At 9.05pm, the lights dimmed and giant orange silky moving ‘blob-ject’ made its way up a short set of stairs and onto the stage. Feet jumbling along with just enough skill to remain upright, before ‘woosh!’ the big reveal! Eat your heart out Taylor Swift, no elaborate pully systems required – this is how the Kiwi’s do it!
Quirky, flamboyant and oh so talented!
First timers in the crowd, may miss the first song entirely due to the amount of attention the bands outfits grab. Bold checks, bold stripes, bold colours – with a hint of State Rail seating pattern. And it’s not just about the colours, the closer you look the more details you notice like the slightly asymmetric fit, the mismatching lapel widths, and it’s not by accident this is totally intentional and it just works! And that’s Split Enz in a nutshell – quirky, flamboyant and oh so talented.
For a band that has been through many splits (should that be splitz?), reformations, and personnel changes, the 2026 tour line up was a dream! Hold up – both Finn’s? Yup! Eddie Rayner on keys? You betcha! and Crombie on percussion? Well, no one else plays a better kazoo! With Matt Eccles on drums and James Milne on bass, the line up was complete.
Kicking off the set with “Shark Attack” (in case you missed it!), it wasn’t long before people were up on their feet bopping along and singing their hearts out to their favourite tunes. As support act, Vika & Linda said, Split Enz music is woven tightly into the fabric of Australian culture (yes, another NZ icon we have claimed for ourselves!). It’s the soundtrack to cross country road trips at Christmas, it was playing on the radio Saturday mornings at the milk bar and at the pharmacy when you were spending your paper round money buying extra firm hairspray to perfect the Split Enz ‘do. You know who you are!
A trip down memory lane
Continuing the trip down memory lane, the set was heavy on 1980’s True Colours delivering classics like “Nobody Takes Me Seriously” and “Missing Person”. Highlights included Rayner’s incredible “Pioneer”, flowing into “Six Months in a Leaky Boat”, and of course “I Got You” and “I See Red”. During “My Mistake”, full audience participation was encouraged to fill in for the missing trumpets and during instrumental “Double Happy”, a video of Split Enz suits played, showcasing many of Crombie’s sartorial looks for the band over the years.
And in case you were wondering, the band still sounds great. Tim and Neil Finn taking turns to lead and having fun together on stage, brothers by blood and with the rest of the band, very firmly by choice.
And before the brothers, there were the sisters! Melbourne’s Vika & Linda captivated the TikTok Entertainment Centre with their effortless harmonies and crisp white suits. The set was heavy with blues, soul and meaning – from “When Will You Fall for Me”, to “Pigface and Calendula”, it’s the type of music that gets your foot tapping and your hands clapping. Closing with new single “Where Do You Come From?”, the now crowded house (sorry!) was flush with energy and ready for anything.
There are two more opportunities to catch the Split Enz, Forever Enz Tour. The last two shows are this Friday 22 May at Perth’s RAC Arena and Monday 25 May at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena – tickets HERE. Run (or fly) don’t walk!
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Reviewer attended 18.05.26
Photos from Pete Dovgan – head HERE for more photos from the night
