Powderfinger, the Brisbane five-piece that disbanded in 2010 after a farewell tour that sold over 200,000 tickets, is stoking speculation about a return. A cryptic Instagram account (@thereturnoftheelectrichorsemen) emerged this week featuring billboards in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane emblazoned with a code and Powderfinger lyrics, with five horse emojis in its bio representing each member.
On October 8, an email from the band’s headquarters featured the same cipher in white text on a red background, along with a cryptic message about time accumulating as evidence. The note closed with the line: “Add enough time to enough variables and something extraordinary happens.” The band’s website and social accounts were also scrubbed, save for the same mysterious red imagery.
The teaser could signal a new album, a reissue campaign for the 30th anniversary of their 1996 album Double Allergic, or a full reunion. The five members—Bernard Fanning, Ian Haug, Darren Middleton, John “JC” Collins and Jon Coghill—briefly reunited in 2020 for a virtual concert that raised over A$500,000 for charity, and gathered in August 2023 for a fan event celebrating the 20th anniversary of Vulture Street.
Powderfinger earned 18 ARIA Awards and released five consecutive No. 1 albums, with their final studio album Golden Rule arriving in 2009. Their biggest international hit, “My Happiness,” peaked at No. 23 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart in 2001.
Source: Billboard
