Powderfinger September 2007

Powderfinger were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their break-up in 2010, the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins and drummer Jon Coghill. The group's third studio album '' Internationalist'' peaked at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart in September 1998. They followed with four more number-one studio albums in a row: ''Odyssey Number Five'' (September 2000), '' Vulture Street'' (July 2003), ''Dream Days at the Hotel Existence'' (June 2007) and ''Golden Rule'' (November 2009). Their top-ten hit singles are " My Happiness" (2000), "(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind" (2003) and "Lost and Running" (2007). Powderfinger earned a total of eighteen ARIA Awards, making them the second-most-awarded band, behind Silverchair. Ten Powderfinger albums and DVDs certified multiple-platinum, with ''Odyssey Number Five—''their most successful album—achieving eightfold platinum certification for shipment of over 560,000 units.

After the release of their first DVD, '' These Days: Live in Concert'' (September 2004), and the compilation album '' Fingerprints: The Best of Powderfinger, 1994–2000'' (November 2004), the group announced a hiatus in 2005. The June 2007 announcement of a two-month-long nationwide tour with Silverchair, Across the Great Divide tour, followed the release of ''Dream Days at the Hotel Existence''. Powderfinger were also involved in various philanthropic causes. In 2005, they performed at a WaveAid concert in Sydney, to help raise funds for areas affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Another performance at the Sydney Opera House in October 2007 raised funds for breast cancer victims and their families. One aim of their Across the Great Divide Tour was to promote the efforts of Reconciliation Australia, and awareness of the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. In April 2010, Powderfinger announced that they would be breaking up after their Sunsets Farewell Tour, declaring it would be their last, as they had musically said everything they wanted to say. On 13 November 2010, they played their last concert, signifying their disbandment. In November the following year, rock music journalist Dino Scatena and Powderfinger published a biography, ''Footprints: the inside story of Australia's best loved band.''

On 23 May 2020, the band reformed for a one-off live-streamed charity performance, '' One Night Lonely''.

History

1989–1993: Formation and early releases

Powderfinger were formed in 1989 by Steven Bishop (ex–the Eternal) on drums, John Collins (the Eternal) on bass guitar, and Ian Haug (the Vibrants, the Fossils) on guitar and vocals. The Eternal, the Vibrants, and the Fossils were other Brisbane-based outfits. All three members of Powderfinger were students at Brisbane Grammar School—a private school in Spring Hill—and they started as a cover band playing pub rock classics by the Rolling Stones, the Doors, Led Zeppelin, Steppenwolf, Rodriguez, and Neil Young. The band's name comes from Young's song of the same name. Despite their popularity in Brisbane, when playing a heavy metal gig in Newcastle, New South Wales, in 1990, Powderfinger were booed off stage.

After completing secondary education, Collins and Haug attended the University of Queensland, where the latter met Bernard Fanning in an economics class – and learned that Fanning had similar interests in music and could sing. Fanning took over the role of lead vocals from Haug and also provided guitar and harmonica. Late in 1990, Jon Coghill—another university student with Fanning and Haug—replaced Bishop on drums, which was described as a "mutual leaving". Bishop later worked in London-based bands based in London, UK, before returning to Brisbane where he was a member of Moonjuice and then the Haymakers. Powderfinger's final line-up change was in 1992 with the addition of Darren Middleton (The Pirates) on guitar, keyboards, and backing vocals. Powderfinger initially performed cover versions of other artists' songs, but gradually developed by writing and performing their own material.

In August 1992, the group self-funded a seven-track self-titled extended play, also known as the ''Blue EP'', on their own Finger label, and the album was distributed by MDS. It was produced by Leroy Bath and Ian Taylor, and recorded at Broken Toys Studios, Brisbane. The EP has an early version of " Save Your Skin", co-written by Coghill, Collins, Haug, Middleton, and Fanning; it was later expanded and released in July 1994 as a single from their debut album, '' Parables for Wooden Ears''. Their second EP, '' Transfusion'', was issued in September 1993 and distributed by Polydor Records. At that time, Simon McKenzie of ''Time Off'' noted they were "hoping the major label will put a bit of weight behind the disc, but it's not as though they've signed a record deal or anything". McKenzie felt the EP showed they were "wanting to get heavier and louder for a long time, but is it also a reaction against the sixties tags they've been stuck with?". The five tracks include "Reap What You Sow", which reached the No. 1 spot on the ARIA Alternative Singles Chart, replacing Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box". The group recorded their first music video, for "Reap What You Sow"; it was directed by David Barker, who subsequently directed their next seven videos. After the EP's success, the group were signed by Polydor.

