CROWDED HOUSE

Neil Finn (vocals, guitar, piano) and drummer Paul Hester (ex-The Cheks, Deckchairs Overboard) were former members of New Zealand band Split Enz, which spent part of 1975–6 in Australia and several years in England. Neil is the younger brother of Split Enz founding member Tim Finn, who joined Crowded House in 1990 on vocals, guitars and keyboards for the album 'Woodface'. Bassist Nick Seymour (ex-Plays with Marionettes, Bang, The Horla) is the younger brother of singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Seymour of the now defunct Australian rock group Hunters & Collectors. Finn and Hester decided to form a new band during the first Split Enz farewell tour, Enz with a Bang, in late 1984.

Seymour approached Finn during the after party for the Melbourne show and asked if he could audition for the new band. The Mullanes formed in Melbourne in early 1985 with Finn, Hester, Seymour and guitarist Craig Hooper (ex-The Reels) and first performed on 11 June. They secured a record contract with Capitol Records, but Hooper left the band before the remaining trio moved to Los Angeles to record their debut album. At Capitol's behest, the band's name was changed to Crowded House, which alluded to the lack of space at the West Hollywood apartment they shared during the recording of the album 'Crowded House'.

Former Split Enz keyboardist Eddie Rayner produced the track "Can't Carry On" and was asked to join the band. He toured with them in 1988, but was unable to become a full member due to family commitments. Thanks to their Split Enz connection, the newly formed Crowded House had an established Australasian fanbase. They began by playing at festivals in Australia and New Zealand and released their debut album, 'Crowded House', in June 1986. Capitol Records initially failed to see the band's potential and gave them only low key promotion, forcing the band to play at small venues to try and gain attention. The album's first single, "Mean to Me", reached the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart top 30 in June. It failed to chart in the US, but moderate American airplay introduced US listeners to the group.

The single, "Don't Dream It's Over", was released in December 1986 and proved a big international hit, reaching #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in Canada. New Zealand radio stations initially gave the song little support until months later when it became successful internationally. Ultimately the song reached #1 on the New Zealand Singles Chart, and #8 in Australia. It remains the group's most commercially successful song. In March 1987, the group were awarded 'Best New Talent', along with 'Song of the Year' and 'Best Video' for "Don't Dream It's Over", at the inaugural ARIA Music Awards. The video also earned the group the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist that year. The song has often been covered by other artists and gave Paul Young a hit single in 1991.

In June 1987, a year after its release, 'Crowded House' finally reached #1 on the Kent Music Report Album Charts. It also reached #3 in New Zealand and #12 on the US Billboard 200 album chart. The follow-up to "Don't Dream it's Over", "Something So Strong", was not as successful as its predecessor but reached the top ten in New Zealand, America and Canada. "World Where You Live" and "Now We're Getting Somewhere" were also released as singles with some minor chart success.

As the band's primary songwriter, Neil Finn was under pressure to create a second album to match their debut and the band joked that one potential title for the new release was Mediocre Follow-Up. Eventually titled 'Temple of Low Men', their second album was released in July 1988 with strong promotion by Capitol Records. The album did not fare as well as their debut in the US, only reaching #40, but it achieved Australasian success, reaching #1 in Australia and #2 in New Zealand. The first single "Better Be Home Soon" peaked at #2 on both Australian and New Zealand singles charts and reached top 50 in the US, though the following four singles were less successful. Crowded House undertook a short tour of Australia and Canada to promote the album, with Eddie Rayner on keyboards.

Multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart, who would eventually become a full band member, replaced Rayner in January 1989. After the tour, Finn fired Seymour from the band. Music journalist Ed Nimmervoll claimed that Seymour's temporary departure was because Finn blamed him for causing his writer's block, however Finn cited "artistic differences" as the reason. Seymour said that after a month he contacted Finn and they agreed that he would return to the band. Crowded House took a break after the Canadian leg of the Temple of Low Men tour. Neil Finn and his brother Tim recorded songs they had co-written for their own album, 'Finn'. Following the recording sessions with Tim, Neil began writing and recording a third Crowded House album with Hester and Seymour, but these tracks were rejected by the record company, so Neil asked Tim if Crowded House could use the Finn songs.

