Live Review: Split Enz - Forever Theatrical, Eccentric in 2026

Split Enz – Forever Enz Tour – 22 May 2026 at RAC Arena, Perth, Western Australia.

“It has been almost 20 years since we’ve played in Perth.”

Twenty years may not feel all that long ago when we consider one of our writers, photographers, and fan Erica Lorimer showed this photojournalist a page from her diary marked “SPLIT ENZ CONCERT” – dated March 20, 1982. That show was held at the Perth Entertainment Centre, right beside what is now RAC Arena.

The nostalgia runs even deeper when we remember that many of us were not even born when the New Zealand band first came together in 1972. When Phil Judd and Mike Chunn left in 1976, Neil Finn flew from New Zealand to England where the band had relocated, and joined as co-lead singer and songwriter alongside his brother Tim. The band eventually split in 1984, and Neil later formed Crowded House with former drummer, the late Paul Hester. Since then, there have been several reunion tours.

Arguably, Tim Finn is the only original member on this 2026 tour, but tell that to the fans. With Neil Finn, Eddie Rayner, and Noel Crombie – all from the 1970s club graced the stage, it was a reunion from the classic years, while drummer Matt Eccles and bassist James Milne kept the rhythm section driving everything forward.

Split Enz in Perth. Photo by Sheldon Ang / Sheldon Ang Media

But first…the supporting act…

Linda and Vika Bull joined Crowded House as backing vocalists earlier this year, so it felt natural for them to open the night. Their breathtaking eight-song set began with Paul Kelly’s Be Careful What You Pray For, a fitting nod to the legendary singer-songwriter, especially given that the sisters have opened for him on tour before. From there, they soared through Raise Your Hand, That’s How I Pray, Pigface, and Caledonia. We heard the kind of voices only a few can deliver: crisp, soaring, and powerful enough to echo right through the arena. They also performed The Black Sorrows’ track Never Let Me Go, which had the crowd moving from the first notes. Their set closed with Bliss and the title track from their upcoming album, Where Do You Come From, due for release on 5 June. We cannot wait to hear it.

Linda and Vinka Bull at Split Enz in Perth. Photo by Sheldon Ang / Sheldon Ang Media

At 9 pm, ten minutes before the scheduled start, the lights dropped and the default screams erupted. The spotlight landed on an orange satin sheet that drifted across the stage, billowing in a way that built anticipation and wonder through the crowd, while the instrumental The Choral Sea played in the background. It felt like something out of a classic cartoon, a character hiding under a sheet and pretending to be a ghost, while Eddie Rayner’s solo prelude hovered underneath it all. After a minute, then came the peekaboo.

Split Enz in Perth. Photo by Sheldon Ang / Sheldon Ang Media

Then the six members were revealed, together in Perth for the first time in 20 years, all dressed in colourful tailored suits with lines and cuts that felt perfectly chosen for each of them. The entrance was quintessential Split Enz: theatrical, eccentric, and stylish in that unmistakable way only they can pull off. For many, including this photojournalist, it was the first time seeing the Finn brothers together on stage. It felt surreal as each member moved into position.

The night burst into life with Shark Attack. The title says it all. It hits fast, sharp, and with more force than almost anything else in their catalogue. Pulled from True Colours, it landed with real punch and set the benchmark for the night.

Split Enz in Perth. Photo by Sheldon Ang / Sheldon Ang Media

Tim Finn sang with constant movement, his body loose and animated, his arms swinging as if he was lost in a late-night rhythm and blues groove, dressed in bright yellow. As for his brother Neil, it looked like he had not combed his hair since he last played Perth. It sat in its own free-range shade, unkempt and entirely unconcerned. But it didnt matter. His hair is almost as iconic as his voice.

There were only two moments when the brothers stood side by side, both during the first song, and each lasted only a few seconds. Still, those brief glimpses carried the weight of decades. Neil lifted his guitar while Tim nodded along to the crowd’s rhythm, and even with a bit of distance between them, the feeling in the room was immense. It was one of those moments that made us think about just how much time has passed since this band first split.

Split Enz in Perth. Photo by Sheldon Ang / Sheldon Ang Media

As expected, there was no shortage of colour. The big screen was filled with surreal imagery that felt borrowed from twentieth-century German theatre, full of theatrical expression and fantasy design. There were dreamlike houses, twisted leafless branches, exaggerated shapes, and a warped emotional reality that suited the music perfectly.

