Voices prick the conscience

By REBECCA BARRY

Brisbane band Powderfinger are now so unavoidable across the ditch that you can't escape them even in the classroom. Their name isn't just scrawled on the occasional fan's schoolbag or pencil case - they're in the high school English curriculum.

Aussie teens can dissect the lyrics of These Days, one of a handful of sensitive-new-age pop gems that made their fifth album, Odyssey Number 5, their biggest to date.

My Happiness was another that boosted the band's career two years ago. Odyssey went on to sell half a million copies in Australia and 15,000 here. Not since Cold Chisel or Midnight Oil has an Aussie rock band had such a warm welcome.

From the opening guitar riffs of new album Vulture Street, Powderfinger make their intentions clear.

"It's more about having a good time and pumping your fist in the air rather than sitting there examining your psyche and deciding whether you're in a good mood or not," frontman Bernard Fanning says. "The album gets back to why we wanted to make music in the first place - bands like Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Creedence and the Stones."

Although they have never been a cerebral band - "that's like Kraftwerk or one of those weird Radiohead records," he says - they have always ruminated on social issues, echoing the heyday of Aussie politico-rockers Midnight Oil. On Odyssey they questioned the Howard Government's attitude to Aboriginal issues. On Vulture Street Fanning takes a swipe at the "knee-jerk reaction" to terrorism.

"There doesn't seem to be any indication that people are prepared to think about why these people are so pissed off or why they would want to murder thousands of people at once or blow up a nightclub in Indonesia," he explains of How Far Have We Really Come.

"New Zealand to much less extent than Australia fell right in line behind Britain and America unquestioningly and sycophantically and it was really embarrassing for a lot of Australians. That song's just saying, 'Why can't we just stop and question what's going on? Why are we dropping bombs and asking questions later?"'

Powderfinger haven't abandoned their contemplative mid-tempo numbers. Sunsets, Love Your Way and Since You've Been Gone make a more contemplative contribution to the album. Fanning wrote the latter after his brother died of cancer.

"It's one of the ways I'm able to express myself and it helps me to deal with emotional issues. It was important for me to be able to say something about that in a song, in the same way it's important to say I think Australia's become a compassionless country. So have a lot of other countries we're closely allied to."

His allies with his bandmates are strong after 12 years, an achievement Fanning puts down to democracy. He's seen plenty of bands break up over money-related disagreements. Powderfinger share equally the dosh they earn and songwriting credits.

"The lyrics are useless if you haven't got a bassline. Everyone's part is equally important."

Touring often means spending six weeks on a bus with bandmates and their partners.

"It ranges from euphoric to [expletive] horrible," says Fanning.

"Sure, there are romantic things about it - you stand up and play and people yell and get excited and that's awesome and it's one of the main reasons why you do it. But that's just a small part of the reality of being in a band. It's just like any other group of people who work in a bank."

Performance

* What: Powderfinger

* Where: St James

* When: Tonight, supported by OpShop

* New album: Vulture Street is out now