Powderfinger ProfilePinch me, it’s actually happening.
After all those cryptic billboards popped up all over the country last week, Powderfinger will announce details of their September 2027 reunion tour on Monday, 12 October. It’s gearing up to be the local equivalent of last year’s Oasis reunion, except, as one of my Facebook friends posted this week, bucket hats are out, and flannos and cargo shorts will be back en masse.
Or in my case, I’ll be dusting off the ‘PF’ sweatband set I bought in the Vulture Street era, and rocked as a 23-year-old bloke on the barrier at their final show at Brisbane’s Riverstage in November 2010. It was the tenth, and what I thought would be the last time I’d see them live (shout out to all the hardcore older female fans who surrounded me that night).
Like you, I’m overjoyed, but I’m also really curious about why this is happening. Why is this beloved band of mine and yours doing (what appears to be) so much more than just the standard vinyl re-issue for an album milestone, like they’ve done in the past? (This year is the 30th anniversary of their breakout record Double Allergic.) We’ll probably get the answers from Bernard Fanning, Darren Middleton, Ian Haug, John ‘JC’ Collins and John ‘Cogsy’ Coghill on Monday morning.
One thing is for certain, there will be so many fans, both old and new, who are going to have the time of their lives and their hearts well and truly warmed seeing Powderfinger play together again.
And if you’re a new one, you’ve got a bit of time to dust off their back catalogue and discover why they are such a special band, and alongside their 2007 tour buddies Silverchair, the greatest band this country has produced, that is not in the ARIA Hall of Fame yet.
With both my fan and critic hats on, here’s my guide to 12 of Powderfinger’s biggest and best tracks from their illustrious career, which I hope they’ll start rehearsing over the next 12 months for next year’s tour.
12. Burn Your Name (Golden Rule, 2009)
If you’ve watched that announcement video from yesterday, maybe a couple of times over, this song’s probably still stuck in your head. In fact, Burn Your Name’s legacy has probably been solidified now as the soundtrack to the band announcing their comeback.
It was the second single and probably the most recognisable track off their final record; a warm, upbeat Powderfinger-by-numbers track built for radio. While maybe not up there with their classics, it is surprisingly the band’s fifth most-listened track on Spotify, and it’s just… nice.
11. Love Your Way (Vulture Street, 2003)
This was the second single after Baby I’ve Got You (On My Mind), and its acoustic-to-electric arrangement made it the perfect opener on the Sunsets farewell tour. Good luck restraining yourself from humming along or punching the air to that chorus riff… 'banna-nanana-nanana-nanana'.
10. Like A Dog (Odyssey Number Five, 2000)
Before Powderfinger turned up the Marshalls on Vulture Street, this took the cake as one of their most mosh-friendly tracks, and the heaviest cut from arguably its definitive album. It was accompanied by a striking black-and-white video featuring boxer Anthony Mundine, and is a peak track for JC and his signature low-leaning bass stance.
9. Pick You Up (Double Allergic, 1996)
While Parables for Wooden Ears was their debut, Pick You Up, the first single from Double Allergic, is ultimately seen as Powderfinger’s breakthrough moment. An edgy and upbeat pub rock track, introducing us to their sound and also the first of many ‘you’re my new best friend’ musical moments with their assuring lyrics.
8. My Kind Of Scene (Odyssey Number Five, 2000)
“Tell me where I’m supposed to begin, an unhappy life working some kind of dead-end job”.
Few lyrics have probably run true in a working-class Australian’s head as these. Another one of the hits-a-plenty on Odyssey Number Five, this was the second from this record to feature on a movie soundtrack, used for Tom Cruise’s Sydney-filmed Mission: Impossible 2.
7. Sunsets (Vulture Street, 2003)
The third single from Vulture Street is probably many Australians’ soundtrack to watching the sun go down. Lyrically, though, it's up there with Since You’ve Been Gone as Bernard Fanning’s deeper tracks on the album, as he reminisced about his late brother. Few songs in their catalogue are played better in acoustic mode than this one, and it was a standout with this treatment on their Across the Great Divide tour with Silverchair in 2007.
