Powderfinger

Do you have some old pics you've taken of the band? A gig review in your diary from a spectacular show many moons ago? A funny anecdote of a time you ran into a band member in your travels? If so, we need your help to build the biggest and best Powderfinger biography ever. Send your images (low resolution please!), reviews, rants, scans of old ticket stubs and anything else you have lying around to history@powderfinger.com, and we might just post it here!

I know that we're currently only seeking submissions of memorabilia from 1995 or before, but I couldn't resist sharing with you the efforts of Blair and his mate in England, who are taking the 'Finger message to the Poms. Looks like those craft lessons came in handy after all!

I remember seeing Powderfinger at V2001 in Chelmsford. They were only the second act of the day on and it was still fairly early (by that I mean lunch time) unable to convince any of my mates to get up and out of bed for this fantastic band I wondered down to the main stage. Once there I was greeted by what seemed like 400-500 people all gathered up against the rail to watch Powderfinger. I soon gathered that nearly all of them were Australian when Bernard asked anyone who wasn't an ozzie to put their hands up. My hand shot up and so did some other guy, that was it!! I ended up chatting to the other guy after they finished and we ended up becoming great friends for that weekend. I've since seen a few times over here in England and a few times in Oz, totally different sized crowds. Fantastic band!!!

This one is an article on the great Mr Kneebone Tour and EP

Gig Guides I have included to give a list of the other bands of the time, Tour venues around Queensland , Festival Line Ups and sadly many live venues that are now closed.

Venue advertisements for the nostalgia and support line ups.

Steve
Brisbane

Here is a collection of materials from 1995. They are mainly from the Brisbane free music press Time Off and Rave. I am a long time fan of the band and am happy to help out with the history collection for the biography. I am trailing through my archives collection I have picked up through the years they are great snippets in time. I was at many of the great shows featured throughout the articles. Thanks for all the great memories

What a fantastic voyage it has been…… and there is so much more to come……..

More to come for 1995 and other years.

Steve
Brisbane

The first time I saw powderfinger live was at a hotel in Moolooabah not sure of the year. It was a pretty dodgy setting but the music was great D.A.F was the crowd pleaser. I remember Bernard saying last time we played here there was only about 10 people! I think that night there could have been about 300! We got to stand at the stage and get flicked with sweat it was fab. If only we could do it again I love intimate settings.
Debby from Brisbane.

The first time I saw Powderfinger was at Alternative Nation in 1995. The ticket stub and an article from the Alternative Nation magazine are attached.

Sherrie, QLD

The first time I saw Powderfinger was at Alternative Nation in 1995. The ticket stub and an article from the Alternative Nation magazine are attached.

The first time I saw Powderfinger was at Alternative Nation, a bizaare 2-day event held in Brisbane that never happened again. I remember watching Powderfinger from a distance and thinking, 'oh, ok, so that's who Powderfinger are, cool! Must keep an eye out for them in the future.' Bernard was doing the whole swaying with the microphone thing that he still does to this day, oh and the hair, it was all about the hair back then wasn't it. I was 17 at the time and couldn't get into the 18+ venues for a bit but made sure I kept up to date with what they were up to through local street press. Who would have thought I'd see them through 12 years, 49 live gigs, have every cd release including the infamous blue ep and still be loving the band? I guess I just had a hunch back then!

Thanks again, loving the new website

Sherrie, QLD

This the stubby cooler from the "94" Livid Festival at Davies Park see how far down on the bill powderfinger are. I think there was only about 2-400 people watching them that day.

At this time it seemed that my friends and I were seeing them every weekend at some Venue between here and the Gold Coast. I remember one particular evening when Bernie sang Satisfaction at" Van Goughs Ear Lobe" which used to be a club at the Gabba He didn't"t come on until 12.30 am We were all shagged and had a very early start for work the next day but he very humbly apologised for the wait and I have to say it was worth it.

Now we are all old crackers with kids but we still manage to see them as often as possible.

The first time I saw the guys play was at a little cafe/bar named the Babble On in Brisbane, it was an acoustic show they all sat on stools and had long hair and no shoes on, so cool. My best friend and I had promised our flatmate we'd tape it for him, so we got in the front row, sitting there on the floor with a walkman in my front pocket recording, the funniest thing is when my flatmate went to play it all he could hear was the 2 of us singing, bad luck, awesome gig!! Its only got better, Thanks. Megan

A friend and I met the band one night back in about 93/94, walking along the Esplanade in St Kilda, when the 'lads' were in Melbourne recording their first album! We had just been to see Tex, Don and Charlie at the National Theatre and were kind of on our way home, when we came across Bernie, John and Jon. They asked us where they could go to find a drink and we somehow ended up at a dodgy bar in St Kilda, which I don't think even exists anymore. It was quite a bizarre place but looking back now it was pretty cool that we met the guys! We bumped into them again about a week later at the Espy, and were lucky enough to see the band play quite a few times at various venues around Melbourne, including the now defunct Punters Club, the Evelyn, and even down in Geelong a couple of times at the Barwon Club, where they played to about only 10 people! Obviously that wouldn't happen These Days (pardon the pun!). A memorable, if not somewhat hazy night, this gig was followed by a trip up the highway ending up at the downstairs bar of the Prince of Wales, where we were surrounded by a few St Kilda local characters, drag queens and the like!

Katherine, Melbourne.

An interesting souvenir from a bygone era

I have fond memories of reading about Powderfinger in their early days in Timeoff when I was in year 12 in 1993. I went to a concert at the Metropolis that they were playing at. I got in although I was underage and dressed like an 80s power dressed corporate lady. Very funny.

