Crowded HouseHigh Lodge, Thetford Forest, Thursday nightAUSTRALASIAN rockers Crowded House, led by Kiwi frontman Neil Finn, entertained the Thetford crowd for a solid two hours.

Crowded House

High Lodge, Thetford Forest, Thursday night

AUSTRALASIAN rockers Crowded House, led by Kiwi frontman Neil Finn, entertained the Thetford crowd for a solid two hours.

Convinced they were in Norfolk when in fact they were just over the border into Suffolk, the band made famous in the 1990s tempted many up from their picnics to sing in the twilight.

Their extensive set featured classic hits including Fall at Your Feet, Weather With You, and Don't Dream It's Over and a handful of new songs penned for a new album promised soon.

As early as the second song, the keyboard player launched into the wrong track and Neil laughingly threatened to abandon the running order.

Crowded House certainly brought the weather with them when the black clouds cleared from the sky and the stars came out. The band has played a few forests this year but admitted they liked Thetford's trees best.

Neil also chatted to the appreciative audience about rock 'n' roll dentists, pound shops, and mused upon the idea of digging a hole from the forest floor to reach his hometown Down Under.

It was great to hear the band break from the shackles of an album based four-minute pop track and give themselves room to play lingering instrumental sections with searing guitar solos, resulting in a real treat for their fans.

Their polished set ended with the beautiful Four Seasons In One Day, followed by an awesome rendition of Private Universe.

Thanks to the organisers for finetuning the parking, so concertgoers could return to their cars quickly, and no longer sit in their stationary cars for an hour trying to get home.

JON ELSEY