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Crowded House are an Australian-New Zealand rock band, formed in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, Victoria,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, in 1985. Its founding members were
Neil Finn Neil Mullane Finn (born 27 May 1958) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known for being a principal member of Split Enz and for being the lead singer of Crowded House. He was also a member of Fleetwood Mac from 2018 ...
(vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and
Paul Hester Paul Newell Hester (8 January 1959 – 26 March 2005) was an Australian musician and television personality. He was the drummer for the band Split Enz for their last year together from December 1983 to December 1984, and co-founding member an ...
(drums), who were both former members of
Split Enz Split Enz were a New Zealand band formed in 1972. Regarded as the first New Zealand band to gain significant recognition outside of Australasia, they were initially noted for their progressive rock, progressive/art rock sound, flamboyant visua ...
, and Nick Seymour (bass). Later band members included Finn's brother Tim, who was in their former band
Split Enz Split Enz were a New Zealand band formed in 1972. Regarded as the first New Zealand band to gain significant recognition outside of Australasia, they were initially noted for their progressive rock, progressive/art rock sound, flamboyant visua ...
; sons
Liam Liam is a short form of the Germanic name William, or its Irish variant Uilliam. Etymology The original name was a merging of two Old German elements: ''willa'' ("will" or "resolution"); and ''helma'' ("helmet"). The juxtaposition of these ...
and Elroy; as well as Americans
Mark Hart Mark Hart (born July 2, 1953), is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist best known for being a member of both Supertramp (1986–1988, 1996–2002) and Crowded House (1993–1996, 2007–2016). As well as being a group member, touring ...
and Matt Sherrod.McFarlane (1999)"Neil Finn and Nick Seymour"
''
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...
'' – 16 July 2007
Neil Finn and Seymour are the sole constant members. Originally active from 1985 to 1996, Crowded House had consistent commercial and critical success in Australia and New Zealand. (NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charts from 1974 until
ARIA In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...
created their own
charts A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent t ...
in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974)
"Discography Crowded House"
australiancharts.com
"Discography Crowded House"
''charts.org.nz''
They achieved success in the United States with their self-titled debut album, which provided the Top Ten hits "
Don't Dream It's Over "Don't Dream It's Over" is a song by rock band Crowded House, recorded for their 1986 self-titled debut studio album. The song was composed and written by New Zealand frontman Neil Finn and released in October 1986 as the fourth single from ...
" and " Something So Strong". Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles"">"Crowded House > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles"
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums"">"Crowded House > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums"AllMusic Further international success came in the UK, Europe, and South Africa in the early 1990s with their third and fourth albums ('' Woodface'' and '' Together Alone'') and the compilation album ''
Recurring Dream A recurring dream is a dream which is experienced repeatedly over a long period. They can be pleasant or nightmarish and unique to the person and their experiences. Common themes in recurring dreams Through psychological analyses and studies, ...
'', which included the hits " Fall at Your Feet", " Weather with You", " Distant Sun", " Locked Out", "
Instinct Instinct is the inherent inclination of a living organism towards a particular complex behaviour, containing innate (inborn) elements. The simplest example of an instinctive behaviour is a fixed action pattern (FAP), in which a very short to me ...
", and " Not the Girl You Think You Are".Bourke (1997) Neil and Tim Finn were each awarded an OBE in June 1993 for their contributions to the music of New Zealand. Crowded House disbanded in 1996 following several farewell concerts that year, including the " Farewell to the World" concerts in Melbourne and Sydney. Hester died by suicide in 2005.Bernard Zuel, Nassim Khadem, Patrick Donovan, James Butto
"Farewell to the clown prince"
''
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...
'' – 29 March 2005
A year later, the group re-formed with drummer Matt Sherrod and released two further albums ('' Time on Earth'' and '' Intriguer''), each of which reached number one in Australia. The band went on another hiatus, and reunited in 2020 with a new line-up featuring Neil Finn, Nick Seymour,
Mitchell Froom Mitchell Froom (born June 29, 1953) is an American musician and record producer. He was a member of the bands Gamma and Latin Playboys, and is the keyboardist for Crowded House. He has produced albums for several artists, including David LaFl ...
, and Finn's sons Liam and Elroy. Their most recent album, '' Gravity Stairs'', was released in 2024. As of 2021, Crowded House have sold over 15 million albums worldwide. In November 2016, the band was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.


