Neil Finn
photograph: supplied
For Neil Finn, listening to a group of talented Māori musicians working together to discover the “authentic Aotearoa New Zealand sound” is one of the joys of owning a music studio.
The Crowded House frontman, who “definitely embraced” Maori strums on the band’s 1986 hit “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” thinks he’s on the same quest.
“We’re all trying to find a sound that connects us,” Neil says. culture 101. “There’s something lurking in there that we’re all in the process of discovering, and that’s exciting. It’s like music will save the world.”
Listen to Neil Finn’s full interview with Marc Amery and Perlina Lau on Culture 101 this Sunday afternoon.
Neil said he is extremely grateful for the enduring popularity of “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” which U2 recently covered during their new Las Vegas residency.
“I consider it a great honor to be able to share so much with so many people.”
He felt “very grateful” that Bono remembered that his mother Mary was born in the Irish town of Kilmallock and dedicated the song to the Finn family.
Neil says his incredible memory may be part of the reason the Irish rocker has been so successful.
“Many years ago, maybe 40 years ago, we met in a hotel somewhere and I told him my mother was born in Kilmallock.
“He makes people feel like what he’s saying is important, which is a nice trait.
“He’s a guy who cares a lot about the world, so it’s nice to see that there’s some resonance in the world.”
As for “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” Neil never tires of talking about the song and is grateful that he still really enjoys singing it.
“I remember the day I wrote this song on the piano at my brother’s house, and I remember demoing it live with my fingers playing a matchbox as a snare drum.
“I kind of knew something good was going on there. I didn’t think it was going to be a huge hit. But I knew inherently there was something good…any more. The feeling is out of this world.”
Playing music, spending time with family, and swimming at the beach are what Neil describes as his “triangle of joy” in life.
“I don’t go out much, I never go to nightclubs or pubs or anything like that, but there’s a constant stream of interesting people coming into the studio and I interact with them. It keeps me informed and having fun. We’re here…an epic night in the studio, a long, long jam.”
crowded house 2024
photograph: supplied
Quite often, he heads overseas for short-term recording sessions with the current Crowded House line-up, “The Traveling Holiday”. Nick Seymour lives in Ireland, Elroy Finn (Neil’s second son) lives in London, and Liam Finn (his eldest son) both live in London. And Mitchell Froome lives in Los Angeles.
“I’m getting used to it a lot and I like that about it. It might be a little slower than being in the studio together for six weeks, but yeah, I’m really, really happy with this work and we’re always a better band. I feel that it has become.
“We’ve played a lot of shows now, we’ve learned how to jam together, and there’s a lot of trust.
”[Liam and Elroy] These two just so happen to be two of the most wanted musicians in the world to play together, and now have vast experience as writers and singers. Everyone is deeply connected to music and tradition and wants to do the right thing with it, so yeah, it feels like a real band. ”
Crowded House have released a new single, “Oh Hi,” from their upcoming album, scheduled for release in May.
Neil said the group will then play shows in the UK and the US, and is “good to go” for a stop in Aotearoa in late 2024.
When he gets tired of traveling abroad, he might stick to performing in smaller venues around the country, like he recently did with Liam on his 2018 “Where’s My Room” tour.
“I don’t have to get on a plane anymore, which helps, because music can really help brighten people’s days.”
Shoppers at Coatesville Market in north Auckland recently got a taste of this when Neil and former Spilled Ents bandmate Eddie Raynor played ‘Banger’.
“It was a great day. Very nice audience. My guitar was going back and forth a bit with a dead lead, so it was really in the condition it was in when it all started. Playing at a local fair was.”
Neil Finn cites Requiem by award-winning New Zealand composer Victoria Kelly as one of his favorite pieces of New Zealand music.
“I know Victoria very well. She’s worked on a lot of music with me, and she’s a great artist in her own right, a great arranger, a great person, and a very funny person. .
“This ‘Requiem’ has been brewing inside her for a long time. Unfortunately, she lost her parents at a relatively young age, and she was young herself, so this work has been brewing for her for a long time. I think it was a very important piece of work.” Because of that, it resonates incredibly.
“The first time we heard this song in the studio after my wife recorded it, we openly cried. I don’t think I’ve ever heard this song with tears in my eyes since. Masu.
“It’s not easy to feel that much, but with Sam Hunt’s beautiful poem ‘The Lighthouse Keeper’ at the forefront, it’s a winner on every level.”
New Zealand opera singer Simon O’Neill’s stunning vocal performance is a big part of the pleasure of listening to Requiem, says Neil.
”[Victoria] I intentionally raised the pitch as high as my tenor could. So this was a pretty difficult song to sing, and he just… it seemed like there was no gender to this song. It really is like an angel coming from somewhere else. So, yes, I love it. ”
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