Split Enz release book on Noel Crombie's costume designs — SkimNews
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- Split Enz emerged in early-1970s New Zealand and turned pop performance into surreal theatre through bold visual choices.
- Noel Crombie, the band's percussionist, served as their visual architect, designing outlandish costumes, makeup, hair, album covers, and music videos.
- Crombie and the band collaborated with music journalist Michael Dwyer on a new book reflecting on their 'chameleonic eras' and the stories behind the looks.
- The book, published October 8, 2026, uses photographs to trace how the band's visual identity shifted across their career.
- Crombie's dual role as both musician and designer positioned him as the central figure shaping the band's image, not just their sound.
Why it matters: For fans and design historians, the book documents how a percussionist — not a frontman or stylist — became the architect of a band's entire visual identity over multiple decades. It repositions Crombie's legacy as a deliberate experiment in performance art that extended well beyond clothing into album covers and video direction.
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