History

Neil Finn (vocals, guitar, piano) and drummer Paul Hester ( the Cheks, Deckchairs Overboard) were former members of New Zealand band
Split Enz Split Enz were a New Zealand band formed in 1972. Regarded as the first New Zealand band to gain significant recognition outside of Australasia, they were initially noted for their progressive rock, progressive/art rock sound, flamboyant visua ...
, which spent part of 1975–6 in Australia and several years in England. Neil Finn 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 (Plays with Marionettes, Bang, The Horla) is the younger brother of singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Seymour of Australian rock group Hunters & Collectors.


Formation and name change (1984–1986)

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 (
the Reels The Reels are an Australian rock music, rock band which formed in Dubbo, New South Wales in 1976. It disbanded in 1991, and reformed in 2007. Its 1981 song "Quasimodo's Dream (song), Quasimodo's Dream" was voted one of the APRA Top 30 Australian ...
) and first performed on 11 June. They secured a record contract with
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
, but Hooper left the band before the remaining trio moved to Los Angeles to record their debut album. Nimmervoll, Ed
"Crowded House"
HowlSpace – The Living History of Our Music (Ed Nimmervoll). Archived fro

on 27 July 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
At Capitol's behest, the band's name was changed to Crowded House, which alluded to the lack of space at the small
Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills is a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. It borders Studio City, Universal City and Burbank on the north, Griffith Park on the north and east, Los Feliz on the southeast, Hollyw ...
house they shared during the recording of the album ''
Crowded House Crowded House are an Australian-New Zealand rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Paul Hester (drums), who were both for ...
''. 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.


Early albums (1986–1990)

Thanks to their Split Enz connection, the newly formed Crowded House had an established
Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...
n fanbase. They began by playing at festivals in Australia and New Zealand and released their debut album, ''Crowded House'', in August 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 to gain attention. The album's first single, " Mean to Me", reached the Australian
Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music historian David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July 19 ...
Singles Chart top 30 in June. It failed to chart in the US, but moderate American airplay introduced US listeners to the group. The next single, "
Don't Dream It's Over "Don't Dream It's Over" is a song by rock band Crowded House, recorded for their 1986 self-titled debut studio album. The song was composed and written by New Zealand frontman Neil Finn and released in October 1986 as the fourth single from ...
", was released in October 1986 and proved an international hit, reaching number two on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number one in Canada. New Zealand radio stations initially gave the song little support until months later when it became internationally successful. Ultimately, the song reached number one on the
New Zealand singles chart The Official Aotearoa Music Charts, formerly the Official New Zealand Music Chart (), is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The M ...
and number eight 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" awards 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. ''
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
'' – NOTE: Click on "winners" tab
The song has often been
covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...
by other artists and gave Paul Young a hit single in 1991. It was also used for a New Zealand Tourism Board advertisement in its "100% Pure New Zealand" worldwide promotion from October 2005. In May 2001, "Don't Dream it's Over" was voted seventh in a poll of the best Australian songs of all time by the
Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwri ...
."2001 – Top 10 Songs"
APRA – 28 May 2001
In June 1987, nearly a year after its release, ''Crowded House'' finally reached number one on the Kent Music Report Album Charts. It also reached number three in New Zealand and number twelve in the US. The follow-up to "Don't Dream it's Over", " Something So Strong", was another global smash, reaching the Top 10 in New Zealand America, and Canada. " World Where You Live" and "Now We're Getting Somewhere" were also released as singles with 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 number 40 and selling around 200,000 copies, but it achieved Australasian success, reaching number one in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
and number two in New Zealand. The first single " Better Be Home Soon" peaked at number two 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 Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
Ed Nimmervoll claimed that Seymour's temporary departure was because Finn blamed him for causing his
writer's block Writer's block is a non-medical condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is either unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. Writer's block has various degrees of severity, from difficulty in coming ...
; 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.


