Neil Finn was surprised to be asked to join Fleetwood Mac.

Neil Finn

Neil Finn

The Crowded House star, along with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell, were revealed to be going out on the road with the 'Dreams' hitmakers in April, following the departure of Lindsey Buckingham, and the 60-year-old musician has hailed his new job "a gift".

Reflecting on turning 60, he said: "You do start to think about this mortality s**t. This Fleetwood Mac thing took me completely by surprise, a gift from somewhere else.

"What can I say? Life is incredibly busy and incredibly full."

Though he's been busy working with his son Liam on new album 'Lightsleeper' - which is due to be released next month - Neil insists there's no way he could have turned down Fleetwood Mac.

He told MOJO magazine: "My experience of the Macs so far has been that they're charming, funny, and it's just too good an adventure to pass up."

Meanwhile, the 'Weather With You' hitmaker and his son admitted their first record together has been a long time coming.

Neil said: "It's been brewing for years."

Liam added: "It just seemed auspicious. We were back in New Zealand preparing for our son's birth and Dad and I started jamming in his home studio.

"It was all meant to be in this strange, cyclical, generational shift."

The album also features contributions from Neil's wife Sharon and other son Elroy.

He said: "There's a huge amount of unease and anxiety in the world, maybe our reaction as a family is to try and create beauty and peace and escape."