Wednesday, November 5, 2025

POWDERFINGER'S BEST


POWDERFINGER burned their name across the Australian music landscape, clocking up 5 number 1 albums, 18 ARIA awards, 3 APRA awards and sales of more than 2.5 million albums. 

Their 18 ARIA awards put them behind only SILVERCHAIR, who they toured with for nine weeks on 2007’s Across The Great Divide Tour.  The two bands only united onstage at three of the tour’s 34 shows.


Once their line-up had solidified in 1992, they self-released The Blue EP, but someone stole the majority of the small run—today, they bring top dollar on eBay.  The band signed to Polydor in 1993 and played the prestigious BIG DAY OUT for the first time in 1994.  They finally hit the charts with Pick You Up in 1996 a song that lead singer Bernard Fanning said had a big influence on their direction (which is included on this compilation).  Their album stayed in the top ten for ten weeks and they toured with their idols YOU AM I (who Jonder may have turned me onto).


From there, their career was highlight after highlight.  They helped CROWDED HOUSE say farewell to the world at The Sydney Opera House playing to more than 100,000 people.


They were asked by filmmaker Gregor Jordan to write a track for his upcoming film, Two Hands, starring Bryan Brown and a young upstart named Heath LedgerThese Days was born (also included here).  At this point, Heath Ledger and Powderfinger became household names in Australia.


POWDERFINGER also had a song on the MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 2 Soundtrack, but they never achieved the widespread success in The States that they enjoyed in Australia.


They toured the U.S. with COLDPLAY which exposed more rock fans to their brand of rock & roll—but after an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman, 9-11 happened, and cost them their momentum.


The group disbanded in 2010 after 21 years together, chosing their hometown of Brisbane to play their last show.  Lead singer BERNARD FANNING records as a solo artist, and guitarist IAN HAUG replaced Marty Willson-Piper in THE CHURCH.




31 comments:

  1. Downloaders are requested to share an Australian band that they LOVE--who were huge at home--but not as big (as they should have been) in the rest of the world.

    I’m looking for conviction about a specific band that really puts the boom in your boomerang, more than a list of Australian bands.

    That said, for me, it’s a tie: DIVINYLS & HOODOO GURUS!

    In the words of Jerry Lee Lewis, anyone who doesn’t like those bands “Can use my dick for a walking stick.” How’s THAT for conviction?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You Am I will always be my favorite Australian band. Right now I'm into two groups with terrible names but great music: Tropical Fuck Storm and the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets.

      Delete
    2. So it WAS you who turned me onto them. I thought so!

      Delete
    3. Yes, it is I who am a You Am I fan.

      Delete
  2. Here's the link!
    POWDERFINGER'S BEST:
    https://pixeldrain.com/u/DAHx8Pds

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Celibate Rifles: for their band name, for the anger/temper in "Darlinghurst Confidential", for the zen in "Oceanshore", for being unforgiveably unknown in my homeland. Very close come Chris Bailey & The Saints: for „All Fool’s Day“, which under certain circumstances would bring me to tears. Best, The Chairman (TC)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Celibate Rifles is indeed a great band name. All Fools Day is a lovely album that my wife and I both cherish. Thank you, Chairman!

      Delete
    2. Yes, thanks, Chairman! I also enjoy The Saints.

      Delete
  4. My favorite Australian musician is Foetus. And The Hard-Ons. I do not know about popularity of things. This summer Amyl and the Sniffers were in Europe, and I have seen gigs on tv. Very funny and energetic band.
    One band (not Australian, but New Zealand) that I got to know because someone said they were ridiculous and lousy and not-musical at all Axemen. really enjoy them.
    Thanks Stinky for an Aussie band I never heard off.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "This is ridiculous and lousy and not-musical at all." "I'm in!" I like that attitude.

      Tim Rogers (from You Am I) has been the lead singer on the last three Hard-Ons albums.

      Delete
    2. I was introduced to them by a friend from Amsterdam. He insisted that I would like them, & he couldn't have been more right!

      Delete
  5. Thanks for sharing. Greeting berli. "https://fabomihaly.blogspot.com/"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're certainly welcome Berli. I checked out your blog & liked it!

