In 2008, during one of their many temporary reunion periods, Split Enz performed at Westpac Arena in Pōneke Wellington. Amongst the thousands watching on that night were the Devlin family, including brothers Callum and Oliver.
First exposed Split Enz through the Nature’s Best compilation CDs, they found themselves enamoured by the eccentric band’s theatrical style and thoughtful arrangements.
Almost two decades later, the Devlin brothers’ own band, Hans Pucket, will open for Split Enz on their most anticipated reunion tour yet.
“I could not have guessed in a million years we’d be playing at the same huge venue,” Oliver says.
From tomorrow (May 2nd) until Sunday, May 10th, Hans Pucket will travel Aotearoa as Split Enz’s support act, playing shows in Kirikiriroa Hamilton, Ōtautahi Christchurch, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, and, of course, their hometown of Wellington (Westpac Arena is now called TSB Arena).
They’re excited about the prospect — mostly.
“I’m honestly a little frightened!” Callum confides. “This is huge for the band, both in terms of the support slot and also the stages. Hans Pucket was born from playing house parties, but I’ve got confidence our songs as well as our infamous stage banter will scale to arena size.”
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They needn’t be too worried, though, because Hans Pucket are a sensible booking for this tour: their playful and danceable indie rock leans into similar stylistic territory as Split Enz.
The Devlin brothers, Passells and drummer Jonathan Nott haven’t released a Hans Pucket record since 2022, the Taite-nominated No Drama (which was also a favourite at Rolling Stone AU/NZ), but they made sure to enter the Split Enz tour armed with new material.
New single “G.Y.S.S.” is “a pop-rock anthem written out of post-lockdown desperation,” according to a press release. “The song was taken to a cold shed in rural Canterbury in the middle of a national winter tour, and explored through the band’s highly collaborative arrangement process.”
As they prepare a follow-up to No Drama, a new direction is evident: “more is more — leave them wanting less” is one of their new album maxims.
The final recording of “G.Y.S.S.”, which you can listen to below, was a live take at the studio of producer Jonathan Pearce (guitarist for Hans Pucket’s former touring mates The Beths).
“As we’re spread around the world we don’t get to play together as often as we’d like, so when we do, there’s a lot of energy — it’s always a celebration,” Oliver says.
The accompanying music video, featuring handycam footage of their 2025 UK and Europe tour, is the work of Callum, who’s been making waves as a director elsewhere recently.
After earning initial buzz at several film festivals last year, his “stoner horror comedy” The Weed Eaters opened in Aotearoa cinemas this week. (Passells was also involved in the film, writing and performing the original instrumental score.)
“Everyone needs to see The Weed Eaters,” declared The Spinoff last year, hailing it as perhaps “the best local release in years.” Check out where the film is playing around the country here.
If stoner films aren’t your thing, listen to Hans Pucket’s comeback single exclusively on Bandcamp. And ahead of their reunion tour, make sure to read our in-depth Split Enz oral history.
Hans Pucket’s “G.Y.S.S.” is out now.
