Australia's biggest band, Powderfinger, announced details of their most extensive Australian tour to date at a press conference together with the news that they will be disbanding following the tour.

This will be Powderfinger’s first major national tour since the hugely successful Across the Great Divide tour with Silverchair almost 3 years ago.

MC, James Mathison, welcomed the media to The Annandale Hotel in Sydney’s inner west, where Powderfinger sat on a same stage they first played on almost twenty years ago, and announced the details of their upcoming Sunsets tour before Bernard Fanning read a Statement on behalf of his fellow band members - Jon Coghill, John Collins, Ian Haug and Darren Middleton.

In that Statement, the band advised details of their most extensive tour of Australia ever - The Sunsets tour will include shows in 21 different cities across every state and territory and be stretched over a seven week period from early September through to late October.

The band’s final announcement today was that they would be disbanding following the completion of the Sunsets tour. In the prepared statement, the band advised that “the “Sunsets” tour will be Powderfinger's last ever run of shows. We have decided, after much deliberation and agonising, that after this final tour we will call it a day as a recording and touring band. With the completion of our last album, Golden Rule, we feel that we have said all that we want to say as a musical group. We firmly believe that it is our most complete and satisfying album and can't think of a better way to farewell our fans than with music that we all believe in and also with, hopefully, our best tour to date”

Joining Powderfinger for all but the first three shows on Sunsets will be old friends, JET.

With millions of albums sold worldwide and four Top 10 Modern Rock hits, JET recently returned to form with Shaka Rock, an album that parallels their smash, Get Born, which produced hits like Are You Gonna Be My Girl and Cold Hard Bitch. The new album closes the gap between the raw roots of Get Born and the grace and melody of Shine On (recorded just after the passing of Nic and Chris Cester's father), which together went on to make JET an international band of style and substance. Shaka Rock captures the charisma and energy of classic rock and roll with just enough punk swagger and contemporary flair to create something uniquely JET. The first single from Shaka Rock, She's a Genius, has recently reached Gold sales as has the album itself. This will also be the first time JET have had the opportunity of performing in many regional areas throughout Australia.

Taking on the support slot on the first three shows (Newcastle, Gold Coast and Brisbane) will be THE VINES in a rare live performance. THE VINES have had an intriguing and brilliant career since they first appeared from nowhere to grace the cover of the UK's prestigious New Music Express back in 2002. A combination of brutal power and melodic genius, the band are truly one of the countries greats. In 2010, THE VINES continue with a new album release planned and a series of exclusive performances including these dates with Powderfinger.

The band also announced today that they would be partnering with an organisation called Yalari on the tour. Yalari sponsors Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from regional, rural and remote areas to attend boarding schools all around the country so they can receive the a first class education through full boarding scholarships at the highest achieving secondary schools. Yalari is an organisation that looks to the improvement of the standard of living of Aboriginal people all around Australia by lifting education standards and creating inspirational incentives to children that would not ordinarily be afforded these types of opportunities.

‘I’m really excited and humbled by the support Powderfinger, such a great Australian band, is giving Yalari. The credibility of Powderfinger, and their awareness of Indigenous issues in this country, goes a long way with their fans so I’m really looking forward to sharing more about Yalari with a whole new bunch of people. Through this partnership I feel we are all further along the road towards a better future for Indigenous people in Australia. And I know the children on Yalari scholarships are going to have a great time at the concerts and meeting the band backstage” said Waverley Stanley, Founding Director, Yalari Limited.

Powderfinger’s extensive career spans nearly two decades with sales in excess of 2.5 million albums in Australia alone. Winner of 16 ARIA Awards, the band holds an unprecedented three successive ARIA Awards for Album of the Year. Powderfinger has achieved 6 No. 1 ARIA Album Chart debuts and recently scored 2 entries in the Triple J Hottest 100 of all time (2009) – These Days (#21) and My Happiness (#27). Powderfinger’s 7th studio album, Golden Rule, was released to critical acclaim in November, 2009, debuting at No. 1 and spawning the radio and chart hits, All of the Dreamers and Burn Your Name. The 3rd single from the album, Sail the Widest Stretch, will be serviced to Australian radio today, Friday 9 April.