A name taken from a cramped house in the Hollywood Hills

The seeds of Crowded House were planted on a farewell tour. In late 1984, while Split Enz were playing their final shows, Neil Finn and drummer Paul Hester decided to start something new. At the Melbourne after-party, bassist Nick Seymour walked up and asked for an audition. The band formed there in early 1985, first playing live on 11 June under the name the Mullanes.

Capitol Records signed them, and the trio moved to Los Angeles to make their debut album. The label asked for a new name, and they chose Crowded House, a nod to the lack of room in the small Hollywood Hills house they shared during the sessions. The self-titled album brought American success with the Top Ten hits “Don't Dream It's Over” and “Something So Strong”. Eddie Rayner, another Split Enz alumnus, produced one track and toured with them in 1988.

In 1990 Neil's brother Tim, who had founded Split Enz, joined for the album Woodface. With that record and its successor Together Alone, the band broke through in the UK, mainland Europe and South Africa, and the compilation Recurring Dream carried “Weather with You” and “Distant Sun”. Both brothers received an OBE in June 1993. “Into Temptation” comes from the same rich period of songwriting.

They said goodbye in 1996 with the Farewell to the World concerts in Melbourne and Sydney. Hester died in 2005. A year later the band re-formed with drummer Matt Sherrod and released Time on Earth and Intriguer, both number ones in Australia. In 2020 they returned with Neil Finn, Seymour, Mitchell Froom and Finn's sons Liam and Elroy, and Gravity Stairs appeared in 2024. With more than 15 million albums sold, they were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2016.