Brisbane rock band Powderfinger have confirmed they are getting back together for shows around Australia from September 2027. The announcement on Friday (9 October) ends days of reunion speculation following a cryptic publicity campaign, with the full touring schedule and ticketing information still to follow.
The band's official announcement post directs fans to sign up at powderfinger.com and points to Monday (12 October) at 6am AEDT for more news. That is 5am AEST in Brisbane. Noise11 reported that the next announcement would include cities, venues and ticketing details.
Frontman Bernard Fanning and guitarist Darren Middleton delivered the reunion news in a video shared through the band's channels. According to the ABC, Fanning said they would play shows across Australia from September next year, while Middleton promised they were preparing something special for fans and would see them from the stage.
The confirmation follows billboards in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney that set fans searching for clues. Brisbane Times reported that the displays were connected to an account called The Return of the Electric Horsemen, a reference fans linked to a song on the band's 1996 album Double Allergic.
The band's official Instagram account subsequently joined the campaign, clearing its feed and sharing a teaser. The ABC reported that speculation had ranged from a full reunion to reissues of classic albums. Friday's announcement instead confirms live Australian shows, with the members themselves delivering the news rather than leaving fans to interpret the earlier imagery.
Powderfinger formed in Brisbane in 1989. ABC News' account of the band's history identifies Double Allergic, their second album, as their national breakthrough. By the release of Odyssey Number Five in 2000, they were one of Australia's biggest bands: the record topped the charts and won six ARIA awards, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for My Happiness.
The group also won the triple j Hottest 100 countdowns in 1999 and 2000 and appeared in the annual polls 22 times, according to the ABC. Before splitting in 2010, they sold more than 200,000 tickets across 34 farewell shows. Noise11 places the final performance of that farewell tour at Brisbane's Riverstage on 13 November 2010.
There have been partial and remote reunions since the split. The ABC reported that four members performed together at Splendour in the Grass in 2017, followed by a virtual performance during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 that raised money for Support Act and Beyond Blue. The newly announced Australian tour is now scheduled to begin in September 2027, with the next details due on Monday.