How do you spend your evenings when you’re a touring musician stuck at home whose two kids have flown the nest?

If you’re Neil Finn, the New Zealand-based songwriter behind Crowded House, the answer is to start impromptu jam sessions with your wife.

Those sessions became The Pajama Club which is now on its first UK tour promoting a self-titled album due out later this year.

“Initially it was really good fun, we made a big racket,” says Finn from a hotel dining room in Glasgow prior to their debut UK show.

“It was a real discovery that we could jam together on instruments neither of us were very familiar with. We got into it in a primal way.”

Finn was behind the drum kit, while his wife Sharon took on bass duties, playing jams influenced by hip-hop pioneers ESG.

“We had a 16-track tape recorder going, and when we listened to the jams back they sounded really good,” says Finn. “We were dancing around the living room to the bass and drums groove. It inspired us to write some songs around them.

“Those original jams are on the record. We’ve chopped them up a little, but they are the origins of the songs.”

The writing process was an extra challenge for Finn, who usually composes his songs on guitar or piano.

“Sharon laid down the grooves and provided the architecture for the songs,” he says. “It was a back-to-front way of working, but in a delightful way.

“I would like to think I’m getting more adventurous as a songwriter, rather than more conservative. It may mean there’s a lot more risk in terms of commerce and chart success, but I accept that. I’ve always followed my nose and I trust it now.”

The early shows in Australia have received positive reactions from audiences.

“Nobody has called out for Crowded House tunes,” he says. “It wouldn’t seem right to play them, and we don’t know how to as a band. It is a different sound from anything we have done before.

“It’s a ringing endorsement of my fans’ open-mindedness – they’re used to my restless nature.”

For the recording sessions and tour the Finns were joined by New Zealand producer and guitarist Sean Donnelly, and the addition of guest drummer Alana Skyring has meant Neil can get out from behind the kit.

“We have a lot of energy on stage,” he says.

“There’s such a rock-solid groove we can play a jam on it, there are a few big sprawling moments in the set.

“Sharon is beginning to enjoy the shows. She was playing great the first few shows, but was caught up in the newness and nerves.

"She’s now starting to relax and find her feet.

“We didn’t want it to be a frivolous side project, we wanted to be a real band, and the way to do that was to play in front of people.”

Although his focus is on The Pajama Club, this doesn’t mean that Finn is abandoning all his other projects.

“Crowded House is now an open book. We have already started a few new things but for the time being I’m enjoying this,” he says.

“There’s been a box set on the go for the past five or six years. It’s going to have demos, obscure songs and things that have never been released, but we want to make sure it’s high quality.”

He’s looking forward to a return to Brighton, having played a solo show here earlier this year.

“We’ve had some fantastic nights with a great bunch of people in Brighton,” he says.

“Last time I was there a huge seagull dumped on both my arms – I took it as a sign of double luck...”

Support from Sam Scott.

*Doors 6.30pm, tickets £15. Call 01273 673311.

The Guide has just been informed that the show tonight (July 22) has had to be cancelled. The official word from the band is: "Our keyboard player Sean Donnelly has had an acute illness overnight and required treatment which means he needs to rest today under doctors orders. It is always upsetting to cancel a show and let down our audience but unavoidable in this case. We look forward to scheduling another performance in Brighton later in the year. Thank you for your understanding.