Split Enz ProfileA few months after their Forever Enz tour – their first performances together in nearly two decades – a new Split Enz book chronicling the relationship between their music and fashion is on the way.
Set for release next Tuesday (29 September), the book, Split Enz: An Adventure in Music and Design, was written by band member Noel Crombie and renowned music journalist (and member of The Thin White Ukes), Michael Dwyer.
The book is a collectable, “full colour, lavishly illustrated hardback,” created with the band’s “full participation.”
According to a press release, the book contains rare photographs, costumes, designs and memorabilia – all costumes designed by Crombie – as well as interviews led by Dwyer. It also captures the songs, imagery, characters, and chemistry that set Split Enz apart from other bands at the time, and that still make them an idiosyncratic, inimitable band.
Noel Crombie has been described as the heart of their aesthetic and their “in-house visual architect.”
Split Enz: An Adventure in Music and Design will be released on Tuesday, 29 September, via Allen & Unwin. Pre-order your copy here.
Discussing his love for the band, the late actor Sam Neill remarked, “My favourite band. Ever! And certainly the best dressed.” Jenny Morris added, “This wasn’t just a band that made music. This was a movement.”
Split Enz launched their Forever Enz reunion run in New Zealand, headlining this year’s Electric Avenue Festival in February. They then toured across Australia and New Zealand throughout May, taking over arenas for sold-out shows.
Check out The Music’s review of the band’s first Melbourne show here.
Formed by Tim Finn in New Zealand in 1972 before relocating to Australia in 1975, Split Enz are the masterminds behind some of the most beloved hits of the ‘70s and ‘80s, including I Got You, Message To My Girl, Six Months On A Leaky Boat, History Never Repeats, One Step Ahead, and many more.
The New Zealand rockers broke through to the world stage with their brand of surreal theatre, combining music, costumes, and visual spectacles for their live shows and music videos.
Split Enz disbanded in 1984 and have only periodically reunited for tours and special events, including the 2009 Sound Relief concert, which, coincidentally, was the band’s last show in Australia.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Split Enz’s debut album, Mental Notes, which the band celebrated by releasing the first instalment of a landmark archival project, ENZyclopedia Volumes One & Two.
