About
Powderworks is a tribute band for hire in Newcastle, NSW.
Watch
The show
A Newcastle four piece playing the Midnight Oil catalogue, formed because most cover bands leave those songs alone. Ross McAlister fronts it on guitars, vocals and keys, and the band grew out of his own frustration at not hearing the early, small-room Oils energy anywhere. Frank Manitta drives it from the drum kit. Neale Brain weaves the second guitar and harmonies against Ross. Jeremy Hackett covers bass, vocals and the harmonica parts, and he's your MC for the night. Pubs and clubs are where these songs started and it's where the band aims to put them back.
On the day
A full stage with a house PA is where they sound best, so venues with their own system get the strongest version of this. If yours doesn't have one, they can bring their own PA and a sound engineer instead, at an added cost. Worth sorting out at enquiry stage rather than on the day, since it changes both the load in time and what the room needs to give them.
Performance options
Two ways to book Powderworks, and the difference is who supplies the sound and light. The first is the band on its own, which assumes you have a PA, an engineer to run it and lighting already in the room, so the group turns up and plays. The second brings all of that with them: PA, engineer and lights included, nothing needed from the venue. Which one makes sense usually comes down to whether the room is already rigged. Travel distance is the other thing worth mentioning when you enquire.
Song list
33 songs
REDNECK WONDERLAND (intro) (Redneck Wonderland, 1998)
HERCULES (Species Deceases, 1985)
COLD COLD CHANGE (Head Injuries, 1979)
BRAVE FACES (Place Without a Postcard, 1981)
LUCKY COUNTRY (Place Without a Postcard, 1981)
I’M THE CURE (Bird Noises, 1980)
THE DEAD HEART (Diesel and Dust, 1987)
LURITJA WAY (Capricornia, 2002)
US FORCES (10-1, 1982)
KOSCIUSKO (Red Sails in the Sunset, 1984)
SHORT MEMORY (10-1, 1982)
TRUGANINI (Earth and Sun and Moon, 1993)
WRITTEN IN THE HEART (Place Without a Postcard, 1981)
BACK ON THE BORDERLINE (Head Injuries, 1979)
POWDERWORKS (Midnight Oil, 1978)
SOMETIMES (Diesel and Dust, 1987)
NO TIME FOR GAMES (Bird Noises, 1980)
BEDS ARE BURNING (Diesel and Dust, 1987)
KING OF THE MOUNTAIN (Blue Sky Mining, 1990)
DREAM WORLD (Diesel and Dust, 1987)
BLUE SKY MINE (Blue Sky Mining, 1990)
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS (Red Sails in the Sunset, 1984)