Early 1990s (1991–1994)

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 features 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 In the field of recorded music, a hidden track (sometimes called a ghost track, secret track or unlisted track) is a song or a piece of audio that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, LP record, or other recorded medium, in such a way as t ...
"I'm Still Here". "
Chocolate Cake Chocolate cake or chocolate gâteau (from ) is a cake flavored with melted chocolate, cocoa powder, or both. It can also have other ingredients such as fudge, vanilla creme, and other sweeteners. History The history of chocolate cake goes b ...
", a humorous comment on American excesses that was not taken well by some US critics and sections of the American public was released in June 1991 as the first single. It failed to chart in the US; however, it reached number two on Billboard's
Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...
chart. The song peaked at number seven 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 ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...
. The album reached number one in New Zealand, number two in Australia, number six in the UK"Official Charts – Crowded House"
''Official Charts''
and made the top 20 in several European countries. The third single from ''Woodface'', " Weather With You", peaked at No. 7 in early 1992 giving the band their highest UK chart placement. By contrast, the album had limited success in the US, only reaching number 83 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart and selling 225,000 copies. Despite the success of the album, Tim Finn left Crowded House suddenly part-way through the UK leg of the ''Woodface'' tour, a few hours before the band were due to play at King Tut's Club in Glasgow on 1 November 1991. Neil Finn noted that "on stage, it just didn't feel right for us or him. We're very off-the-cuff and conversational, whereas Tim is into creating a spectacle and the two approaches don't gel all that well... We'd all open our mouths at the same time and then stop and go, Oh, after you. From Tim's point of view it was quite a relief to put it all on the table, I think. For half the set he was standing there with his acoustic guitar, not really feeling part of it." Paul Hester commented that "both sides felt good about parting before it could get ugly." Performances on the UK 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 The New Zealand Government () is the central government through which political authority is exercised in New Zealand. As in most other parliamentary democracies, the term "Government" refers chiefly to the executive branch, and more specifica ...
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 (aka "Youth") and invited touring musician Mark Hart (guitar and 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 followup "
Private Universe "Private Universe" is a 1993 song by rock group Crowded House from the group's fourth studio album '' Together Alone''. It was released as a single in Australia in October 1994. The single peaked at #46 on the Australian ARIA singles chart in Janu ...
". It topped the New Zealand Album Chart, reached number 2 in Australia and number 4 in the UK. " Locked Out" was the album's first US single and received airplay on MTV and
VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
. This track and " My Sharona" by the Knack, which were both included on the soundtrack of the film '' Reality Bites'', were bundled together on a
jukebox A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that plays a user-selected song from a self-contained media library. Traditional jukeboxes contain records, compact discs, or digital files, and allow user ...
single to promote the film soundtrack.


Saying farewell (1994–1996)

