Crowded House
Neil Finn, Nick Seymour, Liam Finn, Elroy Finn, Mitchell Froom.

From the very beginning, Crowded House has been a shifting landscape, befitting of the name. A cast of characters have inhabited the house, elevated our endeavours and been part of the evolution: Paul Hester, Tim Finn, Mark Hart, Pete Jones, Matt Sherrod, much love and thanks… they brought spirit and style that cannot be replaced.

The whole time through success, disappointment, break up or make up, we believed in the concept of a band being the sum of parts, the interesting rub that occurs when strong and differing personalities get to add their character to the songs. I was drawn into my solo world on a few occasions and had wonderful collaborative experiences outside the band, but there remains in my heart a flame that burns for what we began in 1985.

Mitchell Froom was right there with Nick and Paul and me back in 1985 and we were all learning how to make records together… we didn’t know what Crowded House sounded like, we were operating on part instinct, part inspiration, part bluff… in any event, we made a record that captured people’s attention and began this epic, part dreaming, part scheming, mostly just stumbling along in thrall of a song. He was a mentor, now Mitchell's in the band… hooray!

I’m so excited to have Liam Finn and Elroy Finn take their place too. They are two of my favourite musicians in the world, both brilliant songwriters, and we play and sing really well together… no surprise there. They grew up around the music, the band, the ethos, the humour, and have made so much beautiful music of their own. They won’t let us settle into a comfy retirement.

The potential of this lineup is what draws me once again to start another chapter of Crowded House. We have just gathered to play new songs this week and are thrilled to find that, already, there is a fresh sound emerging and much exuberance for that discovery. I can feel Paul’s presence, I think he would smile to see us all together.

New music is on the way but we will be giving the old songs much love and attention for the shows upcoming. I know the best is yet to come. Thanks for tuning in, good folk.

Neil

See the latest Crowded House European Tour dates for Summer 2020 on the Live page and at crowdedhouse.com