It would not be surprising if Noel Crombie’s visual direction had a hand in all of that.

This was never only about the Finn brothers, either. Crombie had his own moment at centre stage with a solo percussion passage that carried Dirty Creature right to its end.

Split Enz shifted gears without losing any momentum on Time for a Change. With Tim at the keyboard, the performance turned haunting and dramatic, helped by smoky visual effects and a charged, almost dreamlike atmosphere. It felt like a seventies art pop vision brought fully to life. In those moments, standing there and taking it in, you could not help but think about how much time has passed and how much has changed, for better or worse.

Tim Finna of Split Enz in Perth. Photo by Sheldon Ang / Sheldon Ang Media

It was not long before one of the big commercial moments arrived. The elegant piano opening from Eddie Rayner signalled Message to My Girl, and suddenly the room softened. Neil’s voice carried the song with real sincerity, letting the emotion sit in plain view without overplaying it. Written by Neil Finn, it remains one of those songs that marks a turning point, the moment he emerged as a writer of heartfelt melodies that could still cut deep.

Eddie Rayner then had a solo moment with Pioneer before it rolled neatly into Six Months in a Leaky Boat, and just like that, the arena turned into a dance floor. From there, there was no looking back. When the stabbing guitar riff of I Got You arrived, the place erupted, with thousands singing the chorus back at the band. They closed the main set with I See Red, and by then the energy was through the roof. Everything felt like it was sprinting at once: the drums hammering, the keyboards cutting through, and Tim firing out the verses like a man right on the edge.

Neil Finn of Split Enz in Perth. Photo by Sheldon Ang / Sheldon Ang Media

The night closed with a three-song encore, including fan favourite I Hope I Never. Tim Finn sang it as if his life depended on it. The ache in the song still hung there after all these years, and the lush piano only deepened it. Coming so late in a set filled with colour, movement, and sharp edges, it landed with even more force because of that contrast.

The Forever Enz 2026 tour captured everything that makes Split Enz what they are: fearless, eccentric, and performed with total sincerity.

Split Enz will continue their final leg of the Forever Enz tour in Adelaide on May 25th. Tickets are available from Live Nation Australia

Sheldon Ang Media would like to thank revolutions per minute, Live Nation Australia and Split Enz for the accreditation

Split Enz in Perth. Photo by Sheldon Ang / Sheldon Ang Media

SETLIST – SPLIT ENZ 2026 FOREVER ENZ TOUR

Shark Attack — Frenzy (1979)

History Never Repeats — Waiata (1981)

Poor Boy — True Colours (1980)

Nobody Takes Me Seriously — True Colours (1980)

Give It a Whirl — Frenzy (1979)

Dirty Creature — Time and Tide (1982)

Time for a Change — Mental Notes (1975)

One Step Ahead — Waiata (1981)

Missing Person — Waiata (1981)

Message to My Girl — Conflicting Emotions (1983)

Double Happy — Frenzy (1979)

Stuff and Nonsense — Frenzy (1979)

Matinee Idyll (129) — Second Thoughts (1976)

My Mistake — Dizrythmia (1977)

Hard Act to Follow — Conflicting Emotions (1983)

Pioneer — Time and Tide (1982)

Six Months in a Leaky Boat — Time and Tide (1982)

I Got You — True Colours (1980)

I See Red — Frenzy (1979)

ENCORE

Spellbound — Time and Tide (1982)

I Hope I Never — True Colours (1980)

Strait Old Line — Conflicting Emotions (1983)

About the writer/photographer: The founder of Perth-based Sheldon Ang Media (est. May 2022) has been accredited to more than 250 of the hottest acts including Taylor Swift (ERAS Tour in Sydney), Coldplay (Perth), AD/DC, Metallica, KISS, RHCP, P!NK and Suzi Quatro (pictured) with reviews shared by the likes of Belinda Carlisle, Roxette, Tina Arena, UB40, Delta Goodrem, and Tina Arena on social media. He has interviewed the late Ace Frehley (KISS), John Steel (The Animals), Frank Ferrer (Guns N Roses), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Andrew Farris (INXS) plus over 100 artists. He’s also a contributor on Triple M Radio as a music journalist

Live Review: Split Enz – Forever Theatrical, Eccentric in 2026

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