Two decades after its release, Bernard Fanning's debut solo album, Tea & Sympathy, has proven its enduring appeal, with the announcement of a 20th-anniversary tour triggering a ticket-buying frenzy that saw multiple shows, including a Newcastle date, sell out within hours.
An Unexpected Masterpiece
Fanning admits he never anticipated the album would become the cultural touchstone it is today. Released on Halloween in 2005, the record defied his modest expectations by soaring to number one on the ARIA charts and clinching Album of the Year at the 2006 ARIA Awards. The catalyst for its success was the last-minute addition of the song Wish You Well, which Fanning wrote while hungover just three days before recording began. That track went on to win the triple j Hottest 100.
"Our expectations for it were so low," Fanning recalls. "We didn't have any grand ideas about it being this huge success. Everything that kept happening... was a great surprise every time."
A Pivotal Career and Personal Crossroads
The album's creation marked a significant gamble for the Powderfinger frontman. At the height of the band's popularity, Fanning chose to step away and record a folk and Americana-inspired record, a style he had long wanted to explore. The songs on Tea & Sympathy were deeply personal, born from the heartbreak of ending a 12-year relationship.
"The record was mainly around the end of a relationship and a couple of songs about the beginning of a new one," Fanning says. This personal turmoil had a silver lining, as it was during the recording sessions at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in Bath, England, that he reconnected with Andrea, who would become his wife of 19 years.
Navigating Solo Success and Band Dynamics
The runaway success of Tea & Sympathy created unforeseen tensions within Powderfinger. Plans for the band's next album were postponed when US label Lost Highway picked up the solo record for an American release and tour. While this caused some friction, Fanning downplays the idea of major acrimony.
"There's a bit of myth-making with the acrimony in Powderfinger," he states. "There wasn't some big personality disaster... By the time we got to the end, we were pretty sure we'd done what we wanted to do to that point."
While his subsequent solo albums didn't match the commercial peak of his debut, Fanning recently found renewed creative energy through collaboration. His 2024 project with Paul Dempsey of Something for Kate, Fanning Dempsey National Park, was met with widespread critical acclaim, reminding him of the joys of collaborative songwriting.
As he prepares to revisit Tea & Sympathy on stage, Fanning is struck by how the album continues to transport listeners back to a specific chapter of their lives. The sold-out tour is a powerful testament to the album's lasting legacy in the canon of Australian music.
