Powderfinger (the name of a Neil Young song) started off as a 3-piece act in 1989, with Ian Haug on guitar/vocals, John Collins on bass guitar and Stephen Bishop on drums. Haug met current vocallist Bernard Fanning in an economics class at the University of Queensland (which Fanning apparently failed, but Haug passed). Fanning and Haug, being quite bored in the class, started talking, and found out they had similar tastes in music. Haug invited Fanning to a band practice, as the band were looking for another guitarist, and they found out that Fanning was a talented vocallist. Haug gladly handed vocal duties to Fanning.
Bishop eventually left the band, and they recruited current drummer Jon Coghill. Apparently, Coghill had turned up to a previous rehersal and started slam dancing to their playing. This cracked them up at the time, and when Bishop left, Coghill was quick to audition, and was awarded the place as Powderfinger's drummer.
In 1992, Powderfinger decided to add another guitarist. Haug and Fanning went looking around Brisbane, and after a while, they found exactly what they were looking for. They found Darren Middleton playing in a band called 'The Pirates', dancing on the tables with a wireless electric guitar. They were quick to ask Middleton to join, so he said goodbye to 'The Pirates' and joined Powderfinger. The line-up was now complete.
Some of Powderfinger's first gigs were played at 'Rock Against Work', which was held on Friday afternoons at the Brisbane Target Building. They started out playing covers alongside bands such as Regurgitator and Custard (Trivia - Jon Coghill auditioned for Custard but was rejected). Through the gigs they played, and borrowing money from friends (such as now manager Paul Pittico), Powderfinger released their first EP 'Powderfinger', which is more frequently referred to as the 'Blue EP'. The EP quickly sold out of its 1500 copies. Shortly after that release came the 'Transfusion EP' which was creating much excitement. It even knocked Nirvana's 'Heart Shaped Box' off the #1 spot on the Alternative charts. The EP sold close to 15 000 copies, which was a first for a Bris-band, and probably couldn't have happened had Triple J not been nationalised by then. Tim Prescott of Polydor was at the launch of Transfusion, and went out drinking with the band after. They were signed, but like some other Bris-bands at the time (e.g. Screamfeeder), they didn't want to leave Brisbane to do it.
Unfortunatly, when Powderfinger's first full-length album 'Parables For Wooden Ears' came out, it didn't create nearly as much excitement as Transfusion. Parables generated little short-term return for the money placed in to making the album. It sold just over 6000 copies in it's first year. Parables wasn't recieving many good reviews either. One memorable review by Jack Marx (Rolling Stone 499 (Australia). August 1994, p. 90) stated that Parables was "a certified jerk-off" and that Tail (the major single) was "on the brink of dissappearing up it's own arse". Mr Kneebone, the following EP, wasn't doing well either.
But then, Powderfinger's first break came. The year was 1996, the album was 'Double Allergic' and the song was 'Pick You Up'. Powderfinger were on the right track. Double Allergic was a great album, less technical and more melodic than Parables. Pick You Up, and Powderfinger's next single, D.A.F (named after the chord progression) both got extensive airplay on Triple J, and even made it to commercial radio stations. However, Pick You Up peaked at #22 on the commercial charts (in June 1996), which didn't reflect the song at all. Double Allergic was released in September 1996, and debuted in the top 10 in the ARIA charts, and had gone double platnium within a year, selling over 140 000 copies. Powderfinger were nominated for several ARIA awards, however failed to pick up any.
1998 came 'Internationalist', and finally, much success for Powderfinger. Commercial radio picked up on the singles from the album, and gave them continuious air-play. The first single from the album, 'The Day You Come', was a political masterpiece and made it to #8 on the Hottest 100 of 1998.
1999 had to be Powderfinger's biggest year so far. Four more singles from Internationalist were released ('Don't Wanna Be Left Out', 'Good-Day Ray' (Don't Wanna Be Left Out and Good-Day Ray were released as a double A-side), 'Already Gone' and 'Passenger'). At the 1999 ARIA awards, Powderfinger finally managed to score four awards ('Best Record' - The Day You Come, 'Best Artwork' and 'Rock Album Of The Year' - Internationalist and the highly coveted 'Best Group' award) . The biggest thing for them, though, was movie director Gregor Jordan asking them to write a song for his crime thriller 'Two Hands'. And 'These Days' was born. These Days wasn't actually on an album (it was on the Passenger single and the Two Hands soundtrack) yet it made it to #1 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 1999. Quite a huge feat for a song that wasn't even a single, let alone even on an album.