A few months later I asked Darren's brother Chris, who dated my sister, to get my Blue EP (Powderfinger's self funded EP) signed by the band and sure enough it came back with all their signatures. All their signatures look like something they would sign on mortgage documents each one has their full name signed then about 8 years later when I received from my brother a signed mounted poster most of their signatures were just squiggles and Bernard signed his name just BF. They were all completely different from the first time I received something of theirs signed.

I will treasure the EP forever I have seen on eBay an unsigned Blue EP for about $1000 a few years ago but no amount of money would be enough for me to part with this very special piece of memorabilia I have of Powderfinger.

Thanks for letting me tell my little story.

Ann.

Well, do I have some history on the boys. not sure where I should start. Will it be the gig at Fridays at Mooloolaba, or their 1st official gig at Springfields in Kings Cross in Sydney. I saw this band play every gig in Sydney for the 1st 4 years, at Thommos in Mooloolaba, the place on Paramatta Rd, cant remember the name..But that is where I did buy 6 of the Blue Eps..., The Landsdown with Baby Sugar Loud, The Phoenix Club with Urger Overkill, .... the list is almost endless... until I ventured overseas. When I found out that Powderfinger we coming to Sydney for the 1st time I called evey record store in town to locate one of their Cds' . I found I shop whom had a sample and were prepared to sell it. It was a Friday afternoon, I jumped on the train in to the city center and bought the Blue EP for $14. This IS the EP pictured below on the very rare, as I recall only 50 made posters...A little birdie told me that... I called every record store in town afterwards to try to buy more and no - one had one....So this as I believe was the 1st CD on sale in Sydney..Out of the 100 of the Blue EPs that were released I bought 7 of them and sent them to friends whom lived all around the country. We were all ever so proud of them!.
I cannot thank Powderfinger enough for their hospitality over all the years. The boys have never changed at all, always being them same old selves from then until I last saw them with 7 other friends in Brisbane 2 years ago. From the after parties at the Hippy Club & Le Kitch in Perth and the Saturday Session at the Cotteslow where we watched Australia just be defeated by the Poms in the Rugby Worlds Cup they have always been a great laugh...That reminds me of a short story... Actually after the session at the it was hard to get a taxi and the somewhat merry crowd at the hotel had just started to realize whom was on the footpath waiting for a taxi. I went and grabbed a Camera Phone off this very merry punter and took a photo of Bernie & I on it and handed it back....not that we were merry at all.....as you do....at that point attention was gaining and Bernie says.."Ah, we have to get out of here".
There was this Girl whom was picking up a friend whom also had another friend in the car who had a cello ( 5ft tall violin) with her. I asked very politely could she give my friends a lift to Scarbororgh, they were in a hurry not telling here who they were. Not knowing whom they were she said yeah sure and kicked out her friend with the cello. In jumped Powderfinger, Bernie in the front and JC & Tour Manager I think.. in the back..Off they went. I asked the girl whom was then standing on the footpath with her cello how is she going to get home, She replied" Oh, I'll just walk", I only live around the corner. "I'm just waiting for my drunk friend to come out". It just shows how hospitable the people in Perth are!!.
There are many stories I could share with you all but some are just better off said over a beer rather than on paper. Powderfinger have always rocked whether it be on stage or just hanging out and being hit by a cricket bat.....After being hit.....The very cunning cogsy wanted to see the damage, unaware he was lining up for a second hit, I showed him, next minute, I hit the floor with pain & laughter......I cannot thank them enough for all the great times and memories that I will always cherish. I will leave you with a quote which I didn't think at the time was funny but looking back at it and whom was said to, it gets funnier as each year goes on. Goes something like" You've got a great ass for a married woman.......
Thanks Lads....
Longy!

Oh and the poster, Sorry guys..It is not and never will be for sale....It has been framed for the last 15 years and hangs very proudly...

Here is the launch advertisement for the Blue Self Titled EP Launch from Brisbane’s Rave Magazine at the Orient Hotel 21 August 1992

What a great night. The show included all the songs from the blue EP opening with Take a Light and a set list that also included some covers including What’s the Buzz from Jesus Christ Superstar Soundtrack and Led Zeppelin’s Misty Mountain Hop. I have been a long time fan of the band and have been to many great shows and I have collected and hoarded many little snippets through the years.

This though is the oldest I have.

Steve Brisbane

Press ad for Powderfinger/Melniks show at The Orient, Brisbane

Between 1978 and 1985 I lived in the bottom of a white house in Toowong, next door to Bernard Fanning. I was a lecturer at the University of Queensland and was renting the first floor of the house from the Tierneys. I remember Bernie as a boy. He probably doesn't remember but he taught me the rules of cricket. Shortly after I arrived in Brisbane I watched a cricket match at Uni Q. Being from the states I couldn't follow the game. I asked several colleagues from uni to explain it but I was still baffled. One afternoon when the cricket was on TV I asked Bernie, he must have been 9 or 10, if he could explain the game to me. He came next door and within a half hour I got the gist of it. Thanks Bernie! He probably doesn't remember this or the fact that I had a very expensive and loud stereo system and loved to play Kiss, Grand Funk Railroad, AC/DC, etc. at high volume knowing that the Tierneys upstairs were pretty deaf! I'm sure he could hear it next door. In 1985 I married Lyn Hale and moved back to the states. Lyn's sister Meryl moved into the old house. Turns out Lyn and Meryl's father Graham Hale was a friend of Bernie's father. Lyn and I return to Australia every other year to visit family and friends. In May 2007 we walked up the old street to look at our old house. It has been done up and is worth close to a million dollars. We noticed that the Fanning's house is headquarters for Environmental Consultants. We had lunch with Lyn's dad and it was then that he told us about Bernard being in Powderfinger. I have enjoyed their music for years but somehow never made the connection that Bernard grew up next to me in Toowong. Small world.
Cheers,
Martin,
Toledo, Ohio, USA