Split Enz to reunite for first time in almost 20 years

Split Enz will reunite for the first time in almost twenty years, headlining next February's Electric Avenue festival at Christchurch's Hagley Park.

The booking coincides with the band's fiftieth anniversary. Festival director Callam Mitchell called it the most historic booking the event had made, describing it as a cultural landmark rather than simply another headline slot.

Split Enz will play the festival's opening night on Friday 27 February, with Australian house producer Dom Dolla headlining the second night after main-stage appearances at Coachella, Creamfields and Lollapalooza.

For a band whose art-school theatrics helped define New Zealand popular music in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the return carries obvious weight for older fans, and unusual curiosity value for anyone who only knows the songs second-hand.