Split Enz – Spark Arena, 9 May 2026: Review and Photo Gallery

11th May 2026

In the autumn of 1982 in a flat in Malvern, Worcestershire, a bandmate sat me down to listen to “Split Enz, this amazing band from Australia or somewhere” and proceeded to play me the song Dirty Creature. It set off a fascination with this team of troubadours with a penchant for colourful clothes, make-up and seemingly an interest in carnivals and sea shanties.
Cut to Spark Arena, Auckland, 44 years later I’m now in the knowledge that they are one of Aotearoa / New Zealand’s finest exports. The Finn brothers, Tim and Neil, Noel Crombie and Eddie Rayner, were back on stage together for the first time since 2009. They were joined by the sublime rhythm section of James Milne and Matt Eccles, to put on a show that enthralled and engaged.

Part of the Split Enz charm is their theatrical nature – this was reinforced by their entry to the stage under large silk sheets with a backdrop of red theatre curtains. Opening with Shark Attack and History Never Repeats, the songs had a freshness and energy that belied the years. The band sounded as vibrant as ever. Neil Finn did a star turn in a vocal supporting role to his brother and as a lead guitarist of some note, busting out solos of the highest calibre. Tim Finn sounded in wonderful voice and easily stepped back into all the quirky Enz-esque shapes. His rendition of the beautiful Stuff and Nonsense from the Frenzy album was a high point of the evening.

The band worked their way through the extensive catalogue, including the excellent Eddie Rayner penned instrumental Double Happy and a brilliant Message to My Girl. The show culminated in the trio of Six Months in a Leaky Boat, I Got You and I See Red which saw the crowd joyfully singing along with every word.

The true rockstar of the evening was the irrepressible Noel Crombie, always the mysterious member of the band – with a deadpan facial expression that would have made Buster Keaton seem animated. This was until, like a cat with the zoomies in the dead of night, he attacked a defenceless guitar with vigour, while the Finn brothers looked on with a mixture of surprise and concern. The man is an enigma.

This was a special evening that many thought they would never get a chance to see. Masterful songs, beautifully performed – a trip down memory lane that still felt as exciting as that first listen to the band in 1982.