Crowded House were midway 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 Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is noted for her Optimism, optimistic and Idealism, idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including Rock music, rock, Po ...
, temporarily filled in until a replacement, Peter Jones (ex-Harem Scarem, Vince Jones,
Kate Ceberano Catherine Yvette Ceberano ( or , born 17 November 1966) is an Australian singer and actress who performs in the rock, soul, jazz and pop genres, as well as in film and musicals such as '' Jesus Christ Superstar''. Her single " Bedroom Eyes" re ...
'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 A recurring dream is a dream which is experienced repeatedly over a long period. They can be pleasant or nightmarish and unique to the person and their experiences. Common themes in recurring dreams Through psychological analyses and studies, ...
'', 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 number one 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 Instinct is the inherent inclination of a living organism towards a particular complex behaviour, containing innate (inborn) elements. The simplest example of an instinctive behaviour is a fixed action pattern (FAP), in which a very short to me ...
", " Not the Girl You Think You Are" and " Everything Is Good for You", which featured backing vocals from
Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. One of the key bands in the grunge, grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, ...
's
Eddie Vedder Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and one of three guitarists for the rock band Pearl Jam. He was previously a gues ...
. 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 The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...
on 24 November 1996, which raised funds for the
Sydney Children's Hospital Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, is an Australian children's hospital located in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. On 1 July 2010 it became part of the newly formed Sydney Children's Hospitals Netwo ...
. 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 Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with Eggs as food, egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in con ...
,
Powderfinger Powderfinger were an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their break-up in 2010, the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins ...
and
You Am I You Am I are an Australian power pop band, fronted by its lead singer-songwriter and guitarist, Tim Rogers. They formed in December 1989 and are the first Australian band to have released three successive albums that have each debuted at the ...
. 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. In 2007, a double CD and a DVD were issued to commemorate the concert's tenth anniversary. The DVD featured newly recorded audio commentary by Finn, Hart and Seymour and other new bonus material.


Between farewell and reunion (1996–2006)

Following the 1996 break-up of Crowded House, the members embarked upon a variety of projects. Neil Finn released two solo studio albums, '' Try Whistling This'' (1998) and '' One Nil'' (2001), as well as two live albums, '' Sessions at West 54th'' (2000) and '' 7 Worlds Collide'' (2001). ''7 Worlds Collide'' saw him performing with guest musicians including
Eddie Vedder Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and one of three guitarists for the rock band Pearl Jam. He was previously a gues ...
,
Johnny Marr John Martin Marr (Birth name#Maiden and married names, né Maher; born 31 October 1963) is a musician, songwriter and singer. He first achieved fame as the guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. He has sinc ...
, Ed O'Brien and Phil Selway of
Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...
, Tim Finn, Sebastian Steinberg, Lisa Germano and Betchadupa (featuring his son Liam Finn). A double CD and DVD of the shows were released in November 2001. Tim Finn had resumed his solo career after leaving the group in 1992 and he also worked with Neil on a second Finn Brothers album, '' Everyone Is Here'', which was released in 2004. Paul Hester joined The Finn Brothers on stage for three songs at their Palais Theatre show in Melbourne at the end of 2004. Nick Seymour also joined them on stage in Dublin, where he was living, in 2004. Peter Jones and Nick Seymour joined Australian group Deadstar for their second album, ''Milk'', in 1997. Seymour later worked as a record producer in Dublin, producing Irish group Bell X1's debut album, '' Neither Am I'' in 2000. Mark Hart rejoined Supertramp in the late 1990s and later toured with
Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band is a live rock music, rock Supergroup (music), supergroup founded in 1989 with shifting personnel, led by former The Beatles, Beatles drummer and vocalist Ringo Starr. History and description Since 1989, Starr ...
. In 2001 he released a solo album, ''Nada Sonata''. Paul Hester worked with children's entertainers
the Wiggles The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group formed in Sydney in 1991. As of 2022, the group members are Anthony Field, Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce, Tsehay Hawkins, Evie Ferris, John Pearce (entertainer), John Pearce, Caterina Mete ...
, playing "Paul the Cook". He also had his own ABC show ''Hessie's Shed'' in Australia from late 1997. He formed the band Largest Living Things, which was the name rejected by Capitol Records in favour of Crowded House. It was on ''Hessie's Shed'' that Finn, Hester and Seymour last shared a stage, on an episode filmed as part of Finn's promotion for his solo album ''Try Whistling This'' in 1998. Finn and Hester performed " Not the Girl You Think You Are" with Largest Living Things, before being joined by Seymour for " Sister Madly" and a version of Paul Kelly's " Leaps and Bounds", which also featured Kelly on vocals. In late 2003, Hester hosted the series ''Music Max's Sessions''. Hester and Seymour were reunited when they both joined singer-songwriter Matt O'Donnell's Melbourne-based group Tarmac Adam. The band released one album, 2003's ''Handheld Torch'', which was produced by Seymour. In May 1999 Crowded House issued a compilation of unreleased songs, '' Afterglow'', which included the track "Recurring Dream", recorded when the group were still called The Mullanes and included Craig Hooper on guitar. The album's liner notes included information about the songs, written by music journalist
David Hepworth David Hepworth (born 27 July 1950) is a British music journalist, writer, television presenter, and publishing industry analyst. He was instrumental in the foundation of a number of popular magazines in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Along with the j ...
. Some limited-release versions included a second CD with songwriting commentary by Finn. The liner notes confirmed that Crowded House had no plans to reunite at that time. A 2003 compilation album, '' Classic Masters'', was released only in the US, while 2005 saw the release of the album '' She Will Have Her Way'', a collection of cover versions of Crowded House, Split Enz, Tim Finn and Finn Brothers songs by Australasian female artists. The album reached the top 5 in Australia and New Zealand. On 26 March 2005 Paul Hester was found deceased. He died by suicide in a park near his home in Melbourne. He was 46 years old. His obituary in ''
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...
'' stated that he had fought "a long battle with depression." Following the news of Hester's death, Nick Seymour joined The Finn Brothers on stage at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
in London, where the three played in memory of Hester. A snare drum with a top hat on it stood at the front of the stage as a tribute. Writing in 2010 Neil Finn said, "When we lost Paul it was like someone pulled the rug out from underneath everything, a terrible jolt out of the dark blue. He was the best drummer I had ever played with and for many years, my closest friend."


