Crowded House's Neil Finn on John Peel, playing at Eric's and his beloved Liverpool FC...

The Crowded House singer is a devoted red, having followed them for more than 30 years.
“My obsession comes courtesy of Split Enz (the band that spawned Crowded House) bassist Nigel Griggs,� laughs Neil. “He lives, sleeps and breathes Liverpool, and it rubbed off on me.
“It started in 1977 when they won the European Cup and the league. I’ve followed them ever since.
“I’ve never been to Anfield, but this time I’m going to make sure I do. Even if I can only stand outside.�
His love of Liverpool FC is just one of Neil’s connections with the city.
“I’ve always felt very much at home in Liverpool,� he says. “There’s a sense of humour and warmth you get from the people.
“Liverpool has always been a great place to play.�
Neil’s last gig in the city has now passed into the realms of music legend. He was booked to play the Empire on the night that John Peel died, and former smiths guitarist Johnny Marr joined him on stage for a special tribute.
“I’ll always remember that night,� explains Neil. “We heard during the day that John had died – God rest his soul. He’d always been a hero of ours.
“We were playing in his home town and it seemed right to do something to celebrate the love he had for music.
“We’re mates with Johnny. He’s joined us onstage loads of times, and he was a massive John Peel fan.
“When he came on, someone shouted: ‘Play Teenage Kicks’ and we did. Johnny knew it, and we all joined in.�
Will Johnny be joining you onstage at the upcoming Liverpool date too?
“We’d love him to, but I’m not sure what he’s up to,� says Neil.
“It’s funny, I always thought there was a Manchester/Liverpool rivalry. I didn’t know how people would react to him in Liverpool, but the crowds have loved him. It’s hard not to – he’s Johnny Marr.�
He pauses for a second, and laughs.
“Plus, he’s a Manchester City fan, so he hates Manchester United as much as anyone.�
Crowded House enjoyed massive success in Australia and New Zealand and made their international breakthrough with 1987 single Don’t Dream It’s Over, followed by Weather With You, Fall At Your Feet and Four Seasons In One Day.
The band now features original members Neil Finn and Nick Seymour, as well as American Mark Hart, who joined in 1992.
Drummer Matt Sherrod joined the band following the death of original drummer Paul Hester in 2005.
Their Summer Pops date at the ECHO Arena promises to be something special. The band’s comeback has been greeted with widespread praise. Time on Earth, their first album in 14 years, has been hailed as one of their best yet and entered the charts at number three.
“We’re a better band than we were years ago,� says Neil. “There’s more spark, more zip in the way we work together.
“Loads of bands reform, but how many commit themselves to being a band to all intents and purposes after 10 years?
“We are more attracted to the idea of being a band again than ‘appearing’ as a band again.
“And playing live is what we’ve always loved best. When we play Liverpool there’ll be a few new songs, but lots of old stuff too. I’m hoping to hear the crowd singing along to some old favourites.�
When Neil played The Picket in 2001, he gave his fans a chance to join his band for the day. Entitled the UK Band Of Strangers, he asked fans to send in tapes of themselves performing as well as writing a few lines about why they wanted to be involved.
"I wanted to put the cat amongst the pigeons, stand back and see what happen,� he explains.
"It started as a whimsical notion, then became a determined effort to become a band in a really short space of time.�
The gig at the magnificent new ECHO Arena will be world apart from Neil’s first performance in Liverpool. Crowded House formed out of the ashes of Split Enz – who played legendary Liverpool club Eric’s.
“I think our first gig in England was at Eric’s,� says Neil. “I remember it to this day. What a place!
“For my generation it was like The Cavern had been in the 60s. You had all those amazing bands coming out of Liverpool. It was an honour to play there.
“It’s just a shame it’s not open any more,� he pauses for a second and laughs. “Crowded House say bring Eric’s back!�
Crowded House play the Summer Pops on Wednesday, July 9.
Tickets, at £32.50 and £27.50, are on sale now for the concert on 0870 151 4000 or from The ECHO Arena box office at www.accliverpool.com and 0844 8000 400.