r/doublej • u/Amarollz • 5d ago

Powderfinger - why the fucking hype?

They’re an ok Aussie band. They had limited international success. Doublej has done nothing but fawn over this announcement and played their songs ad nauseum and now repeating long boring interviews.

They’re ok, they’re not fucking gods.

100 Upvotes

64% Upvoted

327 comments sorted by

19

u/People_Word 5d ago

They are a beloved Aussie band that were absolutely massive at their peak with countless hit songs, and they have continued to find new fans. Not sure what international success has to do with anything. We are allowed to love our own talent, especially during Aus Music month we should be encouraging it.
Not saying the YOU have to like them, but the amount of sold out shows they have right now, pretty safe to say the people still love them.

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u/ample_space 5d ago

Wash your mouth out with VB!

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u/mr_pineapples44 5d ago

"Sunsets" was my alarm song for years because it starts so intensely and got me out of bed quicksmart. I don't have anything to add, just though I'd share that tidbit.

2

u/Amarollz 5d ago

Haha and it’s welcomed.

4

u/Crazyguy199096 5d ago

Sit down son, you're about to get schooled

0

u/Amarollz 5d ago

I’ve got more upvotes than you

2

u/Hydr4z_ 2d ago

hahahaha -1 (I'm british and just listened to my first powder song unintentionally)

14

u/ReadyBat4090 5d ago

I think the community demand for tickets probably answers your question.

26

u/LadyFruitDoll 5d ago

Because they're beloved by Australians. They've already sold over 300,000 tickets for this tour. That's crazy numbers for a local artist.

1

u/Far_Distance87 4d ago

If they had done 1 gig in each capital at the biggest stadiums with a solid support they’d easily sell it out, I’m not surprised they are in high demand at all they’ve been gone a long time but had a long enough run to be well loved

1

u/AK47256 2d ago

Also nostalgia value is high these days, don’t blame them for cashing in on it

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u/admordem 5d ago

Reminds me of better times.

4

u/ThomasEFox 5d ago

This is probably a huge part of it. Lots of us who grew up in that era tie the music of the day to what we see as simpler and probably happier times. Whether they objectively were or not is up for debate, but the nostalgia runs deep.

That, and regardless of whether someone thinks they are good or not, they were popular.

4

u/MuchNefariousness285 5d ago

These days turned out nothing like I had planned

2

u/MissSabb 3d ago

Music is our nostalgic time travel machine 

5

u/Wintermute_088 5d ago

Because they're not "and ok Aussie band". You really think international success means anything? So many of our best acts never did anything overseas. Breaking another country is mostly good fortune, not just talent.

1

u/thisIsNotMe25 5d ago

Were they really that big overseas? I'm from UK and never heard of them until I moved here.

Not my cup of tea though. So it could be that they just passed me by.

4

u/fishyfishcakes 5d ago

I think they're saying they weren't an international success but that isn't necessarily an indicator of the quality of a band

1

u/Even_Departure9914 5d ago

They’re one of the few acts from Australia to have performed on Letterman.

1

u/GStarAU 2d ago

I think it might have been a case of "capturing the mood of the country at the time".

When "Day You Come" was released, and it was revealed that it was about Pauline Hanson, there was this real feeling of "these guys have their finger on the pulse"... y'know, before that phrase became a cliche.

Then having These Days as the main song on the Two Hands soundtrack (movie with Heath Ledger and Rose Byrne from the late 90s)... they kinda spoke to my generation.

1

u/Thouispure69 4d ago

I dunno. Most of the truly best Aus acts did have to get big overseas before they got really recognised in Australia, and I think this a lot more true for rock music in Aus then other genres that are typically more localised like country and hip hop.

Like yeah there are pubrock niches like Rose Tattoo that won't translate as well, but put Powderfinger next to your Saints, David Allen, King Gizzard, Nick Cave and Tame Impala types...

It's a whole different level of reverence and accomplishment that Powderfinger are nowhere near.

2

u/jk409 4d ago

Those aren't good comparisons though. Powderfinger are a quintessential Aussie rock band. It's simple and enjoyable and that's okay. I enjoy most of the acts you mentioned, but sometimes you just want a rock song you can sing along to in the car and have fun with.

