Split Enz were a New Zealand band formed in 1972. Regarded as the first New Zealand band to gain significant recognition outside of

Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...

, they were initially noted for their progressive/

art rock Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an ar ...

sound, flamboyant visual style and theatrical performances. The band later moved toward a pop/new wave sound that yielded the breakthrough hit single " I Got You" (1980). Split Enz broke up in 1984. Since that time, the band has staged several brief reunions.

History

Tim Finn/Phil Judd era (1972–1977)

Originally named Split Ends, presumably referencing split ends of hairs, the band were formed by songwriters

Tim Finn Brian Timothy Finn (born 25 June 1952) is a New Zealand singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. He is best known as a founding member of Split Enz. Finn founded the band in 1972 with Phil Judd and served as lead singer and principal songw ...

(vocals) and

Phil Judd Philip Raymond Judd (born 20 March 1953) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter known for being one of the founders of the bands Split Enz and The Swingers. Split Enz In 1972, Judd and Tim Finn founded the arty folk band Split Enz. In its early d ...

(guitar/vocals). The original line-up was completed by Mike Chunn (bass), Miles Golding (violin) and Mike Howard (flute), with the band making their first live appearance on 10 December 1972, at the Wynyard Tavern in Auckland, New Zealand. At the beginning of 1973, they were joined by drummer Div Vercoe, though within a few months, Vercoe, Golding and Howard had all departed, with Finn, Judd and Chunn recruiting Wally Wilkinson on guitar and Chunn's brother Geoff on drums. Keyboardist Eddie Rayner and saxophonist Rob Gillies were also added in early 1974, around which time the band altered their name to Split Enz, with the "nz" in the name 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 Geoffrey Noel Crombie (born 17 April 1953) is a New Zealand percussionist and former member of the band Split Enz. He fulfilled multiple roles including costume and hair designer, singer, album cover designer, and music video director. Prior ...

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. In 1975, the band moved to Australia 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, Wilkinson departed and Rob Gillies re-joined. In 1976, the band moved to England, where they recorded their second album, '' Second Thoughts'', produced by

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry (lead vocals/keyboards/principal songwriter) and Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson (bass). By the time the band recorded their Roxy Music (album), first albu ...

guitarist

Phil Manzanera Phillip Geoffrey Targett-Adams (born 31 January 1951), known professionally as Phil Manzanera, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music, and was the lead guitarist with 801 and Quiet Sun. ...

. While in the UK, the band toured as support to English folk-rockers Jack the Lad. Crowther left the band in late 1976 and was replaced by Malcolm Green.

Tim Finn/Neil Finn era (1977–1984)

Phil Judd and Mike Chunn left the band in 1977. Tim Finn's brother,

Neil Finn Neil Mullane Finn (born 27 May 1958) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known for being a principal member of Split Enz and for being the lead singer of Crowded House. He was also a member of Fleetwood Mac from 2018 ...

, joined as Judd's replacement on 7 April 1977, while

Nigel Griggs Nigel Griggs (born 18 August 1949) is an English musician. He is perhaps best known for having played bass guitar in the band Split Enz. He is the brother of Paul Griggs from the 1970s vocal group Guys 'n' Dolls. Biography A professional m ...

replaced Chunn on bass. 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' third album, '' Dizrythmia'', was recorded at London's

AIR Studios Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company founded in London in 1965 by record producers George Martin, John Burgess (record producer), John Burgess, Ron Richards (producer), Ron Richards, and Peter Sullivan (rec ...

with producer, and former

Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

engineer,

Geoff Emerick Geoffrey Ernest Emerick (5 December 1945 – 2 October 2018) was an English sound engineer and record producer who worked with the Beatles on their albums ''Revolver'' (1966), '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (1967) and ''Abbey Road' ...

, from June to July 1977. The album was released in August 1977. At the beginning of 1978, Gillies left the band. An attempted reunion with Phil Judd lasted around a month before he departed for the second and final time, after which the remaining members continued as a six-piece. By mid 1978, Split Enz had no agent, no manager, and no record contract. The New Zealand Arts Council gave the band a grant of $5,000. The grant money was used to book studio time, and the band used that time to record what became known as the "Rootin' Tootin' Luton Tapes". One of the songs the band recorded was called " I See Red". Released as a single later that year, "I See Red" marked a significant move away from the band's early progressive/art rock style, towards high-energy, guitar-based power pop. While "I See Red" did not chart in England, it did bring the band critical attention. The single peaked at No. 15 in New Zealand. The group went home to New Zealand for Christmas 1978. Just after Christmas, there was a serious setback when their equipment was destroyed in a suspicious fire at a rehearsal studio. Using borrowed equipment, Split Enz played what proved to be a pivotal concert, stunning friends and fans alike with a legendary performance at the second Nambassa Festival in January 1979. The band released their fourth album, '' Frenzy'', in 1979. '' 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 United Kingdom, and No. 53 in the United States. ''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. Split Enz's next album, 1981's '' Waiata'', released as ''Corroboree'' in Australia, reached No. 1 in Australia and New Zealand. After the album's completion, Malcolm Green departed, and the band continued as a five-piece, with Noel Crombie moving from percussionist to drummer. The next album, 1982's '' Time and Tide'', reached No. 1 in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. One of the album's songs, " Six Months in a Leaky Boat", was listed as the fifth-best New Zealand song of all time in the 2001 Australasian Performing Right Association, but the song became controversial in England because it was perceived as a criticism of the

Falklands War The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...

