They burst out of Brisbane’s underground in the early 1990s, now two members of iconic rock group Powderfinger have taken rock to a whole new level: 34 metres underground.
Guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug played a one-off gig for some of the workers at the 290-metre long Albert Street cavern, over 30 metres under Brisbane’s CBD, almost directly below where Festival Hall once stood.
Cross River Rail Delivery Authority chief executive Graeme Newton said workers at the Albert Street cavern regularly talked about its acoustics and how good a performance would sound, and a small window of opportunity popped up in the construction schedule.
“We wanted to do something that was quintessentially ‘Brisbane’, and it doesn’t get much more ‘Brisbane’ than having two-fifths of Powderfinger shredding hard underground almost directly below where Festival Hall once stood,” Newton said. “Powderfinger last played Festival Hall in 2001, so it was a really special moment to be able to host Darren and Ian in such a unique way so close to the site of the iconic venue more than 20 years later.”
The duo played some of the band’s hit riffs, with Middleton sharing his thoughts on the Brisbane Times’ Facebook: “Certainly was a different experience, playing down there…”
Watch Powderfinger’s Darren Middleton and Ian Haug perform underground:
The performance was also a way to keep the public informed on how work was progressing.
“While Cross River Rail will transform how we travel to, from and through Brisbane, it does mean there are construction impacts now,” Newton said. “Performances like this are just one of the many ways we’re raising project awareness and keeping the community informed about ongoing works.”
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The Mayne Yard – just north of Central Station – where extra trains will be stored, is the first of 15 Cross River Rail worksites to be finished as part of the rail project, originally budgeted to cost $5.4 billion and be finished in 2025.
A second rail stabling yard is being revamped on the city’s southside at Clapham Yard, near Yeerongpilly Station on the Beenleigh line.
Together, the two holding yards will enable Cross River Rail to reach capacity of 24 trains an hour on the network.
Fans of the band will likely have to wait much longer for another reunion.
Middleton has recently released his latest solo mini-album, Home, and will soon embark on a national tour with ARC performing Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Haug, meanwhile, is embarking on a North American tour this month with The Church, and will be back to tour Australia in May.