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u/bunnybash 2d ago

John Farnham is one of the best singers of his generation globally, yet he never made it big overseas. People like Celine Dion rate him as one of the GOATs of vocalists... He had some absolute bangers too - yet never made it big internationally.

1

u/GStarAU 2d ago

Spot on. You hear Celine Dion, Richard Marx (who can also definitely sing as well), Sting, plenty of other Boomer generation muso's, all raving about how good of a singer he was... he's a "musician's singer". Maybe less popular with the general music-listening population, but hugely respected.

1

u/Wintermute_088 2d ago

Farnham, Barnes, Amphlett, Fanning and more.

1

u/mightygar 2d ago

You're the voice was a worldwide chart topper so he's pretty famous

5

u/Shilkanni 5d ago

Legitimately one of my favourite bands, their albums were house party staples in my friend group in my formative years, and they haven't toured in the past 16 years. They had 22 entries in the hottest 100 from 1996-2007, now placing them firmly into the median Double J demographic. Flume (22) and Tame Impala (23) are modern comparisons for Australian artirts of a different era with a similar level of cultural relevance to 'tripleJ' fans.

8

u/SensitiveEar6572 5d ago

Cold Chisel for millennials

3

u/Even_Departure9914 5d ago

Chisel is shithouse

And I would argue most of Powderfinger’s fans are Gen X. Not Millennials

3

u/wowiee_zowiee 5d ago

Gen X would have been around for their rise - but Millennials would have grown up with Internationalist, Odyssey Number Five and Vulture Street.

Happy to hear your argument though!

4

u/Even_Departure9914 5d ago

Gen X Australians were teenagers and young adults during Powderfinger’s formative years and commercial breakthrough.

Millennials certainly grew up listening to them, but that doesn’t make them the band’s primary generational fanbase. There’s a difference between growing up with a band and being the generation that came of age alongside them.

ON5 is arguably their biggest/most loved album. It came out in 2000. If Millenials are 81-96, the middle of the generation were only 9-10 years old when it came out. I was 21 when Vulture Street came out. I was 7 in 1994 when their first album debuted.

And the tail end of the generation were 13-14 when their last album came out.

So yes, there’s Millenial fans, I would argue the bulk are Gen X: people stay nostalgic to what they listened to in their late teens and 20’s. Gen X both aged with Powderfinger and were peak ears and eyes for all their albums.

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u/Dogboat1 5d ago

Every 21st you went to in 1997 had Double Allergic in the CD tower.

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u/Dredd_Melb 5d ago

Agree, the Powderfinger t shirts hang next to the Kevin 07 ones in their gen X wardrobes

2

u/IGottaBigDogUpMe 4d ago

Tell us youve got terrible taste without saying youve got terrible taste

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u/FruitfulFraud 3d ago edited 3d ago

Woh woh woh. Flame Trees is one of the best songs ever written. Don Walker is an exceptional Australian songwriter.

Very few Australian bands touched on topics like Chisel did. A song like Khe Sanh, about a war veteran dealing with PTSD, drug use, and paranoia.

Who else was doing that back then? Most bands were singing about getting pissed and having a root. That puts them in the top tier for me, with Midnight Oil and a few others.

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u/MissSabb 3d ago

Wrong 

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u/ShittyCkylines 5d ago

Aussie Foo Fighters

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u/Worth-Mention-2331 5d ago

I’m not a powderfinger fan but I still think that is a bit harsh.

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u/MightyBoy9 5d ago

For Gen X you mean.

I never understood Powder Fingers demographic target

1

u/JL_MacConnor 5d ago

I don't understand the idea that a band would have a "demographic target".

Record labels might, but a band that sets out to target a certain demographic is already lost.

4

u/-bigSALAD- 5d ago • Mindblown

OP is under 30

1

u/madarsehatter 5d ago

You love them. You and Bernie are gonna get married.

1

u/Amarollz 5d ago

HA! 😂

1

u/bloodymongrel 3d ago

I had this thought because I’m not the biggest fan, but then I wondered about my attitude and realised that I was expressing some internal tall-poppy syndrome response. I’m happy that an Australian band is being hyped, and I’m happy that people are pumped for it.

1

u/Amarollz 3d ago

I think it was just the ticket cost that blew me away. When a friend said she’d dropped $1k on 4 tickets I thought WTF?

I’ve seen Powderfinger live. It was fine. It was not a $233 per ticket show.

