It’s Australia Day, so I’m getting my head out of my library and waving the flag a bit with some news about an Australian export that has me ecstatic.

Crowded House are reforming, releasing a new album and going to tour again.

There is a new site at Frenz (of the Enz) and the Farewell to the World site has a video of Neil Finn explaining why.

Yesterday, before I heard the news, I watched the DVD of their “Farewell to the World” concert held on the steps of the Sydney opera house back in 1996. I was mesmerised by the crystalline and intelligent lyrics, the understated way they all worked together to produce a fantastic live sound and the generous interplay with the audience. It made me feel…well…very glad to see my husband once the kids had gone to bed.

Two things stuck in my mind from the “making of the concert” accompanying doco. Instead of announcing the band’s breakup as planned at their last English gig, Neil just said something about “looking forward to the future”. And…the show was originally planned for the day before, but was totally rained out. For the soundcheck on the rainy day, instead of playing just one or two songs, they played the entire set, thrilling those fans who couldn’t make it the next day.

I’m not even going to speculate the reception they are likely to get now Neil and Nick are 20 years older and Paul Hester is no longer alive. I do know that the audience at the Spllit Enz reunion concert last year was full of cashed up 40-somethings who had a wow of a time despite the dance police trying to keep us in our seats. And that we have bred a whole new generation of fans.

The closest we’ve been to a Crowded House live gig was seeing the tribute band Crowded Enz a couple of years ago. Tomorrow night, we go to a free event featuring two other tribute bands – ABBR and Queen Bohemien Rhadsody. How about it Bjorn, or Brian…are you going to jump on the same bandwagon and reform?

TODAY’S HIPPPIE CARD: Be Open