6. DAF (Double Allergic, 1996)
That final show at the Riverstage 16 years ago didn't have too many old cuts or surprises in the setlist, which was slightly disappointing given the occasion.
This was a welcome inclusion, and it still remains on a late-night Triple M playlist too. It was the second single following their breakout with Pick You Up, and yes, it’s named after the guitar chord sequence. Try it out after you take a listen.
5. These Days (Odyssey Number Five, 2000)
A close second to My Happiness as arguably the band’s most memorable track, and also a triple j Hottest 100 winner, it was also the fitting closer on the Sunsets tour, and the last song they ever played together, until the One Night Lonely ‘reunion’ happened in 2020.
Two versions exist: the one they did for the late Heath Ledger’s 1999 film Two Hands, and the much more powerful album version. Whichever one you’re familiar with, it’s most likely soundtracked a disappointing or heartbreaking moment in your life, and maybe made you feel a tiny bit better or helped you carry on – a testament to the impact this band has had on so many Australians.
4. My Happiness (Odyssey Number Five, 2000)
Cold Chisel has Khe Sanh. Midnight Oil has Beds are Burning. If push came to shove, My Happiness is Powderfinger’s equivalent.
It’s the one definitive song most people know and love most, but it might not top their biggest fans’ lists because it's been overplayed on Triple M or in the pub. If they get convinced to play a song at the Brisbane 2032 Olympics opening or closing ceremonies, they’ll probably get asked to play this one.
Anyways, it’s the lead single from their biggest album, won the triple j Hottest 100, and you probably already know it off by heart. And the clip is dripping in Brisbane DNA and probably one of the best ads for a slinky ever.
3. Grave Concern (Parables for Wooden Ears, 1994)
IS THERE A TURRRRN-AROUND?
After becoming hooked in the Vulture Street era, grunge-loving-17-year-old me naturally jumped into the back catalogue, and became a big fan of their 1994 debut. Although the band were in their wannabe-Soundgarden phase and aren't too fond of the record, this track - the second single from it - slaps hard.
If there was one thing the Sunsets tour lacked, it was a track from Parables in the setlist. The calls for the boys to start re-learning this, or its lead single Tail, begin here.
2. Passenger (Internationalist, 1999)
Oh, those horns. The final single from Internationalist is probably a secret staple on anyone’s aeroplane takeoff playlist, and always soared to another level live with Ian and Darren’s solos during the ‘La La Las’ and an extra verse added at the end. Check it out on any of their live recordings to well and truly get the feels.
1. (Baby I've Got You) On My Mind (Vulture Street, 2003)
Powderfinger were in my 'yeah, they're ok' category until a fateful Saturday afternoon in probably June 2003, when 16-year-old me was heading to my basketball game in my mum's 1998 Daihatsu Pyzar.
Those opening power chords from Ian and Darren blasted out, and I heard what I felt like Aussie pub rock captured in a bottle. Three minutes and 20 seconds later, I was hooked.
Vulture Street was Powderfinger's Highway To Hell, and this, the lead single, captured all of that energy and earned a spot on any party and pub playlist across the country. It is impossible to feel anything but upbeat or energised after listening to this track.
More broadly, this track is probably universally in Powderfinger’s top five tracks, but for the reasons I've just outlined, it's my no. 1, and you can bank on it being a strong contender as a set closer.
Other special cuts
Got time for only one or two tracks from each record? Here are the ones I rate, outside of the hits.
Parables for Wooden Ears: Tail, Solution
Double Allergic: JC, Turtle’s Head
Internationalist: Trading Places, Capoicity
Odyssey Number Five: Up and Down and Back Again, Thrilliology
Vulture Street: Rockin’ Rocks, Pockets
Dream Days at the Hotel Existence: Nobody Sees, Lost and Running
Golden Rule: Jewel, Stand Yourself
Non-album/compilation tracks: Bless My Soul (Fingerprints, 2003), Day By Day (Unreleased, 2020)
Powderfinger split in 2010 because they wanted to go out on a high, and I think Fanning said at the time he didn’t want to play to crickets in an empty stadium.
Dare I say it, those crickets might have to make tracks – myself and an army of fans are ready to fall in love with them and relive their finest moments all over again. See you in the pit in September 2027.
