AudioCulture

The noisy library of New Zealand music

More
Contact Us About Us Writers Terms & Conditions
Funded by
Partners with

Split Enz Profile

aka Split Ends
Brian White
16 Apr 2013
Arguably the most important New Zealand band of all time, and certainly the most successful, Split Enz redefined the way New Zealand wrote, created and enjoyed music, traversing a path from eclectic folkies to stadium filling superstars in their 14 years.

Split Enz emerged from the leftfield of the New Zealand music scene in the mid-1970s, but they gradually built a mainstream audience on both sides of the Tasman. Although based in Melbourne and signed to the indie Australian company Mushroom Records for most of their career, they remained as strongly identified with New Zealand as the buzzy-bee and the All Blacks. 

Show more +
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
ImageableImage
Hero thumb se9
Promotor Ian Magan with Tim Finn in the early 1980s. Magan, a "pirate" founder of Radio Hauraki, worked with Split Enz for a decade as their promoter, from the 1975 university tours to the later stadium shows.
Photo credit: Photo by Murray Cammick
ImageableImage
Hero thumb a1174
Canadian cover for the 1980 single 'Poor Boy'
ImageableImage
Hero thumb a1171
1980: L to R: Neil Finn, Tim Finn, Nigel Griggs, Eddie Rayner, Malcolm Green, Noel Crombie
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
Hero thumb 2024.key
I See Red
ImageableImage
Hero thumb a1170
Eddie Rayner radio station ad
Photo credit: Simon Grigg Collection
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
ImageableImage
Hero thumb e2 2
Phil Judd, 1976
ImageableImage
Hero thumb a1168
Mental Notes publicity shot - L to R: Wally Wilkinson (back), Timothy Finn (front), Noel Crombie, Eddie Rayner (back), Jonathan Michael Chunn (front), Philip Judd, Emlyn Crowther (as they were called on the album)
Photo credit: Simon Grigg Collection
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
Hero thumb mqdefault
Enz With A Bang (Final NZ tour 1984)
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
Hero thumb mqdefault
I Got You (Paul Hogan Show 1980)
ImageableImage
Hero thumb a1166
1974 Students Arts Council tour
Photo credit: Murray Cammick Collection
ImageableImage
Hero thumb se3
Creem magazine (USA) gets it rather wrong, April 1981
Photo credit: Murray Cammick Collection
ImageableImage
Hero thumb se6
Noel Crombie in a shoot for Cha Cha magazine, mid-1980s
Photo credit: Murray Cammick Collection
ImageableImage
Hero thumb a1151
Split Enz fanclub magazine, 1982
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
Hero thumb 13457.key
I Hope I Never (1980)
ImageableImage
Hero thumb se7
Split Enz, 1977 - back: Neil Finn, Tim Finn, Nigel Griggs, Eddie Rayner; front: Malcolm Green, Noel Crombie
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
ImageableImage
Hero thumb se4
Split Enz 1976. L to R: Noel Crombie, Malcolm Green (back), Phil Judd (front), Mike Chunn, Tim Finn (lying), Rob Gillies, Eddie Rayner
ImageableImage
Hero thumb se2
ImageableImage
Hero thumb a1173 78 9
1978-79 - L to R: Noel Crombie, Tim Finn, Eddie Rayner, Neil Finn, Malcolm Green, Nigel Griggs
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
Hero thumb mqdefault
Spellbound (Documentary)
ImageableImage
Hero thumb e2 1
Tim Finn pre-show, 1976
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
Hero thumb 2021.key
History Never Repeats
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
Hero thumb 4948.key
Bold As Brass
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
ImageableImage
Hero thumb se10
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
ImageableImage
Hero thumb e2 3
Live at the Auckland Town Hall, 1976
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
ImageableImage
Hero thumb a1157
ImageableImage
Hero thumb e2 4
Split Ends 1973 
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
ImageableImage
Hero thumb scan4
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
Hero thumb mqdefault
Maybe (1975 Telethon performance)
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
ImageableImage
Hero thumb se5
1973 press ad for the first single
ImageableImage
Hero thumb a1156
ImageableImage
Hero thumb se14
Noel Crombie in the early 1980s
ImageableImage
Hero thumb scan5
Nigel Griggs, Tim Finn, Eddie Rayner, Neil Finn, Paul Hester, Noel Crombie
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
ImageableImage
Hero thumb a1153
Split Enz fanclub magazine, 1977
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
ImageableImage
Hero thumb a1172
Phil Judd backstage 1976
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
ImageableImage
Hero thumb a1162
1976
Photo credit: Murray Cammick Collection
ImageableImage
Hero thumb a1155
ImageableImage
Hero thumb e2 5
1975 publicity shot in Auckland domain. L to R: Noel Crombie, Tim Finn, Phil Judd, Eddie Rayner, Mike Chunn, Paul Crowther, Wally Wilkinson.
ImageableImage
Hero thumb 29 1130a
A slide of the original Phil Judd painting used for the cover of 1975's Mental Notes album. The original is now in Te Papa
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
ImageableImage
Hero thumb a1169
1976-77
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
ImageableImage
Hero thumb enz mg
October 1977 - Tim Finn and Mike Chunn with Mushroom's Michael Gudinski
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
Hero thumb mqdefault
Poor Boy
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
Hero thumb mqdefault
Neil and Tim Finn interviewed in 1984
ImageableImage
Hero thumb a1152
Split Enz fanclub magazine, 1980
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
Hero thumb 2047.key
Spellbound (Live on Grunt Machine 1975)
ImageableImage
Hero thumb se11
Split Enz, 1978 - clockwise from bottom left: Malcolm Green, Eddie Rayner, Neil Finn, Tim Finn, Noel Crombie, Nigel Griggs
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
Hero thumb mqdefault
Haul Away (Live in Hamilton 1982)
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
Hero thumb 2029.key
Message To My Girl
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
Hero thumb 2023.key
I Got You
ImageableImage
Hero thumb a1150
ImageableImage
Hero thumb a1164
The press release for the first single 'Split Ends' / 'For You'
Photo credit: Murray Cammick Collection
ImageableImage
Hero thumb a1154
Split Ends 1973 L to R: Wally Wilkinson, Phil Judd, Mike Chunn, Geoff Chunn, Brian Finn
Photo credit: Murray Cammick Collection
ImageableImage
Hero thumb se15
Tim Finn finds that the visual side of the Split Enz show can be a little uncomfortable at times. Noel Crombie creating the 1976 trademark Finn hair in London.
ImageableImage
Hero thumb se1
ImageableImage
Hero thumb se16
Split Enz receive platinum records from PolyGram New Zealand in 1980 for sales of the True Colours album. After a dispute with Festival Records in NZ over their promotion of the Frenzy album Enz moved their local distribution to PolyGram for three albums. With them is PolyGram's Stuart Rubin.
ImageableImage
Hero thumb a1158
Phil Judd 1976
Photo credit: Murray Cammick Collection
EmbeddableItem EmbeddableItem! type = Person
ImageableImage
Hero thumb se8
The promo pack sent out by Split Enz's management for the 1975 release of the Mental Notes album
3 col el, class=ExternalLink::ActiveRecord_Associations_CollectionProxy
Links:

Wikipedia

Jeremy Ansell's 10 part Enzology documentary at National Radio

Koji Kumada's Kiakaha site

Split Enz at Rock's Backpages (requires subscription)

Graham Reid on Mental Notes

Review: Split Enz live at Victoria University, 1975

Split Enz at NZ History

Nick Bollinger on Mental Notes

1979 Wellington Town Hall gig: Salient review

3 col el, class=LabelPerson::ActiveRecord_Associations_CollectionProxy
Labels:

Mushroom Records

White Cloud

3 col el, class=CollaborationPerson::ActiveRecord_Associations_CollectionProxy
Members:

Paul Hester - drums

Eddie Rayner - keyboards

Paul Crowther - drums

Tim Finn - vocals, piano, guitar

Geoff Chunn - guitar

Malcolm Green - drums

Mike Chunn - bass

Miles Golding - violin

Neil Finn - vocals, guitar, mandolin

Nigel Griggs - bass

Noel Crombie - drums, percussion

Phil Judd - Guitar, vocals

Wally Wilkinson - guitar

Robert Gillies - sax

3 col el, class=RelatedPage::ActiveRecord_Associations_CollectionProxy
Related:

Crowded House

Tim Finn

Phil Judd

The Swingers