Tim jokingly agreed on the proviso that he become a member, which Neil apparently took literally. With Tim as an official member, the band returned to the studio. The new tracks, as well as some from the previously rejected recordings were combined to make 'Woodface', which was released in July 1991. The album featured eight tracks co-written by Neil and Tim, which feature the brothers harmonising on lead vocals, except on the sombre "All I Ask" on which Tim sang lead. The track was later used on AIDS awareness commercials in Australia. Five of the album's tracks were Neil's solo compositions and two were by Hester, the exuberant "Italian Plastic", which became a crowd favourite at concerts and the hidden track "I'm Still Here". "Chocolate Cake", a humorous comment on American excesses that wasn't taken well by some US critics and sections of the American public, was released in June 1991 as the first single. Perhaps unsurprisingly it failed to chart in the US, however it reached #2 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart.

The song peaked at #7 in New Zealand and reached the top 20 in Australia. The second single, "Fall at Your Feet", was less successful in Australia and New Zealand but did at least reach the US Hot 100. The album reached #1 in New Zealand, #2 in Australia, number six in the UK and made the top 20 in several European countries. The third single from 'Woodface', "Weather With You", peaked at #7 in early 1992 giving the band their highest UK chart placement. By contrast, the album had limited success in the US, only reaching #83 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart.

Tim Finn left Crowded House during the Woodface tour in November 1991, part-way through the UK leg. Performances on this tour, at the Town and Country Club in London, were recorded live and given a limited release in Australia, while individual songs from those shows were released as B-sides of singles in some countries. In June 1993 the New Zealand Government recommended that the Queen award an OBE to Neil and Tim Finn for their contribution to the music of New Zealand. For their fourth album, 'Together Alone', Crowded House used producer Martin Glover (a.k.a. Youth) and invited touring musician Mark Hart (guitar & keyboards) to become a permanent band member. The album was recorded at Karekare Beach, New Zealand, which gave its name to the opening track, "Kare Kare". The album was released in October 1993 and sold well internationally on the strength of lead single "Distant Sun" and follow up "Private Universe".

It topped the New Zealand Album Chart, reached #2 in Australia and #4 in the UK. "Locked Out" was the album's first US single and received airplay on MTV and VH1. This track and "My Sharona" by The Knack, which were both included the soundtrack of the film Reality Bites, were bundled together on a jukebox single to promote the film soundtrack. Crowded House were mid-way through a US tour when Paul Hester quit the band on 15 April 1994. He flew home to Melbourne to await the birth of his first child and indicated that he required more time with his family. Wally Ingram, drummer for support act Sheryl Crow, temporarily filled in until a replacement, Peter Jones (ex-Harem Scarem, Vince Jones, Kate Ceberano's Septet) was found. After the tour, the Finn Brothers released their album 'Finn' in November 1995.

In June 1996, at a press conference to announce the release of their greatest hits album 'Recurring Dream', Neil revealed that Crowded House were to disband. The June 1996 concerts in Europe and Canada were to be their final performances. 'Recurring Dream' contained four songs from each of the band's studio albums, along with three new songs. The album debuted at #1 in Australia, New Zealand and the UK in July 1996. Early copies included a bonus CD of live material. The album's three new songs, which were released as singles, were "Instinct", "Not the Girl You Think You Are" and "Everything Is Good for You", which featured backing vocals from Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder.

Paul Hester returned to the band to play drums on the three new tracks. Worried that their goodbye had been too low-key and had disregarded their home fans, the band performed the Farewell to the World concert on the steps of the Sydney Opera House on 24 November 1996, which raised funds for the Sydney Children's Hospital. The concert featured the line-up of Neil Finn, Nick Seymour, Mark Hart and Paul Hester. Tim Finn and Peter Jones both made guest appearances. Support bands on the day were Custard, Powderfinger and You Am I. The concert had one of the highest live audiences in Australian history with the crowd being estimated at between 120,000 and 250,000 people. Farewell to the World was released on VHS in December 1996.

On 26 March 2005 Paul Hester was found dead, after hanging himself from a tree in a park near his home in Melbourne. He was 46 years old.

