A double espresso would be nice: 
– Crowded House – In Concert At Finsbury Park – 1994 – BBC 6 Music –
Crowded House were one of those bands seemingly all over the place in the late 80s/early 90s. From the recently disbanded Split Enz, founder Neil Finn (and later joined by brother and Split Enz alumnus Tim Finn) put together a band which went in a different direction than his predecessor, but which gained a huge following from the advantage of a wider audience. They were a break from the synthesizer-laden material so prevalent in the New Wave genre and brought with them an impressive catalog of well-crafted songs, taking on a more pop-sensibility to their music.
Don’t get me wrong – I was a huge Split Enz fan – they were one of the reasons the 70s will always be memorable. They were also one of the best interviews I ever did. But they weren’t for all tastes – which I could never understand. Crowded House was a step in a much more commercial direction – and the gamble paid off handsomely.
Crowded House has gone through two phases – the initial one which called it quits in 1996, the band reformed (with personnel changes) in 2006, calling it quits again in 2011, reforming in 2018 and are currently recording and gigging.
This week it’s a concert recorded at the height of their first phase – at Finsbury Park in London in 1994 and preserved for posterity by the ever-present and always dependable BBC 6 Music.
Crank it up and get ready for the week ahead.
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