      Delete
  6. Well, I recently posted a ton of stuff from Icehouse, who I think were majorly underrated. Love them is a big word, but Iva Davies and comrades are pretty great. Not some huge convictions, sorry Stinky, but any band with a song as great as "Great Southern Land" deserves to be on more people's radars.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks Stinky for introducing this band to me. Some of my favorite Aussie bands/singers: The Church, Divynils, Man At Work, Jimmy Barnes, Hunters & Collecters

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I expected to see a lot more love for THE CHURCH, Koen. UNGUARDED MOMENT is one of my favorite songs.

      Delete
  8. Mental as Anything ,Radio Birdman,Triffids,AC/DC,Hoodoo Gurus,Saints,Collard Greens and Gravy,Nick Cave and Bad Seeds,Go- Betweens,Paul Kelly,Crowded House and heaps more

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Since you reminded me of THE GO-BETWEENS, I'm off to listen to RIGHT HERE, Me n the Reeds!

      I went in search of their album immediately after seeing this video on MTV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q97CRX_vjcg

      Delete
    2. Gravy is for biscuits, not collards! I season my collard greens with pepper sauce, as the good lord intended.

      Delete
  9. I didn't know Powderfinger either but I did know and appreciate Powder Monkeys. Let's not mix them up. But the Australian bands that really do it for me are Exploding White Mice, the Stems, the Scientists and Sunnyboys. All those bands unfortunately disbanded a while ago.
    J from Europe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks J. I have a SUNNYBOYS record that I should probably pull out and give another listen to.

      Delete
    2. Scientists got back together and made another album a few years ago! I really hate it that I missed their US tour.

      Delete
  10. Yeah I agree with all the choices but don't forget 'Space Invaders" by Player [1], The Sports, Steve Kilbey, Flash And The Pan, Tall Tales & True, The Saints were an old fave for me like Hoodoo Gurus, Real Life, Wild Seeds, Walking Seeds, The Stems, The Black Sorrows, Boss, Australian Crawl, Huxton Creepers, The Hollowmen, Moving Pictures, Real Life, Pray TV, Midnight Oil, Eurogliders, Harem Scarem, Single Gun Theory, The Victims, The New Christs, The Doctor's Children, Happy Hate Me Nots, FX (near top of the list), The Scientists, Lime Spiders, Icehouse, Full Time Men, Depression, The Trilobites, White Cross, Ups And Downs, Vicious Circle, Choirboys, Cheetah, Buffalo (great hard rock!), Leo Sayer, Mondo Rock, The Reels (Love Will Find A Way is first hit song which is a cool title for us bloggers), yes the Sherbs/Sherbet, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons (Hit and run is tops! and someone had said they play them during their workout sessions with others), Ya Ya Choral, Daddy Cool, Cold Chisel (of course), Divinyls, The Church, Rads, The Screaming Blue Messiahs, The Screaming Believers, The Screaming Tribesmen, X Angel City, and a cool bookend in The Cosmic Psychos when you're out there shredding it up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love Radio Birdman, Lime Spiders, Birthday Party, Drones, New Christs, Icecream Hands, Dirty Three, Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Tiger By The Tail (with Dave Thomas from Bored!) Paul Kelly and Dom Mariani are huge talents. Love the Screaming Blue Messiahs as well, but they were a British band, and Full Time Men were American.

      Here's a wonderful and underrated Australian power pop album:
      https://grandatlantic.bandcamp.com/album/this-is-grand-atlantic-album

      Delete
    2. A pretty thorough list, VCMD, but what aboutThe Psychotic Turnbuckles a band made up of professional wrestlers who re-located from Pismo Beach in California after being banned by the Pismo Beach Wrestling Alliance!

      Delete
    3. Thanks guys, I had the country wrong on my 2 posts and I should repost Brian Seattle's old PT posts and add on. Took out my comment about Walking Seeds being from U.K. and added here (however only liked that second album). Interesting bands on this post like Eddy Current Suppression Ring (straight out of my Electro-Mechanical background at work with EM brakes and clutches) ha ha

      Delete
  11. Damn just found out Robert Taylor from Dragon passed away....I will repost next week. https://www.wideopencountry.com/70s-rock-star-robert-taylor-dies-at-74/

    ReplyDelete
  12. Crackwhore (have seen them 2010 live in Melbourne, nearly fell in love with Stacy)
    https://mega.nz/file/Wd8igaAL#MPqcsn52Mo1tq9KY36kRv2dhjW7sNsBhXhcWPlgYQL8

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. With a name like that, they HAVE to be good, Hermann! Thanks for sharing a link!

      Delete