A&U acquires Split Enz history

Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired world rights to Split Enz: An Adventure in Music and Design, the official history of the band Split Enz by Noel Crombie and Michael Dwyer.

Created with the full participation of the band, the book gathers photographs, costumes, designs and memorabilia alongside new interviews spanning every era of the group. The book traces the stories behind songs including “I Got You”, “Message to my Girl” and “I Hope I Never”, as well as “the imagery and the peculiar chemistry that made Split Enz singular, and still impossible to imitate”, said the publisher.

The publisher said, “2026 is the year of Enz: the band is touring again to sell-out crowds after two decades off the stage, in Australia, NZ and internationally, including original band members Tim Finn, Neil Finn, Noel Crombie and Eddie Rayner. The music has been reissued, and a documentary is being recorded.”

Crombie is the band’s visual architect, costume and hair designer, album cover designer and music video director, and on stage he is a singer and percussionist. Dwyer is a music journalist, having written for Rolling Stone, Melody Maker, the Age and the Guardian. Both authors live in Melbourne.

Crombie said, “We were very determined not to be like everyone else: we were totally uncompromising. Looking back, we pulled it off against the odds.”

Publisher Elizabeth Weiss said, “Split Enz is one of the great Australasian bands of all time, and we are thrilled to be bringing this beautiful tribute to their fans young and old this Christmas.”

The publisher plans to release Split Enz: An Adventure in Music and Design in October 2026.

Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions