THE BAND

The genius behind Crowded House was Neil Finn, a songwriter of the calibre not seen since Lennon and McCartney. So the music reviewers say, anyway. He was originally in Split Enz with brother Tim, and is from New Zealand.
Neil's first hit single was 'I Got You', a worldwide smash hit in 1980 which saw Split Enz establish themselves as New Zealand's greatest musical export.
Neil broke up Split Enz in 1984, after the departure of brother Tim, and set about pursuing a new career with Crowded House.
He played guitars, some keyboards, sang, and of course wrote, almost all of their songs.
After the breakup of Crowded House, Neil set about recording a debut solo album, after a short sabbatical. This album, Try Whistling This, was released in June 1998, and went straight to #1 in Australia and New Zealand, further confirming his reputation as one of the most popular, and critically aclaimed singer-songwriters of his generation. His second solo album, to be titled One-Nil is due out early in 2001.

The bassist was Nick Seymour, a pop icon and fashion guru for aspiring bass players across the world. His innovative bass playing is an underrated reason for the Crowdies' success.
Nick was originally involved in a number of small bands in the St Kilda music scene of the early 1980s, and was considering a career as a makeup artist until getting a break with Crowded House. After the breakup he played a short stint in Melbourne band Deadstar and worked with his brother Mark Seymour, of Hunters and Collectors fame.
Nick now spreads his time between Dublin, Los Angeles and Melbourne as both a session musician and artist.

The drummer was Paul Hester, who was in Split Enz at the end. He was almost maniacal in some on stage performances and his humorous antics made him a favourite with the fans. He left in 1994 before returning in 1996 for the farewell concert.
Paul originally found fame in Australian band Deckchairs Overboard, before joining the Enz. He was considering a career as an actor before getting his break. He then continued on with Neil Finn into Crowded House.
After taking a break from the band due to the stress associated with continual touring, Paul finally made a one-off return for the final concert in Sydney.
He's happy these days running his cafe in Elsternwick, near Melbourne, and playing the pub scene with his new band Largest Living Things. The Hessie's Shed series on ABC TV in Australia in 1999 brought together many famous Australian music types on stage including a short Corwded House reunion.

American Mark Hart joined the band in 1991 and played both keyboards and guitars and his influence is visible in the last studio album, Together Alone. He's now in Supertramp.
Mark struggled in the LA music scene until getting a break with Supertramp. He's since worked with Tim Finn, Suzanne Vega and Supertramp again after the breakup of Crowded House.
Little is known about Mark's current location or musical activities.

Tim Finn, Neil's older brother, was part of the band for the 1991 album Woodface and the associated tour. He played keyboards and guitars and co-wrote some of the album with Neil. He's best known for Split Enz and his solo career.
Tim's brief stint with Crowded House was enough to get the band kickstarted again after the failures of Temple of Low Men.
After a failed relationship with actress Greta Schacci, Tim is now happily married and enjoying fatherhood for the first time.

At various times Melbourne based drummer Peter Jones and ex-Split Enz keyboardist Eddie Rayner played large roles with the band in live performances and on some studio performances.