ENZ: Te Awamutu

Rip It Up, Issue 78, 1 January 1984, Page 6

ENZ: Te Awamutu

Russell Brown

It's obviously a very special occasion for Te

Awamutu. A large sign in the main street proclaims the town's centenary and the biggest lettering on it is SPLIT ENZ. ("Tickets from Guy's Bookshop or Martin's Refrigeration.") There's an air of good-humoured expectation as the crowds trail into Albert Park, the town's main rugby ground. Mostly it's groups of young people but their mothers and fathers are also scattered here and there.

"Our husbands are here making hot dogs so we thought we'd come along as well," chatters one of a group of women outside the gate. Lions Club food caravans dot the fenceline the whole thing has very much the air of a

community project. No one's taking any chances, it seems, and as well as the omnipresent men in white coats there's a healthy number of police and security guards of at least three separate hues. It all seems a bit much for such a well-behaved crowd. Herbs begin a little uncertainly, perhaps aware that the Enz are not so much the main act as an incarnation of municipal pride. They finish with warmth and good humour, however. "You'll be sorry afterwards," grins Willie Hona after a well-intentioned toilet roll sails over the stage during the closing song.

The wait before the main event seems inordinate and the crowd becomes a little restive. Why is it taking so long? When Te Awamutu's mayor comes on stage to make a speech before the performance there's a chorus of booing which is immediately answered by cheering and the two factions

continue to bounce noise off each other throughout the brief speech. The grey-haired mayor looks a little bemused at all the racket but soldiers on. "They've had success all over the world but they've never forgotten where they came from The lights dim and a shanty pipes out of the speakers, Tim Finn singing. "I was born in London town" becomes "I was born in Te Awamutu", there's a brief offstage intro from Tim and they're onstage in a burst of light. What follows is genuinely warm and warmly genuine. The night is full of local references Tim stirs rivalry between the town's two main rugby clubs, St Pat's and Old Boys. Members of a local Maori culture club perform a haka onstage during 'Kia Koha' very effective but they're whisked off too soon. The night belongs more to Tim than brother

Neil. He strides the stage, constantly talking to the crowd, the compere of a vaudeville show. The highlights? 'My Mistake', 'One Step Ahead', Tim's surprisingly good 'Dock of the Bay' and, of course, the singalong 'I Got You'. Two encores, a bow and a thank you later it's all over. A very special Enz performance, a piece of natural showbiz that broke clear of the scriptedness and uptightness that has marred their shows in the last two or three years. Backstage afterwards the band members mingle, talking to everyone who wants to talk to them. It's very much a local occasion and us out-of-towners sit quietly. Soon it's time to head back to Auckland and, barely able to keep my eyes open, I settle down to sleep in the back of the van. I'm sure there was a smile on my face as I drifted away.