Split Enz

Split Enz originally performed under the name Split Ends, later changing the spelling to "Enz" to underline their New Zealand ("NZ") identity. Founding songwriters Tim Finn and Phil Judd formed the core, with other early members including Mike Chunn, Miles Golding, and Mike Howard.

From the start, Split Enz stood apart for their theatrical art-rock presentation. Live shows were as visual as they were musical, featuring vividly colored, asymmetrical suits and makeup largely designed by percussionist and visual director Noel Crombie. The band leaned hard into surreal humor and stagecraft, treating concerts as performance art rather than standard rock gigs.

Their outré visual approach didn't always land. When Split Enz hit the Australian pub circuit in 1975, they often played to crowds of around 30 people, and about half of them openly hated what they were seeing. Tim Finn credited those hostile rooms with sharpening the band's instincts and accidentally turning them into a cult act: the audiences who did connect became fiercely loyal.