Reunion and ''Time on Earth'' (2006–2009)

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 Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970), known mononymously as Beck, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi mus ...
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 Stephen Alan Lillywhite (born 15 March 1955) is an English record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts The Alarm ...
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 Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
, 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 Indio (Spanish language, Spanish for "Indian") is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. Indio is approximately east of Los Angeles, east of Palm Springs, ...
. They played at the Australian
Live Earth Live Earth was an event developed to increase Environmentalism, environmental awareness through entertainment. Background Founded by producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. Live Earth 2007 The 1st series ...
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 number 2 in Australia and number 3 in the UK. On 6 December 2008 Crowded House played the
Homebake Homebake was an annual Australian rock festival, featuring an all-Australian lineup (with the occasional artist from New Zealand). The festival was first held on 3 January 1996 at Belongil Fields in Byron Bay, on the far north coast of New Sou ...
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 Don McGlashan (born 18 July 1959) is a New Zealand composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for membership in the bands Blam Blam Blam, The Front Lawn, and The Mutton Birds, before going solo. He has also composed for cin ...
and Neil's younger son, Elroy Finn, on guitar. On 14 March 2009 the band joined Neil's older son, Liam Finn, on stage for three songs at the Sound Relief concert in Melbourne.


''Intriguer'', second split and Sydney Opera House shows (2009–2018)