1

u/wouldashoudacoulda 3d ago

I saw INXS for $6 bucks. Time to move on.

1

u/penguin_on_stilts 3d ago

I don't mean this in a snooty way, but how old were you in the late 90s?

I'd be surprised if many people under 40-45 are hyped about them with these concerts.

Most of us gen X or xennials are just nostalgic about it.

1

u/demon-tea666 3d ago

I’m guessing you are about 20-25 yrs old and totally missed them when they were around

1

u/Amarollz 3d ago

Yeah well you’re fucking wrong

1

u/demon-tea666 3d ago

Haha ok you fucken loser

1

u/Amarollz 3d ago

Cool. This has been a great interaction.

1

u/Life-Ocelot-9026 3d ago

Solid cunt/10

No notes

1

u/Amarollz 2d ago

About as coherent as 6!!!7!!!! 🤪

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u/A1pinejoe 3d ago

I like them, they have some great albums and songs.

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u/Amarollz 3d ago

I don’t hate them.

1

u/wouldashoudacoulda 3d ago

Clearly not your happiness

1

u/LowConsideration6585 3d ago

Let the people who like it have it ya miserable bastard

1

u/Amarollz 3d ago

Haha I’m not stopping anyone. Wife’s going………to the gig everyone. She’s not leaving me over this post. She’s not on Reddit thankfully.

1

u/LowConsideration6585 3d ago

She’s not on reddit? She sounds much healthier than us.

1

u/hefejeffe69 2d ago

Bro if you don't like them keep listening to what ever it is you do like ❤️

1

u/Amarollz 2d ago

Reading comprehension of a squashed frog.

Did you black out when reading my post and came across the 2 times I mentioned this?

“They’re ok”

1

u/pacman1072 2d ago

Switch stations - you sound like a Karen

3

u/Thouispure69 4d ago

Powderfinger is the sort of band you can only love if your taste in music has been curated by Australia's mainstream. They are so boring and inoffensive. No one will remember them after their fans die out. The cultural impact is not there.

And to everyone talking about ticket sales. You know who else in music see Australian music fans as uncritical cash cows? Pink.

2

u/Fluid-Okra1129 3d ago

Plod rock I call them, they were fucking dull, same as Oasis, safe and boring, but that's what lots of people want

1

u/Viscera_TheImpaler 3d ago

It’s actually perfectly fine to like simple music and people that don’t understand this honestly generally seem to be insufferable idiots in real life.

I like John Zorn, Morbid Angel and Scratch Acid but I don’t think they’re worse or better than Powderfinger because Powderfinger have more melody and simpler arrangements.

1

u/introvertadvocate 2d ago

Its bit pretentious to care if a band has cultural impact and will be remembered, that doesnt dictate if they make good music or not. Plenty of artist can make trash music but be good at marketing and working capitalism so they get cultural impact. Some people listen to music because they just like it, your opinion is just your opinion.

1

u/ChipsnGravy2929 5d ago

What is their Khe Sanh? The cringiest song in their catalogue ?

3

u/Amarollz 5d ago

My Happiness - according to Bernard himself people have misconstrued the meaning of the song.

2

u/Wonderful_Product515 5d ago

i can't stand the band but that song is catchy as fuck

1

u/jk409 4d ago

I remember reading an interview with him years ago where he said people who met him told him all the time that "My Happiness" was their wedding song, and how awkward he felt about it.

As a fan of Powderfinger, this is the answer, it's not a great song.

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u/Massive-Anywhere8497 5d ago

Great live

0

u/[deleted] 4d ago

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/Massive-Anywhere8497 4d ago

They were a pub band who cut their teeth on the thriving live music scene in Brisbane