. After releasing '' Conflicting Emotions'' in 1983, the band became a six-piece again with the addition of drummer

Paul Hester Paul Newell Hester (8 January 1959 – 26 March 2005) was an Australian musician and television personality. He was the drummer for the band Split Enz for their last year together from December 1983 to December 1984, and co-founding member an ...

, while Crombie returned to his previous role of percussionist. In the spring of 1984, Tim Finn left the band for a solo career, following the success of his first solo album, '' Escapade'', the previous year. Neil Finn assumed the role of band leader and main songwriter, but felt uncomfortable continuing the band without either of its founders Tim Finn or Phil Judd. It was decided their next album, '' See Ya 'Round'', would be their last. Following the album's release, Tim Finn re-joined for a farewell tour. Split Enz played their final show on 6 December 1984 at Logan Campbell Centre in Auckland, after which they officially split. Neil Finn and Paul Hester went on to form a new band called the Mullanes with bassist

Nick Seymour Nicholas More Seymour (born 9 December 1958) is an Australian musician and record producer. He is the founding bass guitarist and a mainstay of the rock group Crowded House, and is the younger brother of Mark Seymour, singer-songwriter-guitaris ...

. They had changed their name to

Crowded House Crowded House are an Australian-New Zealand rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Paul Hester (drums), who were both for ...

by the time their self-titled first album was released in 1986, going on to achieve worldwide success. Tim Finn also 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 Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of Environmental movement, environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its biod ...

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. The band reunited in 1993 for their twentieth-anniversary tour, during which they played at Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland, supported by The Holy Toledos. They appeared on TV in 2002 to celebrate their thirtieth anniversary. In 2006, Split Enz toured with a membership consisting of the classic 1978–1981 line-up of Tim Finn, Neil Finn, Nigel Griggs, Eddie Rayner, Noel Crombie, and Malcolm Green. Another reunion tour followed in March 2008, with four shows in New Zealand. A one-off reunion performance took place on 14 March 2009, as part of the Sound Relief festival.

Legacy

Split Enz had ten albums (including seven studio albums) reach the top 10 of the

Official New Zealand Music Chart The Official Aotearoa Music Charts, formerly the Official New Zealand Music Chart (), is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The M ...

. They have had eight songs listed in the APRA Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time, more than any other band.

Members

– vocals, acoustic guitar, piano *

– vocals, guitar, mandolin * Mike Chunn – bass, backing vocals * Miles Golding – violin *Mike Howard – flute *Div Vercoe – drums *Wally Wilkinson – guitar, backing vocals * Geoff Chunn – drums * Eddie Rayner – keyboards, piano, backing vocals *Rob Gillies – saxophone * Emlyn Crowther – drums *

– percussion, drums, backing vocals * Malcolm Green – drums, backing vocals *

– vocals, guitar, mandolin *

– bass, backing vocals *

– drums, backing vocals

Discography

Studio albums * '' Mental Notes'' (1975) * '' Second Thoughts'' (1976, titled ''Mental Notes'' outside Australasia) * '' Dizrythmia'' (1977) * '' Frenzy'' (1979) * '' 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 The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions o ...

. They commenced in 1987. Split Enz were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005. , - ,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, Split Enz ,

ARIA Hall of Fame Since 1988 the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has inducted artists into its annual ARIA Hall of Fame. While most have been recognised at the annual ARIA Music Awards, in 2005 ARIA sought to create a separate standalone ceremo ...

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 ''TV Week'' is a weekly Australian magazine that provides television program listings information and highlights, as well as television-related news. Content ranges from previews for upcoming storylines of popular television programs, particu ...

''. The TV Week / Countdown Awards were a combination of popular-voted and peer-voted awards. , - , rowspan="7" , 1980 , rowspan="3" , '' True Colours'' , Best Australian Album , , - , Most Popular Australian Record , , - , Best Australian Record Cover Design , , - , " I Got You" , Best Single Record , , - , rowspan="2" , themselves , Most Outstanding Achievement , , - , Most Popular Group , , - ,

(Split Enz) , Best Recorded Song Writer , , - , rowspan="3" , 1981 , themselves , Most Popular Group , , - , rowspan="2" ,

(Split Enz) , Best Australian Songwriter , , - , Most Popular Male Performer , , - , rowspan="3" , 1982 , Time and Tide , Best Australian Album , , - , " Six Months in a Leaky Boat" , Best Australian Single , , - , Themselves , Most Popular Group , , - , 1983 , Themselves , Most Popular Group , , -

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.

External links

*
Split Enz Collection
at the Performing Arts Collection, Arts Centre Melbourne
AudioCulture
* * {{Authority control Split Enz APRA Award winners Musical groups established in 1971 Musical groups disestablished in 1984 Musical groups reestablished in 2008 New Zealand pop music groups New Zealand rock music groups New Zealand progressive rock groups New Zealand new wave musical groups ARIA Award winners ARIA Hall of Fame inductees A&M Records artists Chrysalis Records artists Mushroom Records artists Articles which contain graphical timelines Art rock musical groups New Zealand expatriates in Australia New Zealand expatriates in England 1970s in New Zealand music 1980s in New Zealand music Sibling musical groups Musical groups from Auckland New Zealand pop rock groups New Zealand post-punk music groups 1972 establishments in New Zealand