Crowded House on 30 years in music & their ARIA Hall of Fame induction

Crowded House celebrates six albums across and 30 years of music. This year, at the ARIA’s, they were inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Their bands’ music resonates with so many people, not just in Australia and New Zealand, but globally. When asked what makes it so relatable  they explained that they didn’t know the reason. “It’s just a joy and a blessing to have people identify,” they said. “There’s a moment when you’re writing songs and you go ‘I just felt something’. There’s little chord change or something… little hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Now I know that is usually a sign that it’s gonna do that for other people as well. So it’s empathy. Music is all about empathy. I’m not alone in being able to conjure that up and I have no answers. It’s a blessing.”

This year, the band celebrated it’s 30th Anniversary and explained some moments that resonated with them over that period of time.

The band explained how they started with Capitol Records and how they introduced a sound that was new to the era. “We were defining an actual sound that, at the time, was considered really out of whack with the glam renaissance at the end of the 80’s and the pre-grunge era. We were greeted with lots of unusual activity. Malcolm Hill telling us in London when we first met, ‘I’m sorry lads, “Don’t Dream It’s Over” has no legs’.”

“We were a band they played at people’s houses. Nobody really gave a shit about us until six months later.”

They explained their relatability a bit more in-depth, stating that they started off, “Playing in restaurants in America and we sent people away having a really good crazy time. We kept that philosophy through our time. When you’re in a room with people it has to feel as intimate as a lounge room or you’re not really in the moment. You know, if you’re just presenting the show like a big extravaganza; colour, sound, lights, tapes, whatever. It’s entertaining, it’s like TV though. If you actually really wanna connect with people you gotta actually get to their level and hear them sing and lean forward into it.”

Three decades has  taught them that, “Music is universal. It’s the best way to unify the world.”

Watch the full interview with Crowded House below!

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