Split Enz re-groups for Aussie arena tour
They once sang history never repeats. But the members of innovative art-rock band Split Enz said Wednesday they would reunite for an Australian arena tour in June, 22 years after they broke up.
The band, which spawned chart-topping trio Crowded House, has booked an initial five dates between June 7 to 16. It still has an active fan club in Australia of 15,000, and the tour
is expected to see it play to its largest crowds on the continent.
Group co-founder Tim Finn said that while no further dates were planned, he would like to play shows in Los Angeles, New York and London. The run would most likely also include a run through Split Enz' New Zealand homeland.
Formed in New Zealand in 1972, Split Enz quickly made a name for itself with its eccentric theatre-pop flamboyance and pre-MTV innovative videos and artwork. It inspired the late 1970s British new wave as well as American bands like Pearl Jam.
The lineup that is reuniting (there were 13 member changes in the group's 12-year career) was its most successful, thanks in part to the addition of Tim's younger brother, Neil, who went on to form Crowded House after Split Enz broke up.
In 1980, Split Enz released its global breakthrough album, "True Colours," which spawned hits like "I Got You" and "I Hope I Never." Two years later, the album "Time And Tide" yielded "Six Months In A Leaky Boat" and "Dirty Creature."
Neil Finn said this lineup -- with Eddie Rayner (keyboards), Nigel Griggs (bass), Malcolm Green (drums) and Noel Crombie (percussion) -- was solid enough to cope with starving in London for three years and also cope with success. "This was the lineup that saw things through," Finn said.
However, the band had a "let's wait and see" comment when asked if a new studio album would emerge from the reunion.
An Enz reunion tour has been rumoured for two years. The clincher, Tim Finn said, was when the band reunited to play two shows when they were inducted at the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) Hall Of Fame last June in Melbourne.
"There was an electricity there," Finn explained, adding that the only rehearsing they'd done for the show was a run-through at soundcheck.
At Tuesday's announcement at the masonic Ormond Hall in Melbourne where they'd played some of their early shows, the Enz entertained the media and fan club members with performances of "Poor Boy," "Message to My Girl," "Shark Attack" and a spoon solo from Crombie.
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