In 2006 Neil Finn asked Nick Seymour to play bass on his third solo album. Seymour agreed and the two joined up with producer and multi-instrumentalist Ethan Johns to begin recording. As the recording sessions progressed it was decided that the album would be issued under the Crowded House band name, rather than as a Neil Finn solo album. In January 2007, the group publicly announced their reformation and on 23 February, after 20 days of auditions, former Beck drummer Matt Sherrod joined Finn, Seymour and Mark Hart to complete the new line up.

As Sherrod and Hart had not participated in the initial sessions, four new tracks were recorded with producer Steve Lillywhite including the album's first single "Don't Stop Now". On 17 March 2007 the band played a live show at their rehearsal studio in front of around fifty fans, friends and family. The performance was streamed live as a webcast. The two-and-a-half-hour set included some new tracks, including "Silent House" co-written by Finn with the Dixie Chicks. A concert onboard The Thekla, moored in Bristol, followed on 19 March. Crowded House played at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona on 26 April as a warm-up for their appearance at the Coachella Festival on 29 April in Indio, California. They also played at the Australian Live Earth concert in Sydney on 7 July. The next day, Finn and Seymour were interviewed on Rove Live and the band, with Hart and Sherrod, performed "Don't Stop Now" to promote the new album, which was titled 'Time on Earth'. The single was a minor hit in Australia and the UK.

The album was released worldwide in June and July. It topped the album chart in New Zealand and made #2 in Australia and #3 in the UK. On 6 December 2008 Crowded House played the Homebake festival in Sydney, with warm up gigs at small venues in Hobart, Melbourne and Sydney. For these shows the band were augmented by multi-instrumentalist Don McGlashan and Neil's younger son, Elroy Finn, on guitar.

Crowded House began recording their follow-up to 'Time on Earth' in April 2009, at Finn's own Roundhead Studios. The album, 'Intriguer', was produced by Jim Scott who had worked on The Sun Came Out by Neil's 7 Worlds Collide project. In August 2009, Finn travelled to Los Angeles to record some overdubs at Jim Scott's Los Angeles studio before they began mixing tracks. The album was released in June 2010, in time for the band's appearance at the West Coast Blues & Roots Festival near Perth. Finn stated that the album contains some, "Unexpected twists and turns" and some songs that, "Sound like nothing we've done before."

'Intriguer' topped the Australian album chart, reached #3 in New Zealand and #12 in the UK. Crowded House undertook an extensive world tour in 2010 in support of 'Intriguer'. This was the first album where the band regularly interacted with fans via the internet on their own re-launched website, Twitter and Facebook. The band sold recordings of the shows on the Intriguer tour on USB flash drives and made individual live tracks available for free download. A new compilation album, 'The Very Very Best of Crowded House', was released in October 2010 to celebrate the band's 25th anniversary. It includes 19 of the band's greatest hits and is also available in a box set with a 25 track DVD of their music videos. Former Crowded House drummer Peter Jones died from brain cancer on 18 May 2012 aged 49. A statement issued by the band described him as, "A warm-hearted, funny and talented man, who was a valuable member of Crowded House."

In 2016, Neil Finn mentioned in an interview with the Dutch newspaper Volkskrant that Crowded House are on hiatus. Later that year, he and Seymour announced a series of concerts at the Sydney Opera House to mark the 20th anniversary of the Farewell to the World show (24 Nov 1996). The band performed four shows, 24–27 November 2016. Around the same time, each of the band's 7 studio albums (including the rarities collection Afterglow) was reissued in deluxe 2-CD format with bonus tracks including demos, live recordings, alternate mixes, b-sides and outtakes.

In April 2018, Neil Finn joined Fleetwood Mac, along with Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, as a full-time member in the wake of Lindsey Buckingham's departure from the band.
In August 2019, Crowded House announced a reunion show at the 2020 Byron Bay Bluesfest. Shortly afterwards, Mark Hart announced that he would not be involved in the group's reunion. Finn confirmed Hart's departure on his podcast Fangradio, noting that he "loves Hart dearly as a friend, as a contributor and a collaborator" and that "all will be revealed... trust that good thought and good heart gets put into all of these decisions." In December 2019, Neil Finn announced that the new Crowded House line-up would consist of himself, Seymour, the band's original producer Mitchell Froom and his sons Liam and Elroy. He added that they were making a new studio album, the first since 2010's Intriguer. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the band's planned 2020 concerts were rescheduled to 2021, and later again to 2022.

