Powderfinger to Receive Support Act’s ‘Excellence’ Award

Powderfinger is getting the old band back together – for one night only.

The Brisbane rock legends will be saluted Tuesday, Aug. 20 at Music In The House in Sydney, Support Act‘s longest-running fundraising event.

Bernard Fanning and Co. will be on hand to receive the music industry charity’s Excellence in the Community Award, a special honour that celebrates both artistry and an act’s broader contribution to the community.

Powderfinger ticks both boxes.

The ‘Finger was one of the most successful bands of their era, earning the distinction of five successive No. 1 albums and 18 total ARIA Awards. The band went out on a high with 2009’s Golden Rule, the last of those leaders, and a major farewell tour the following year, which sold more than 200,000 tickets.

Jane Gazzo will host this year’s Music In The House, with guest presenter Tim Prescott, and an array of Aussie artists will perform acoustic covers of Powderfinger classics, including Paul Dempsey, Sarah Blasko, Davey Lane and Troy and Jem Cassar-Daley.

The five former Powderfinger bandmates — Ian Haug, Darren Middleton, John “JC” Collins and Jon Coghill — remain good friends, and briefly reunited in 2020 for One Night Lonely, a special virtual concert which raised more than A$500,000 for music industry charity Support Act and mental wellbeing support service Beyond Blue. On that occasion, the former bandmates recorded their spots separately, due to the pandemic.

Then, in August 2023, the famous five assembled in Brisbane for a fan-event celebrating the 20th anniversary of Powderfinger’s iconic 5th album Vulture Street. Powderfinger was joined on that occasion by “Boy Swallows Universe” author Trent Dalton for a short Q&A.

The Vulture Street reissue was a hit. Twenty years after its first release, the album returned to No. 1 on the ARIA Chart, establishing a new mark for the longest stretch of time for an Australian album to return to the chart summit.

Tickets for the Support Act event have sold out, but the online auction and raffle at musicinthehouse.org are open until 9.05pm, Tuesday Aug. 20, raising funds for music workers doing it tough.

Visit supportact.org.au for more.