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 Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
. 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 number 3 in New Zealand and number 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. The band sold recordings of the shows on the ''Intriguer'' tour on
USB flash drive A flash drive (also thumb drive, memory stick, and pen drive/pendrive) is a data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated USB interface. A typical USB drive is removable, rewritable, and smaller than an optical disc, and u ...
s 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. A deluxe digital version, available for download only, has 32 tracks including a rare 1987 live recording of the band's version of the Hunters & Collectors song " Throw Your Arms Around Me". No mention of this album has been made on the band's official website or Twitter page, which suggests that they are not involved with its release. Following the success of the album ''She Will Have Her Way'' in 2005, a second album of cover versions of Finn Brothers songs (including Crowded House songs) was released on 12 November 2010. Entitled '' He Will Have His Way'', all tracks are performed by Australasian male artists.Kara
"He Will Have His Way: The Songs of Tim & Neil Finn – out 12 November"
''The Sound From Way Out'' – 26 October 2010
In November 2011 an Australian tour featured artists involved with the "She Will Have Her Way" and "He Will Have His Way" projects, including Paul Dempsey, Clare Bowditch, Seeker Lover Keeper ( Sarah Blasko, Sally Seltmann and Holly Throsby), Alexander Gow ( Oh Mercy) and Lior. The band played what would be their last concert for over five years at the A Day on the Green festival in Auckland on 27 February 2011. 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 September 2015, the song "Help is Coming" from the '' Afterglow'' album, was released as a download and limited edition 7" single to raise money for the charity
Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization. It was founded in the UK in 1919; its goal is to improve the lives of children worldwide. The organization raises money to imp ...
. The B-side, "Anthem", was a previously unreleased track, recorded at the same demo session as "Help is Coming" in 1995, with vocals added in 2015. Peter Jones plays drums on both songs. The money will be used to provide shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene for refugees in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. Neil Finn said of "Help Is Coming"..."It was always a song about refugees, even if at the time I was thinking about the immigrants setting off on ships from Europe to America, looking for a better life for their families. There is such a huge scale and urgency to the current refugee crises that barely a day goes by without some crushing image or news account to confront us. We can't be silent any more." Neil Finn confirmed in a 2016 interview with the Dutch newspaper '' Volkskrant'' that Crowded House had been on indefinite hiatus since the end of the ''Intriguer'' tour. Later that year, however, 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 November 1996). The band, with the same lineup as its initial reunion and Tim Finn as guest, performed four shows between 24 and 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 Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...
, along with Mike Campbell of
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1976. The band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer ...
, as a full-time member in the wake of
Lindsey Buckingham Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician, record producer, and the lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with ...
's departure from the band.


Reformation, new line-up and ''Dreamers Are Waiting'' (2019–2023)

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 "love 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 Mitchell Froom (born June 29, 1953) is an American musician and record producer. He was a member of the bands Gamma and Latin Playboys, and is the keyboardist for Crowded House. He has produced albums for several artists, including David LaFl ...
and his sons
Liam Liam is a short form of the Germanic name William, or its Irish variant Uilliam. Etymology The original name was a merging of two Old German elements: ''willa'' ("will" or "resolution"); and ''helma'' ("helmet"). The juxtaposition of these ...
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 COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the band's planned 2020 concerts have had to be 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 ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night news satire, news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Stephen Colbert, Spartin ...
''. 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 The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (commonly referred to as simply Glastonbury Festival, known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most su ...
. In May 2023, Crowded House tour North America for the promotion of the album '' Dreamers Are Waiting''.


''Gravity Stairs'' (2024–present)

In February 2024, Crowded House released "Oh Hi" from their eighth album '' Gravity Stairs'', which in turn was released on 31 May 2024. Crowded House would later announce a North American tour for the album and release "Teenage Summer" as the second single, before later adding both a tour of Europe in October and a New Zealand and Australian tour beginning in November.


Style


Songwriting and musical influences

As the primary songwriter for the band, Neil Finn has always set the tone for the band's sound.
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
said that Finn "has consistently proven his knack for crafting high-quality songs that combine irresistible melodies with meticulous lyrical detail." Neil's brother Tim was an early and important musical influence. Neil first saw Tim play with Split Enz in 1972, and said "that performance and those first songs made a lasting impression on me." His mother was another significant musical influence, encouraging him to listen to a variety of genres, including Irish folk music and Māori music. She would play piano at family parties and encourage Neil and Tim to accompany her.


