Powderfinger is an alternative rock band based in Australia. The band formed in Brisbane, Australia, in 1989, and since 1992 their line-up 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 earning them 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 album to date, earned over eight platinum certifications and ARIA Awards in five different categories.
After the release of their first DVD These Days: Live in Concert and a "best of" release, Powderfinger announced a hiatus in 2005. The announcement of a two month-long nationwide tour with Silverchair entitled Across the Great Divide tour followed the release of their sixth studio album, Dream Days at the Hotel Existence in June 2007.
Across their sixteen year career, Powderfinger has been actively involved in philanthropic causes. In 2005, Powderfinger performed at a WaveAid concert in Sydney, to help raise funds for areas affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Another performance at the Sydney Opera House in October 2007 raised funds for breast cancer victims and their families. The aim of their recent Across the Great Divide tour was to promote the efforts of Reconciliation Australia, and to promote awareness of the seventeen year gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children.
