Powderfinger frontman Bernard Fanning hints online reunion for One Night Lonely could be more permanent
Powderfinger frontman Bernard Fanning discusses the likelihood of a more permanent reunion of one of Australia’s favourite bands ahead of their much anticipated online gig.
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Among the curious watching the long-awaited live-streamed reunion of Australia’s beloved rockers Powderfinger this weekend will be thousands of fans who have never witnessed the band perform.
While Bernard Fanning, Ian Huag, Darren Middleton, John Collins and Jon Coghill called it quits a decade ago, their songs have remained staples on rock radio and more recently streaming playlists in their absence.
In just the past couple of weeks, a new version of their most-loved song These Days was recorded by acclaimed alternative pop artist Thelma Plum to soundtrack a CommBank coronavirus commercial.
Fanning, whose children Gabriella and Freddie are among those who never saw Powderfinger play a gig, said he was regularly made aware of the generational refresh of ’Finger fans at his own concerts over the past 10 years.
“I see that at my own shows, younger people in the audience requesting Powderfinger songs,” he said.
“An interesting part of this (live performance) is that it opens it up to a whole lot of new people.
“One thing I will say about it is there is no one making music that sounds like us at the moment so hopefully the concert creates a point of difference and can contribute to the re-emergence of people playing instruments.”
TALKS REUNION SPECULATION
As Fanning said when announcing the band’s reunion for the One Night Lonely concert which will stream on their YouTube channel on Saturday night, “bands are a strange beast and sometimes it will take a while to wind into having the right feel for things.”
Many have speculated the virtual gig is a precursor to bigger plans for the reunited band which also celebrates the 20th anniversary of their triumphant Odyssey No. 5 record later this year with a reissue.
When asked if the band would be headlining any upcoming festivals – say, Splendour in the Grass or Falls which are co-curated by their longtime manager Paul Piticco – Fanning said “I will not be announcing that”, with a wry chuckle.
But you don’t get a band as big as Powderfinger back together for a one-off online concert – even with the truest of intentions – and with Falls Festival announcing an all-Australian line-up, it is understood the band are in the mix if mass gatherings restrictions are lifted by the end of the year.
That will give them the opportunity to stretch out on their extensive repertoire beyond the entree offered by One Night Lonely.
“We were always saying we wanted these songs to be good in 20 years, we didn’t want to jump on the latest technology to do something that might be fashionable. That was quite clear from what we were wearing for the past 25 years,” Fanning said, laughing.
FANS’ FAVOURITE POWDERFINGER SONGS
Here’s the songs readers voted as their favourites from Powderfinger’s greatest hits.
1. These Days (1999)
The biggest hit of their career was a B side. Director Gregor Jordan commissioned the band to pen a song for his film Two Hands, which starred Heath Ledger and Rose Byrne in their breakout roles. The music video featured footage from the award-winning movie. It was released with the Passenger single from their Internationalist album on August 9, 1999 and became a live favourite with fans who voted it to No. 1 on the Hottest 100.
2. My Happiness (2000)
The first single from their album Odyssey No. 5 continued their trajectory to become the biggest band in the land. Another winner employing the melancholy meets melody formula made for a festival singalong. Frontman Bernard Fanning stated the song lamented the loneliness of long distance relationships with loved ones from their heavy touring schedule.
3. (Baby I Got You) On My Mind (2003)
The first taste of the Vulture Street record signalled the band’s return to their early rock roots after their domination of the pop charts with their acoustically driven anthems. Fanning has suggested the lyrics were written as a tribute to enduring game show host and radio personality “Baby” John Burgess, which may be correct, but also a reflection of his delight in messing with media.
4. Passenger (1999)
The carrier of the big hit, Passenger was itself a worthy addition to their repertoire and one of the biggest songs on the breakthrough album Internationalist. Featuring a fine vocal performance from Fanning, the song fit one of the recurring themes of the Brisbane band’s lyrics, addressing the escape of the chains of a banal suburban existence.
5. Love Your Way (2003)
Another Vulture Street single, it kicks off deceptively as an acoustic song before ripping into that soft/loud dynamic so enamoured of rock bands who came of age in the 90s. The band got deeply metaphoric in the ninja fencing video but it was in the live arena where this song really rocked.
6. The Day You Come (1998)
The first single from Internationalist, a soaring mid tempo track which many critics cited as a political commentary on the rise of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party. While the band dismissed speculation it was directly about Hanson, the song preceded more overt political statements such as Like A Dog which referenced then Prime Minister John Howard’s “relaxed and comfortable” speech about Australia.
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7. D.A.F. (1996)
The perfect alternative rock single from their Double Allergic record dropped as the bands with guitars dominated the airwaves and pop charts. There were some jokey attempts by critics and fans to suggest what the song title stood for beyond the band’s simple explanation that it was the chord progression.
8. Lost and Running (2007)
The first single from their sixth album Dream Days at the Hotel Existence came after a two-year hiatus and Fanning’s successful breakout as a solo artist with his debut record Tea and Sympathy. They heralded its release on that ye olde social media and music platform MySpace.
9. Pick You Up (1996)
The Brisbane band landed on the mainstream with the track which announced their second record Double Allergic. No one was more surprised than the band members themselves commercial pop and rock stations beyond Triple J embraced their sound.
It kicked off their regular nomination throughout their career for the ARIA Song of the Year.
10. Already Gone (1999)
The Internationalist single sat in their lyrical wheelhouse of commenting on the constraints of the nine-to-five worker existence. There was some consternation about the video’s brief scene of two young women playing totem tennis which jarred with the song and clip’s existential angst.
You can watch on Powderfinger’s One Night Lonely reunion on their YouTube channel from 7pm, Saturday May 23, 2020.
Originally published as Powderfinger frontman Bernard Fanning hints online reunion for One Night Lonely could be more permanent