a different tune

Crowded House are back. They farewelled the world in 1996, and now they have reformed with a new line up : Neil Finn, Nick Seymour, Mark Hart and Matt Sherrod.

Last night Crowded House performed to a packed Supreme Court Gardens in Perth. The concert was a mixture of classic pieces, along with some of the songs from their new album “Time On Earth”. The band gave a solid performance and encouraged the audience to sing along with favourites like “Fall At Your Feet”, “Don’t Dream It’s Over”, “Weather With You”, “Four Seasons In One Day”, and “Better Be Home Soon”. Of course, these were the songs that got the biggest reaction, but folks were also singing along with the new songs too.

Many of the songs from “Time On Earth” deal with loss, and are no doubt at least partly inspired by the sad passing of drummer Paul Hester who took his own life in 2005 after a battle with depression. Songs like “Nobody Wants To”, “You’re The One to Make Me Cry”, “People Are Like Suns”, and “Silent House” reflect on the transience of life. While not popular themes in pop music these are things which eventually we will all experience. It’s great to see someone prepared to tackle them head on. On the night Neil said in his introduction to “Nobody Wants To”:

“We want to sing about everything. There are no no-go zones with Crowded House. We’ll sing about anything or anyone or anytime, anyhow”

That’s one of the things I love about Neil Finn as a songwriter. He’s not afraid to write about whatever is on his mind, no matter what that is. People respect that, because it comes across as honesty and openness. There’s a little touch of insanity there too (”Hey don’t look now but there goes God with his sexy pants and his sausage dog”…WTF?) but that adds to the general level of mayhem - there’s nothing worse than predictability. There are definitely niches in rock that have become very manufactured and formulaic. Crowded House provides a refreshing alternative to this trend.

The evening was peppered with moments of musical mischief. Mark gave a brief rendition of “Oh Susannah” on the harmonica before cranking up “There Goes God”. Also fun was a lead break on the melodica in “Don’t Dream It’s Over”. Neil introduced “When You Come” with the line “This song is not about sex, or maybe…” which of course just confirmed what I had always suspected. At one point, Nick Seymour chased onto the stage a small pack of greyhounds in red racing jackets. This was a great absurdist moment, but also a set-up for the line “Nick Seymour, Best in Breed”. A highlight for me was the juxtaposition of two of my favourite songs: “Distant Sun” and “People Are Like Suns”. During the final number “Pineapple Head” a “half naked man” climbed onto the stage only to be escorted away by security guards. Ever the showman, Neil worked it into the chorus so seamlessly that I was left wondering if the whole thing had been staged.

(Download 1Mb) Half Naked Man On The Stage
(Download 2Mb) Half Naked Man On The Stage (extended with entire chorus)
Recorded in glorious 8Khz mono on my cell phone.

Here is the set list from the night. I for one enjoyed not just the songs but the energy and humour.

Great work guys! I hope to see you back some time soon.

1. Private Universe
2. Mean To Me
3. Don’t Stop Now
4. Fall At Your Feet
5. Everything is Good For You
6. You’re the One to Make me Cry
7. Nobody Wants To
8. When you Come
9. Silent House
10. There Goes God
11. Don’t Dream It’s Over
12. People are like Suns
13. Walked Her Way Down
14. Distant Sun
15. Weather WIth You

1st encore

1. Locked Out
2. Something So Strong

2nd encore

1. Fingers of Love
2. Four Seasons in one day
3. Better be home soon

3rd encore

1. World Where You Live
2. Pineapple Head