1994–1998: Early albums

In January 1994, Powderfinger performed on the Big Day Out Tour (see 1994 line-up). On 18 July that year, they released their debut studio album, ''Parables for Wooden Ears'', under Polydor. According to Australian rock music historian Ian McFarlane, it "featured complex, meticulously crafted rock but was somewhat ponderous and sombre, which did little to fulfil the promise displayed on ''Transfusion''". The album was produced by Tony Cohen (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Cruel Sea), and Fanning later described it as the band's "dark dark days". It received limited radio coverage. Supporting the album's release, the band toured heavily, appearing at the Livid and Homebake music festivals. Powderfinger supported United States visitors Pantera on that group's Driven Downunder Tour '94. Another Australian support act on the tour was Newcastle-formed band Silverchair. Three singles were released from Powderfinger's debut album—"Tail", " Grave Concern", and " Save Your Skin"—but none appeared on the ARIA Singles Chart Top 50. Following the album's release and lukewarm reception, in April 1995, the band recorded at Melbourne's Metropolis Studio with Lachlan "Magoo" Goold (Regurgitator) and in July released a five-track EP, '' Mr Kneebone''.

The band's second studio album, ''Double Allergic'', was issued on 2 September 1996; it peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified triple platinum by ARIA for shipment of 210,000 units by 2007. It was co-produced by Tim Whitten and the group. McFarlane felt this album was "more self-assured and textured tconsolidated the band's position at the forefront of the alternative rock scene, alongside the likes of You Am I, Spiderbait, Silverchair, Regurgitator and Tumbleweed. he albumwas full of accessible, spirited rock". Australian rock music journalist Ed Nimmervoll noted " trevealed a significant shift towards accessible rock songs rooted in melodic grooves. Powderfinger's reason to be is to create songs strong enough for the band and audience to play and hear months or years down the line". Four singles were released from the album—" Pick You Up", " D.A.F.", " Living Type", and " Take Me In". "Take Me In" was released as a video single featuring several other music videos by the group. FasterLouder, a music review web site, recalled that "when ''Double Allergic'' was released in 1996, it showed the band were here for the long haul to become arguably one of the best of the decade". In 1997 the album was issued in Canada and the group toured North America to promote it.

1998–2003: Critical acclaim and chart success

On 7 September 1998, Powderfinger released their third studio album, '' Internationalist'', which peaked at No. 1 and spent 101 weeks in the Top 50 of the ARIA Albums Chart; it was produced by Nick DiDia (Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam). AllMusic's Jonathan Lewis had mixed feelings about the album. He was enchanted by its lead single, "The Day You Come"; however, he believed "the rest of the album didn't measure up" except for "some fine tracks" in "Don't Wanna Be Left Out" and "Already Gone". Nevertheless, by 2007 the album had shipped over 350,000 copies and was certified five times platinum domestically, and it had reached European audiences. ''Internationalist'' was the first Powderfinger album to win any ARIA Music Awards. At the 1999 ceremony it won "Album of the Year", "Best Rock Album", and "Best Cover Art" (by Kevin Wilkins), and "The Day You Come" won "Single of the Year". "Passenger", another single from ''Internationalist'', was nominated for three additional categories in the following year. The band was both praised and criticised for their political views on ''Internationalist''. In a November 1998 interview with Benedict Watts of ''Juice Magazine'', Haug said that political messages in "The Day You Come" were not something they were just preaching about, but rather were something they saw as a responsibility.

Powderfinger's fourth studio album, ''Odyssey Number Five'', was released on 4 September 2000, and also peaked at No. 1. ''Entertainment Weekly''s Marc Weingarten provided a positive review and found the group "prove that there's still terrain left to be explored nguitar rock ... melancholy is the default mode ... heycan be as prim as Travis or as mock-grandiose as Oasis

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