Going back to go forward

I'm delighted Neil Finn has decided to get together with Nick Seymour under the name Crowded House. He wanted to tell me when I spoke to him back in November but it wasn't clear whether they'd be going out as Crowded House or not. I don't welcome this news because I want to relive the past. It's simply because it means he won't have to keep explaining himself as a solo act (or as part of a duo with Tim) and I won't have to keep saying to people "he's the bloke who used to be in Crowded House" and they won't have to keep saying "oh, I see". It seems to me that there isn't much he's done since that he couldn't have done under the umbrella of Crowded House and no matter how he's been billed he's felt obliged to play "Don't Dream It's Over" or "Weather With You" at some stage in the evening. It's very difficult to build up any kind of perception amongst the public and once it's set it's very difficult to shift it or ask for temporary release from it. Like most bands they'll probably find that the passing of time has seen their following grow and I don't doubt that this audience will be receptive to all kinds of things, old and new. They're apparently playing Coachella this summer (as are the similarly reformed Rage Against The Machine and the Jesus & Mary Chain). A better festival act it's difficult to imagine.