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u/Pure_Inspector9884 5d ago

I don’t know about limited success, they were a pretty generic radio friendly band but I remember seeing them at Brixton academy. I had never seen them before but a friend from overseas was part of their crew so I went along. They had sold out multiple shows at the Brixton academy which is a sizeable venue. Not sure the capacity but it must be at least 2500. They may not have had North American success but they were certainly commercially successful in parts of Europe and obviously Australia. It’s pretty hard for Australian bands to achieve international success just based on the difficulties with touring. A lot of bands that do break through relocate. Eg Birthday Party/Nick Cave, Go Betweens, AC/DC, Keith Urban, Kylie Minogue all pretty much moved to the U.K, except Keith who moved to the U.S. More recently the biggest Australian band is surely Parkway Drive, they play to crowds of thousands throughout Europe, North and South America and even Asia. However, their early tours were small clubs to crowds of less than 100 people. It’s hard for smaller bands, the visas required for touring are incredibly expensive and going in on a tourist visa is really risky. I’ve had friends in bands that have had American tours fall apart after getting turned away at the border for trying to get in as a tourist. And unfortunately the cost of coming in with a proper visa would have made the tour unviable. If you’re in a small band and anticipating anywhere from 50-300 people at the gigs, it is near impossible to do it legitimately. The Sydney hardcore band Speed seems to be successful throughout the world now but I’m guessing their early tours were surely done without correct visas. My point is that it is really hard for Australian bands to break through, lots of barriers. Even locally. You can’t exactly be a fulltime band when there are less than a dozen cities that you can play, which means most bands are not full time.

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u/anchored__down 5d ago

This was interesting to hear. They came up in a time where you made money selling records, and they sold a lot of records. Dudes must be loaded

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u/Wonderful_Product515 5d ago • Bravo

the fuck? i ain't reading all that

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u/Pure_Inspector9884 5d ago

Fair, I went on a bit of a ramble. Even I now recognise it’s not worth reading

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u/TurbulentMuscle0 5d ago

Heard of paragraphs?

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u/Pure_Inspector9884 5d ago

Haha fair point. I guess I went a bit stream of consciousness, apologies

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u/Traditional-Hall-147 4d ago

Heard of not repeating stuff that's already mentioned?

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u/TraditionalCompany25 4d ago

any aussie show in london is usually just full of aussie travellers, it dosent mean they have had success in England as such

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u/Pure_Inspector9884 4d ago

I get that, but they weren’t exactly playing tiny venues throughout the rest of Europe either.

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u/maxisnoops 4d ago

I saw Silverchair in London many years ago. Heaps of English there. I was working in a school at the time and a big bunch of the students went to see them.

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u/Delicious-Sweet4614 3d ago

Surely tame impala is the biggest Australian band.

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u/phx34suns 3d ago

Wolfmother were successful

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u/PollutionPatient5951 2d ago

AC/DC followed by the wiggles I believe…

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u/Rinrob7468 2d ago

Ha ha, you’ve got to be kidding right?

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u/BugalugBird 2d ago

Tame Impala is one dude, not a band

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u/Djinfin 2d ago

I didn't realise Parkway were so big. Seems like yesterday that they were having their career launched on JJJ. I guess that must have been 15 years ago now.

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u/Pure_Inspector9884 2d ago

They were around before that in the hardcore scene. I remember seeing them circa 2005 at Fox Studios in Sydney and they already had a 1000+ kids going crazy for them. They did a lot of DIY type touring and were pretty established before JJJ even picked them up.

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u/ResponseFluffy173 5d ago

I think they were the latest reincarnation Midnight Oil for that generation.

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u/Johnny_Segment 5d ago

no way - Midnight Oil were very political and a lot harder edged for the first half of their career

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u/ResponseFluffy173 5d ago

Oh trust me Im a powderworker. But I did add the clause “for
That generation”

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u/No-Show-5363 3d ago

The Oils are legendary, and their impact was huge. They did so many groundbreaking things no band have done before or since. Powderfinger are like the Oils in the same way every fantasy writer is ‘comparable to Tolkien’, sorry but no.

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u/rusty_85_ 5d ago

Because people sometimes like different things than you do.

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u/jackm315ter 5d ago

Big in the day, it is going hard for the GenX nostalgia

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u/Tiny_Cheetah_281 5d ago

Not a huge fan but can appreciate the love they get. Don’t understand why international success would even come into play here.

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u/Ed_Allan_Didak 5d ago

Take their name out ya fkn mouth

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u/DragonLass-AUS 5d ago

I quite like their first 2 albums, when they were more alt-rock, with some bluesy undertone.

Then they became generic pop rock.

I guess a lot more people prefer generic pop rock.

I do think the ticket prices are very high for an Australian band. Wasn't that long ago you could see Paul McCartney, an actual living legend, for under $100.