On 15 October 2020, the band released "Whatever You Want", the first single from the band in over a decade. The band also shared an accompanying music video, starring Mac DeMarco. On 17 February 2021, the band shared another single, "To the Island." The track serves as the second single to the band's seventh studio album, 'Dreamers Are Waiting', which was announced on the same day for release on 4 June 2021.The band supported the single with a national tour of New Zealand in March 2021. On 19 August 2021, the band performed their single “To the Island” on CBS's The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. On 2 December 2021, the band announced that it will be touring Australia in 2022, with 6 shows around the country, including the 2022 Bluesfest lineup. On 24 June 2022, the band played at Glastonbury Festival.

Members

Neil Finn (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards), Nick Seymour (bass), Craig Hooper (guitar), Paul Hester (drums, keyboards), Mark Hart (keyboards, guitar), Tim Finn (piano, guitar, vocals), Matt Sherrod (drums), Peter Jones (drums), Liam Finn (guitars, drums), Elroy Finn (drums),

SINGLES
''Mean To Me (#26) / Hole In The River'' 1986 Capitol 
''Now We're Getting Somewhere (#63) / Recurring Dream'' 1986 Capitol 
''Don't Dream It's Over (#8) / That's What I Call Love'' 1986 Capitol 
''World Where You Live (#43) / Hole In The River'' 1987 Capitol 
''Something So Strong (#18) / I Walk Away'' 1987 Capitol 
''Better Be Home Soon (#2) / Kill Eye'' 1988 Capitol 
''When You Come (#27) / Better Be Home Soon'' 1988 Capitol 
''Into Temptation (#67) / Mansion In The Slums / This Is Massive'' 1988 Capitol 
''Sister Madly (#81) / Love This Life'' 1989 Capitol 
''I Feel Possessed {with Roger McGuinn (Byrdhouse] (#93) / Mr Tambourine Man'' 1989 Capitol 
''Chocolate Cake (#20) / As Sure As I Am'' 1991 Capitol 
''Fall At Your Feet (#31) / Whispers And Moans'' 1991 Capitol
"It's Only Natural" (#15) 1991 Capitol
"Weather with You" (#27) 1992 Capitol
"Four Seasons in One Day" (#47) 1992 Capitol
"Distant Sun" (#23) 1993 Capitol
"Nails in My Feet" (#34) 1994 Capitol
"Locked Out" (#79) 1994 Capitol
"Fingers of Love" 1994 Capitol
"Pineapple Head" 1994 Capitol
"Private Universe" (#46) 1994 Capitol
"Together Alone" 1995 Capitol
"Everything Is Good for You" (#10) 1996 Capitol
"Instinct" (#90) 1996 Capitol
"Not the Girl You Think You Are" (#37) 1996 Capitol
"Don't Stop Now" (#34) 2007 Parlophone
"She Called Up" 2007 Parlophone
"Pour Le Monde" 2007 Parlophone
"Saturday Sun" 2010 Universal
"Either Side of the World" 2010 Universal
"Better Be Home Soon/Fall at Your Feet/Distant Sun (Medley)" [with Missy Higgins and Bernard Fanning] (#53) 2016
"Whatever You Want" 2020 EMI
"To the Island" 2021 EMI
"Playing With Fire" 2021 EMI
"Oh Hi" 2024 BMG
"Teenage Summer" 2024 BMG
"The Howl" 2024 BMG

ALBUMS
'Crowded House' (#1) 1986 Capitol 

'Temple of Low Men' (#1) 1988 Capitol 
'Woodface' (#2) 1991Capitol 
'Together Alone' (#2) 1993 Capitol 
'Time on Earth' (#1) 2007 Parlophone
'Intriguer' (#1) 2010 Universal 
Dreamers Are Waiting' (#2) 2021 EMI
'Gravity Stairs' (#3) 2024 BMG

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowded_House

http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au/