Split Enz are a New Zealand band formed in 1972 in Auckland. Regarded as the first New Zealand band to gain significant recognition outside of Australasia, In early 1974, the band's sound evolved further with the addition of keyboardist Eddie Rayner and saxophonist Rob Gillies. It was around this time that they altered their name to Split Enz, with the "nz" referring to New Zealand.

During 1973 and 1974, the group recorded three singles, "For You", "The Sweet Talking Spoon Song" and "No Bother to Me" (the last not being released until 1975). Those singles and their B-sides, along with several demos from this period, would later be released as The Beginning of the Enz album in 1979. Later in 1974, Rob Gillies and Geoff Chunn left the band, with the latter being replaced by Emlyn Crowther, while Noel Crombie also joined as percussionist and the band's visual director. In the early years of Split Enz, they were known as an "adventurous, flamboyant art-rock band" with unique, theatrical live shows, which evolved during a run of Buck-A-Head theatre concerts in Auckland during 1974, where they gained a strong cult following. In 1975, the band moved to Australia, signed to Mushroom Records - who would remain their record company in Australasia for the rest of their history - and recorded their first album, Mental Notes, which reached No. 7 in New Zealand and No. 35 in Australia. Shortly after the album's release, Wally Wilkinson departed and Rob Gillies re-joined.

In 1976, the band moved to England, where they obtained a UK and US contract with Chrysalis Records. Recorded in London, Split Enz's second album, Second Thoughts, was produced by Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera. While in the UK, the band toured as support to English folk-rockers Jack the Lad. Emlyn Crowther left the band in late 1976 and was replaced by English drummer Malcolm Green, the first member of Split Enz not to have been born and/or raised in New Zealand.

thumb|Grant of $5000 NZD for Split Enz from NZ Arts Council

thumb|Split Enz at the [[Nambassa festival, New Zealand, January 1979]]

thumb|Noel Combie during the True Colours Tour, [[Commodore Ballroom, 1980]]

thumb|Members of Split Enz being interviewed in 1980

Phil Judd and Mike Chunn left the band in 1977. while English bassist Nigel Griggs replaced Chunn. Over time, as well as being the band's guitarist, Neil Finn became their co-lead singer and a key songwriter, both alongside his brother Tim. Split Enz's third album, Dizrythmia, was recorded at London's AIR Studios with producer, and former Beatles engineer, Geoff Emerick, from June to July 1977. The album was released in August 1977. While "I See Red" did not chart in the UK, where it was released on Illegal Records, it did bring the band critical attention. The band released their fourth album, Frenzy, in 1979. At the end of that year, the band signed to A&M Records in the UK and US.

True Colours, released in 1980, further marked the band's shift to a power-pop style. The hit single "I Got You" reached No. 1 in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, No. 12 in the UK and No. 53 in the US. True Colours reached No. 1 on the album charts in Australia and New Zealand and made the Top 40 in both the UK and the US. Eddie Rayner also worked with the band as a producer and session musician on assorted studio recordings and live dates, although declined the offer to become a full band member, citing family commitments. Tim Finn joined Crowded House as a fourth member from 1989 to 1991, during which time the band recorded and released their third album, Woodface.

Reunions

In 1986, two years after Split Enz broke up, they reunited for a Greenpeace benefit concert. That was followed by a pair of concerts in Australia in 1989/1990. The first of those performances was scheduled for 28 December 1989 at the Newcastle Worker's Club. However, the club was virtually destroyed that morning by an earthquake. The band instead appeared at a benefit concert in February 1990 which raised funds to support the town's recovery.

On 10 December 1992, the band gave a one-off performance at the Wynyard Tavern in Auckland, exactly 20 years to the day of their first public appearance at the same venue. The band followed with a 20th anniversary tour in 1993, during which they played at Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland, supported by The Holy Toledos. The line-up for this tour was the same as the group's final live line-up from the Enz With A Bang tour: Finn, Finn, Rayner, Griggs, Hester and Crombie. The band gave two concerts in Auckland on 30 and 31 December 1999, appeared on several TV shows during 2002 to celebrate their 30th anniversary and the release of the Split Enz DVD, and performed at their induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2005. Two more reunion tours followed in 2006 and 2008, followed by a one-off reunion performance on 14 March 2009, as part of the Sound Relief festival.