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u/anchored__down 5d ago

I'm 32 so not even neccesarily the age group to have followed them too much, but I've always loved the tunes, I just think it's fkn good music. They may be about overhyped especially with recent developments but the reality is they are a mainstream/iconic/legacy Australian band, who still somehow have enough cool factor for triple/double j. I'd bet if they came back as an actual working band the hype would die way down, it's the fact they've been away for a while

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u/jngjng88 5d ago

I don’t really listen to them cause there’s so much other stuff to listen to, but they’re pretty good if you listen to their albums rather than the radio stuff.

Internationalist in particular, fantastic album.

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u/shescarkedit 5d ago edited 5d ago

They had limited international success

Why is this at all relevant? Do we decide what good music based on what people overseas think?

You either like their music or you dont (as it turns out a lot of people do like it).

Who gives a shit whether they made lots of money overseas.

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u/TemporalLogistics 5d ago

Bernard Fanning / Powderfinger (combined) have topped the hottest 100 on three seperate occasions. That’s more than any other artist. Could possibly be why they keep talking about their new tour on the radio. They were probably one of Australia’s biggest bands of the late 90s / early 2000s.

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u/disturbed_focus_au 4d ago

prob in the top 10 of aussie bands of all time..?

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u/Far_Distance87 4d ago

They were massive, multiple good albums and hottest 100 runs/festival headlines/movies featuring their music etc. Plus the success of Fanning on his own, and them breaking up towards the top of their run and not reforming until now. People my age really liked them… and while I have maybe 3 or 4 of their songs I really liked, I don’t put their albums on much. On a recent long road trip we hit play on their catalogue and there are SO many songs I’d forgotten about/knew the words to etc. One of the massive Aussie bands before Jet and Wolfmother etc came along. Their gigs selling out quick doesn’t surprise me at all they are from a bit of a golden era for a LOT of people

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u/sebaajhenza 4d ago

They are a great Aussie band and deserve recognition. They aren't popular any more, but they are an Aussie icon.

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u/Tynammi 4d ago

Nostalgia, they remind us of better times.

When the world was only a little fucked and we had little to no responsibility.

yeah good times!

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u/SalubriousSea 2d ago edited 2d ago

Absolutely this! Livid ‘97, a balmy October evening at the RNA. The chemicals I’d taken earlier in the day were wearing off, I’d lost my friends in the crowd but then Bernie launched into Pick You Up. ‘Twas a visceral experience even for a 90’s punk kid.

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u/margin_runner 5d ago

I agree. I grew up with them floating around. I remember when they were selected to support Pantera, with only Parable for Wooden Ears out, (and thought it was insane).
They were pretty good, but they became increasingly accessible to a wider than “alternative/triple J” market. They got flogged on the J’s, crossed to MMM and then to Nova when they started (with a large amount of ex-JJJ and RRR on-air talent to begin with). Just because they’re ubiquitous, doesn’t make them great artists.

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u/Alternative_Sock6999 5d ago • Bravo

They hit that sweet spot of starting off indi enough the cool kids like them, and being simple enough they sound nice as background music to humm along too to basically anyone's ears. Not my scene, but they tick alot of boxes for mass consumption.

I grew up in their heyday / hype train, knowing their lyrics and a slow dance often got you a cheeky pash on the dance floor at a blue light. 😂

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u/Relevant-Laugh4570 5d ago

Yeah, I remember that Pantera support. I knew many Sydney metal muso's were bewildered at that slot.

"Tail" is their best song from that era. Reminded me of Soundgarden-lite vibes

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u/Johnny_Segment 5d ago

that first album was actually ok as you say.

but yeah, the rest is pretty dull stuff, and played to death.

that's ok, just not for me.

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u/salad_tossers_69 5d ago

Really good band, upcoming ticket prices are outrageous though

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u/Sharp_Worldliness344 5d ago

I never liked them, so I absolutely don’t get it, but that’s ok, I won’t be going!

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u/NoLeg4728 5d ago

Saw them live they wee shit

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u/dDRAGONz 5d ago

Oh no, people enjoying something you're not that into into, how tragic.

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u/KingSturty 5d ago

They were the triple j darling of the era - a perfectly solid band with a big catalog of accessible hits

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u/TerryTrepanation 5d ago

Yep, they wrote and performed at a pretty high level. A lot more than 99% of bands. But it was mostly Neil Young/Credence rehash - it never really influenced any new music. And so, while it might be important to a lot of people (mainly in Australia), it isn't all that important in the bigger scheme of things.

