Music Preview: Crowded House Intrigue Tonight At Stubb's

Crowded House, put simply, are a sterling pop band. The band was formed 25 years ago from the ashes of new wave hitmakers Split Enz ("I Got You", "History Never Repeats") by singer-songwriter Neil Finn and drummer Paul Hester. The two, according to Finn, "wanted to be in a three-piece band that could fit into one rental car." After adding Melbourne bassist Nick Seymour, the trio was complete. The trio burst out of the gate in the United States in 1987 with Top 10 hits "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Something So Strong," which remain the group's biggest American hits. From here, the band's global presence diverged wildly: while 1991 album Woodface propelled them to arena-rock status in the UK, Europe, and Australia, the group remained largely a club-level band in the United States.

Crowded House originally disbanded in 1996 after playing a free farewell gig at Sydney's Opera House that attracted 175,000 attendees. While Finn went on to pursue a successful solo career, Seymour moved to Dublin and became a noted producer for bands such as Bell X-1, and Hester returned to Australia and embarked on a television career. In a tragic turn, the force that reunited Seymour and Finn was the 2005 suicide of Paul Hester, who had struggled with depression. The death sparked rekindled friendship in the wake of tragedy, resulting in Seymour joining Neil and Tim Finn onstage for tributes to Hester and ultimately to Finn and Seymour recording together for what was to be a Finn solo LP. The sessions later became the 2007 comeback LP Time On Earth, and led to a hugely successful global tour that played everywhere from nightclubs to football stadiums. For Crowded House v.2, Finn and Seymour enlisted former touring band member Mark Hart to join full time, and also brought on noted drummer Matt Sherrod (Beck).

Crowded House last played in Austin to an enormous crowd at the Austin City Limits festival in 2007 and to a tiny one during an "Austin City Limits" taping at KLRU. Tonight's Stubb's gig represents a rare chance to see a fantastic live band from the opposite side of the world in a city that loves them. We highly recommend attending. Former KGSR music director Jody Denberg once mentioned to the Austin Chronicle that Crowded House were one of the station's most popular bands, and member Nick Seymour related in our 2007 interview with him that the band always requests an off day in Austin while on tour. For those new to the group, Crowded House's 1996 best-of Recurring Dream (only $6 at Amazon's MP3 store) is both a fantastic sampler and one of the most consistent and uniformly excellent greatest hits compilations we've seen - ever.

If you're willing to brave the heat, turn up early for some Of Montreal meets Brian Wilson-styled New Zealand pop from Lawrence Arabia, a project fronted by former Ruby Suns and Okkervil River contributor James Milne. For more on Lawrence Arabia, read our SXSW preview here.

Crowded House: [official] [MySpace]