Liam Finn began releasing music as a teenager in his native New Zealand. The son of baroque pop master Neil Finn of Crowded House and Split Enz, the young Finn grew up immersed in songwriting excellence. With a dynamic solo show including frenzied drums atop intricate looping, Finn soon earned an international audience. He began collaborating with his father on 2018’s Lightsleeper before becoming a full-fledged member of Crowded House in 2020. Finn discusses playing in his dad’s band, BOSS gear, and how livestreaming on Twitch helped him craft his new album.
Early Bloomer
How old were you when you started making music?
Since I was thirteen, I have been making up songs and was driven to do it. It wasn’t pushed on me, but I was obsessed. Watching Crowded House and the effect it had on people was part of it. And banging drums and making noise was quite an appealing thing as a kid.
What was New Zealand like as a place to find your musical footing?
It has a unique influence because we are so isolated. You’re out of sight of the rest of the world. I started releasing music with my band on the Flying Nun record label when I was 16, but the rest of the world didn’t know anything about it. You get a bit of experience before you make that leap internationally.
Influences
In addition to your dad, who were some early inspirations?
It was a natural influence—the family thing. But when I started writing songs as a teenager, I wasn’t as interested in what dad was doing. I was much more into alternative guitar music, the Matador scene of the ’90s. People like Elliott Smith were an influence and came through in what I was making early on. As I got a bit older with my band, we got into heavier stuff like Fugazi and Jesus Lizard.
"I bought myself a junior drum kit for £50 in London. It lasted one show because I got so excited and bashed so hard that it broke."
Did you know you wanted to play multiple instruments early on?
It was a natural thing because I played a lot of instruments at home. When I saw Jon Brion’s show at Largo, where he was looping drums and doing full solo arrangements, it blew my mind. It wasn’t until my band broke up and I started doing solo shows that I realized I could. I bought myself a junior drum kit for £50 in London. It lasted one show because I got so excited and bashed so hard that it broke. I realized how entertaining that was because everyone at the show seemed to enjoy it.
A Family Affair
What’s it like playing with your father?
I’ve done it since I was 13 or 14, when I first started playing in his solo band. I would come out and play two songs in the set. But within the rehearsals, it went from two songs to a few. It was a trial by fire. I had to get good quick to not let the team down. That was my Beatles in Germany. When we made Lightsleeper, it was a good time to come into it as equals with our different experiences.
You’re now a member of Crowded House. How did that come about?
After Lightsleeper, it feels like a continuation. My dad realized how special it could be to be in a band that has so much love and people’s memories attached to it. The way he framed it, it seemed obvious, natural, and exciting as a prospect. It’s unique to be in a band with multi-generational members. Also, it’s a very different role for me playing lead guitar and doing a lot of backing harmonies and stuff. There is an extra level of passion for me because it’s in my blood.
"There is an extra level of passion for me because it's in my blood."
Pedal Perspectives
What BOSS pedals do you use?
For my show and Crowded House, I’ve always used the OC-2. I’ve got the brown one. And I’ve got the BOSS MO-2 Multi Overtone. Initially, I got it because I made it sound like a 12-string. I was playing at a friend’s wedding, and we were doing a couple of Prince songs. My friend said, “Use this pedal.” Ever since then, I’ve played with that. I’ve started putting it on the 12-string because it gives it an even weirder psychedelic sound.
"I've started putting the BOSS M0-2 on the 12-string because it gives it an even weirder
psychedelic sound.
In the Loop
Tell us how BOSS factors into your looping, a key ingredient to your live sound.
I found a way to do live drums, and the biggest problem was that it would cause a feedback loop to have it loud enough in the monitors. When the RC-50 came out, it was the first looper where no direct signals were coming through at any time. It plays what you record. I could stick an overhead mic through my BOSS compressor pedal. Because I was doing this often, setting it up quickly at a club, I used two 57s and put a 57 inside the kick drum.
Putting it through the RC-500 and getting external foot switches on the drum kit, I made cool, breakbeat-sounding, trashy drum loops. I got back into that recently to make my new record, trying to use all the old tricks I had from solo touring.
"Putting mics through the RC-500 and getting external foot switches on the drum kit, I made cool, breakbeat-sounding, trashy drum loops."
Scratching a Twitch
You’ve employed a unique recording process for the new record, correct?
I made my new record by streaming myself live on Twitch to emulate what happens when you have an audience. I started streaming on Twitch for two or three hours twice a week, making as much music as possible. Then I’d go back in, find the basics, and create songs out of these long-form, improvised jams. I think people got addicted to it and kept coming back. What if something great happens?
How is it balancing Crowded House and your solo work?
I’ve had a long break from working on the new record while Crowded House has been touring, so it’ll be great to jump back into it and finish it off. The music I’ve been making for the solo record is born from the improvised jams I play as a one-man band. It gets raucous. I realize that my teenagehood is coming back out, and everything I’m doing is heavy, droning, or jangly. I’m not fighting it.