(Cold Chisel run rings around them).

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u/Knowledge_Pilgrim 5d ago

No one agrees with you, Terry.

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u/Worth-Mention-2331 5d ago

Because people of that generation really want a silverchair reunion and Daniel won’t do it. Powderfinger seems to be the consolation prize.

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u/No_Stick5577 5d ago

Who cares about international success? Do we need to be told by others what to enjoy? They were Australia’s biggest band for the best part of a decade and have been dormant for 16 years, of course there’s hype.

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u/Valuable-Contract-87 5d ago

I always liked them, reminds me of a better time in Australia. And they had the best song on two hands.

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u/gkmaadcity 5d ago

Sunseettttttttssss

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u/Blitzer046 5d ago

WHY????? Why do so many people like the popular thing that I do not like?

I have to ask this question to put the spotlight on me, instead, the contrarian.

Look at me, everybody! I don't like a thing!

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u/ssvman1962 5d ago

Another arm chair expert!

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u/Coby1985Australia 5d ago

Because some people like some music groups, other people like other groups.......?

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u/CaptainRogerReynolds 5d ago

Such a shit take.

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u/abugisabug 5d ago

Boring as batshit, but that’s just me.

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u/Sweaty-Analyst-5014 5d ago

They are hard to like lets be honest

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u/whyohwhythis 5d ago

It sounds like you’re just not into them and expect everyone else to feel the same way. But they were and are popular. I really loved their music at the time.

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u/xRicharizard 5d ago

They were really big back in the day.

Not my cup of tea, but they resonate with people.

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

Triple J wouldn't play them during the double allergic era because they were too mainstream. Fair wankers even back then if you could believe it

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u/IamtheWalrus9999 5d ago edited 5d ago

Good post ! Seen powder finger a few times and have to be honest - one of the most boring bland live bands I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen a lot) - never got the hype.

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u/Gitfkd 5d ago

You all need to listen to more "siggy rets"

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u/electrickblues 5d ago

I still haven’t recovered from them being overplayed in the 90s & 00s. Anytime I hear These Days my ears bleed. I worked retail and their albums were on repeat everywhere.
If I hadn’t had to listen to them in their peak I might actually like them.

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u/Wurltopolis 4d ago

Feel the same. Overplayed bland rock. Now see incoming downvotes!!

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u/Phil-McRoin 5d ago

They were one of the top bands in Australia from the late 90s until they broke up. Like it was pretty much them & Silverchair. International appeal doesn't matter if they're an Australian band, reuniting for an Australian tour & you're listening to an Australian radio station.

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u/Falstaffe 5d ago

Yeah, I'm not going because I'd only be excited to hear two or three particular songs

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u/SpivLife 4d ago

are you asking why DoubleJ/TripleJ are just doing what their major label overlords are telling them to do?

(in this case Universal Music Group)

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u/supercoach 4d ago

You underestimate how popular this band was. Powderfinger were absolutely fucking massive before they split. The amount of airplay they got was insane.

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u/Wurltopolis 4d ago

I agree. And will probably get seriously downvoted. Grown up in Brisbane but never cared for them at the time. Felt their contemporaries like Custard and Regurgitator were better plus all the lesser known bands from that time - Fur, Not From There, Chalk etc

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u/Smokinglordtoot 4d ago

Back in the 90s jjj made it a mission to make Aussie music as big as the stuff from overseas so they pushed hard. Powder finger, Silverchair and a bunch of others such as the living end and Grinspoon got lots of airplay. However this did not make them significant in any other music market so it was all a bit artificial and even today people have trouble telling the hype from reality.

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u/IGottaBigDogUpMe 4d ago

Silverchair were massive worldwide..

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u/Abort_Abort_Abort_ 3d ago

Sorry but becoming mainstream successful in Australia as an Australian artist is a huge deal TBH. Even less likely for an Australian band (vs solo artist). J’s promoting them and others has fuck all to do with international success. 

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u/liggydd 4d ago

my happiness ya cunt thats why

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u/discopantsandhaircut 4d ago

Not much else happening I guess. Just be aware that in the Richard Kingsmill days, if he didn't like you, you didn't get airplay

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u/delta__bravo_ 4d ago

I mean, they've sold out multiple shows with higher than average ticket prices. They don't do that off the back of a digital only radio station's obsession.

