‘He Was a Maverick’: Split Enz Credit Michael Gudinski for Early Breakthrough

The late Michael Gudinski was instrumental in the rise of Split Enz, signing the band to Mushroom Records in 1975 after seeing them perform at Sydney’s Coogee Bay Hotel.

“Particularly for [Split Enz], he was a force, yeah,” Neil Finn said in a recent interview with Rolling Stone AU/NZ. “Before I even joined, he stepped into the breach for the band and hoisted you to a much different world.”

Tim Finn referred to the late Mushroom group founder as a "maverick."

"He was a maverick, you know? There’s not many left," he added. "And he would take a punt, take a chance on a band like Split Enz who were completely outside the mainstream at that point. He just liked us. And people around him were enjoying us, including some of the Skyhooks guys who came to a pub gig we did in Sydney in ‘75."

At the time, the band’s ambitions extended well beyond Australia. “We didn’t really want to stay in Australia, we wanted to get to England,” Tim said. “So we said we’d sign with Mushroom, but you’d have to have us in London in 12 months and we had to have that in the contract.”

Gudinski delivered on that promise. “And he did! Twelve months later we were on the King’s Road, and so he was a man of his word,” Tim continued.

The relationship proved critical again later in the band’s trajectory. After a difficult period in London, Gudinski encouraged the group to return to Australia — a move that would ultimately lead to their commercial breakthrough.

“He picked us up and helped us come back to Australia in ‘79 when we were really struggling in London,” Tim said. “He just encouraged us, I think. He said, ‘Why don’t you come back and play some shows?’ and that was what led to True Colours. So, yeah, he played a big part in the band.”

More than five decades on from their formation, Split Enz’s catalogue continues to resonate; a legacy that speaks not only to the band’s creative vision, but also to the early industry backing that helped bring it to an international stage.

Ticket information for Split Enz’s tour is available via Live Nation AU and Live Nation NZ.