Australasian Rockers Crowded House say ‘Oh Hi’ to Halifax’s Piece Hall
Written by Erin Clark
Edited by Eve Moat
Reaching into the depths of my childhood memories always reaps a reminiscence of the much-loved score that soundtracked my upbringing. With parents with vastly different music tastes, the score featured the contrasting musical stylings of Michael Jackson, INXS, Gladys Knight, Del Amitri, Electric Light Orchestra and Savage Garden, to name but a few – with the sole meeting place of their separate interests being their mutual love for Alanis Morisette’s ‘Jagged Little Pill.’ A crown jewel in my mother’s affinity for Australasian rock, and a solid installation in this constant musical rotation was the discography of Crowded House – specifically their revered album Woodface. Unbeknownst to them, Crowded House are very much the genesis of my love for biting and snarky social critique enveloped in thoroughly thoughtful and witty lyricism.
This explains how I now find myself in the crowd at their gig at the Halifax Piece Hall, as a now 22-year-old, at least 20 years younger than the next youngest attendee. The one night the brand grace this stage brings with it a warm, balmy summer evening which shattered a streak of recent dreary rain spells – with the irony of this not being lost on those in attendance, who were undoubtedly hoping for the band to bring ‘the weather with them.’ After quickfire energetic support from the eldest son of the band’s frontman, Liam Finn – which seemed more akin to a standup set than a supporting slot due to the musician’s quips – the audience was eagerly anticipating the main event.
To rapturous applause, the five-piece graced the stage. Due to a both artistic differences with former guitarist and keyboardist Tim Finn (and frontman Neil Finn’s elder brother), and the untimely passing of former drummer Paul Hester, the current lineup looks somewhat different to the band’s string of previous incarnations. Since 2020, the lineup has consisted of the two mainstay pillars vocalist Neil Finn and bassist Nick Seymour, as well as renowned producer Mitchell Froom on keys, and Finn’s sons Elroy and Liam joining on drums and guitar respectively. The marvel of the venue and the sweeping landscape is not lost on the band, as Neil Finn proclaims his love for both the sublimely romantic county, and (on a more relatable note) the wealth of good alcohol West Yorkshire produces – with the one exception of this love being the wave of hipster artisanal IPA’s, with the vocalist jesting that he has never desired to drink something with an “aftertaste of dandelion.” Harkening back to the historical origin of the architectural marvel of the Piece Hall, bassist Nick Seymour humorously remarked that the sole remnant of the venue’s cloth trading legacy was the band’s own merch stand – a tongue-in-cheek plug for merch sales which received a great laugh from the good-natured crowd.
With remarkable energy, which was reciprocated by the gathered masses, the band sprung into their 23-track set, storming through their first two tracks, ‘World Where You Live’ and ‘Teenage Summer.’ These two tracks paved the sonic way to the first real hard hitter of the roster, which came next in the form of the adored Woodface (1991) single ‘Fall at Your Feet’ – at this point, I would be lying to you if I said that at this point it was easy to hear Neil Finn’s stunning vocals above those of the crowd. The achievement of a pleasant harmony on behalf of a West Yorkshire crowd is something that I never thought I’d witness, and from the looks on the band’s faces they were equally as surprised as I am. The passion was palpable, and the reciprocal love from band to audience member was incredibly moving. Skilfully leaping from varying temporal excerpts within the band’s four-decade career span, the five-piece provided a fulfilling musical buffet which was sure to adequately entertain a fan at any age, from any walk of life, and with any subjective musical favourites. For a band no longer in their infancy, their talent is certainly as robust as ever. It was at this point where the paternal origin of Liam Finn’s humour became apparent, as his father Neil began to freely omit and edit lines to Temple of Low Men’s 1988 ‘Sister Madly’ to include one of the Piece Hall’s marketing phrases hung from a balcony banner reading ‘independent stores to explore across every floor,’ a phrase which the singer became hyper-fixated with, mentioning the slogan a healthy few times throughout their set. Just as Liam Finn was at the precipice of a climatic guitar fill, he froze in motion with left arm raised – only become unfrozen when his father sang to the tune of the bridge “My eldest son, he always goes to extremes.”
Image Credit: Rhodes Media
The production commendably saw to the inclusion of all audience members and their needs, providing an accessible viewing platform, a team of congenial festival angels offering out sun cream by the dollop, and a wealth of friendly staff who were ready, willing and able to provide any assistance to the some 6,000 gig-goers. A definitive contender for stealing the band’s thunder was the enthusiastic BSL interpreter to the left of the stage, who not only ensured the inclusion of any hard-of-hearing attendees, but she also managed to keep up adeptly with the band’s improvisations and off-the-cuff setlist edits. One such edit was in the spontaneous addition of a Split Enz cover of the 1975 single ‘Sweet Dreams,’ which reached the band through written request aboard a paper plane thrown from an audience member – a plane which Neil Finn remarked was ““not very aerodynamic.” Indicative of the band’s reverence for their adoring fanbase, they appeared ever-willing to fulfil this request.
A few songs later came the much-anticipated double bill of their two most commercially successful singles, ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’ and ‘Weather With You.’ As Elroy Finn left his stationed drum set towards the rear of the stage for a front-row guitar playing stand beside his father, Neil Finn remarked that the barrage of guitars (now totalled to four – including bass) was “like the Eagles.” To which his eldest son Liam retorted “You should join them next, Dad,” (a callback to Finn’s membership of Fleetwood Mac since 2018) which earnt him a quick “Fuck off.” Arms waving and lights held high, 6,000 Yorkshire-accented voices joined Neil Finn in rejoicing at the altar of Crowded House, united by a shared love of the band’s most popular songs.
Image Credit: Rhodes Media
The band’s penultimate song was Woodface starting tune ‘Chocolate Cake’. The biting lyricism of the anti-capitalist take on Western consumerism and its pitfalls, dictate that this has long been my mother’s favourite of their singles, and by what can only be described as purely biological reasoning – is subsequently one of mine also. Though the single received little critical attention in America, due to its heavy social critique of the country’s cultural, the track has long been an adored undercard for the most devout of fans. Showcasing some of the best examples of Crowded House lyricism, ‘Chocolate Cake’ (much like its culinary namesake) was a musical treat which has sparsely been enjoyed during the band’s tours – but its scantness only makes it all the more delectable:
“Not everyone in New York would pay to see Andrew Lloyd Webber
May his trousers fall down as he bows to the queen and the crown
I don’t know what tune that the orchestra played
But it went by me sickly and sentimental
Can I have another piece of chocolate cake?
Tammy Bakker’s got a lot on her plate
Can I buy another cheap Picasso fake?
Andy Warhol must be laughing in his grave
[…] The excess of fat on your American bones
Will cushion the impact as you sink like a stone”
Rounding off the set with 1988’s ‘Better Be Home Soon,’ the night’s events shifted down the metaphorical gears via the soothing ballad. To rapturous applause which I’m sure travelled far from the confines of the open-air venue into the surrounding rolling hills, the band bowed simultaneously and expressed their upmost heartfelt gratitude to their adoring fans. Another great gig banked for the legendary act. Soundtracking a dazzling evening with their arsenal of intricate, sun-drenched songs, Crowded House effectively refashioned the historic Piece Hall into a languid oasis at which their adoring fans could gather and collectively bask in the sonic glory that is Crowded House.
This event is part of the summer series ‘Live at the Piece Hall 2024’ sponsored by TK Maxx; for more information about the upcoming gigs including Loyle Carner, Michel Kiwanuka, Pixies and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, visit https://www.thepiecehall.co.uk/culture/.