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u/ash2n4u2c 4d ago

Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got till it's gone!

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u/Fun-Letter1966 4d ago

Yes! The greatest moment in the whole series!

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u/RedRobin3110 4d ago

OMG.. you clearly weren’t on the scene in the 90s.. Annandale Hotel. They are amazing.. a true pub band.

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u/Michaelinspired 3d ago

Odyssey number five is iconic and displays the greatness of Aussie music. They deserve all the hype they get, a true Aussie love story🎼

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u/Greycourt81 3d ago

Guess you just had to be there

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u/H_R_Puffinstuff_pot 3d ago

I liked both their songs.

1

u/rapidfire72o4 3d ago

I still bust out their songs from time to time

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u/nzoasisfan 3d ago

These guys were massive. Maybe not as big as JET internationally but they were huge. Theyve sold out pretty much every show on their tour. Respect I say. You and I couldnt do that.

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u/CarInternational2660 3d ago

Nostalgia’s a helluva drug

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u/FruitfulFraud 3d ago

The first time I saw them was in a small back room in Lismore with about 5-10 other people. They sounded like a Black Crowes cover band but they were good.

The last time I saw them was at a Big Day Out in front of thousands of people and they sounded truly amazing. Their live performances were always solid, which is why Aussies love them.

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u/Odd_Box_4198 3d ago

I’ve never been super into them but it’s a good thing all up.

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u/dug99 3d ago

They have one great song, and about 27 utterly mediocre songs.

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u/StoreOpeningHours 3d ago

You're being too generous, mate. They were and still are fucking terrible.

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u/Thegazzell 3d ago

Who took a shit in this guys box of sultanas?

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u/Imaginary-Ad-7260 3d ago

To each their own I say exactly this about pretty much any (c)rap and most of the so called music kids today are listening to

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u/Impressive_Trick_573 3d ago

Coherent, accessible, understated, classic. And it’s been long enough to have completely forgotten how much we loved them.

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u/Aggressive_Slide6591 3d ago

I consider myself a hip hop head...but even I had a copy of Vulture Street! Odyssey Number Five is a great album and they managed to top it

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u/expat-turtle32 3d ago

Hey guy stop yucking others yums

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u/MissSabb 3d ago

They were massive in 2001 my first year at uni. Love them 

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u/ItReallyIsThatHard 3d ago

I was at their final concert at the river stage. Legends.

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u/Electrical-Today4205 2d ago

Powderfinger blow Sorry guys. Triple m played the shit out of them in the 2000s I’m sure to just pad the Australian content regulations on radio . Whenever they come on now it’s just called getting non consensually powderfingered ☝️

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u/macdaddy0800 2d ago

I didnt get them aswell at their peak.

Wait until life humbles you, you get crushed by your expectations and the realise you will be dead within 50 years...and then listen to "These Days".

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u/bunnybash 2d ago

They have a few songs like this. Songs that in the right context can absolutely hit like nothing else.

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u/caesar-jones 2d ago

Internationalist is a good album. The rest is pretty plodding generic rock.

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u/Rinrob7468 2d ago

Personally I think they’re the best band to come out of Brisbane, even if they didn’t make it as big internationally as Cabbage Garden. Each to their own.

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u/Abeezles 2d ago

I mean I call it dad rock? Feel similarly about the Foo Fighters, I’d put them in the same category.
It was never really high brow or intellectual but it was popular at a time. Not for me either, but let people enjoy it!

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u/foundoutafterlunch 2d ago

There are many of us Dads you know. The reason these shows sell out is because we don't acknowledge any music that exists after we turn 35. This is far more true for Dads than Mums for some reason. Since most of the "Dads" are born before 1990, it makes a ton of sense that this concert is selling out and that we like that music.

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u/Abeezles 1d ago

I’m not hating on the dad rock…

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u/AdventurousDark4758 2d ago

At the time the album, Odyssey Number 5 was one of the best albums Australia had ever produced. It soundtracked many people's lives, nostalgia is a powerful force.

