Powderfinger
Powderfinger were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until its 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.
For the Neil Young song, see Powderfinger (song).
Powderfinger
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.[1]
History[edit]
1989–1993: Formation and early releases[edit]
Powderfinger were formed in 1989[2] 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.[3][4][5] The Eternal, the Vibrants, and the Fossils were other Brisbane-based outfits.[6] 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.[3][5][7] The band's name comes from Young's song of the same name.[3][8][9] Despite their popularity in Brisbane, when playing a heavy metal gig in Newcastle, New South Wales, in 1990, Powderfinger were booed off stage.[10]
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.[11] Fanning took over the role of lead vocals from Haug and also provided guitar and harmonica.[3][7] Late in 1990, Jon Coghill—another university student with Fanning and Haug—replaced Bishop on drums, which was described as a "mutual leaving".[12][13] 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.[8][14] Powderfinger initially performed cover versions of other artists' songs, but gradually developed by writing and performing their own material.[8]
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.[5][7][12] It was produced by Leroy Bath and Ian Taylor, and recorded at Broken Toys Studios, Brisbane.[15] The EP has an early version of "Save Your Skin", co-written by Coghill, Collins, Haug, Middleton, and Fanning;[16] it was later expanded and released in July 1994 as a single from their debut album, Parables for Wooden Ears.[15] Their second EP, Transfusion, was issued in September 1993 and distributed by Polydor Records.[3][7] 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".[17] 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?".[17] The five tracks include "Reap What You Sow", which reached the No. 1 spot on the ARIA Alternative Singles Chart,[18] replacing Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box".[19] 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.[4][20][21] After the EP's success, the group were signed by Polydor.[7]