Also in 1999, Fanning hit out at the young, egotistical singer named Ben Lee. Fanning called Lee a 'precocious little c**t'. Lee hit back by wearing a shirt with that slogan printed on it. Fanning toned the remark down to 'smart-arsed little wanker'.
By 2000, Powderfinger had to be the most successful band in Australia. Passenger was awarded the APRA Song Of The Year award, and the band were commercially ahead of other bands like them (e.g. Spiderbait, Regurgitator). They got together in the studio, and in September 2000 released the masterpiece that is 'Odyssey Number Five'. These Days was reprised on the album, as was 'My Kinda Scene', which was in the movie 'Mission Impossible 2'. Powderfinger had just started to hit the international market. The first single from Odyssey Number Five was the beautiful 'My Happiness'. My Happiness probably had the best videoclip ever (well in my opinion anyway...), featuring a slinky that its owner lost on a Brisbane train. The next single, 'Like A Dog' (which was about John Howard's treatment of indigenous people) , unfortunatly did not get airplay on radio station Triple M, because they thought voters for John Howard would get offended.
On Australia Day 2001, Powderfinger performed a feat that would be extremely hard to repeat by anyone...My Happiness reached #1 on the Triple J Hottest 100. Two years in a row, Powderfinger wrote the most memorable song of the year (My Kinda Scene came in at #3).
At the 2001 ARIA awards, Powderfinger picked up a whopping 6 awards (from 8 nominations), including 'Band Of The Year'.
After extensive touring of Australia and overseas, Darren Middleton got together with 'Marky' Mark McElligott (Powderfinger's sound engineer), Matt Murphy (who occasionally plays keys for the band) and Sean Hartman and created Drag, an outlet for Middleton to test his songwriting abilities outside Powderfinger. They released their debut EP ('Gas Food Lodging') in 2002.
Powderfinger then headlined Livid, a music festival designed to showcase the best Brisbane has to offer. They even headlined over Oasis! Livid moved to Sydney and Melbourne for the first time. Unfortunatly, it has been cancelled indefinately, due to lack of big-name bands being able to play.
Fanning got together with Gregor Jordan again, and worked on the soundtrack for the movie 'Ned Kelly'. He even made a cameo in the movie as an Irish singer.
2003 saw the release of Powderfinger's fifth album, Vulture Street (Trivia - Vulture Street runs along the Gabba, Stanley Street is on the other side. Powderfinger's band room was on Stanley Street, and they were going to call it that, but they decided that Vulture Street was a much better name. And I don't blame them). Vulture Street showed off Powderfinger's ability to rock out. Vulture Street is an album that's full of interesting quirks (the song '(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind' is about a stalker - purely fiction), yet has a serious side ('Since You've Been Gone' is about Fanning's brother, who died from cancer).
Vulture Street recived several nominations for the 2003 ARIA awards, and recieved 4 awards (however, missing out on Album Of The Year - that award was stolen from them by Delta Goodrem). Powderfinger embarked on a huge tour of Australia, supported by The John Butler Trio. One of the Sydney shows from this tour is available on DVD and CD ('These Days - Powderfinger Live In Concert') (More Trivia - The DVD is directed by Gregor Jordan).
Another worldwide tour was in order, this time stopping in Denmark for the Danish Royal Wedding. The happy couple were seen at the concert wearing Vulture Street badges (as Fanning jokingly recommended they wear).
'Fingerprints - The Best Of Powderfinger 1994 - 2000' was released in November 2004, showcasing why Australia loves The 'Finger. With two new tracks ('Bless My Soul' and 'Process This'), Powderfinger were marking the fact that they were going on 12 months leave. Powderfinger did three shows (in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne) and a Big Day Out tour on the back of Fingerprints' release. And then there was one extra unplanned show...Waveaid. Waveaid was one of the biggest music events in Australia. It was formed to support victims of the tsunami on Boxing Day 2004. Waveaid featured The Waifs, Missy Higgins, Nick Cave, Kasey Chambers, Pete Murray, The Finn Brothers, The Wrights (who featured Fanning...he got to perform twice 
), The John Butler Trio, silverchair (who played their first gig in over two years), Powderfinger and the ultimate in Aus Music...no, not AC/DC...Midnight Oil. That's right, Midnight Oil reformed for this very special concert. It was a great way for Midnight Oil to say goodbye to the fans.
Powderfinger are using 2005 as a break, but that does NOT mean they are breaking up. Middleton is using this as a chance for Drag to release a full-length album, and Fanning is bringing out a solo album. HE IS NOT LEAVING THE BAND!!! The other members of Powderfinger are using 2005 as a break, because, let's face it, they deserve it.
