Right at Home in Manchester

Now on a UK and European tour promoting his third solo album Dizzy Heights, Neil Finn, 55, talks with the Manchester Evening News about why the British city has always been a very homely destination for him.

The songwriting legend has many good musician pals living here – the most recent being his fellow countryman, psych-pop songwriter Connan Mockasin.

“Connan keeps telling me about this great karaoke place in Manchester – Charlies?” Finn enquires. “He filmed one of his videos there recently.”

Of course, Finn’s strongest connection to Manc music revolves around his enduring bromance with guitar hero Johnny Marr.

Their friendship began over a decade ago, when the pair met at a Linda McCartney tribute concert. They’ve performed together on numerous occasions since, on stage and in the studio, most notably on the all-star charity ensemble 7 Worlds Collide.

Finn, now in his fourth decade in music, is more than happy to embrace the more populist aspects of his legacy.

“Nothing would please me more than to think that in 100 years somebody would be singing my songs,” he says. “Songs take on a whole new life once you’ve written them and put them out there. The way I see it, once a song has left home, you can’t choose who it sleeps with.”

Finn plays at the Carre Theatre in Amsterdam on 9 May and then at the Cirque Royale in Brussels on 11 May.

Original article by David Sue, Manchester Evening News, April 23, 2014.