Powderfinger have revealed how they kept their reunion secret for 15 months, using a false band name and a private WhatsApp group to prevent details from becoming public.
The Brisbane rock band’s frontman, Bernard Fanning, said he had been “dying to tell people” about the plans, but the five members managed to keep the discussions confidential.
Only 10 people knew the reunion was being arranged, guitarist Ian Haug told Triple M Brisbane. “We didn’t tell anyone. We had to keep it pretty tight, the concept of this.”
The band’s covert WhatsApp group operated under the name The Return of the Electric Horsemen, Fanning revealed. The title is also the name of the closing track on Powderfinger’s 1996 album Double Allergic.
Rumours began to circulate in early October after an Instagram account using the same name appeared. Cryptic billboards in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane later fuelled speculation that the group was preparing to reunite.
The digital advertisements featured the numbers “ALBUMS: 7, FLIGHTS: 33, CREW: 235, MEMBERS: 5” — clues which fans quickly connected to Powderfinger.
“We didn’t expect people to catch on as quickly as they did, so we ended up bringing our announcement forward a little bit,” Fanning said.
The reunion discussions gradually developed, with Haug saying the idea “just weaseled its way into life, really, the conversation”.
Powderfinger, formed in Brisbane in 1989, announced their split in 2010. The members said their children played a major part in changing their minds about performing together again.
The band members have 13 children between them, many of whom never saw their fathers perform during Powderfinger’s most successful years.
Bassist John “JC” Collins said his children had been particularly influential. “My kids were twins, were six, and my youngest was three. So they have no idea who we were,” he said.
Although the reunion is now public, the group has not yet rehearsed together. Rehearsals are due to begin in December.
Collins said the first moment back on stage, when the band heard the crowd respond, would be significant. “I think walking on stage, when you walk on and you get the crowd coming back to you that first time will be amazing,” he said.