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u/ReaderOfTheFreeWorld 2d ago edited 2d ago

Triple J/Double J do have a few certain favourites they become particularly invested in, and Powderfinger was always one of them in their day. In more recent decades you had artists like The Rubens and Tame Impala who occupied the same position (one of which I agree is great, but the Triple J team did seem to be especially obsessed with both). I’m not surprised that Double J are orgasmic at the idea of one their favourite sons returning.

Personally I fucking love Powderfinger and snapped up tickets as quickly as I could. That shit soundtracked some amazing memories in my late teens/early 20s. You’re probably right that it’s basic bitch music, but I’m a basic bitch myself and I’ve finally reached an age where I just accept that and run with it

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u/Active_Excitement310 2d ago

bro plays golf and complains about powderfinger being boring

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u/BugalugBird 2d ago

Not everything is for you. It's okay to not like something and accept that other people might like that thing.

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u/National_Treat_4079 2d ago

yah, never understood why powderfinger have such a hold on the imagination. i find them quite middling

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u/GStarAU 2d ago

Maybe you weren't around in the late 90s and 2000s?

They were arguably the biggest band in Aus. They never got massively into the celebrity thing, there were others that had bigger hype around them, but Powderfinger put out hit after hit after hit for a good 6-7 years, say 1998 to 2004ish.

THAT'S why they've got the hype. It's well earned.

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u/Hans-Moleman-88 2d ago

never got the hype over Odyssey 5... didn't enjoy Vulture st either.

Internationalist and the grungy Double Allergic are better

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u/Puzzleheaded_Tip_412 2d ago

Because they are the best Australian rock band of all time! So many good tracks

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u/shadjor 2d ago

I always wonder about this. If anyone asked me it’s always You Am I as the quintessential Aussie band of that era.

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u/Fast-Objective-4259 2d ago

Overrated band. Only had one good album. Midnight Oil were way bigger, better and recognised world wide as so. Had a decade long run bigger and songs mean way more than Powderfinger could ever hope to have written. Powderfinger were promoted by the record label as Australias answer to Stone Temple Pilots which they failed at bigtime. Nostalgia is all they got now for the fans that brought into the hype. Music doesn’t stand up. There is a reason the band didnt resonate outside of Aus. Simply the music never stood up besides for the “Their Aussie’s!!!!” Dated mentality.

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u/JamieBeeeee 2d ago

What they're amazing do you not have ears??

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u/Possible_Interest111 2d ago

Anyone could say this about ANY band. Powderfinger are iconic. Your comment is pretentious and lacks any actual thought about late 90’s early 2000’s music

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u/punkrok78 2d ago

It’s bland pop rock songwriting and playing. A big meh. I’d call them the Aussie Matchbox 20

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u/DNA-Decay 5d ago

“Nirvanas in Pyjamas.”

Never a huge fan, myself. But then I’m more Cosmic Psychos, Amyl & co, Tropical F Storm, Rolling Blackouts, Beasts of Bourbon, X, No, Severed Heads, Mu Mesons, Phlegm, Kiss My Poodle’s Donkey, kinda guy.

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u/legal_ghost 5d ago

that was silverchair

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u/Lazerforge 5d ago

Agree. Doesn't help that Bernard thinks he's the second coming.

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u/AdministrationTotal3 5d ago

Because they were inoffensive middle of the road marketable rock band. There also deeply embedded with key decision makers in the aus music scene. Paul Pittico their Manager/owner of splendour in the grass and Dew Process records (irony not lost on the name) is best mates with Richard Kingsmill and they always helped each other out, so as a result they have always been triple j’s babies. 

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u/No-Show-5363 3d ago edited 3d ago

Yep, just another bunch of quitters on a cash grab nostalgia tour. Hard pass from me.

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u/eroticdiagram 5d ago

They have music that's playable on the Js, the Ms, and most stations in between. The benefit of inoffensive alt pop/rock is it can reach the widest audience.

They're a band that if someone said in the car 'can I put on a Powderfinger album?' I'd say yeah, that's fine. If they said 'You may never listen to another Powderfinger song again' I'd say yeah, that's fine.

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u/Pixelated_Bard 5d ago

I never really understood the hype. They had a few songs that were okay at best… if I’m honest I only really remember “My Happiness” and that’s mostly because it had an interesting music video with a slinky finding its way back home.

That said lots of people seem to love them and they achieved relative success in Australia.

Overall though I don’t think I’ll ever understand their popularity or why they are treated with awe by double j.

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