hinge in the same type face as the title and the name of the band and may have been intended as part of the album's title; however, it does not appear on the spine. The release has also been distributed inside a cardboard sleeve which adds "Midnight Oil: The Hits" to the album art, distinguishing it as a compilation album.
The Real Thing is a mostly acoustic live album by Midnight Oil, which includes four additional studio recordings, among them a cover version of Russell Morris's classic "The Real Thing". It was initially issued in Australia with a bonus disk of interview material listed as containing 2 tracks but the CD was divided into 30 tracks, dividing the interview up so that past albums and each track on "The Real Thing" gets a short discussion followed by snippet from the album or song being discussed. Later international releases had a bonus disk with videos of "Cemetery In My Mind" and "Redneck Wonderland".
Best of Both Worlds is a DVD-Video release of two significant concerts performed by Australian rock band Midnight Oil. The featured concerts are Oils on the Water and Saturday Night at the Capitol (1982). Best of Both Worlds was released in 2004 by Triple J as part of their Live at the Wireless program. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2004 it won Best Music DVD.
The Best Of: Volume 1 is the first compilation album by Australian alternative rock band Silverchair, which was issued on 13 November 2000. It includes every single they had released up until that point, with the exception of "Shade". The album peaked at No. 15 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
"Power and the Passion" is the second single from Midnight Oil's 1982 album 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. The song is one of the band's most famous, and it was performed on every Midnight Oil tour since the issue of 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 as well as at the WaveAid concert.
The Across the Great Divide Tour was a live DVD and release by Australian rock bands Powderfinger and Silverchair. Released on 1 December 2007, it followed two Melbourne concerts during the bands' two-month-long nationwide tour, titled the Across the Great Divide tour. The DVD was produced by filming company PVC Live, who have produced DVD releases for U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Radiohead. It was mixed in the United States in 5.1 surround sound, and filmed with 24 cameras.
The 13th Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 12 October 1999 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Hosted by Paul McDermott and Bob Downe, and presenters, including Melanie C of the Spice Girls, Tina Cousins, Fiona Horne and Molly Meldrum, distributed 33 awards. The big winner for the year was Powderfinger with four awards.