CROWDED HOUSE A family day out at Bluesfest
Formed in Melbourne in 1985, out of the ashes of New Zealand’s Split Enz, by Neil Finn, Paul Hester and Nick Seymour, Crowded House’s eponymous debut album went on to global success with the hits Don’t Dream It’s Over and Something So Strong.
Those songs, and many that followed, are still resonating with audiences today. The band has been through a couple of incarnations since the ’80s and their new release, Dreamers Are Waiting, heralds a further chapter in the Crowded House story.
Finn’s oldest son, Liam, has been weaving in and out of the Crowded House line-up since his first appearance at Bluesfest in 2000 and he has a history at the event. ‘I’ve played with dad twice. I think I played it when I was about 17. I played drums. Robert Moore, he’s a really old friend of ours, was playing bass. And it was really cool – a three-piece band that we put together and played late one night and, you know, I just remember the certain aromas coming out from the crowd and it was a magical thing. I know dad’s had a lot of very memorable times at Bluesfest and certainly the ones that I’ve been to have been amazing.’
The burning question is, how does it pan out working as a family with brother Elroy on tour as well?
‘It’s a little nuclear family – obviously uncle Nick has been a huge presence in my life, and Mitchell – it’s been really cool getting to know him so well. He’s someone that I’ve always known, but being in a band with someone is a very intimate thing.
‘The thing that’s great about it is that it feels like a real band. I’ve been in a few bands and this is not that much different. The fact that my brother and my dad are in it is a good vibe. We’ve always been a close family anyway – it’s very honest and there’s a lot of comfort in knowing that we’ve got each other’s backs.’
Bluesfest is part of a big story in the new line-up for Crowded House – it was the first gig booked in the band’s new era. ‘Bluesfest was going to be our first show as this band. We went in to make our new album, Dreamers Are Waking, with the idea that we had quite a strict deadline because we had to get to Bluesfest. And as we all know, that took a sort of sideways turn, and in some ways allowed us to work on our album a bit longer, which I think made it the record it is today.’
Finn says he thinks Bluesfest will be a truly joyous event. ‘I think it’s going to be very cathartic for us and imagine so for the audience as well. There’s been a lot of pent up energy over the last couple of years, and music is certainly one of the best things for mental health and healing and processing things. I know that Crowded House songs have a big part to play in a lot of Australian lives and we certainly know how to put on a good show of sing-alongs and good vibes. It’ll be great.’
Crowded House play Bluesfest on Easter Sunday.
For more information and tickets, visit: bluesfest.com.au.
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