Album covers, costumes and set design

Bassist Nick Seymour, who is also an artist, designed or co-designed all of the band's album covers and interior artwork. He also designed some of the costumes worn by the group, notably those from the cover of the group's debut album ''Crowded House''. Seymour collaborated with Finn and Hester on the set design of some of their early music videos, including "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Better Be Home Soon". Since the band reunited, Seymour has again designed their album covers. The majority of the covers for the band's singles were not designed by Seymour. The artwork for "Pineapple Head" was created by Reg Mombassa of Mental As Anything. For the first four albums Mombassa and
Noel Crombie Geoffrey Noel Crombie (born 17 April 1953) is a New Zealand percussionist and former member of the band Split Enz. He fulfilled multiple roles including costume and hair designer, singer, album cover designer, and music video director. Prior ...
, who had been the main designer of Split Enz's artwork, assisted Seymour in creating sets and costumes. For the ''Farewell to the World'' concerts Crombie designed the set, while Mombassa and Seymour designed promotional materials and artwork.


Members


Current members


Current touring members


Former members


Former touring musicians


Timeline


Discography

Studio albums *''
Crowded House Crowded House are an Australian-New Zealand rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Paul Hester (drums), who were both for ...
'' (1986) *'' Temple of Low Men'' (1988) *'' Woodface'' (1991) *'' Together Alone'' (1993) *'' Time on Earth'' (2007) *'' Intriguer'' (2010) *'' Dreamers Are Waiting'' (2021) *'' Gravity Stairs'' (2024)


Awards

Crowded House has won several national and international awards. In Australia, the group has won 13
ARIA Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...
from 36 nominations, including the inaugural Best New Talent in
1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...
. The majority of their wins were for their first two albums, ''Crowded House'' and ''Temple of Low Men''. They won eight APRA Awards from eleven nominations and were nominated for ''The New Zealand Silver Scroll'' for "Don't Stop Now" in 2007. "Don't Dream It's Over" was named the seventh best Australian song of all time in 2001. In 1987, Crowded House won the American MTV Video Music Award for ''Best New Artist'' for their song "Don't Dream It's Over", which was also nominated for three other awards. In 1994, the group was named ''International Group of the Year'' at the BRIT Awards. In 2009, "Don't Dream It's Over" was ranked number fifty on the
Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...
''Hottest 100 of All Time'', voted by the Australian public. In November 2016, Crowded House was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, 30 years after their formation.


See also

*
Men at Work Men at Work are an Australian rock band that was formed in Melbourne, 1979. They were best known for breakthrough hits such as " Down Under", " Who Can It Be Now?", " Be Good Johnny", " Overkill", and " It's a Mistake". Its founding member and ...
* Music of Australia * Music of New Zealand *
Split Enz Split Enz were a New Zealand band formed in 1972. Regarded as the first New Zealand band to gain significant recognition outside of Australasia, they were initially noted for their progressive rock, progressive/art rock sound, flamboyant visua ...


Further reading

* *"Crowded House : private universe / Kerry Doole and Chris Twomey"
''National Library of New Zealand''
* *Chunn, Mike, ''Stranger Than Fiction: The Life and Times of Split Enz'', GP Publications, 1992. *Chunn, Mike, ''Stranger Than Fiction: The Life and Times of Split Enz'', (revised, ebook edition), Hurricane Press, 2013.


References

;General * * ;Specific


External links

* {{Authority control 1985 establishments in Australia 1996 disestablishments in Australia 2006 establishments in Australia 2011 disestablishments in Australia 2016 establishments in Australia 2016 disestablishments in Australia APRA Award winners ARIA Award winners ATO Records artists Australian alternative rock groups Australian musical quintets Brit Award winners Capitol Records artists Musical groups disestablished in 1996 Musical groups established in 1985 Musical groups from Melbourne Musical groups reestablished in 2006 Musical groups disestablished in 2011 Musical groups reestablished in 2016 Musical groups disestablished in 2016 Sibling musical groups New Zealand pop rock groups Australian jangle pop groups Articles which contain graphical timelines Musical groups reestablished in 2019 Australian new wave musical groups New Zealand indie rock groups New Zealand jangle pop groups