Portal:Australia/Featured article/Week 47, 2007



Powderfinger is an alternative rock band based in Australia. The band formed in Brisbane, Australia, in 1989, and their lineup since 1992 has consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bassist John Collins, and drummer Jon Coghill.

Powderfinger became a commercial success with their third studio album Internationalist in 1998. Since then, they have released several hit singles and award-winning works, including a total of fifteen ARIA Awards. Numerous Powderfinger albums have reached platinum status multiple times, and rankings in the top 100 of Australian music charts. Odyssey Number Five, Powderfinger's most successful to date, earned over eight platinum certifications and ARIA Awards in five different categories. The announcement of a two month-long nationwide tour with Silverchair entitled the Across the Great Divide tour followed the release of their sixth studio album, Dream Days at the Hotel Existence in June 2007.

Across their 15-year career, Powderfinger has been active in practicing philanthropic acts. In 2005, Powderfinger performed at a WaveAid concert in Sydney, to help raise funds for areas affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. In October 2007, performed at a concert in the Sydney Opera House for breast cancer victims and their families. The aim of their recent tour was to promote the efforts of Reconciliation Australia, and to promote awareness of the 17-year gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children.