Intercooler at Easy Tape Studios in Burnside, where the band has been working on a new 10-track album. Photo: Supplied.

Nambour-raised Powderfinger drummer Jon Coghill has officially joined Queensland rock band Intercooler with a new album almost complete and their first live show together set for Mapleton.

Coghill announced the news on social media after spending the past two years making music with Intercooler members Phil, Mooger and Joel.

“Two years ago Phil, Mooger and Joel from Intercooler asked me to jam,” Coghill said.

“I quickly learned Phil is a prolific songwriter and Mooger and Joel rock like there is no tomorrow.”

What began as a jam has now become a 10-track album, with only two more songs left to record.

Coghill confirmed to YELO that he had joined Intercooler’s wider lineup, but was not replacing the band’s existing drummer, Damon “Damo” Cox.

“I think Intercooler has many members, so I’m in the band but not taking over from Damo,” he said.

“Think of it as them having two drummers.”

The new lineup will make its live debut at Good Soil: Farm. Table. Beast. at Mapleton Public House on July 26.

Powderfinger meets Modest Mouse

Coghill’s arrival brings together two names with deep roots in Brisbane rock.

Powderfinger became one of Australia’s biggest bands, while Intercooler built a strong following in Brisbane’s early-2000s guitar scene.

It also gives Intercooler two drummers with serious international experience. Coghill joined Powderfinger in the early 1990s and remained behind the kit throughout the band’s rise, while Damon Cox also plays drums with US indie-rock band Modest Mouse.

Intercooler formed in Brisbane in 2001 and has operated with an evolving lineup ever since.

The band has toured Australia and the United States and shared stages with Grinspoon, The Living End, Teenage Fanclub, Buzzcocks, J Mascis and Gomez.

Its most recent album, “Read the Room”, was released in 2020.

Coghill also thanked Cox and guitarist Dazza for their role in creating the new music, before promising more news to come.

Easy Tape brings it home

The project carries a particularly strong Nambour connection.

Intercooler singer and songwriter Phil Ballantyne runs Easy Tape recording studio in Burnside, where recording sessions share a home with small live performances.

Canadian rock band The Tea Party recorded at Easy Tape earlier this year, adding another major name to the growing list of musicians finding their way to the suburban studio.

Coghill praised Ballantyne’s contribution to the local scene.

“Phil is a true champion for and of local music,” he told YELO.

“He’s awesome fun too.”

Easy Tape has also begun hosting intimate shows, bringing touring and local artists into a relaxed studio environment away from the usual venue circuit.

The studio is tucked into Burnside, only minutes from the Nambour streets where Coghill grew up.

He attended Nambour State High School, now Nambour State College, before moving to Brisbane and joining Powderfinger.

Nambour gets him back behind the kit

This is not the first time Coghill’s hometown has found a way to pull him back behind the drums.

In 2023, he stepped in to play a full set with Sunshine Coast swamp-blues musician 8Ball Aitken at the Nambour Tramfest Christmas Festival after Aitken’s drummer pulled out.

The unlikely booking came about while Coghill was helping former Nambour councillor Greg Rogerson at a community barbecue.

“Rogo was working the barbecue at an event in Nambour when he got a call,” Coghill told YELO at the time.

“He was calling Rogo to say his drummer had pulled out. Rogo looked at me and I could see him calculating.

“Next thing you know I’ve agreed to the gig. And I’m pumped.”

Coghill also threw his support behind Nambour’s developing music scene.

“Bring it on. Let’s see the next AC/DC from Burnside or the Heights for goodness’ sake,” he said.

Three years later, he is making an album with a band whose songwriter operates a Burnside studio now attracting names such as The Tea Party.

Not a bad result.

First show at Good Soil

Coghill will play his first live show with Intercooler at Good Soil, a new one-day festival at Mapleton Public House.

The event will bring together food, farming, music and community from 11am on July 26.

The pub, carpark and nearby Falls Farm will host open-fire cooking, local producers, breweries, talks, children’s entertainment and live music.

Intercooler and Sunshine Coast band Double Talk will perform during the afternoon.

Entry is free, with registration recommended.

Lunch will be available from 12.30pm until sold out, with discounted prices offered to people who register before the event.

Good Soil: Farm. Table. Beast.
July 26, 2026, from 11am
Mapleton Public House, 2 Flaxton Drive, Mapleton
Free entry