Iconic rock band Crowded House announce exclusive album launch show at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on 13th June 2024. Following the news of their upcoming album, Gravity Stairs, which will be released globally on 31st May on BMG. The show will give fans an exclusive opportunity to hear the album live in its entirety for the first time. Tickets for the show will go on general sale, Friday 23rd February at 9am via LiveNation.co.uk
The announcement of the show and album comes after the band’s recent release of the surprise new single Oh Hi, which debuted last week as the lead single from their forthcoming 8th studio album.
BrooklynVegan called Oh Hi buoyant, lush and sunny with one of Neil Finn’s classic melodies and lots of harmony.” The song has a deep connection to Finn’s support for So They Can, an international nonprofit focused on building schools in remote parts of Kenya and Tanzania. “I’m hoping the song comes across without needing to know the backstory,” Finn says, “but it’s very much inspired by these incredible kids and their magnificence.” Get Oh Hi via all DSPs now here.
Gravity Stairs is Crowded House’s first new release since 2021’s Dreamers Are Waiting and eighth overall. Produced by the band with Steven Schram, the album shows Crowded House in its current incarnation — Finn, Nick Seymour, Mitchell Froom, and Finn’s sons Elroy and Liam — as sharp as ever, feeling musically adventurous, and still capable of reaching the staggering highs that have made them an international favorite. It’s the act of climbing those figurative “gravity stairs,” inspired by a heavy stone staircase near where Finn vacations, that he likens to his own mindset as a creator.
“It’s a metaphor for getting a little older and becoming aware of your own mortality, your own physicality,” Finn says. “Things are getting a little harder, and there’s more determination needed to get to the top, but there’s still the same compulsion to climb them.”
Featuring 11 new songs, the album showcases the band’s musical evolution and commitment to delivering thought-provoking and inspiring sounds that resonate with fans old and new
Gravity Stairs Tracklist:
Magic Piano
Life’s Imitation
The Howl
All That I Can Ever Own
Oh Hi
Some Greater Plan (for Claire)
Black Water, White Circle
Blurry Grass
I Can’t Keep Up With You
Thirsty
Night Song
About Crowded House
The music of Crowded House has resounded through eras and generations since the band launched out of Melbourne, Australia back in 1985. Beyond selling over 15 million records worldwide and earning 13 ARIA Awards, a MTV VMA, and a BRIT Award, they have generated billions of streams, consistently sold out tours on multiple continents, notched four #1 albums in Australia, and captivated audiences for nearly four decades. Originally founded by Neil Finn [vocals, guitar, keys, songwriting], Nick Seymour [bass, keys], and the late Paul Hester [drums, vocals], the group’s self-titled debut, Crowded House, went platinum uplifted by iconic smashes Something So Strong and Don’t Dream It’s Over. Speaking to the impact of the latter, it has been covered by everyone from Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande in a viral performance to The Head & The Heart, among others. It’s no wonder Consequence of Sound christened it “one of the most memorable tunes of the eighties.” Along the way, the group delivered a legendary performance to an audience of over 150,000 on the steps of the Sydney Opera House in 1996, beginning a hiatus. 2005 saw them return in the wake of Paul’s passing. They served up Time on Earth [2007] and Intriguer [2010]. The ARIA Hall of Fame inducted Crowded House in 2016 as the guys returned to Sydney Opera House for three unforgettable nights before going dormant again. 2018 saw Neil join Fleetwood Mac as a full-time member, canvasing the globe on a massive world tour. Two years later, he and Nick led another era of Crowded House joined by Mitchell Froom on keys and Neil’s sons Liam and Elroy Finn. They issued their first full-length offering in eleven years, the unanimously acclaimed Dreamers Are Waiting in 2021. Met with widespread acclaim, Forbes hailed it as “vintage Crowded House,” and The Guardian rated it “4-out-of-5 stars” and raved, “It doesn’t just retain the intimacy that made them so cherished, but makes it their signature sound.” Meanwhile, it took home “Best Adult Contemporary Album” at the ARIA Awards. The band ignited a rapturous world tour in support of Dreamers Are Waiting. As always, Crowded House continues to forge ahead with another chapter of their legacy anchored by more touring and new music.
To book tickets to their exclusive album launch, visit here…
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