Powderfinger Essentials

Playlist - 24 Songs
“The word we were using at the time was ‘panoramic,’” singer Bernard Fanning tells Apple Music about Powderfinger’s landmark 2000 album Odyssey Number Five. “That’s what we were trying to do—make things sound really wide.”

That successful mission is clear from the choruses of the record’s two most enduring hits—“My Happiness” and “These Days”—both of which signal newfound scope even as Fanning is turning distinctly inwards with his lyrical focus. The two tunes topped the triple j Hottest 100 in successive years, and the Brisbane rockers picked up a total of 18 ARIAs during their lifespan, starting with a Single of the Year win for 1998’s “The Day You Come.”

Over that time, the band evolved from the grungy angst of early outings like 1994’s “Hurried Bloom” to the soaring heights of 2009’s polished “Burn Your Name.” So beloved were Powderfinger by the close of the 2000s that 300,000 heartbroken Australians attended their Sunsets Farewell tour in 2010. That was fans’ last chance to witness the classic lineup in person until they announced a reunion tour for 2027.

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