In September 2025, the band announced they would reunite to headline the Christchurch Electric Avenue Festival in February 2026, marking their first performance together in nearly two decades. For this reunion, the band will consist of Tim Finn, Neil Finn, Noel Crombie, and Eddie Rayner, joined by Matt Eccles on drums and James Milne on bass. And in November 2025, they announced further tour dates for New Zealand and Australian May 2026, kicking off at Hamilton's Claudlands Arena on 2 May.

Legacy

Split Enz had ten albums (including seven studio albums) reach the top 10 of the Official New Zealand Music Chart. They have had eight songs listed in the APRA Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time, more than any other band.

Members

  • Tim Finn – vocals, acoustic guitar, piano
  • Phil Judd – vocals, guitar, mandolin
  • Mike Chunn – bass, backing vocals
  • Mike Howard – flute
  • Miles Golding – violin
  • Div Vercoe – drums
  • Wally Wilkinson – guitar, backing vocals
  • Geoff Chunn – drums
  • Eddie Rayner – keyboards, piano, backing vocals
  • Rob Gillies – saxophone
  • Emlyn Crowther – drums
  • Noel Crombie – percussion, drums, backing vocals
  • Malcolm Green – drums, backing vocals
  • Neil Finn – vocals, guitar, mandolin
  • Nigel Griggs – bass, backing vocals
  • Paul Hester – drums, backing vocals

Discography

Studio albums

  • Mental Notes (1975)
  • Second Thoughts (1976, titled Mental Notes outside Australasia)
  • Dizrythmia (1977)
  • Frenzy (1979)
  • The Beginning of the Enz (1979, recorded 1973–1974)
  • True Colours (1980)
  • Waiata (1981, titled Corroboree in Australia)
  • Time and Tide (1982)
  • Conflicting Emotions (1983)
  • See Ya 'Round (1984)

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987. Split Enz were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.

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| 2005

| Split Enz

| ARIA Hall of Fame

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TV Week / Countdown Awards

Countdown was an Australian pop music TV series on national broadcaster ABC-TV from 1974 to 1987. It presented music awards from 1979 to 1987, initially in conjunction with magazine TV Week. The TV Week / Countdown Awards were a combination of popular-voted and peer-voted awards.

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| rowspan="7" |1980

| rowspan="3" | True Colours

| Best Australian Album

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| Most Popular Australian Record

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| Best Australian Record Cover Design

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| "I Got You"

| Best Single Record

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| rowspan="2" | Split Enz

| Most Outstanding Achievement

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| Most Popular Group

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| Neil Finn (Split Enz)

| Best Recorded Song Writer

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| rowspan="3" | 1981

| Split Enz

| Most Popular Group

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| rowspan="2" | Neil Finn (Split Enz)

| Best Australian Songwriter

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| Most Popular Male Performer

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| rowspan="3" | 1982

| Time and Tide

| Best Australian Album

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| "Six Months in a Leaky Boat"

| Best Australian Single

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| Split Enz

| Most Popular Group

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| 1983

| Split Enz

| Most Popular Group

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References

Bibliography

  • Chunn, Mike. Stranger Than Fiction: The Life and Times of Split Enz. GP Publications, 1992.
  • Chunn, Mike. Stranger Than Fiction: The Life and Times of Split Enz (revised ebook edition). Hurricane Press, 2013.
  • Dix, John. Stranded in Paradise: New Zealand Rock and Roll, 1955 to the Modern Era. Penguin Books, 2005.
  • Green, Peter. Letters to My Frenz. Rocket Pocket Books, 2006.
  • Green, Peter, and Goulding, Mark, Wings Off Flies. Rocket Pocket Books, 2002.
  • Official websites: /
  • Enzology
  • Split Enz Collection at the Performing Arts Collection, Arts Centre Melbourne
  • AudioCulture