Words: Tracey Moyle // Music Maven Events
Photos : Paul Blackburn // @wysiwygpix
It doesn’t matter what your age is, every music fan will have a song, artist or band that is so intergrated into their memories that even years later, you’ll hear their songs and it triggers the same response you had right at that very time their music was all that mattered.
Last night decades dissolved for thousands of fans as New Zealand’s music legends, Split Enz brought their ‘Forever Enz Tour’ to Brisbane Entertainment Centre. They brought the harmoniously uplifting siblings Vika and Linda Bull with them to open, not just the show but the hearts of everyone in the venue. The night itself was a gift, as this Split Enz Brisbane show only eventuated after the cancellation of this year’s Byron Bay Blues Fest. For some it had been two decades since they saw their childhood idols, but for many it may have stretched back to their 1984 Enz Of An Era tour or earlier.
The line-up was as close to original as possible with songwriter extraordinaires, Neil and Tim Finn, the world’s most versatile musician, Noel Crombie and sonic alchemist Eddie Rayner joined by newcomers James Milne on bass and Matt Eccles on drums.
Taking the crowd across their vast catalogue, they dressed in their classic Noel Crombie created suits, embracing their authenticity as a band throughout the 70s and ‘80s, gathering all their most loved tracks to share with the fans who had stayed with them for a lifetime.
Vika and Linda opened the night taking to the stage in their purest of white suits, their dreamy harmonies and lights streaming down from what seemed like the heavens. They opened with Paul Kelly cover Be Careful What You Pay For, before taking the fans in to their popular 1994 track When Will You Fall For Me. Full of life and and a wicked sense of humour, they told us the song was written by “Tim Finns brother’s, bass player’s brother.” Aka the great Mark Seymour.
Their sibling connection is obvious in the way they perform. There’s an almost telepathic ease between them. Linda opened their powerful gospel-country track Raise Your Hand, the crowd feeling every word. They told stories as they moved through their set. Their songs all have an important birth place, sharing with us That’s How I Pray, is about their Mum and Dad’s dying wish. Their music is full of vulnerability and heart. They continued through their set giving us fan favourites, belting out Never Let Me Go and treating us to powerful new music with Bliss (a self-proclaimed musical nod to their love of Abba) followed by the title track from their upcoming ninth studio album, ‘Where Do You Come From’ to end their set.
I have seen these two magical sisters many times over many decades and each time they gather you in, like family or old friends, and take you on a journey with their storytelling, vulnerability, humour, and pure emotional truth through their angelic voices and heartfelt song. The perfect opener for tonight’s show.
As always, a reset for the band and the fans to get ready for the main show.
Eventually the lights when down as the back of stage lit up running years of Split Enz memories across the massive screen. A strange giant dancing figure appeared right of stage wrapped in a giant red satin sheet, it/they just stood there, deliberately catching the curiosity of the fans. All a ploy to distract us from stage left where another, this time gold satin sheet, covered a multi-pedal creature slowly climbing up the stairs onto the stage. The single figure left and the strange entity now on stage, revealed itself as Split Enz themselves, to no one’s surprise but to everyone’s delight.
The band, dressed in their signature avant-garde suits, took their places with the crowd cheering, seamlessly opening up into Shark Attack. Tim in his bright yellow grid-checked patterned suit opening the night. The Finn brothers, thanked everyone for being there as Neil, sporting his blue checked pattern suit, opened up a sing-a-long with History Never Repeats.
Noel was set up behind Neil, with his never ending magic bag of instruments, while Eddie sat stage right, working his wizardry keyboard skills. They took us through a stream of memories and genre-bending tracks, their musical genre never finding a home. The melancholic Poor Boy from the iconic ‘True Colours’ Album rang out. Nobody Takes Me Seriously Anyway followed with keyboardist Eddie Rayner practicing audio alchemy, reminding us of this man’s wizardry as a musician. Tim jumps on his keyboard adding another layer to the final crescendo of perfectly controlled musical chaos. A skill that Split Enz perfected, and millions embraced.
Tim was as always, the perfect host introduced the first song, he and Neil ever wrote together, words and music, flowing into Give It A Whirl. He introduces the band and asked the crowd if we still had cane toads in Queensland, sharing the fact that he wrote the song, Cane Toad Blues for the 1988 cult-classic documentary film ‘Cane Toads: An Unnatural History’, skilfully using this banter as a segue into fan favourite Dirty Creature. The creepy forest scene on the back screen looked like something that belonged in a Tim Burton animation, completely setting the scene for the song. Although the entire venue was seating the crowd were actively bouncing about, completely immersed in the music and whatever memories the song raised from the depths.
They keep moving through their plethora of tracks. With Neil on vocals, Tim back on keys and Noel playing what appeared to be a triple shaker, One Step Ahead had the whole place singing along, Tim and Neil falling into natural banter in between tracks. Message To My Girl was without doubt one of the favourites of the night with the crowd singing along their loudest so far. The songs and the stories kept coming; Double Happy, Stuff and Nonsense, and Neil on mandolin for Matinee Idyll 129, apparently a song that got them 5th place on New Faces. We were loving the stores between the songs.
They paid homage to their iconic suits and their esteemed designer, Noel Crombie. He wasn’t just the percussionist famous for his spoon solos; he was really the band’s visual architect. He designed the costumes, hairstyles, makeup, stage sets, posters, and much of their overall artistic identity. As Double Happy rang out, the back screen displayed images of their iconic suits dancing across the screen in time with the music. Without Noels creative input they would have been a very different band. Their attire mirrored their music perfectly; asymmetrical, unique, fun, slightly off kilter, but created with artistic flair, skill and precision.
My Mistake saw the crowd, no longer able to stay seated with pockets of fans on their feet. Noel then took the song out with a dramatic guitar breakdown like no one had seen before. He raised a loud approval from the crowd. Hard Act To Follow wasn’t just a song it was a statement. Diversity was their weapon and though at times, they may have fallen under the banner of avant-garde art rock, full of dramatic arrangements, odd time signatures, quirky lyrical imagery, the band also wielded instrumental mastery and razor-shape song writing. They were and still are visually mesmerising, sonically exciting and lyrically enticing. As the seminal tracks Six Months In A Leaky Boat, I Got You, and the ‘80s teenage speed skating anthem, I See Red, brought the crowd to their feet the night was heading for a close. Most of the fans were on their feet capturing the last of the energy of the night.
The band left the stage briefly, returning for their last three tracks. Tim encouraged the crowd; “We’re back to groove around, groove with us.” The crowd were treated to an energetic finally with Spellbound, I Hope I Never and Strait Old Line. Noel’s much loved spoons solo came out at the end giving the true fans new memories to blend with the old.
Thousands left the Entertainment Centre knowing it was likely the last time they would ever see their teenage year idols live again. But there were smiles on faces and happy banter throughout the crowd as we were herded out of the centre back into 2026.
The band have three remaining tour dates on the ‘Forever Enz’ Tour. So Sydney, Perth and Adelaide, if you were wondering whether it was worth it, it really is.
Presented by Live Nation by arrangement with WME
SPLIT ENZ
‘FOREVER ENZ’ TOUR
NZ / AU 2026 Tour Dates
For complete tour and ticket information, head to livenation.com.au and livenation.co.nz
Saturday 2 May – Claudelands Arena, Hamilton
Monday 4 May – Wolfbrook Arena, Christchurch
Wednesday 6 May – TSB Arena, Wellington *SOLD OUT*
Thursday 7 May – TSB Arena, Wellington
Saturday 9 May – Spark Arena, Auckland *SOLD OUT*
Sunday 10 May – Spark Arena, Auckland
Wednesday 13 May – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne *SOLD OUT*
Thursday 14 May – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Saturday 16 May – Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane
Monday 18 May – TikTok Entertainment Centre, Sydney *SOLD OUT*Tuesday 19 May – TikTok Entertainment Centre, Sydney
Friday 22 May – RAC Arena, Perth
Monday 25 May – Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
With thanks to Revolutions Per Minute + Live Nation Australia
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